The Lovely Teenage Years

I’m back!

My day consisted of researching Coming-of-Age films to have a bit of a backbone of what we should consider when creating our film. I researched a couple of more recent ones like The Edge of Seventeen and Moonlight. As well as older ones like Clueless and 10 Things I Hate About You to really see the progression of this sub-genre through the years and to get inspiration.

When researching about the older films I came across this slideshare about Teen film conventions where our sub-genre is present and examples of how different films handled the typical conventions. It explained the typical characters and setting this films usually follow. For example, in Clueless it followed the popular rule that most teen films follow like being set in high school, a teen’s bedroom, and parties. The characters in Clueless are the very stereotypical characters presented in teen films like the pretty and rich blonde girl, skaters, goths, ‘ghetto’ black boys, etc. Another example was 10 Things I Hate About You that also follows the stereotypical characters and set locations. Although these types of films are not what Mariana and I are going for, something that appealed to me was the mixture of the sub-genre we are aiming for with Comedy and Romance which are things to consider. But, both of these films lack the real, authentic stories we eventually want to portray.

                                                                                 

Unlike the older films, the recent ones like The Edge of Seventeen do not follow the typical rules of teen films. This film is pretty unique on its own because it is the first teen film in a while that really steers away from the stereotypical premise they are usually based on. Mean cheerleaders or cringe-worthy nerds aren’t portrayed like they usual are. It depicts a more realistic representation of what high school is really like. Besides that, it portrays a real and honest perspective of being a teenager and growing up and how we make a big deal out of anything and everything. The Edge of Seventeen is about an awkward, sarcastic seventeen year old girl, Nadine, and how she is at this point in her life where she realizes she’s pretty much alone in the world. She goes through a lot like losing father, her best friend betraying her with her brother and her mother ignoring her. She tries to cope with everything that’s happening as well as hormones, but her stubbornness and impulsivity get in the way. We see her at her best and worst, but see how she grows as a person. The director, Kelly Fremon Craig, mentioned in an interview that she interviewed tons of teenagers in order to make Nadine more realistic among her target audience. That is something that Mariana and I really want to accomplish because part of Drama depends on the development of realistic characters that the audience can engage with.

I still need a lot more to go, but its a work in progress. See you next time!


Athenadl. (2013, December 18). Genre and Convention (teen film). Retrieved March 12, 2017, from https://www.slideshare.net/athenadl/genre-and-convention-teen-film?next_slideshow=1

Clueless. (n.d.). Retrieved March 12, 2017, from
http://www.impawards.com/1995/clueless_xlg.html

Frosch, J. (2016, September 16). 'The Edge of Seventeen': Film Review | TIFF 2016. Retrieved March 12, 2017, from http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/edge-seventeen-review-927214

Mendelson, S. (2016, November 16). Review: Hailee Steinfeld's 'Edge Of Seventeen' Is A New Coming-Of-Age Classic. Retrieved March 12, 2017, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2016/11/16/review-hailee-steinfelds-edge-of-seventeen-is-a-new-coming-of-age-classic/#18b83e6b181a

Suzanne-Mayer, D., Pickett, D. S., Kaye, B., & Shoemaker, A. (2016, November 16). Film Review: The Edge of Seventeen. Retrieved March 12, 2017, from http://consequenceofsound.net/2016/11/film-review-the-edge-of-seventeen/

The Edge of Seventeen Movie Poster (#1 of 2). (n.d.). Retrieved March 12, 2017, from http://www.impawards.com/2016/edge_of_seventeen.html

10 Things I Hate About You Movie Poster (#1 of 2). (n.d.). Retrieved March 12, 2017, from http://www.impawards.com/1999/ten_things_i_hate_about_you_ver1.html