The Genre Conventions of RomComs

After much considerartion I have decided to make a RomCom as I watch these more than horrors so have a better idea of what should go in to the trailer to make it stand out to the audience.

I have looked on the internet for the general conventions of RomComs, here are a few:

"Romantic comedies are movies with light-hearted, humorous dramatic stories centered around romantic ideals such as a "true love" able to surmount most obstacles or the "perfect couple." Romantic comedy films are a sub-genre of comedy films as well as of romance films.
The basic plot of a romantic comedy is that two people, usually a man and a woman, meet and then part ways due to an argument or other contrived obstacles. Initially, these two people do not become romantically involved, because they believe that they do not like each other, because one of them already has a partner, or social pressures. However, the screenwriters leave obvious clues that suggest that the characters are in fact attracted to each other, or that they would be a good love match.While the two people are separated, one or both individuals then realize that they are "perfect" for each other, or that they are in love with the other person. Then, after one of the two makes some spectacular effort to find the other person and declare their love, (this is sometimes called the grand gesture), or due to an astonishing coincidental encounter, the two meet again. Then, perhaps with some comic friction or awkwardness, they declare their love for each other and the film ends happily.There are many variations on this basic plotline. Sometimes, instead of the two lead characters ending up in each other's arms, another love match will be made between one of the principal characters and a secondary character (e.g., My Best Friend's Wedding). Alternatively, the film may be a rumination on the impossibility of love, as in Woody Allen's film Annie Hall. The basic format of a romantic comedy film can be found in much earlier sources, such as Shakespeare plays like Much Ado About Nothing and A Midsummer Night's Dream. A movie in which a romantic intercourse could happen, but does not, is referred to as Platonic Comedy."

 (Taken from http://www.filmbug.com/dictionary/romantic-comedies.php)

"Billy Mernit, is a purveyor of romantic comedies. Like all genre conventions, there are various patterns which consistently emerge.
Boy meets girl – boy gets girl – boy loses girl – boy gets girl back, with the inverse being true as well. Either way, after much bickering and overcoming obstacles, the lovers end up together.
Here are the some secrets of romantic comedies according to Billy:

1. Write the Chemistry – The outer journeys should oppose or duel with each other, but their inner journeys should converge
2. Expand the Genre – Move it from the bedroom to the jungle or disguise it within another Genre (Romancing the Stone, Wall-E)
3. Be Cinematic – Make it visual… show the concepts, don’t just speak them.
4. Make sure the concept is a ‘high concept’ to get noticed (50 First Dates)
5. Tweak the Formula – Mix up the structure (500 days of Summer)
6. Romantic means sexy and comedy means funny – Use the characters’ flaws against them in comedic situations, misunderstandings and comedic reversals
7. Show a bit of skin (or a lot)
8. Many great comedic moments happen when the private matters of a relationship are made public.
9. Add a rawness and authenticity to show the path to love is never smooth.
10. Ensure your lovers work hard to be together, even though they hate (or don’t notice) each other at first.

Daniel Manus mentions the following common setups for romantic comedies:

• Finding a lost love or childhood sweetheart
• Getting a message to the person you love before it’s too late
• Connecting with the friends or family of the person you love
• Overcoming distance
• Trying to break up a couple because they don’t belong together
• Getting someone’s attention who doesn’t know you’re alive
• Finding out something about the person you want to be with so they think you have something in common
• Proving you aren’t lying or cheating to someone
• Having to track someone down
• Best friends who fall out of touch and then find each other again later in life"

(Taken from http://gideonsway.wordpress.com/2010/07/09/key-elements-of-the-romantic-comedy/)

And so finally, my own idea of RomComs;

1. Boy meets girl (or girl meets boy)
2. They hate each other (or at least don't get along)
3. They both start to realise their love for each other
4. One of them moves away/starts a relationship etc (something that moves them apart)
5. The protagonist's friends/parents/sibling (or whoever else they hang around with) asks them why they aren't with the other person.
6. That same person helps the protagonist to realise that they are in love (However, steps 5 and 6 the protagonist can do on their own)
7. Protagonist goes and wins the heart of the other person.
8. It's a happy ending for everyone (except, perhaps, for the person who the loved person was in a relationship with, and if there was a bad guy keeping them apart then they would probably be punished)

Here is a wordle I made of the word 'RomCom' using words which people gave me when asked to give one word to describe a RomCom. The descriptions in this Wordle will give me inspiration when creating my trailer.