Conventions of Romance

     

                                  Conventions of Romance

A romance film can be defined as a genre where in the plot revolves around the love between two protagonists. This genre usually has a theme that explores an issue within love, including but not limited to: love at first sight, forbidden love, love triangles, and sacrificial love. The tone of Romance film can vary greatly. Whether the end is happy or tragic, romance film aims to evoke strong emotions in the audience.

       

Romance Film examples:

Slumdog Millionaire - An uneducated boy becomes a contestant on the Hindi version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire to win over the girl he loves since he knows she is a fan of the show.

The Notebook - An old man visits an elderly woman suffering with dementia who is living in a care home and reads a love story to her that centres around two lovers torn apart by life events. However, what the woman does not know is that the story is based on their lives together.

  

Love Actually - A look at eight completely different love stories that are loosely intertwined in London, England during the Christmas season that all result in a happy ending.

Generic Conventions of a romance Film:

-Often a voice over is used to introduce the love theme

-The 'boy meets girl' scenario is typically used in romance films and often most viewers watch these types of film because they expect a happy ending

-Normally includes emotional feelings, (for example, hero's dad dies, mother left etc)

-A typical romance genre includes gender, sexuality and relationships