Genre Research

I decided that I am doing a coming-of-age genre. I wanted to take inspiration from Mean Girls which is a teen comedy, but put a spin on it.

Coming-of-age films typically star teenagers and are targeted toward teen audiences, which follow the lives and adventures of young adults, specifically middle school and high school students. The coming-of-age film is a level of emotion and response from audiences according to Raindance. Early coming-of-age films were mostly adaptations of well-known books, such as Little Women and The Wizard of Oz. 

 These films usually follow a characters realizing their future and showing their development from a child to a young adult. They also include things like first romantic relationships which I may implement into my own project. This genre mainly focuses on the growth and development of a protagonist from youth to adulthood. Like other films from this genre, I'm going to include mental, emotional, and personal growth in my main character. 

 A lot of times this genre revolves around themes such as self-discovery, identity, friendship, love, and the search for meaning in life. It usually deals with the journey of the main character and deals a lot with character vs. self which I will implement into my project. This genre deals with identity and figuring out who you are as a person which is a huge theme that I want to use. Challenges and obstacles within the character definitely exist. While a lot of this could be emotional and heartfelt, humorous moments can exist and will certainly exist in my piece.

Image of Nadine from "The Edge of Seventeen,

After some research, I found a film called "The Edge of Seventeen," which depicts a similar theme that I want to implement into my project. Nadine, a high schooler struggles with isolation, insecurity, and anger which she uses to lash out at those around her like family, friends, and even one of her teachers. She ends up on a journey of growth and realization of how her actions are caused by her internal struggles. This film also has humourous moments while still portraying the complexities of teenage, and I liked how it used a coming of age genre to show a journey of growth. I will definitely be using this film to guide me in my opening.