Genre Research Activity Andreina Salvadore Period 8

 The genre that I have chosen is romance. When watching romances, you not only get to see the characters grow as people, but you get to see their love develop on screen. Two famous movie directors for romance would be Jon M. Chu, who created various heartfelt shows and movies touching the hearts of many, and Nora Ephron, the best claim-heart-felt women directors in history, it is often said that her romances formed the standards for many other romance films. For romance, the typical age group is 12–24-year-olds, 85% of those consisting of women. 

Intimacy is one of the elements in the romance genre. The literal definition of intimacy would be closeness, which is shown on screen in many movies. Intimacy is used in many romance films to show the pure connections along with lust that the characters carry out for each other. This is key in a romance to show how the characters truly care for one another, leaving viewers in awe to their display of touch. A great example of this would be the 2015 film “50 Shades of Gray”, where the two characters show many displays of intimacy to each other, from lust-filled ones to pure heart-felt moments.  

In a classic romance, there is always a part where the two main characters distance themselves from each other, due to misunderstandings, fights, and or forced distances. This is used to build suspense in this genre, due to the viewers wanting the endings that they expect and plot in their heads. This part of romance films is vital as they leave the viewers in shock and doubt about whether the characters will make up and end up together. One example of this would be in the 1999 film "10 Things I Hate About You" where the main character, Kat Stratford, gets mad at a guy she truly loved, Patrick Verona, due to finding out he got paid to take her out. This scene leaves viewers shaken and hanging on to their seats, trying to figure out whether or not they are going to reconcile.

Another element of romance would be slow pacing. As tiring as slow pacing is, it is key to a romance due to the evolution of the pure sentimental feelings that the audience needs to develop along with the characters. Directors do this so that the audience can go through this relationship with the characters and give a realistic time stamp of a true relationship. One example of this would be "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days."

One of the most popular production techniques for romance is music. The music in the back can help form the scene in many different ways, by guiding us directly through the story or telling us things that the characters quite can't get across. In romance, music can also be used to tell the emotions of characters, without needing dialogue to express the scene. One example of this would be the 2016 film "La La Land". In this film, there are many scenes where the characters do not speak, yet you are able to tell the feelings of the film as the music conveys what the scene feels and what the characters feel.

Another popular production technique for romance would be the shots. In many cases, there are several shots that are repeated in movies to show connections between the love interest. One key example would be two shots. Many times, in romance films, two-shots are used to show the intimate relationships between the lovers.

For marketing, in romance, many posters use the lead male and female on the front cover. Usually, in these posters, many times both leads are near and or touching each other, signifying their romantic relationship. One example would the 1997 film "Titanic" Another example of marketing for romance would be the trailers. In these trailers, if the romance is based on a novel it is mentioned, marketing both the novel and movie. In the trailer, there is always a cliffhanger left in the end to suspense and get more viewers. One example would be the 2017 film "Call Me By Your Name"

The Notebook is a film that follows the love story of two main characters, Allie Hamilton (Rachel McAdams), and

Noah Calhoun (Ryan Gosling). This story shows the love between a rich girl and a poor boy who works for all he has. At first, Noah kept trying to get the attention of Allie, but all his attempts were met with failure, that was until she accepted him and they spent a wonderful summer together. They both know that they are meant for each other until Allie's mom finds out that she is with Noah, a poor boy. The mom quickly disapproves, escalating the situation. Noah hears all of this and decides to tell Allie they need a break, not for him, but so her family would not be disappointed in her. She quickly gets angry, breaking up with him, going as far as hitting his car as he he driving away. The day after their fight,  she realizes that they are leaving, and going back home. She quickly rushes to find Noah, only to be met by the fact that he is not there. She asks a friend to say her goodbyes and leaves. Noah finds out, and in a moment of panic tries to find her. After realizing she is gone, he writes her letters every day for 365 days. He also restores his old farmhouse. He is posted on the newspaper. Catching Allie's eye, knowing she needed to find him again. The only problem is that Allie is married to another man at the time. After spending 2 days with him, she knows they are meant to be, talking to her husband and ultimately leaving him for Noah. This movie shows the romance genre by showing the elements of slow pacing, intimacy, distance, and music. The slow pacing is used all throughout the movie, as the characters do not reconcile until the very end, fighting mostly through the movie. There are also many intimate scenes in the movie, showing that the characters not only love each other but have a true and pure connection with each other. In this movie poster, you can also see how both characters are showing displays of intimacy, as they are close together, touching each other, and about to kiss.

500 Days of Summer is a love story, but not a typical one. Although most love stories end with happy

endings and both love interests end up together, this one is different. This story starts out with a man named Tom Hansen ( Joseph Gordon) and Summer (Zooey Deschanel) where it is told from Tom's point of view. It follows their love story and shows 500 days of total drama coming from both of them. There are many elements of romance coming from this movie, including a lot of intimacy. Even though this story does not end in a typical romantic way, with both Summer and Tom going their separate ways, it can also be used to teach several lessons in romance. In the poster, you can see both Tom and Summer close together, conversing, with smiles on their faces. The most important thing in the poster would be what is behind them, showing a collage of Summer, portraying as if they are memories.