Genre Research

 Genre Research

Hey there! I am finally beginning the first step of my Cambridge Portfolio Project and I could not be more excited! I have narrowed down the genres I want to explore for my film opening to be drama and coming of age. I am having trouble deciding which I want to do more, so the best solution was to research both.

Drama

I think the drama genre gives me a lot of freedom to explore more serious topics and I think many film openings within this genre are extremely enticing and great at setting the tone for the entire film.

Trainspotting (1996)

Personally, this film opening is one of my absolute favorites of all time! With a combination of the monologue, camera movements, and music, it introduces its characters and the plot of the film very well. The scene opens with a group of heroin addicts and their audacious behaviors as they run through the streets of Edinburgh. This film opening quickly moves through the various characters and uses freeze frames to introduce each one. Within each freeze frame, it really reflects each character's personality. This opening also features a monologue from the main character, Mark Renton as he displays his mindset through his speech stating, "Choose life...But why would I want to do a thing like that? I chose not to choose life. I chose something else. And the reasons? There are no reasons. Who needs reasons when you've got heroin." Throughout this opening, it also features "Lust for Life" by Iggy Pop as its opening song. This was a perfect choice as the song is literally about Iggy Pop's lifestyle as a heroin addict, and because it contains a very fast paced beat which correlates with the scene's content. Film openings set the tone for the rest of the film and should be used to hook the viewer in with anticipation, I think this film does an incredible job at that by showing a clear view of the character's personality.

Coming of Age

I love the idea of doing a lighthearted coming of age film opening that goes into the life of a teenage girl for the project. My only concern is that this genre of film does not tend to have the most interesting openings.

Sixteen Candles (1984)

I really liked how simple yet effective this film opening is. It begins with the scene of a hectic family who seems to be occupied with a million different events. As the parents discuss their day's schedules and the younger siblings antagonize their older sister, Samantha Baker, we see her just sitting down on the staircase listening in. The picture of her bustling family as she calmly sits is really effective as it shows the viewers that she is divided from her family. It becomes even more apparent that this means something with the dialogue ending with Samantha rolling her eyes as she says, "I can't believe this, they f*****g forgot my birthday." I enjoyed how after this, it cuts to the opening credits which includes scenes of high schoolers doing typical teenager things, like a girl putting on lipstick, a couple holding hands, etc. This opening scene did a great job at introducing the plot of the film as well as the family's overall dynamic.

My Thoughts

Both of these film openings did a great job at introducing the film's plot and enticing the viewer. This research has helped me realize that I want to lean more towards the drama genre as it can allow me to incorporate similar features of a coming of age film but in a more serious way.