Chosen Genre

Coming of Age Genre 

The coming of age genre is a sub-genre of drama, that typically reaches out to a target audience of teenagers. These drama's follow the main protagonist as they grow in maturity and overcome issues. By the end of the film there is usually some form of self-realisation as the protagonist has developed from a teenager into a responsible young adult. Another common feature of a coming of age film is emphasis on dialogue or an inner monologue, that provides context and insight to the characters thoughts during the film. This genre also tends to follow a realistic setting. Science fiction and dystopia do not dominate the coming of age genre as these settings can deter from the central focus of the personal development of the main protagonist. However some films such as The Hunger Games, adopt the conventions of a coming of age genre, whilst still being a dystopian drama at heart.

Characters
The main character of a coming of age film is almost always within the age range of 12-20 years old. Thus making them relatable for the target audience (teenagers of a similar age). The film will follow the main protagonist on journey of personal growth, therefore for the first half of the film, the protagonist will have characteristics of immaturity and childishness. Then, as the film progresses, they will gradually acquire more adult characteristics such as wisdom and maturity. The protagonist may be male or female as both genders experience similar issues in this genre. For example there is usually a breakdown of a relationship, death or illness and/or the inclusion of drugs and alcohol.

Typical character types:

• The Outcast 
• The 'Problem' Kid
• The Homosexual Best Friend 
• The Wallflower
• The Jock 
• The 'New Girl' 

Mis en Scene/ location:

• School
• Housing estate
• Cities
• A family home
• Shopping centres 
• Teenager's bedroom 

Themes:

• Moral ambiguity 
• Virginity/ Sexuality 
• Friendships/ Relationships
• Experimentation 
• Falling in love 
• Self discovery 
• Mental Health
• Death/ illness

Examples of Short Films in the Coming of Age Genre:

• I Feel Stupid - Milena Pastreich 
• Flagpole - Matt Kazman
• I Remember Nothing - Zia Anger
• Division of Gravity - Rob Chiu

Brief

Myself and Lucy have chosen to work together in making a 5 minute long shot film. Our two ancillary products will include a poster and a magazine review.

We have chosen this specific brief from the OCR specification as we believe that it is the most challenging task and will allow us both to develop our skills in filming, planning and editing. In order to create a short film that is both entertaining and visually enjoyable, we will be required to produce an interesting script and storyboard. We have chosen to make a film poster along with our product as we believe that this will allow us to express our creativity and develop skills in software such as Adobe Photoshop. Along with this we have decided to create a magazine review. Again this will allow us to demonstrate skills in creative writing and english.