Coming of Age Genre Research

    While I am still a teenager and don't know a lot about the world, nor myself, I felt that coming of age movies always had a message that I needed to hear or see. I was able to view pieces of myself in the characters portrayed on screen, and I felt comfortable knowing that I wasn't alone in my problems or thoughts. With my film opening, I decided to focus on the coming of age genre because I wanted to put characters on screen that I relate to, and hopefully other teenagers can too. 

What does "Coming of Age" Mean?

"Coming of Age" films, literatures, and videos demonstrate the emotional and physical growth of a character from childhood to adulthood. This doesn't mean, however, that all coming of age films or books start with the character being a child, rather it can also focus on the emotional progression or maturity that a character goes through. 

Origins of the Coming of Age Genre

First emerging in the 1950's with Rebel Without a Cause, which allowed for the new message of "finding yourself" to be the new anthem of the times. As for television, the genre arrived during the 1970's with American Graffiti, which later inspired tv shows such as That 70's Show and The Wonder Years. This growing genre eventually gave room to "teen soap operas", which highlighted individual mental and emotional changes within teenage characters, such as Gossip Girl and The Secret Life of the American Teenager.  

What I found interesting about coming of age films and shows was that the progression in character happened if the protagonist was impacted by another perosn. I wanted to experiment with this concept and instead have the development occur within the character, hence the inclusion of the imaginary character. While I won't be able to demonstrate a lot of character development in two minutes, I want use the opening as an opprotunity to foreshadow that happening, or establish the relationship of Valarie and Val. I would still encorporate the idea of personal growth, but it won't be dependent on other characters, rather Valarie's observations and how she incorporates them into her own character. 

Target Audience and Characteristics 

Considering that most coming of age films or shows focus on someone who is out of place, usually feels different, and is going through a mental, emotional, or physical change, this genre definetly caters to teenagers or young adults, but why? 

Coming of age films tend to follow a group of friends, usually escaping from problems in their life and searching for opprotunities, such as Boys N The Hood, or utalize characters that understand each other's trauma and experiences, such as Stand by Me and Super Dark Times. The most important aspect of a coming of age film or show that I recognized was that the main characters are young teenagers, which makes the story relatable. The problems faced within coming of age productions surround topics that teenagers and young adults face, such as relationships, family disputes, or drug/alcohol abuse. Therefore, the target audience heavily impacts the stories being told in coming of age productions, since the main goal is to appear as relatable and realistic as possible. 

Incorporating these characteristics into my film opening, I want to mainly emphasize on the idea of "finding yourself", and how other people don't necessarily dictate that for you, rather how finding an identity is a personal journey.