COMING OF AGE:TEEN MOVIES

Purpose

Coming of age films explore the formation of PERSONAL IDENTITY.

In teen coming of age movies (TCOA), that personal identity is developed by the transition from teenager to adult

Thus, teen coming of age movies show the journey that a person takes to grow into their more fully developed selves.

Intended Audience

TCOA movies are usually made for a teenage audience Most teen films rely on teen culture to connect

with their audience, which may include references that older generations may not understand.

These movies also focus on issues that are more easily relatable for teenagers, such as high school or social cliques.

That being said, some adults also enjoy TCOA movies…

For example…

Picture of Mr. Fusco

Conventions:Setting

High schools Teen “hang outs”

Malls Parties Dances

Usually, the setting needs to have some distance from adults – there needs to be an element of freedom

Conventions:Plot

A person (or several people) “grow up” Become independent from parents Have a sexual “awakening” Develop a personal identity or philosophy Mature in some way

Usually, there is a focus on internal conflict. The external conflict is secondary, and is used to emphasize the characters’ inner conflict

Conventions:Characters

TCOA movies rely on stereotypes, such as…

the jock

the princess

the geek

the rebel

the girl/guy next door

Elements of Film:Mise-En-Scene

Props and costumes are usually from the teen culture of the time.

Elements of Film:Cinematography

The emphasis in TCOA movies is on plot and character development – this means that the camera work is not an important element.

Also, TCOA movies try to reflect real life situations, so the camera tries to remain as unnoticeable as possible.

Camera usually sticks to standard shot patterns – anything unusual will draw attention.

Elements of Film:Editing

Montage Sequences are used often to show the transformation from teenager to adult

Very little action, so the editing is relatively slow-paced

TCOA movies use a lot of sustained shots of people’s faces to emphasize the inner conflict

Elements of Film:Sound

Use of teen slang (whether it actually is used by teenagers or not)

Popular music Lots of dialogue – the focus is on

discussion, not action. Having lots of dialogue allows the viewer to track the characters growth.

Sub-Genres

Teen movies are a sub-genre of Coming of Age movies.

Coming of Age movies, however, are very versatile and can be matched with many genres, such as: Sports (ex: The Sandlot, Basketball Diaries,

Remember the Titans) Bromance (ex: Superbad, Wedding Crashers) Drama (ex: Girl, Interrupted, 8 Mile) Comedy (ex: American Pie, 40 Year Old Virgin)

Superbad

The Breakfast Club