Genre: Film Opening

Indecisiveness: Horror or Coming of Age? 

In order to make the right, well thought out decision of which genre I am going to choose for my film opening, I decided to research both horror and coming of age. The decision will be made (hopefully) soon! (I do realize horror and coming of age are polar opposites and will be impossible to combine if I decide to get creative, but the more research the better!)

What (I think) a film opening should include:
- developing the main character
- introducing plot
- engage audiences
- create questions

Now let's compare the two genres I have chosen:


Horror 

Horror is definitely one of my favorite film genres, but how much can be said just through the film opening? One horror film opening that comes to mind that develops plot thoroughly is Jaws (1975). Jaws establishes the plot by ~~~having something drag her under ooo ahhh~~~~~ but we (the audience) do not know what it is. It takes place at dusk, which we infer that the issue will come forward in the morning. This film opening is simple yet effective in creating
the eerie feeling through music, mise-en-scene and overall the idea that something pulled her into the water and the audience does not know what it is, creating suspicion and engaging audiences. One issue with horror movie film openings is that 1) they can be extremely cheesy and predictable and 2) they do not really reveal much about the plot until later when shiz really gets real. However, a horror film opening that does establishes the main character is Scream (1996). Even though (spoiler alert) she does not live very long, the opening to the film is effective in crafting interesting characters that people can connect with and want to understand, consequently genuinely making you want to keep watching to see if those characters will get killed. Yes, in some ways, it was predictable but it never made me feel like I knew exactly 100% what was going to go down.


Coming of Age

LadyBird(2017) is the most accurate form of Coming of Age. This movie reflects family issues, social issues and teenage life and how 'LadyBird' (Christine) overcomes them. The film opening in itself displays the problems LadyBird has with her mother and her own dreams and aspirations. People in coming of age films tend to have strong and unique personalities and main characters that keep the plot interesting and engaging. Another form of coming of age is The Perks of being a Wallflower. Charlie is a shy teenage boy who becomes friends with two charismatic teenagers and goes through the journey of high school with them on the search for self-discovery. This movie that I think should be incorporated into my film opening is mental illness. Charlie suffers with PTSD and is cared for correctly by his friends and family. I want to present the issues of depression and anxiety realistically into my movie, without glorifying it or making it something it is not. I believe for me, coming of age has the most to work with and I want to bring up a lot of social issues and representation which I think horror will not offer. Coming of Age shows life realistically and truthfully, which I think is the most relevant to 2020 and we need to include more of.