Researching Genre - Part 1

     For the first week of the project, all I have been doing is thinking of certain plots with genres that go along with it. For me, personally, I love a variety of different genres and I prefer having the freedom to come up with a good plot no matter the genre, then from there research genre conventions of the plot. However, I have a limit to my genre likings, and a limit to what I can actually create. So, I've limited my options to horror, thriller, comedy, drama, coming of age, and science fiction (science fiction seems challenging, but with the right techniques, I think it can work).

    For this film opening I'll be working with my two classmates Lucia and Andrea. We all enjoy different parts of making a film, and therefore I believe that with assigning specific roles to each group member, we can make the opening great in every aspect. So far we have discussed making a drama or coming of age, which works great. Dramas contain intense character development and intense scenes, which obviously will not be shown in the film opening, but it's great to have it as an idea. Coming of age movies, however, usually showing how a teenager or young adult deals with a conflict to find themselves and grow as a person. These two genres can combine to create coming-of-age dramas, a more specific type of movie.

    Coming of age dramas, or coming of age dramedies, are very popular amongst teens, as it usually relates to them and their problems the most. This helps these movies spread their message easier. For example, the film Eighth Grade establishes an average 13-year old in the modern day through its opening. By establishing this character that many people can relate to, displaying the impacts of social media, family relationships, and middle school life becomes a lot more impactful to the target audience. Specifically Eighth Grade, however, has a very long film opening of Kalya simply speaking to a camera talking about being yourself. Although this does help establish the character, I feel like taking a similar approach would be too simple for my film opening with no thoughtful use of shots/cuts or mise-en-scene.

    This decision for the genre will help my group navigate for techniques and opening ideas a lot easier. Later I will start looking for other film openings with the same genre to see if there are more entertaining or creative ideas for a film opening and I'll research common coming-of-age conventions and techniques to further get a feel for the video. What I should also do is establish a set schedule for when we should be finishing certain parts of the project. Without it, I think everything would be more confusing and overwhelming.