Genre Research

    01/12/2024

    Hello, hello and welcome back to yet another post! Today's project for class was a research project of our choice. I was so excited that I got to pick which genre I got to look into because analyzing some of my favorite films is already a common pastime of mine. I recently watched "Perks of Being a Wallflower" and fell in love so of course I chose to research the coming-of-age genre. Below is my research project on common conventions, techniques, and marketing strategies; enjoy!

Genre Research

Genre: Coming-of-age

Examples:

-Perks of Being a Wallflower

-Dead Poet Society

-The Breakfast Club

-Juno

-Superbad

-Heathers

-Jenifer's Body

-Clueless

Why: This genre is such a broad genre with so many different types of films, including comedies, dramas, romances, thrillers, etc., and I wanted to learn more about this popular genre. Furthermore, I find myself almost always picking coming-of-age films when I pick movies to watch so I think conducting further research will enhance my appreciation for the genre. 

Content: Some of the most common characters in this genre are young teenage protagonists and the films typically follow their journey through school, growing up, finding oneself, and the newfound hardships of adulthood. In all types of media, the coming-of-age genre usually follows a similar flow:

1.) Exposition 

2.) A conflict 

3.) Rising action and continued struggle  

4.) A turning point/ moment of realization 

5.) The resolution where the protagonist has overcome the conflict, grown as a character, and matured

This common plot leads many audiences to expect to start with a protagonist who is immature, moody, and at a low point. Audiences expect to see a variety of tones and moods as they see the protagonist's highs and lows throughout their journey. There is also an expected growth and maturity the character will end with and most coming-of-age films have a “takeaway message” to leave the audience to reflect and think about. Usually, the audience expects a message about the beauty of growing up, entering adulthood, the importance of friendships, and finding a place of belonging. Another part of the genre is that many coming-of-age films include other sub-genres. The most popular of those are comedies, dramas, and romances. I find that these sub-genres are particularly popular not only because they are popular amongst the target audience of teenagers and young adults but also because these sub-genres blend very well with the coming-of-age genre and plot flow. Many people can relate to the lows presented in dramas, the struggle to find romance in your teenage years, and the desire to cope with comedy.  

Techniques:

-Common Characters Type: The stars of these movies are almost always young teenagers in high school, middle school, or college who have some sort of struggle, usually having to pertain to maturing. There is also always a best friend or friend group that helps the main character reach their goal. One movie that demonstrates this is the movie “Turing Red” while Mei’s main conflict is seen as minor since she is in middle school and younger, she still fits the mold perfectly. She is a young girl presented with a change in her life (her new power to become a red panda) and she learns how to accept and control it and she can prove to her mom that she is mature enough to handle herself and does not need her to control every aspect in her life. She also has a friend group who all encourage her to grow and go out of her comfort zone as they too grow as characters and mature as a group.

-Common Plot Elements: Many coming-of-age films follow the same story beats that are shown in the graph below in red. 

The main character starts at a low point and experiences conflicts and highs and lows in their life that test them as a character and force them to grow. The end of the story leaves the character better off than when they started which helps highlight the growth and maturing the character experienced. It is the opposite of the classic hero's journey (seen in blue) that usually starts with a character at a high, they face a conflict that brings them to a low, and they end off at a high again. 

- Common Lighting Technique: Some coming-of-age films are commonly seen as more “artsy” and symbolic, and lighting is a common symbol used throughout to help depict characters’ moods and atmosphere. Usually, light’s color, warmth, and brightness are all used to help show a character’s emotions. A great example of this is in the movie “Perks of Being a Wallflower” where the main character, Charlie, is struggling with fitting in with a new group and isolation. In the film in scenes where he is alone, at school, or in an uncomfortable/ unfamiliar environment the lighting is in cool tones to further highlight his loneliness. On the other hand, when Charlie is with his new friends and is comfortable the lighting is in warm tones to show how his new friends bring a new warmth to his life. Another way lighting is commonly used in these films is to establish to the audience what mood the film has. Coming-of-age films can include many different subgenres and the lighting can help show that. Comedy coming-of-age films usually have brighter lighting with warmer colors while horror coming-of-age films with have darker and cooler lighting. 

Cool lighting for isolations 

Warm lighting for being with friends 

A scene from “Jenifer’s Body” (a horror coming-of-age film) that shows cliché horror lighting (cool, dark, and eerie).

A scene from “Clueless” (a comedy coming-of-age film) shows lighting more common in comedy movies (bright lights that bring out vibrant colors). 

- Common Cliches: One of the most common cliches I see in coming-of-age films are voiceovers or breaking the 4th wall. This is usually used by the character to give an explanation, extra details, and/or for comedic effect. It also fits with the type of film because coming-of-age films are told from the perspective of the main protagonist. It is about their story and journey, so interjecting their own thoughts and opinions to the audience through voice-over or 4th wall breaks makes sense. Think of “Ferris Buller’s Day Off”, he breaks the 4th wall to tell the audience his plan for the day and his opinion on a situation.

- Common Setting: The most common point of life where someone “comes of age” is their teenage years. This is the transition from childhood to adulthood and makes it the perfect age for the characters so most of the time coming-of-age films take place in schools. Another common thread is a lot of coming-of-age movies take place in small towns or rural towns. This acts as a symbol and conflict since most of the time the main character has big dreams or aspirations, and they feel held back by their small town. Another way the small-town setting is used as a conflict is when the main character wants to keep a secret and/or does not want to break the status quo and in a small town where everyone knows everyone and everything hard to do. An example of this is the movie “The Half of It” where the main character is coming to terms with her sexuality and her fear of disappointing her family and their high expectations. In her small town gossip spreads fast and acts as a conflict since she does not know who to trust. 

Marketing: For coming-of-age films, trailer releases follow the industry standard of 6-9 months before the film is released with a teaser maybe being dropped a month or two before the trailer. Not many trailers are released when you compare the number of trailers that are released for superhero movies for example. Only one to three trailers are released and this ties into how sometimes teasers and trailers are kept purposely vague to build anticipation and mystery since some have twist endings. Another common tactic used for marketing coming-of-age films is the use of social media. The target demographic of coming-of-age films is usually younger groups such as teenagers and young adults and the majority of users on social media are the same age group. Posting trailers and interviews builds up anticipation for the film and getting actors involved to post as well can market to a new audience who are fans of the specific actor. Making trends based on the movie or with music in the movie is another way to spread the reach of the film and its advertisement. Music is also a common form of synergy when it comes to films. Many coming-of-age films either have an iconic scene where music plays or sometimes the whole story is based around music, like in the movie “Metal Lords”, and using an iconic song from a popular artist can benefit both the movie and artist. Some people might solely go see a film because their favorite artist’s music is in the movie and some people might discover an artist after seeing a movie with their music featured in it; furthermore, the two can become synonymous. Take, for example, “The Breakfast Club” and the iconic ending scene with “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” by Simple Minds playing or in “Ten Things I Hate About You” when Heath Ledger’s character sings “Can’t Take My Eyes off You” by Frankie Valli, I can no longer hear those songs without thinking about the movie and in the long run that is an effective marketing strategy for both parties involved. Another form of synergy seen commonly with coming-of-age films is between the movie company and book publishers. Many coming-of-age films were originally books, such as “Dead Poet Society” and “Perks of Being a Wallflower,” and making them into films can not only encourage fans of the book to see the film but also encourage fans of the movie to read the books, which benefit both companies.

Sample: The sample I picked for my research was “Perks of Being a Wallflower,” one of my favorite movies. “Perks of Being a Wallflower” was originally a book by Stephen Chbosky and both the movie and book follow the main characters of Charlie who just started high school and is struggling with his mental health. As the title suggests, Charlie is a wallflower and is very lonely at the beginning of the movie since he always observes others but never tries to form relationships with them. However, two seniors, brother and sister Sam and Patrick, reach out to Charlie and become close friends with him. They mentor him through high school and build up his confidence, this is the first high seen in the plot that is used in coming-of-age films. However, Charlie continues to struggle with his mental health and while his English teacher encourages him to write as an outlet, he still continues to struggle, especially after the realization that all his friends will be leaving for college and leaving him. As fights between his friends break out, Charlie is once again isolated and falls worse into his mental health spiral as he still grieves the loss of his aunt years before. This is the second low that is seen towards the middle of the movie which fits with the convention of the genre. Again, adhering to the genre, Charlie does eventually find help for his mental illnesses and can come to terms with his past and reconnect with his friends before they leave; ending the film on a high note and leaving Charlie better off than when he started. He is now more mature and able to continue to grow through the rest of his high school experience.