Similar Products- Writing Romance

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Screenwriting: How To Write a Romance Film

Screenwriting a romance film can be a great start for those just starting to write screenplays. Most romance will combine some elements of comedy, though they also can be very dramatic. Pairing a romance with another genre is a great way to get wider interest and make the story very substantial. Using comedy and drama in the romance will create believable characters and provide depth. These films are popular because of the joining of the 2 different dramas. Therefore, the film is geared towards 2 different audiences rather than just those that love romances, or those that watch comedies.

Step 1: Study Old Scripts

A great way to start is to read several old romantic scripts. Take notes on what is similar in the different screenplays. Also, watch a few romantic movies that did not do well so you can see what to avoid. Once a basic structure of the romantic script is uncovered, it is possible to start writing.

Step 2: Basic Elements

Almost all romantic movies will contain some of the following basic elements. The main character of the film will be pursuing 2 different desires. One desire will always conflict with attaining true love. He or she will need to overcome some form of deception that will reveal the character's nemesis. Describe the events that lead up to the romantic encounters, but do not actually describe the romance and always make sure it has a happy ending. What is really important in a romantic movie is how the 2 individuals fell in love, not what happens once they are both together.

Step 3: Some Questions

Write out a few questions that need to be answered in the character development. A few good ones include who does the hero or heroine pursue for love? What is the catalyst for pursuing this love? How are the 2 characters drawn together? How does the he or she win their love? Having a long list of questions will help develop the story.

Step 4: The Hook

All of the great movies will have a hook. These hooks should be interesting, simple and different. A great hook will produce many other movies that are similar. So if you have trouble with a new hook then take a conventional idea and put a new twist or way of looking at the situation.

Step 5: Outline

An outline is a great way to move towards a full blown screenplay. For an hour and half of film, about 45 different scenes are used with 2 pages being a scene. The outline will contain the different scenes and how the events progress. The scenes will set up the life of the main characters, reveal the desires and situations of the main character, show progress towards his or her pursuits, display the complications, show the main characters transformation and show the happy ending or new life at the end of the film.

Step 6: Against All Odds

The best romances are those where the 2 characters end up together against all odds. The audience is gunning for the 2 to be together as they believe this. This is really the main thread that will bring the entire romance together. If the 2 characters are not believable together, then the story will not work.

Source: http://www.steves-digicams.com/knowledge-center/how-tos/filmmaking-tips/screenwriting-how-to-write-a-romance-film.html

Similar Products- Romantic Character Study: William Thacker

William Thacker

Typical romance- especially romantic comedy- character. Blustering, flustered, nevertheless charming, seemingly hopelessly in love with a woman who is socially his superior, but gets her in the end. Recently divorced, his wife left him for a man who ‘looks exactly like Harrison Ford’. Owns a bookshop with a meagre life and a group of friends who have competitions about who is the most ‘pathetic’. He is good looking, about 30, with brown hair, average height and build- played by Hugh Grant who is an iconic romance actor, especially Richard Curtis films. He has a sister- Honey, who is also in the film and ends up marrying his flatmate- Spike, who Thacker describes as the stupidest person in the world. Star struck throughout, Thacker stumbles through their courtship.

Similar Products- Romantic Sub-genres

• Romantic drama is the quintessential romantic film. These films will typically place greater emphasis on the sex act and the figures of the lovers than do romantic comedies, and there is less use of the "trusted confidant" device. Music is often employed to indicate the emotional mood, creating an atmosphere of greater insulation for the couple. The conclusion of a romantic drama typically does not indicate whether a marriage will occur. An example of the romantic drama film is Bridges of Madison County.^[2]
• Chick flick is a term often associated with romance films as many are targeted to a female audience.^[3][4] Although many romance films may be targeted at women, this is not a defining characteristic of a romance film and a chick flick does not necessarily have a romance as a central theme, revolve around the romantic involvement of characters or even contain a romantic relationship. As such, the terms cannot be used interchangeably. Films of this genre include Dirty Dancing, The Notebook, Dear John, A Walk to Remember, and Romeo + Juliet.
• Romantic comedies are films with light-hearted, humorous plotlines, centered on romantic ideals such as that true love is able to surmount most obstacles. Humor in such films tends to be of a verbal, low-key variety or situational, as opposed to slapstick. ^[5] Films within this genre include, Love Actually, Moonstruck, It Happened One Night, When Harry Met Sally..., The Family Stone, 27 Dresses, and The Holiday.
• Romantic thriller is a genre of film which has a storyline combining elements of the romance film and the thriller genre. Some examples of romantic thriller films are, The Adjustment Bureau, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, The Phantom of the Opera, Super 8, The Tourist, The Twilight Saga, Unfaithful, and Wicker Park ^[6].

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romance_film