ROMANTIC COMEDY - Codes & Conventions

Codes and Conventions

-Narrative: A romcom is a hybrid genre in which a romance story generally emerges and is presented in a comedic way. There is an archetypal formula that romcom’s follow in terms of narrative. The narrative that can be observed in a romcom has a typical three part structure. A boy and a girl will meet, and for some reason, they will be torn apart. Throughout the film, they will realise that they are meant to be together, and try and back to each other. In the resolution of the film, although it might not be a happy on, the characters will meet again and work out went wrong between them.

-Main Characters: The audience must be able to connect with, and relate to, the characters in a romantic comedy. They need to be likeable and down to earth, so that the audience support them.

-Cinderella Story: The two main characters in the film are likely to be of different social classes. This could be portrayed as one of the main things keeping them apart. One of the characters will be from a middle class background, as this makes them more relatable to the audience.

-True Love: Throughout the film, there will be an underlying theme of true love conquering all barriers that are encountered. Also at the centre of the plot, there is a theme of morals/life lessons being dealt with.

-Other Characters: The audience are usually introduced to the best friends, and maybe some family members, of the two main characters. Although they are there to offer their support, they are usually the main source of humour in the film. The audience can relate to the best friend in the film, and they would consider what they would do in that situation.

-Lighting: Majority of the film will have a happy tone/atmosphere, so the lighting will be used to reflect this. Romcom’s are less serious than other genres, and are designed primarily to entertain the audience. There may be certain points in the film when a scene goes darker to mirror the tone, but this won’t happen very often.

-Soundtrack: Horror films tend to have a score, where music (e.g. orchestra) is used instead of songs. In romcom’s, there will only usually be songs used. The songs that are used in the film will usually be well known pop songs, so that the audience can recognise them easily. They must relate to the story being told in the film. The songs can even assist in the story-telling process.

-Resolution: Normally, the conclusion of a film will be happy, with the two main characters getting back together. However, it is getting increasingly popular to show the reality that sometimes, it doesn’t all work out exactly the way we want it to.

-Setting: Romantic comedies are usually set in a big, well-known city. The most common place to set a romcom is London. It is a place that, even if people haven’t been there, they can picture. In a place like London, there is always something going on, so it is easy to believe that the events in the film could happen.

-Time of year: Most romantic comedies will be set around Christmas time. At this time of year, families and friends gather together. Some romantic comedies are set around Valentine’s Day as well, for the same reason.