Titanic or The Notebook?

Genre

    Titanic and The Notebook are both romance films that end in the loss of a significant other, but both are films that have a positive plot that gives the audience anticipation. Romance films are generally interpreted as two people who begin with problems, and later end up living "happily ever after". This cliché has been around for as long as romance films have existed, but these stories are always filled with happy endings and fairy-tales that inspire people in their daily lives. The genre of Romance includes stories that center on emotion, desire, and many different types of love. These may include: sentimental love, spiritual love, forbidden love, passionate love, sacrificial love, and the list goes on.

Content

    Romantic films consist of themes like love at first sight or platonic love. They express the, sometimes realistic, experiences of those who fall in love. A very well-used technique in romance films is foreshadowing. This approach to reveal certain parts of the plot, without directly showing the information, is in many instances, crucial. Foreshadowing allows for the audience to receive and interpret information that, most of the time, the characters in the film don't know. Additionally, it communicates details that will indicate, or spoil, a future event in the plot.

Production Techniques

    When producing a romance film, there has to be certain techniques and details that should be included to assure that the audience is captivated by its components. One way of doing this in the introduction of romance films is by integrating a meet cute scene. This means that the lead characters will meet, in a unique way, that people find to be admirable. One example of this is in the movie Life As We Know It, a 2010 film directed by Greg Berlanti, starring Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel. Eric Messer, played by Duhmel, and Holly, played by Heigl, meet on a Saturday night when Eric arrives an hour late to Holly's apartment where he was supposed to pick her up from their first date. Right off the bat, they did not hit it off. His tardiness and her excessive need for punctuality did not become friends. This is seen as a meet cute scene because as the storyline develops, Holly and Messer are brought together to face reality, bringing them together as more than friends. 

    Another technique used in Romantic movies is the separation of a couple to bring light to a new one. This is used in countless movies. The beginning always shows a happy couple living happily, or unhappily, resulting in a breakup. Later on, one of them ends up meeting someone new and being happier than ever. 

Institutional Conventions

    Romance films are nowadays mixed in with comedy, hence the name Romcom, for many reasons, one of them being that it sells better, and faster. Plain, old romance films were cute to watch in the 1980s, but currently, nobody watches a sad, long, and boring romantic movie. Young viewers, and even adults, these days want to get a laugh out of the media they consume, in this case, romance films. So, adding in comedy and sometimes satire can bring views up, exponentially. 

    Additionally, targeting the right audience for the marketing and advertisement of the film is highly important and necessary. Publicists cannot expect to raise their movies' views by advertising a teen RomCom on Facebook. Advertisements for teen movies should be on TikTok, Instagram, and even Snapchat. 

Film Sample #1 

    The film I mentioned before, Life As We Know It directed by Greg Berlanti, is my favorite movie of all time. I am a huge fan of anything romantic, whether it be a novel or a film. This movie can be identified in the Romance genre because it involves two people who, in the beginning, do not like each other, but then they go through hardships together and have to live a life that neither of them planned. Their condition brought them closer by the minute, and created a beautiful relationship towards the middle. 

Film Sample #2 - The Notebook, a film directed by Nick Cassavetes in 2004 is based on two young people who meet, and fall in love instantly. Noah Calhoun, played by Ryan Gosling, is a mill worker who fell in love with a rich girl named Allie, played by Rachel McAdams. Many issues regarding Allie's family and his lack of money get in the way of their relationship. but this doesn't stop them from being together. This film has many ups and downs regarding their relationship, but the ending is totally worth it. The Romance genre is a perfect fit for this film because there is passion, drama, forbidden love, and many other aspects of the genre that are included.

Examples of Romance Films: