I'm a Rom Com screenwriter venturing out beyond the pages with my first indie feature called "Spades " . I'm currently in pre production. All advice will be welcomed.
Thank you Bill and Pat for the advice. As an avid watcher and lover everything Rom Com I intend to bring back the romance missing in the genre. To echo Pat I want my film to be a part of the reasons why the Rom Com faithful return.
Who is your intended audience? 18-35 year olds, or people who watch the Hallmark Channel or LMN? If it's 18-35 year olds, you should take my advice. If it's LMN or Hallmark Channel folks, you should take Patricia's advice. There really isn't a mainstream theatrical audience for a romantic comedy that features actors over 40, except on the two cable networks I mentioned. Younger people today are much differently wired when it comes to Rom-Coms than generations from 10-20 years ago. Scripts that lack edge and raunch and that are aimed at the younger generations probably aren't going to make it. But what do I know - maybe you'll be the mold-breaker. Good luck!
Patricia - no disrespect intended, but the research and marketing departments in Hollywood do a pretty good job in ascertaining what moviegoers want to see. That's why the Hallmark Channel and LMN do what they do, and quite capably, and that's also why the studios and indie producers do what they do, and quite capably. And I've read your articles on Linkedin and know that romance novels still sell, but if those would translate to big enough box-office grosses to justify production, marketing and other costs, the studios and indie producers would be all over it like falling melancholy tears on a red satin pillow.
Bill, as for age demos, I would argue that, for example, there's still a "Nancy Meyers" audience for those star-driven sophisticated rom coms / romantic dramedies, as well as an audience for "Working Title" sophisticated rom coms by the likes of Richard Curtis and Helen Fielding. Let's see how Bridget Jones's Baby does this year. Maybe I'm misreading you, Bill.
Again Patricia, I wouldn't classify Trainwreck as a Rom-com. It's a comedy, a raunchy one at that. There have been a lot of great romantic movies put out by Hollywood. Silver Linings Playbook, Brokeback Mountain, Love Actually, About a Boy, Benjamin Button, Titanic, 50 First Dates to name a few. Not all rom-coms of course but those are all examples of romantic movies that were well received. When you think about it, every movie is a love story. Even nightmare on elm street! Freddy Kruger loved killing people!
Patricia, Rob and all, You're right. I think whatever you want to do....do it....and may the Greek gods Eros and Comus be so everpresent in every page of your romantic comedies...that any producer who reads them will rejoice to the heavens and say "yes - my next film!" Good luck with your stories.
Here's my thought on all this, Patricia. Love and romance is raunchy, gritty, painful. So to say Trainwreck wasn't realistic, well it's probably more realistic than The Notebook was, lol. Just saying. I do think people want realistic romance stories. But I think that realism has to include the real stuff. The raunchy, hard stuff.
Hi Patricia, I don't have time to read the entire thread. I'd like to give my quick 2 cents on one small part I did read. "(The Numbers website lists Trainwreck as comedy, not a romantic comedy--Hollywood can't even decide what genre the film is.)" I'd say The Numbers website is not a member of the "Hollywood" community. I'd say they're maybe Hollywood Adjacent. They're a market research and consulting company, not a "Hollywood" media company. I would guess, and this is only a guess, that they have a market research staff, editorial staff, and programmers/coders - not story people. In terms of genre classification, as you all know, many movies fall into multiple genres/subgenres. WEDDING CRASHERS, for example, is chiefly a comedy, with a romantic subplot. I believe that Jody is saying that's how she feels about TRAINWRECK - comedy first, rom com second. Sorry again, I've only read part of the thread. But I don't think the box office reporting websites (I prefer Box Office Mojo myself) are in the game of understanding story and being able to assign a more nuanced genre classification to all movies, tagging movies with secondary genres, understanding subgenres, etc. Their function is to aggregate box office data and release date data first and foremost. Don't trust them for making complicated, nuaned genre determinations.
If you must make a nuanced argument (to investors, for example) about genre, I'd rely more on reviews/analysis from distinguished critics than from "data" websites, which aren't in the story business. I'd trust reviews in the NY Times, LA Times, Variety, Hollywood Reporter, Rolling Stone, etc. - and certainly the old Roger Ebert reviews. You can also look at the Top Critics page of Rotten Tomatoes.
Hey everybody, It gives me great pleasure to know that I sparked such a serious rom com debate. Everybody's input on the subject is valid and helpful , not just to me but to everyone producing or trying to produce content in the genre. A dialogue the likes of what's been displayed during this get to know you weekend needs to continue. I appreciate all you who participated and will support any of your projects if you make me a part of your network. Thanks for the advice and rom com love.
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Advice Piece #1: The raunchier, the better.
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But Trainwreck wasn't a romantic comedy.
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Thank you Bill and Pat for the advice. As an avid watcher and lover everything Rom Com I intend to bring back the romance missing in the genre. To echo Pat I want my film to be a part of the reasons why the Rom Com faithful return.
Who is your intended audience? 18-35 year olds, or people who watch the Hallmark Channel or LMN? If it's 18-35 year olds, you should take my advice. If it's LMN or Hallmark Channel folks, you should take Patricia's advice. There really isn't a mainstream theatrical audience for a romantic comedy that features actors over 40, except on the two cable networks I mentioned. Younger people today are much differently wired when it comes to Rom-Coms than generations from 10-20 years ago. Scripts that lack edge and raunch and that are aimed at the younger generations probably aren't going to make it. But what do I know - maybe you'll be the mold-breaker. Good luck!
1 person likes this
Patricia - no disrespect intended, but the research and marketing departments in Hollywood do a pretty good job in ascertaining what moviegoers want to see. That's why the Hallmark Channel and LMN do what they do, and quite capably, and that's also why the studios and indie producers do what they do, and quite capably. And I've read your articles on Linkedin and know that romance novels still sell, but if those would translate to big enough box-office grosses to justify production, marketing and other costs, the studios and indie producers would be all over it like falling melancholy tears on a red satin pillow.
1 person likes this
Bill, as for age demos, I would argue that, for example, there's still a "Nancy Meyers" audience for those star-driven sophisticated rom coms / romantic dramedies, as well as an audience for "Working Title" sophisticated rom coms by the likes of Richard Curtis and Helen Fielding. Let's see how Bridget Jones's Baby does this year. Maybe I'm misreading you, Bill.
Again Patricia, I wouldn't classify Trainwreck as a Rom-com. It's a comedy, a raunchy one at that. There have been a lot of great romantic movies put out by Hollywood. Silver Linings Playbook, Brokeback Mountain, Love Actually, About a Boy, Benjamin Button, Titanic, 50 First Dates to name a few. Not all rom-coms of course but those are all examples of romantic movies that were well received. When you think about it, every movie is a love story. Even nightmare on elm street! Freddy Kruger loved killing people!
Patricia, Rob and all, You're right. I think whatever you want to do....do it....and may the Greek gods Eros and Comus be so everpresent in every page of your romantic comedies...that any producer who reads them will rejoice to the heavens and say "yes - my next film!" Good luck with your stories.
Here's my thought on all this, Patricia. Love and romance is raunchy, gritty, painful. So to say Trainwreck wasn't realistic, well it's probably more realistic than The Notebook was, lol. Just saying. I do think people want realistic romance stories. But I think that realism has to include the real stuff. The raunchy, hard stuff.
Hi Patricia, I don't have time to read the entire thread. I'd like to give my quick 2 cents on one small part I did read. "(The Numbers website lists Trainwreck as comedy, not a romantic comedy--Hollywood can't even decide what genre the film is.)" I'd say The Numbers website is not a member of the "Hollywood" community. I'd say they're maybe Hollywood Adjacent. They're a market research and consulting company, not a "Hollywood" media company. I would guess, and this is only a guess, that they have a market research staff, editorial staff, and programmers/coders - not story people. In terms of genre classification, as you all know, many movies fall into multiple genres/subgenres. WEDDING CRASHERS, for example, is chiefly a comedy, with a romantic subplot. I believe that Jody is saying that's how she feels about TRAINWRECK - comedy first, rom com second. Sorry again, I've only read part of the thread. But I don't think the box office reporting websites (I prefer Box Office Mojo myself) are in the game of understanding story and being able to assign a more nuanced genre classification to all movies, tagging movies with secondary genres, understanding subgenres, etc. Their function is to aggregate box office data and release date data first and foremost. Don't trust them for making complicated, nuaned genre determinations.
Patricia - this may not apply to you, just FYI: https://www.stage32.com/lounge/screenwriting/The-Wraps-observation-about...
If you must make a nuanced argument (to investors, for example) about genre, I'd rely more on reviews/analysis from distinguished critics than from "data" websites, which aren't in the story business. I'd trust reviews in the NY Times, LA Times, Variety, Hollywood Reporter, Rolling Stone, etc. - and certainly the old Roger Ebert reviews. You can also look at the Top Critics page of Rotten Tomatoes.
open with a horrific fight scene, for no apparent reason. that's rom com at it's finest.
Hey everybody, It gives me great pleasure to know that I sparked such a serious rom com debate. Everybody's input on the subject is valid and helpful , not just to me but to everyone producing or trying to produce content in the genre. A dialogue the likes of what's been displayed during this get to know you weekend needs to continue. I appreciate all you who participated and will support any of your projects if you make me a part of your network. Thanks for the advice and rom com love.