Hey blog!!!
So, we have officially begun our film opening portfolio project! For the next few blog posts I will be researching specific genres and subgenres I'm interested in doing for my film opening and, well, I'll be taking you along for the ride. Obviously I'm not entirely sure in which direction I want this opening to go yet, but I do have some ideas and I hope more develop with this research!
Coming-of-age
This popular subgenre is very broad, but focuses on the themes of youth, growing up, and nostalgia. As the name states, these films are targeted towards teenagers and young adults who are growing up and maturing, essentially coming of age and still exploring the world. Yet these films are for all ages and actually serve as amazing family movies, typically focusing on transitioning through life, life lessons, and self-discovery.
Content Conventions:
The coming-of-age genre usually consist of a young protagonist progressing through different stages in their life and learning how to deal with these new changes. The whole point of these films is always to show a protagonist facing and overcoming a major dilemma or milestone that will eventually alter their whole life and teach audiences a lesson. These lessons typically include, self-discovery, acceptance, perseverance, friendship, family, and optimism, all meant to relate to watchers and make them feel represented and seen.
While not exclusive, these films almost always take place when the protagonist is in high school, the stage in life where most people begin their journey to discovering who they are. Because of this, protagonists often face dramatic events that seem like the end of the world when younger, like first heartbreak, friendship conflicts, and pressure from social expectations. They also incorporate serious topics though, like family/home issues, overcoming naiveness, and mental health. This is to show younger audiences that everything they are feeling is valid and okay and they are not alone in the world.
While not the most popular coming-of-age movies, there are still many, many films that focus on the process of becoming an adult, whether it is from starting college or simply turning a year older. These stories always include the protagonist feeling pressured to figure out their whole life ahead of time and feeling behind compared to those around them. In this case, the themes consist of accepting your identity, going at your own pace, optimism that everything will work out in the end, and overall resilience, not giving up and trusting the path you were meant to walk on.
This genre solely focuses on character growth and arcs over a period of time. To illustrate this, films typically include the same plot points, modifying it depending on the story itself. The movie begins with the protagonist living their normal, every day life. Whether this is a seemingly perfect life or a lonely, dark one that is clearly horrible, something occurs that makes them rethink everything they've ever known. They begin to question who they are, the people they surround themselves with, and their actions. After building up tension throughout the whole film, towards the middle-end of the story, the character tends to break down and finally realize a crucial lesson that will follow them throughout the rest of their life. And while this doesn't occur always, it is very common for this epiphany to happen when the protagonist converses with an older character that they look up to, reassuring them that everything will be okay, or a younger character to remind them of who they are and to follow what they believe in. Finally, a happy ending is almost always guaranteed, with a few exceptions. A happy ending leave audiences feeling good and optimistic about their future.
Technique Conventions:
To target these films for younger audiences, the wide variety of techniques are very important. The most important one, in my opinion, is the use of colors. Lots of bright colors appeal to adolescents more, but it also helps represent the idea of youth, where everything still seemed vibrant and new. This helps create nostalgia for older audiences and even those who haven't experienced any of that yet, it creates a more homely and comfortable atmosphere that exists when someone is young. Along with color theory, mise-en-scene is what makes or breaks this genre. Props and costume designs can determine how realistic and relatable these films are. The use of rooms full of posters, clothing trends, and specifics from when the film takes place all contribute to creating that youthful image throughout the film.
Music is also a crucial part in creating a coming-of-age film. Depending on the character's personality, the type of music they listen to really says a lot about their personality and reels audiences in. The songs in these films tend to be niche, relating to specific types of people, but the kind of music helps create the ambience the movie wants to achieve and convey. Music is also typically linked to teenagers as they listen to it 24/7, something adults simply don't have the time to do.
Actual film-wise, these movies contain a variety of different shots, angles, and compositions to convey a youthful yet dramatic tone. Close-up and extreme close-ups are the most common type of shot, focusing on small details and specifics. Small reactions help create lots of depth to the characters personality. Tracking shots, as well, as they follow characters into what they are doing.
Institutional Conventions:
Coming -of-age films typically follow transformations, clearly demonstrating a before and after in characters' life. Also, taking place in 1st point of view is extremely common as to get a better insight into the protagonist's life and fully dive into what they're feeling and experiencing.
The marketing for these films tend to really push the emotional aspect of the story in trailers, posters, and social media posts/reels as to attract younger audiences who would feel those emotions. Social media is the most common form of marketing for this genre, because, as I've said before, it is targeted towards teens and young adults, who are usually always on social media platforms.
Also, the use of social media help create a fanbase where fans can connect with others who deeply understood the same films as them. This allows for new accounts to post behind the scenes, random pictures, collages, edits and more, leaving watchers with a lot more content to run to after finishing watching the actual movie.
Films:
"Little Women"
2019
The film "Little Women" is a very popular coming-of-age film for young girls based off of Louisa May Alcott's book. This story follows the life of four sisters, specifically Jo, and how she deals with being "different" from other girls in the 1800s. The sisters learn how to navigate through the harsh realities of the world from their innocent childhood as they discover who they are outside of their family, experiencing major social expectations, love, loss, and economic struggle.
"Little Woman" dives into the theme of feminism and gender roles, something that wasn't accepted in the time period it takes place in. The whole film encourages young girls to seek their dreams, no matter what anyone says and not listen to the exaggerated sense of masculinity commonly seen in today's world. They want for their audience to feel powerful and as if they matter, even if it challenges traditional roles. It also focuses on natural parts of growing up and how it is okay to not be on the same page as everyone else because everyone is on their own path.
The color theory in this film is also very apparent, since the film is constantly switching from the past to the present. When in the past, hues of oranges and yellows are quite literally everywhere, creating a homely and nostalgic look. But in the present, there are usually dark colors, specifically blues, and the use of dark lighting really emphasizes the harsh reality hitting the main characters as they progress through life. But at the end of the film, this dark environment leaves and a sort of, "normal" colors are used, signifying that everything is okay, and while it might not be as bright as the past, at least the transformation has passed and everyone's happy.
Little Women (2019) [Film]. IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3281548/
Sources:
MasterClass. (2021, September 24). Coming-of-age movies: What is the coming-of-age genre? MasterClass. https://www.masterclass.com/articles/coming-of-age-movies
Kench, S. (2023, September 24). What is a coming of age movie — Examples and characteristics. StudioBinder. https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/what-is-a-coming-of-age-movie-definition/
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