Research: Genre Study- Romance

Characteristics of the Romance Genre

The romance genre normally targets a female audience however males do like to watch romance films. A romance story normally focuses around a boy and a girl that fall in love however obstacles stand in their way and they have to fight these and stay together. The Romance genre follows Todorov's equilibrium model as it normally shows the couple happy at the start and then something happens to cause trouble which is called the 'dark period' and then towards the end the equilibrium is restored and it shows a happy ending. The 'dark period' within the genre is essential to the plot as it creates an effective ending with more effect.

The main characters that are shown in the romance are normally a good looking male protagonist and female protagonist. It will normally show their friends who is somebody that the main cast can turn to and share their problems with which is a key part as they are able to express the problems to the audience.

The setting for the romance genre is also key and they will often be filmed in beautiful settings reflective of the film. They will often be set in the countryside, little country villages or around a beach and this helps to add to the romance between the two main characters and also helps to add to the story line and create an all round effect. They will sometimes be filmed within a city and this helps to reflect the more negative side of the romance story and shows the 'dark period.'

The themes which are usually shown within the Romance genre are things such as opposites attracts which would show the female and male protagonist falling in love despite drastic differences, there is also love conquers all where the love would be shown high above everything else within the film and be shown as the main focus of the film. The other common theme is overcoming obstacles where the main characters have to fight through a lot of issues and problems to be together, this may be problems that cause them to split up half way through the film or maybe issues within their relationship that they have to solve to be happy together.

The romance genre also has a sub genres such as romantic comedies which is a very popular genre. These are different to straight romance films as humour is used throughout. Within the film the comedy aspect is shown it will usually be through arguments and comical outcomes showing people falling over etc. This genre has become very popular lately and is maybe something we could consider when we are creating our trailer.

Research: Case Study- Sex and the City

Sex and the City is a American romantic comedy and it is a film adaptation of the television series. The film was released in 2008 and it follows the lives of the four American girls shown in the series.
After looking for film posters which feature romantic films it appears to be very hard, the only Total Film magazine cover that shows a romantic film is this one. However it is a foreign magazine cover and is written in Turkish. Sarah Jessica Parker is the main focus of this magazine cover and this is due to the fact she has the main role within the film. Sarah Jessica Parker plays the main role of Carrie in the series and film of Sex and the City so she is extremely well known and a strong icon for the movie. This is why her image is used to advertise the film on the magazine cover.

In this second magazine cover I found it shows all of the girls from the film, however this isn't a film magazine but is an entertainment magazine. This is an issue that seems to occur and the film magazines only shown the action and horror films. So this is something I will address when making my magazine and i will create a special romantic edition.

Again in this magazine cover it shows Sarah Jessica Parker center of the picture, she has no text over her face and is in full view for the readers. As again she is a main focus points for the film.

The colours that are used on this cover are very symbolic of Sex and the City as black and pink iconic for the film. This is the branding for the film and is recognisable part of the film. These are also used throughout the trailer and also the poster. These colours may also represent the romance element as pink is very symbolic of romance and love. These colours however aren't used in the above magazine cover maybe because it is being used for another country and this is something that they would recognise. Also because Total Film mainly targets a male audience so Sarah Jessica Parker is shown in a more provocative pose, whereas the Entertainment magazine is more for the female audience and this shows the colours and this image focuses on Fashion and the four woman's power. However there is some red used for the title of the film on the first magazine cover and this may represent the romance element and be symbolic for the reader.

This is the film poster for the film and this again shows the iconic colours for Sex and the City and the title is in pink and very sparkly which is appealing to the female audience. This could also represent the romance element as pink is also symbolic of love and romance. This is something we should think about when creating our own magazine and poster as it will be around Valentines day.

Again using Sarah Jessica Parker as the main focal point of the film poster it is attracting the male audience. Sarah's name is shown clearly at the top above her picture showing she is the main part with in the film. The other actresses that are staring in the film have their names further down near to the film title, however they are a lot smaller. Fashion is also shown to be very important here as we see she is wearing a posh blue dress and necklace and this will appear to the female audience.

This is something which was also shown on the second magazine cover as the four girls were all wearing very posh and smart dresses and this shows that the fashion theme alongside the romance element and these work well together to attract the audience and is something we should think about maybe using a hybrid genre to ensure that it will be something which attracts our target audience.

The trailer for the film continues this theme on and the titles and shown in the same pink glittery text that is on the poster and this creates a link. This is also linking to the romance theme that is prominent throughout the film. The setting for the trailer is in New York and this is also a iconic part for the film as Sex and the City is well know for the glamorous setting of New York. This is also shown in the film poster as Carrie is shown with the trade mark New York cab in the background. On the trailer the first shot of the film is showing the New York Landscape. We also see alot of shots of Carrie which again links to all of the magazine covers and the poster as the trailer focuses around Carrie too. Carrie is mainly narrating over the trailer which also represesnts the film as this is what Carrie does throughout the movie. However there is also different clips from the film with conversations from there. We see alot of shots with Carrie but towards the end we see all of the four girls together and it shows that they are all still together.

All of the text that is on the trailer is either highlighted or pink and this carries on the theme of Romance and love. This element is shown across the whole advertising for the film.

Sex and the city is very iconic within the romance genre and this is shown through the different elements, by the use of Synergy such as the advertising colours, black and pink, tha actress Sarah Jessica Parker and the narration over the trailer.

Research: Film Trailers- Batman, The Dark Knight

Case Study: The Dark Knight Trailer

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The companies name and the production companies name appears at the start of this trailer and this helps to show the audience who is part of the film and also shows that it is part of a franchise and this would interest people that have seen previous Batman films.
A lot of panning shots are used to help to the locations in the film and also tracking shots as we see Batman flying and this is something which represents the film as a lot of the shots are when Batman is flying or high up.

The positioning within the trailer is very important as throughout the trailer there a lot of camera shots are used which show the protagonists high up and he antagonists lower down. This is used to show the audience who the bad characters are and there roles within the film.
The voice over used throughout the trailer is actually the characters from the film speaking and they are explaining bits of the story but quotes from the film have also been used. This helps to give the audience an idea about the film and whats happening in it.

Macro

The main colours in this trailer are actually used to represent the characters, such as dark greens and purples for the Joker and Black for Batman. The black that is used however does also help to create a sense of mystery and tension.
The trade mark slogan is also shown in the trailer which would automatically draw in an audience and people that are big fans of the Franchise would recognise this slogan "Why so serious?" Which is a line that the Joker says.
The setting for the trailer is all mainly in Gotham but there are lots of different locations around Gotham shown and this shows a variety in setting and makes the trailer a lot more interesting.
The hook for the trailer would be all of the explosions as the audience would want to find out why this trouble has been caused and what the Joker wants from Batman.

The total number of edits within this trailer is 69.

Research: Film Trailers- High School Musical 3

Case Study: High School Musical 3 trailer

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The editing within this trailer starts of very slow paced and this helps to set the scene for the movie however it does progress and becomes a lot faster which builds up the action to the final, extremely fast paced montage of images. This all helps to create excitement and leaves the audience wanting to see the film. The lighting in the trailer is also very bright throughout and they use a lot of prime colours this would help target the tween audience as they are very happy and jolly colours. This is also accompanied by high key lighting which helps to give the trailer a very positive feel.

The sound that is heard is mainly the songs from the film and these are all very upbeat and happy and again adds to the overall feel of the film. These things all help to target the tween audience.

Macro

The setting for the film is shown to be mainly in the school however it does show a variety of different locations within the school. This helps to represent the film as a whole and not just one scene.
The main hook in the trailer is the singing and dancing, laughing and cheering and this shows to the audience that the film is of the musical genre.







It also shows the main character who is played by Zac Effron and this is something that would hugely interest a tween audience as he is an icon for this age group.

It is also a trailer show the third film for this franchise and this automatically interests people that have seen the previous films.

The total number of edits overall in this film trailer is 83.

Research: Film Magazine- Twlight, New Moon

Case Study: Film Magazine

This is the front cover for a film magazine, however it is a an Australian magazine.
The immediate denotation of this is that we see two males and a female character in what appears to be a wood.

The connotation of this however is that there must be some trouble between the two male characters, this is shown through there body language within the picture. They both have their back to each other and it also makes you think that the trouble may be to do with the female character as the on male is protecting her. They do seem to have a close relationship as she is touching his arm and he seems to be concerned. Also the front male character seems to care for the female as he is looking back at her. All of this would make people question what the trouble is and make them want to see it. This is also something which brings in the romance as she is touching his arm and they are very close together.

The text used is Bold to create impact and stands out drawing in the readers attention, also because the colour white has been used it also helps to create impact as it contrasts with the background. There is also red text which helps to show the hybrid genre with the vampire element and romance, as the red text could represent blood. This is all shown on the magazine cover as the text along with the body language and setting shows there is romance surrounded by mystery and vampires, reflected through the woods and text around the characters.

Also the colour on the magazine are very dark and these colours are associated with the film New Moon, (brown, black and oranges) as it is often set in the woods and this would help them to link with the film. The dark colours used also help to create a sense of mystery as you cant fully see the background and it leaves the readers guessing.

Research: Film Magazines, Empire Magazine- The Dark Knight

Case Study: Empire Magazine

This is the front cover for Empire Magazine.

The immediate denotation given from this image is that there is a scruffy man sitting in the chair, with smugged clown make-up on and he has an evil look on his face.

The connotation of this film is however shown through all these things and as we look at his appearance we begin to think that he must be the evil character, he is dressed in dark clothes. Also the way he is sitting shows that he thinks he has authority and that he is pleased with himself.

Also when people realise that he is the Joker from Batman this will reinforce there horror and make them question what trouble he is going to cause in the film. This is part of a franchise and this will mean there is already a target audience out there for people that have always followed Batman, this is shown through the logo at the top of the page.

The colours used on this magazine cover are very negative and they are all Green, Purple and Black trademark colours of the Joker. This helps to show that it is a serious film, and maybe a thriller or action film. The text used for the word JOKER is almost animated and looks as though it has been cut out of the paper and this is iconic of serial killers, which helps to show the genre again, but also the sort of character that the joker is.

This is also reinforced by the tag line; 'He's a cold blooded mass murdering clown.' This is written across the Joker's chest in white writing which is in an eerie font. It also has big purple smudges behind it and this appears very harsh and helps to illustrate the drama and draw in the audiences attention.

Research: Film Posters, Dear John

Case Study: Dear John Poster

The denotation of this film poster is that there is a man and women sitting on the beach cuddling.

The connotation of this film poster is shown through the closeness in the way that they are sitting in each other's arms. As we can see that they are sitting so close to each other we know that they will be involved in a love story in this film, the hug is very iconic of the romance genre and this automatically attracts and audience, which would be people that enjoy that genre. There positioning within the frame shows that they have a close relationship and that are comfortable with each other. Also the location of the poster is on a beach and the weather is very sunny this makes the scene have even more of a romantic feel.

The font that is used for the text appears very soft so that it again fits in with the romantic element as it does not appear too harsh. The colours used for the text are mainly pastel and this again fits in with the location and shows the colours of the beach, yellow. However these are not typical colours for the romance genre as they tend to show a lot of red. But these colours are very effective as they are soft colours and again help to reflect the sun and link in with their location.

The poster also contains the tag line 'What would you do with a letter that changed everything' this shows the audience that it isn't just a simple love story and there will be a twist within the story. It also intrigues the audience and makes them question what this may be. The font for this again fits in with the other and is shown to be soft and gentle.