Portfolio Project Genre #1

     The time has finally come to pick a genre for our film openings. I was immediately drawn towards coming-of-age comedies. I've seen my fair share and have a large catalogue of inspiration as it is my favorite film genre. A personal thing I want to stray away from is a boring, basic story. Part of the success of the genre is the relatability that it brings for audiences, but part of the reason it occasionally fails it by being too generic and falling flat. I want to create something relatable but ultimately unique. I'm also currently exploring the idea of coming-of-age comedy with a college-aged ensemble cast as I feel there's a slight over-saturation of high school stories. This is something I want to have a focus on when researching. 

    TV and films have their own set of characteristics that help categorize them through genre conventions. Comedies often rely on timing, delivery, and arguably most importantly, good writing to get a laugh out of the audience. Comedy scripts usually include some sort of social commentary by creating exaggerated characters that are a satirical reflections of popular stereotypes. 

    Coming of Age films contain dramatic themes that would be typically found in an awkward, transitional phase during the protagonists' adolescence. Things like romance, conflicts with friends, and struggling with school are common plot points as they are widely relatable and are often inspired by the writer or director's own life experience. 

TV/Film Inspiration:

New Girl (2011-2018)

    New Girl is a sitcom that follows main character, Jessica Day, as she navigates life after a break-up which forces her to move in with 3 men she met on the internet. It has a very specific comedic voice that is made for a particular audience as it doesn't necessarily follow typical "sitcom" humor. It commonly subverts the audience's expectation when it comes to the characters. They initially seem to be standard comedic stereotypes, but as the show progresses and evolves they become much more complex and realistic even though the show puts them in unrealistic situations. 

Edge of Seventeen (2016) 

    The Edge of Seventeen is a coming-of-age dramedy that follows Nadine as her friendship is strained by the fact her best friend, Kristi begins to date her older brother. It includes various cringey, yet relatable moments that are typical for teenagers to go through. Between the awkward moments and witty dialogue, there's also drama that adds relatability to the main characters as it help to humanize the story by adding realistic conflict. 

Backstage. (n.d.). Comedy: A guide to the genre. Backstage. https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/comedy-genre-guide-78017/

IMDb. (n.d.). The Edge of Seventeen (tt1878870). IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1878870/

IMDb. (n.d.). New Girl (tt1826940). IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1826940/

Strand Magazine. (2020, October 5). The Edge of Seventeen: A third of the Holy Trinity of female coming-of-age. https://www.strandmagazine.co.uk/single-post/2020/10/05/the-edge-of-seventeen-a-third-of-the-holy-trinity-of-female-coming-of-age

Sites at Georgia Tech. (2018, September 23). New Girl: Re-writing what humor is: Topic 2 – English 1102: Television and Feminism. Georgia Tech. https://sites.gatech.edu/1102tvfem/2018/09/23/new-girl-re-writing-what-humor-istopic-2/

StudioBinder. (n.d.). What is a coming-of-age movie? Definition, examples, and characteristics. StudioBinder. https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/what-is-a-coming-of-age-movie-definition/