1. Target audience
Stereotypically the target audience of a romantic comedy is females, usually teenagers and
young adults. This is largely because of the light-hearted and easy to watch nature of the
films in this genre. We can see here
from reviews present on IMDB
based on the 2001 romantic comedy
Bridget Jones’ Diary that women under the age of 18 gave a considerably higher rating than
males of the same age group. The same can be seen in many other romantic comedies
including The Proposal (2009). This pattern can also be seen across the older age groups
with females rating being greater all round.
The films are usually set in either the
United Kingdom or the United States
as this is where a large proportion of
their target audience are situated and enables them to be relatable to the audience,
heightening appeal. However, there are also other romantic comedies set and made all over
the world that captivate a wider audience.
To continue, traditionally most actors and actresses in rom-coms are from these places due
to their adaptability in film. They are also used because of their dominance in the film market
meaning they will attract an even larger target audience through them being a recognisable
figure.
Due to their more relaxed nature, less serious and hard core film fans will tend to go for a
romantic comedy when choosing a film. Due to a rom-coms commonly lacking a deep
meaning and needing lots of brain power to understand, they are less likely to win awards
such as Oscars compared to genres such as Sci-Fi and action.
Classically, the female target audience will be more girly than Tom-boy and thrive from
emotionally demanding narratives. For this reason, common interests of target audience are
less likely to be the sporty kind but instead dancers, artists and gymnasts. This also
generally gives them a connection with the female protagonists as this is their more likely
personality. They are likely to care about their appearance in terms of makeup and fashion
being a key interest of theirs and look after themselves as well as being bubbly and friendly.
Some men are likely to watch a rom com but I can imagine it not being their first choice and
them watching it in the company of a sister or girlfriend. They are likely to be more attracted
to the comedic side of the film instead of the romance. The fact men are likely to be more
attracted to the comedic side due to their higher rating of comedy films. For example, the
2012 comedy Ted whereby there is a love interest but it isn’t the main concept of the
storyline therefore showing men naturally prefer the
non-romantic side of the narrative.
Well presented
Light natural makeup
Cared for hair
Neat clothing
Age: 13-25
Gender: female
Class: C1-A
Neatly presented
Hair put up and neat
Age: 15-25
Gender: male
Class: C1-A
