Research Into Romance Genre

Romance can be defined as a genre in which the plot revolves around the love between two protagonists. They often centre around themes of issues within love, but can include themes such as forbidden love, love triangles, and love at first sight. Romance films have no conventional tone. They can be happy, tragic, or many other emotions, but romance films aim to evoke strong emotions in the audience.

There are a variety of sub-genres to romance. Here are the main ones:

• Romantic Drama - Romantic dramas tend to explore the complex side of love. They conventionally revolve around an obstacle between the two protagonists preventing love between them. Obstacles can include forbidden love, family disapproval, or even one's own psychological obstacles.
• Romantic Comedy - Romantic comedies tend to be light-hearted and humorous, exploring romantic ideals such as true love and its ability to surpass most obstacles. The two protagonists are usually placed in a humorous situation.

Conventionally, the two protagonists are a male and a female. LGBT couples and characters are uncommon in both the romance genre and the film industry as a whole. Romantic films conventionally end with either the couple breaking up (common in romantic dramas) or a happy ending. Romance films are often "feel-good" films, intending for the audience to walk away with a positive message or improved outlook. Romantic comedies tend to be feel-good films.

Lighting in romance films is conventionally very natural or soft. The lighting is often very realistic and relies on the lighting provided in a "normal" setting. This is with the intention of making the film relatable and believable. Colours tend to be very natural, soft, yet also bright, to signify the nature of love and its development and also the commonly happy and upbeat themes. Red is commonly used in romance films because it signifies passion and love. Conventional props in romance films include items such as flowers, gifts, and chocolates. These are props that people commonly associate with love and romance.

Romance films are conventionally set in well-known locations such as large cities like New York. This is because the films are supposed to be as relatable as possible to engross and involve the audience. Characters are conventionally represented as believable and "normal" people. Costumes are also conventionally very "normal". The male character tends to wear smart yet casual clothing to reflect professionalism but that he is down to earth and comfortable with himself. The female character will often wear colourful and appealing clothing that emphasises her figure in order to be appealing to the male character.

Music in romance films is conventionally employed to indicate the emotional mood. Therefore, the type of music used in romance films varies based on the sub-genre, tone, or theme. Romantic comedies might employ a happy, upbeat soundtrack in order to match the tone of the film, whereas a romantic drama might employ soft, dramatic music to match the focus on the complexity and obstacles in love.

The conventional target audience for romance films is white, working/middle class, heterosexual, females, aged 15-34. This is because representation of protagonists in romance films tends to be restricted to white straight couples of working or middle class. The target gender is female because women are stereotypically more emotional or susceptible to emotional themes. In terms of psychographics, romance films appeal to aspirers and mainstreamers. Aspirers want a better life, and will want to watch romance films for inspiration and to have something to aspire to, since relationships are held in society as something important in being a functioning person. Mainstreamers prefer to be like most other people. Therefore they will want to watch romance films since they are quite a mainstream genre. Also, relationships are seen as a "normal" thing and if you're not in a relationship you're abnormal.

Examples of famous romance films include Titanic (1997), The Notebook (2004), Love Actually (2003), and The Fault in Our Stars (2014). Actors and actresses that are commonly in romance films include people such as Hugh Grant, Channing Tatum, Leonardo DiCaprio, Sandra Bullock, Cameron Diaz, and Julia Roberts. Directors that typically make romance films include Woody Allen and Rob Reiner.