Romantic comedy

Romantic comedy

1. tell light hearted and humorous dramatic stories centred around the themes of romantic attraction and difficulties finding new love.

2. Iconography

   • aspirational clothing
     • Make-overs
       • romantic gifts
         • idealised versions of real world cities
           • glamorous public spaces
             • rain as symbol
               • weddings and relationship related events e.g. romantic meals dances
                 • PDA- romantic clinch against glamorous backdrop
                   • public attempts of courtship or reconciliation

3. Setting

   • Exciting international cities (London/NY/Paris)
     • spacious apartments with designer furnature
       • small towns generally in plots where the heroine must learn to re-embrace their roots in order to find true love
         • aspirational foreign locations in which the heroine is the fish out of water.
           • exciting aspiration workplaces (Magazine editing/ Fashion/modelling)
             • high schools
               • nostalgic versions of the past

4. Narrative

   • Rom-Coms are a sub genre of romantic fiction.
     • The basic rom-com plot template has two people meet, form some connection indictive of deeper feelings and then part due to some inconvenience/misunderstanding. The couple will resist the pull of their mutual attraction however the screenwriters and director ensure the audience is aware of how right these two characters are for eachother.
       • After the initial seporation the characters will have a realisation and they will actively pursue the object of their affections. After some degree of friction/m awkwardness/ mayhem the two declare their mutual love for each other. The film ends on a happy note suggesting that an idyllic long life-bond has been formed.
         • The most used narrative device is the meet cute, its the way the couple meet driven by social awkwardness, comic misunderstandings or happenstance. This method highlights how different the characters are.

5. Characters

   • driven career women who have abandoned the notion of romantic love
     • desperate single people of either gender
       • Bachelors who are resistant to change
         • Supportive best friend with comically exaggerated flaws or character traits.
           • unreasonable authority figures (bosses)
             • obstructive parents/family members/ exs
         • rival suitors

6. Themes

   • pre-destined love overcoming all obstacles
     • romantic union making both P better people
       • the joys of love, even failed love, being worth the heartache and turmoil.

7. Style

   • The rom-com generally delights, amuses and charms its audience. Exterior scenes may be shot in pleasant surrondings with warm natural light being used to suggest a feeling of romantic excitement or dulllighting and rich colours to suggest a romantic mood.
   • popular songs and ballads are used to convey the sudden rush of romantic attraction and the heartache of separation. Montague techniques are used to show us the heroes better sweet recollections with love affair that has ended. or to convey a sudden positive change.

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