GENRE RESEARCH!!!

The past few weeks I found myself conceptualizing a plethora of scenarios to truly convey the struggles of adolescence. For that reason, I knew this film opening would become categorized as a Coming of Age. However, while I brainstormed, I caught myself attaching it to its usual adjacent genre "Romance" and wanted to expand further...

As I dug through the nuances of my experiences and memoirs for ideas, the ideation led to countless possibilities. I realized most of the ideas I had considered in past concepts could be challenging to develop in the span of a 1-2 minute film opening... so I debunked the romance inclusion and dove into the "Drama" genre for more creative freedom and sublimation. 

I took notice of the lack of empirical data as an opportunity to build on it in this blog, so here's some of the research I gathered that will come of use in the process of creating my film opening:

 Forest Gump is one of the most iconic movies of its time. The scene establishes a lot of the environment, and brings in a significant subject that stays in focus at constant; the floating feather. The feather is a symbol of Forests' way of life; its trajectory is dependent on the direction in which the wind blows; regardless, it floats on(like the song!). The visual metaphors speak volumes on the potential themes of the film. They are also very telling of the philosophies that guide the character and the story, which is a very beautiful form of visual storytelling that I would love to incorporate. Although its film opening may be perceived as simplistic, it successfully establishes a lot about the story through the various minimalistic choices. 

Good Will Hunting is another great film and houses some extraordinary philosophies that explore ultimate themes of fear.  It emphasized how sometimes listening to our impulses, our ego, will hold us back from our true potential. The editing techniques applied in this opening establish character, and really help to harness a true understanding of what the protagonist is like. For example, the hexagonal frames while he's reading assess that the character is often alone, reading books and solving equations during his free time. The editing guides the storytelling and reveals certain aspects that make up the cognition of the character.

Whiplash is another great film that explores the driving passion of a young man to success. It contrasts Good Will Hunting in the sense that the protagonist is willing to go great lengths in order to become the best jazz drummer. There is a lot of symbolism in this piece that one can extract, particularly the use of color. Andrew, the protagonist, is dressed in white under a light illuminating him, implying his purity and naivety amidst the world of hungry musicians.  The abusive conductor Fletcher, the antagonist, is dressed in black symbolizing his strategies full of malice. From the start of the film, as shown in the opening,  Fletcher uses his unpredictability in order to gage control and reach successful results. Whiplash's take on its film opening contrasts from the first two listed above, as its heavily reliant on dialogue. 

Stories like these create connection through revealing human truths. It opens up society to conversations that we may struggle to place ourselves in. Everyone has struggles yet once we acknowledge our issues, once we understand the destruction and pain they cause, we can also understand why its important to break down those habits. This is part of what I love about films and what really inspires me to be a storyteller; that is the goal for this film opening and future projects at hand.