Day 9: Portfolio Project Genre #1

Hello and long time no see (or read)! 👋👋 Today begins the long, exciting journey of my portfolio project!! For my project, I'm thinking about producing something either from the romantic comedies or coming-of-age genre. Realistically, I want to produce something reflecting my life by creating a story where the character is trying to find herself and where she belongs. (Let's see if my idea changes after research...) This post will be focusing on romance genre and the subsequent one will be about coming-of-age.

Romantic comedies (Rom-coms):

Target Audience:

• The TA of rom-coms is usually women and young adults, though there is a growing trend of male audiences enjoying this genre. This genre focuses on relationships and nostalgic appeal, drawn by their TA's emotional depth. 
• The TA seeks emotional connection, comfort and relatable romantic scenarios.

Genre conventions with content:

• Lovable leads
• Rom-coms usually focus on one romantic couple that the audience roots for the whole way through. These two characters complement and bring out the best in the other as they are the foundation of the film.

Ex: Thomas and Hannah - Made of Honor (2008)

• Meet-cute
• Most romantic comedies begin with the leads meeting in a charming or in an unexpected situation, commonly referred to as a "meet-cute", which helps the audience become emotionally invested in the film to see the characters end up together. Many rom-coms make it obvious about who will end up with who.
• Unique conflict
• Each film has their own unique conflict that you wouldn't think is ever possible but coincidentally is. As each have their own conflict, each situation is different and can pull the lovable leads together or apart and truly pushes their relationship to its limits.
• Relationship on the line
• Similar to the unique conflict, every film has a moment where the main relationship is put to the test.
• Heartfelt, defining moment
• There is always at least one major moment in each rom-com that seals the relationship and makes the film iconic. These moments are the ones that the audience is on the edge of their seat, waiting for, all movie long. 

Ex: Nick proposing to Rachel as she boards the plane to leave Singapore - Crazy Rich Asians (2018)

• A good sidekick
• Although there are unique characters to each film, the sidekicks are usually even more memorable. Sidekicks are relatable, funny, and usually help bring the leads together.

Ex: Damian - Mean Girls (2004)

• Happy ending
• Almost every romantic comedy ends with the happily ever after, to appeal to their hopeless romantic audience. Some couples in romantic comedies finally start to date or even get married and we see their life together.

Genre conventions with techniques:

• High-Key Lighting
• Rom-com films are usually filmed in bright, clear lighting to fully display the lovable leads and their expressions. Characters are shown this way to highlight their best qualities and show them off in the best possible way. While there are some rom-coms that use darker lighting, it is not very common.
• Colorful mise-en-scene
• Through bright colors in set and costume design, rom-coms create a happy tone to complement the comedic elements of the film. 
• Montage!
• Rom-coms usually include at least one montage of the leads getting to know each other and inevitably fall in love. These montages could be of the two travelling, going shopping or just enjoying each other's company.

Institutional conventions:

• Familiar actors
• If you've ever wondered why some rom-coms cast the same actors over and over again, here's why: Rom-coms rely on well-known actors to draw audiences in even before audiences know what it is about. The actors in rom-coms are also known to be more likable than talented.

Ex: Julia Roberts in Runaway Bride (1999), Valentine's Day (2010), and Notting Hill (1999) or Sydney Sweeney in almost every recent rom-com.

• Release windows
• Companies strategically time the release of certain rom-coms for romantic holidays, like Valentine's day and the holiday season. This is calculated a certain way to drive profit. 

Examples:

To All The Boys I've Loved Before (2018)

When Harry Met Sally... (1989)

Anyone But You (2023)

10 Things I Hate About You (1999)

Final thoughts:

After researching rom-coms, I think it would be a very fun opening to create, but I'm not 100% sure if this is the genre I want to do. As I said before, my current idea is to create my opening about a girl trying to find where she truly belongs in life and I don't think it should be focused on romance, though I might change my mind. If I do end up changing my mind, a rom-com would definitely be a high contender. I think that it would be so much fun to think up a meet-cute or something to intertwine the characters in the opening. 

I hope you enjoyed today's post and I'll catch you in the next one!!

Sources:

Screencraft: Screencraft. (n.d.). The 9 elements of all great rom-coms. Screencraft. https://screencraft.org/blog/the-9-elements-of-all-great-rom-coms/

The Film Experience: Mullen, L. (2021, April 5). Gay best friend: Damian in Mean Girls (2004). The Film Experience. http://thefilmexperience.net/blog/2021/4/5/gay-best-friend-damian-in-mean-girls-2004.html

PremiumBeat: Maher, M. (n.d.). Rom-com genre filmmaking elements. PremiumBeat. https://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/rom-com-genre-filmmaking-elements/

The Paper Shell Review (University of Maryland): University of Maryland. (2021). Cupcake trucks, groundhogs, and.... The Paper Shell Review. https://english.umd.edu/research-innovation/journals/paper-shell-review/spring-2021/cupcake-trucks-groundhogs-and

Multimedia and Wiki Sources

YouTube: The Take. (2018, July 10). The rom-com formula explained [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5rtcfHqOmI

Paramount Fandom: Paramount Wiki. (n.d.). Damian Leigh. Fandom. https://paramount.fandom.com/wiki/Damian_Leigh

IMDb (Film Database Entries)

She's All That (Photo Gallery): IMDb. (1999). She's All That (1999) photo gallery. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0163187/mediaindex/

The Proposal (Main Entry): IMDb. (2009). The Proposal (2009). https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0817230/

Notting Hill (Media Viewer): IMDb. (1999). Notting Hill (1999) - Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant [Photograph]. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0125439/mediaviewer/rm845481728/

The Intern (2015) Meyers, N. (Director). (2015). The Intern [Film]. Warner Bros.; RatPac-Dune Entertainment. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3846674/

When Harry Met Sally... (1989) Reiner, R. (Director). (1989). When Harry Met Sally... [Film]. Castle Rock Entertainment; Nelson Entertainment. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098635/

Anyone But You (2024) Showalter, M. (Director). (2024). The Idea of You [Film]. Amazon MGM Studios; Welle Entertainment. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt26047818/

10 Things I Hate About You (1999) Junger, G. (Director). (1999). 10 Things I Hate About You [Film]. Touchstone Pictures; Mad Chance. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0147800/