Films of the romance genre usually include two main protagonists. The majority of the time this is a female character and a male character that fall in love and then the film is based upon their relationship.
There is also usually an antagonist who plays a part in trying to break up the main love interests in some way. The antagonist can differ but stereotypical examples are: the father of the female who dislikes the male character and doesn't want him to be with his daughter, the popular/jealous girl who doesn't want the couple to be together or the popular male boy who also doesn't want the couple to be together.
Sometimes romance films will include the "gay best friend" type character who is friends with the main female protagonist, and usually the two characters are part of a large high school friendship group/s.
There is also usually an antagonist who plays a part in trying to break up the main love interests in some way. The antagonist can differ but stereotypical examples are: the father of the female who dislikes the male character and doesn't want him to be with his daughter, the popular/jealous girl who doesn't want the couple to be together or the popular male boy who also doesn't want the couple to be together.
Sometimes romance films will include the "gay best friend" type character who is friends with the main female protagonist, and usually the two characters are part of a large high school friendship group/s.
I looked at the casting conventions that were followed in romantic/ drama films from my genre-specific deconstructions.
Female Casting:
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Emilie De Ravin is a young female Australian actor in her 30s. She is one of the oldest of the actresses in my deconstructed films. She was Belle in the Once Upon a Time series and was Ally the romantic drama film Remember me. She isn't very well known and is often mistaken for Britt Robertson, who appears to have a similar physical appearance.
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This physical appearance links them both by their striking blue eyes and dirty blonde hair, connoting to the stereotypical representation of modern day young American women. Whilst she is Australian, in all of her movies so far, she has perfected an American accent, possibly due to the characterisation of the roles she has played but also representing the casting desires of the American film industry and the desire to represent a less diverse American culture.
Britt Robertson is a young female actor in her 20s. She has played the lead female in a few romantic dramas as well as a lot of teen movies. In the majority of the movies that I have seen, starring her, she has played a very strong-willed independent young woman who challenges the arguably increasingly archaic conventions of female weakness in relationships. She was the lead female in The Space Between Us (Tulsa).
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In terms of appearance she is young, small and blonde, all with connotations of naivety and possibly promiscuous behaviour. This is often a casting convention in films aimed at teenagers and all in romance films as the audience can relate, aspire or expect certain behaviours from her. her as a lead female is also a convention of romantic films that go against the conventions of weak females as the audiences expectations are challenged by how she actually behaves.
She is also a very well known actor, famous for the romance/ drama genre and whilst she is in her mid-twenties, she is still able to play a convincing teenage girl, making her a popular choice for casting in this genre.
She is also a very well known actor, famous for the romance/ drama genre and whilst she is in her mid-twenties, she is still able to play a convincing teenage girl, making her a popular choice for casting in this genre.
At 27, Lily Collins is a female actor who, like Britt, is still able to convincingly play teenage roles, such as that of Rosie Dunne in Love, Rosie. During the film, the character Rosie, was shown in her life from a child to a young mother, with Lily picking the character up from a teenager to the end of the film. With use of clever casting, as well as other mise-en-scen aspects of the character, the audience were able to witness her transformation using just two child actors in addition to Lily.
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Despite being slightly older that Britt, Lily is still a relatable actress for the teenage audience. Her portrayal of characters still firmly fits into the key aspects of the demographic.
Kate Winslet played the upper class, maiden on board the Titanic in 1997, at the age of 20. Her bright red hair became iconic alongside her received pronunciation of the Americanised English language. Whilst this was her first major role, she since continued to star in romance films, but also (more increasingly so) in other genres such as the sci-fi action blend, the Divergent series, in which she stars as a more ballsy and strong character.
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It is notable that she, unlike then others, played a character much more close to her actual age, possibly due to her small profile of previous work having convinced the casting agents that she could handle such a role at a young age. It also possibly allowed her to engage more effectively with the character as she was able to imagine her as if herself caught in such a tragic situation.
Summary of female casting conventions in the Romantic genre and Drama sub-genre:
As seen in the majority of female casting, the characters are young a pretty. They often have blonde hair, representing the stereotypical reactionary views of the perfect woman. The female is often small and physically fit, contrasting to the male character in order to present them as the protector. It can be seen increasingly that the female is more competent for their own actions, however this is usually represented in the way the character acts rather than physical attributes.
Male Casting:
Robert Pattinson was the heartthrob male in the 2010 romantic/ drama film Remember Me. After playing the lead male role in the fantasy/ romantic Twilight series as Edward Cullen, his fan base would have been appealing to the casting agents as the target audience would have been of the same demographic. His previous work also indicated that he was able to play such a strong role yet still portray the love between the two characters.
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In terms of looks, his honey coloured hair and eyes make him fit the profile of an attractive male, attracting a young female target audience. His ability to put on an American accents convincingly also put him in a good position to be able to carry the role.
Sam Claflin is the male lead in Love, Rosie, the first of his two current romantic -drama films. Prior to this he had been in various other films of other genres, including The Hunger Games as an ïn love" adventure. He has a very innocent look which could also be adapted for various ages and is a good looking make actor upcoming in the industry, These would have been some of the factors that would have been attractive to a casting director of the romance film. His honey coloured hair is another
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feature which is often seen on the male leads in romance films, as seen with Rob Pattinson.
Leonardo DiCaprio was an obvious choice for the role of Jack in Titanic. He was a teen heart throb in movies from the 1990. He holds a very attractive look, notably again with honey coloured hair. He had also demonstrated his ability to perform in the romantic genre in the 90s movie depiction of Romeo and Juliet.
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Despite being almost beaten to the role, Leonardo definitely suited the role in my opinion and him and Kate Winslet ultimately put together the dramatic movie. Leonardo was also able to be dressed and fit into a lot of contextual factors that had to be considered for the movie.
Asa Butterfield is a young actor known fro his striking blue eyes. He is certainly one of my favorite actors, probably due to having grown up watching movies that he has been in. He was cast in the upcoming film The Space Between Us which will be his first in a plot based on romance. Whilst he has depicted romance in a few of his other movies (X+Y), this will be the first where it is the forefront of the plot. He would most certainly be the most suited to my male character due to his age, and I like the idea of him having dark hair yet piercing eyes, making him a character of mystery, as required for my film.
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Summary of male casting:
The male actors tend to be physically fit and quite overpoweringly large, however in their actions it is revealed that they are quite soft and vulnerable themselves. This convention can be seen to be broken in the sue of Asa Butterfield, who is quite small and skinny. This represents the forward ideas towards female power and equality, particularly in equal roles in relationships.
It is quite stereotypical in a romance film trailer for the main characters in the film to be shown straight away. Often the film trailer starts off with the male narrating the the film (sometimes this is the female). For example, in Dear John, the trailer is initially narrated by his voiceover as the film flashbacks are shown of when he was younger, in the army etc. He has significant importance as he is the only one shown to the audience at first. Savannah, played by Amanda Sefried, is then shown to the audience. At this point, the audience can interpret that who they both are and their importance in the film. Other characters can be shown in a romance film trailer but it is rare that they will be shown for a long time or their relevance will be dwelled upon.