Film Openings

Our group decided to create a coming-of-age film opening for our portfolio project. In order to create a good film opening for that genre, we first had to study different openings from coming-of-age films and analyze their elements. Because we wanted a more lighthearted feeling for our film, I chose to analyze The Breakfast Club, Ferris Buellers Day Off, and Napoleon Dynamite.

                                                    The Breakfast Club (1985)

The opening scene of The Breakfast Club is used to establish the plot of the story as well as the setting and the characters right off the bat. The film opens with several establishing shots of the school with a cheerful song, Don't you (Forget About Me) by Simple Minds, to create a sort of light hearted and sort of "80's teen rebellion" tone which is later added to with the letter voice over of one of the main characters complaining about being sent to a Saturday detention and listing different character archetypes. After, there are several different shots of the characters talking to their parents as they're being dropped off at school and their reactions, showcasing their different personalities as they're introduced and allowing the viewers to connect the characters to the archetypes the voice over had listed previously like "Jock" and "Basket-case". A small glimpse of the characters interacting is also shown when they first get to detention, solidifying their archetypes and setting up for development that will occur throughout the film.

                                                 Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)

The opening scene of Ferris Bueller's day off starts with several characters being introduced as well as their dynamics. The film begins with Ferris feigning an illness to get out of going to school because its a beautiful day, his motivations immediately revealed. His sister and parents are also introduced, with his parents believing his lie and his sister becoming irritated with him getting away with it, setting up motivation for her as a sort of antagonist in the film later on. The opening also does something I found really fun and want to play around with myself: breaking the fourth wall. The way Ferris breaks the fourth wall is like he considers the audience his friends, speaking directly to them like he's having a casual conversation and giving the audience tips to fake being sick, creating a fun and light-hearted tone for the film paired with the fun and upbeat song that plays after his parents left him home alone. 

                                                    Napoleon Dynamite (2004)

In hindsight, I should have selected Napoleon Dynamite for the upcoming credit scene post since I really loved the credit sequence and how creative it was. However, I feel like the film opening also does a great job at establishing the tone of the film. Within the first few minutes the viewer is introduced to Napoleon and the kind of character that he is through his mannerisms and his dialogue. When Napoleon first gets on the bus, the camera shows the rest of the students, highlighting the age gap when he sits next to a kindergartener who tries to have a conversation with him. He's then shown to be awkward and asocial when he refuses to converse with the kid and instead throws his toy out the window attached to a string while the kid beside him reacts with confusion. This provides the audience with a clear image of Napoleon's personality which sets the base for the rest of the film as he's further developed.