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.

Picking a Genre

 After learning about film opening portfolio projects my group and I began to brainstorm different ideas for our opening and decided we wanted to make a light-hearted teen film. We're still deciding what we want our genre to be but we've landed on either romantic comedy or coming-of-age to capture that carefree vibe. 

Having previously researched coming-of-age for a previous blog post, I knew what to expect when looking into the genre further for this project. 

Characteristics for Coming-of-Age films

Coming of age films are driven by characters and their motivations. Characters are distinguished by their costume designs and setting, focusing on mise-en-scene to develop the characters, the world around them, and the story that evolves as they evolve.

Still from The Breakfast Club (1985)

The story in Coming-of-Age films focuses on the protagonist finding their place in the world and overcoming obstacles as they transition into adulthood. The characters need to be relatable and have distinct personalities, allowing the viewer to see themselves in the protagonists as they go through their journey and develop throughout the film.

Characteristics for Romantic Comedies

Romantic comedies are all about storytelling, mixing humor with romance and usually involving a meet-cute to introduce the two protagonists. The genre focuses on characters much like CoA films, and they are developed through their interaction with their environment and their relationship with each other. Soft and warm colors are typically used within the mise-en-scene, giving the films a cozy and nostalgic feeling as the characters feelings for each other grow deeper. Films of this genre rely heavily on dialogue and how the two main characters interact with each other.

Still from How to Lose a Guy in 10 days (2003)

A good rom-com works when the chemistry between the two leads feels real, making you want to root for them, even when they lean into clichés and certain film tropes. Blending humor and romantic scenes helps the characters feel real and provides development needed for film's story to progress.

Transitioning into Cambridge Portfolio Project

 From this post and onwards my blog posts will be centered around the development of my Cambridge final project. All the blog posts I have made up until this point helped me understand the different topics that will help understand the process of filmmaking, both in content and technicality. All of the research I have done up until this point will help my Cambridge project come together and I'll have hopefully made a successful film opening in the coming eight weeks that my partners and I will be working on it. In order to understand what was being asked of us for the project, we were introduced to different films openings and the importance of developing purpose within the opening.

When developing my film opening, I want to focus on developing context, background, and characters. I want to focus on creating a narrative that is told through the characters which can be developed through costume design, dialogue, and how the character interacts with their environment. Creating an opening focused on the character and the role they would play in the film can help develop their motivations and the plot of the film.

Music Marketing 2

 For the final part of the Music Marketing project we were tasked with creating a music video for the artist we had developed throughout the project. The process of filming went smoothly for the most part besides having wasted our first day of filming. We did have a couple issues, mostly with the constant absence of a team member, but otherwise everything went well. Although we forgot to film a lot of the behind the scenes, we still had enough footage to create a pretty long two-minute behind the scenes vlog. Overall, I had a great time filming the project and am looking forward to any future projects.

Behind the scenes.MP4

Music Marketing

 The music marketing project began with doing research on an assigned genre of music. My group was assigned Alternative Indie, a genre made up of music that is outside the mainstream and is often distributed by independent labels. For the research portion of the project we had to select multiple artists that fit under the genre and research their brand, marketing style, and music. The artist I chose to research was Japanese Breakfast.

The band Japanese Breakfast is characterized by the use of soft and bright colors paired with the sad and vulnerable lyrics which showcased the hardships Michelle Zauner, the lead singer of the group, faced when dealing with grief after her mother's passing. The research I did on the artist and the band helped develop the group's brand which allowed us to understand the alternative indie genre.

For the second part of the project, we used the knowledge we had gathered from looking up individual artists under the genre to create our own artist to promote. We were told to create a brand for a fictional band including any marketing tactics used most often in the alt indie genre. Using this knowledge, my group and I came up with an independent artist named The Third Eye. We developed the kind of social media he would use and how he would present himself using what we knew about other artists and were able to come up with a "character" that represents a brand and market him as a new artist. We decided to go for a nostalgic theme, playing on the idea of love and connection both with the band name and the color scheme. The persona we need to promote had been fully developed using research from the other artists.

Genre Theory

Genre Analysis: Coming-of-Age

Coming of age films are movies about self discovery, friendship, and love during the transition from adolescence to adulthood. With my eighteenth birthday coming up and high school coming to a close with senior year, I decided to write about the genre that explores one of the biggest turning points in our lives as we grow older.

Content

As coming-of-age films focus on change and growth, most films center around teenagers or young adults as protagonists. The characters face personal and social challenges that contribute to their growth and maturity as the film progresses and they learn to become the people they will be in adulthood. Because the genre is tied to a young protagonist learning how to navigate life, the main characters are very limited in age range and so the focus is placed on their interpersonal relationships. 

Still from Juno (2007)

Characters often face challenges within their own identity as well as their friendships and even romantic partners. The genre focuses heavily on how our connections with the people around us fluctuate as we grow older and we form new bonds or grow out of old ones. Another big element in coming-of-age films is the setting. These kinds of movies are often set in high schools or small home towns where the characters have been raised in. The use of a simple home town provides the character with a stagnant setting they have known all their lives as they navigate the early stages of young adulthood. Oftentimes, this is used to provide a contrast when the character matures and eventually grows out of everything they have ever known, their hometown included. The use of the everyday environment also highlights the sense of nostalgia and familiarity that comes from a character having lived there their entire lives. 

Still from Moonrise Kingdom (2012)

Another setting that can be commonly used is an unfamiliar location. Sometimes, leaving their hometown and going someplace unfamiliar is what triggers the character's growth and sets the start of their journey. A summer camp or a family trip where the protagonist is forced to face many challenges at once, leading to their development, is another commonly used setting in coming-of-age films. Films within the coming-of-age genre can vary from lighthearted to serious, often blending humor with dramatic moments to capture life's ups and downs. Part of growing up is handling change and learning to live with and overcome all of the challenges that come with life. In almost all coming-of-age films, the protagonists deal with changes and hardships that help them grow stronger as individuals

Still from My Girl (1991)

as they mature throughout the film. Oftentimes the characters will face problems with lifelong friends, be forced to make tough decisions, struggle with self identity, and sometimes even face death or another huge life altering moment which forces them to change their perspective and outlook on life.

Production Techniques 

The lighting in the coming-of-age genre is naturalistic as it is intended to create a grounded and realistic look. Warm and soft lighting is often used in order to evoke nostalgia and the passage of time. During pivotal moments in the protagonist's journey, the lighting is often dramatic, showcasing an important turning point in their story. The colors in these films are also on the warmer side, creating a sense of intimacy and passion as the viewer follows the main characters journey and growth. 

Still from ladybird (2017)

During more serious scenes where characters face upsetting realizations or set-backs in their story, the colors become dull or desaturated. The use of both extremes in color palettes helps emphasize the difference in lighthearted and serious moments as the protagonists in this genre of film feel everything so deeply. Because the characters are starting to navigate through life, the importance of their feelings is highlighted through the use of juxtaposed color palettes which portrays their extreme and often contradicting feelings throughout the film. Camera work is also used to emphasize those feelings, with close-up shots being used to capture emotional expression and intimacy and wide shots being used for key moments to show growth or change. The coming-of-age genre also often uses visual motifs to reflect growth. Seasonal changes 

Still from perks of being a wallflower (2012)

as the film progresses is used to show change and growth as the character progresses through the narrative. Personal belongings and locations such as bedrooms and neighborhoods are used to show a sense of nostalgia and familiarity to reflect on the character and their personal changes throughout the film.

Marketing

 Coming-of-age films primarily target teenagers and young adults. The films under this genre are made to be relatable to their target demographic, emphasizing their current point in their journey and making them "feel seen" as their hardships are portrayed on screen in a way that relates to them. These films also can also appeal to adult audiences who may connect with the nostalgic elements or universal themes of growth and change.

Still from 13 Going On 30 (2004)

The coming-of-age genre is often marketed through relatable or iconic characters, personal and emotional trailers, and through social media in order to reach younger audiences, their target demographic. Films of this genre are often promoted as heartfelt, thought-provoking, or life affirming and may seem to "guide" their target audience through their transition from adolescence to early adulthood.

Samples

The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012) follows Charlie, an introvert who struggles with past trauma and social isolation, as he navigates his first year of high school. Charlie begins the school year completely alone before befriending Sam and Patrick, two seniors who introduce him to their friend group and accept him as a "wallflower".  As Sam and Patrick navigate their final year of high school Charlie learns about love and acceptance, living through their journey with them until they eventually leave for college and leave Charlie to explore the rest of his high school growth on his own. The film embodies the coming-of-age genre by exploring Charlie's self-discovery journey and how he overcomes emotional obstacles. The Perks of Being a Wallflower explores themes of friendship, mental health, love, acceptance, and personal growth, ultimately highlighting the importance of human connection and self acceptance. The film deals with the protagonist's growth and utilizes conventions such as the hometown setting and emphasis on interpersonal relationships.

Lady Bird (2017) follows Christine "Lady Bird", a high school senior in Sacramento, California, who dreams for independence and wishes to escape her hometown to attend college on the East Coast. The story dives into her strained relationship with her mother as well as her experiences with her friends, first love, and self discovery. Throughout the film "Lady Bird" experiences many hardships as she finishes up her last year of high school before she is able to move away to the East Coast. The film Lady Bird captures the bittersweet and awkward moments in Christine's life as she learns to navigate her relationship with her mother and grow into her own person. This film also embodies the coming-of-age genre as it explores themes of personal identity, first love, and personal relationships as the protagonist, Lady Bird, navigates the early stages of adulthood and matures into her own person.

Other Coming-of-Age Films

Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

Moonrise Kingdom (2012)

Call me by your name (2017)

The Breakfast Club (1985)

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)

Juno (2007)

Dead Poets Society (1989)

Representation

    My representation blog post discusses the film, 500 days of summer. The film centers around Tom and Summer's relationship and how it ultimately ends because they both had differing expectations. The story is told in Tom's perspective, creating a sort of bias and leading the audience to empathize and side with him after the end of their relationship. Throughout the film, Tom idealizes Summer which leads to an internal crisis as he becomes disillusioned by her rejection when she is not the person he projects her as. Because the film is in his perspective, Summer is constructed as elusive and distant through his eyes which causes the audience to relate to him and take his side.

    Through Tom's character the film constructs the narrative around the "hopeless romantic" stereotype, portraying him as someone who believes in soulmates and idealizes love. Tom projects his fantasies onto Summer the moment he finds out they have common interests and becomes obsessed with the idea of her. He focuses on the aspects of her personality that fit his dream girl archetype while ignoring the others that contradict it, often to a fault.

    Summer, on the other hand, is shown as a character who resists the traditional romantic female lead role. Her character is shown through Tom's lens as an independent free-spirited woman who states that she is not interested in a serious romantic relationship. Her role however leans into the element of the "manic pixie dream girl" trope, with her independence being exoticized as her refusal to conform is seen as intriguing and mysterious in a way that makes her desirable to Tom. The film both deconstructs and reinforces certain stereotypes in the romance and drama genre by making her elusiveness and unobtainability a central part of her character, othering her from Tom because her ideals don't line up with his projection of her.

Ultimately, the film plays with the usual tropes in romance by subverting expectations by having the two main leads not end up together. 500 Days of Summer critiques the stereotypes of romantic stories and the "hopeless romantic" trope by revealing how Tom's selective and idealized view of Summer prevents him from seeing her as a fully realized person, leading to the end of their relationship. The films de-centered portrayal, however, leaves room for critique in the aspect of representation. The story being told entirely from his perspective limits Summer's character development to what is relevant to Tom's character and his arc, making her more of a narrative device than a fully realized protagonist of her own.