The Genres our Opening Fits In

     Our film opening is essentially a romantic drama but as it centers around teenagers, it can most definitely also be considered a coming-of-age story. Today, I'll talk about how we put together this project in order to include the appropriate elements to fit in the genres mentioned through the use of several techniques between the writing, music and prop placement.

    So, obviously when it comes to the romantic side of things, this refers to the love triangle occurring between Betty (main character) her, now ex, boyfriend James, and August, the girl who was used to cheat on Betty with. Romance as an element can also be seen in the way James attempts to get Betty back, by coming to her house and begging for her forgiveness. We also wrote James to not only attempt to gain Betty's trust again but to dismiss any of August's advances to start another fling or relationship, showing how loyal he is at the end of the day, no matter what comes his way. In a way, James and August's little fling also shows elements of romance because he is sure to have had feelings for her in the past, not any longer though, making August upset (and jealous) as she has real, unrequited feelings for him.

    Now, in terms of drama, there is actually quite a bit of it, no comedy here whatsoever. We tried to create a dramatic atmosphere through the intense piano music, the serious acting, the different props in Betty's bedroom (most of which were old gifts from James), and the theatrical front door slam. Although it is mostly Betty's scenes that are the most dramatic, this whole opening is a drama, conveying the broken spirit that a teenager would feel after going through such a heartbreaking event. Also, the argument between James and August represents another level of drama, a more confrontational, angry one, rather than a sad and desolate one. 

    Then of course, there's the coming-of-age aspect, especially because all of the characters are teens, something which definitely has an effect on the type of drama that they're involved in. For instance, James, a growing, somewhat immature teenage boy made a mistake (cheating on Betty over the summer) and is now facing the consequences of committing that atrocity, hopefully learning his lesson along the way. Betty, on the other hand, is now going through heartbreak, a terrible emotional stressor and simply has to learn how to deal with this type of situation, also hopefully preparing her for many emotional disasters to come in her life. These are examples of the types of storylines that are found within the coming-of-age genre.