Many coming-of-age films take place in familiar settings such as suburban neighborhoods and schools. This adds to the sense of relatability and helps make the films and stories seem more rooted in reality and able to present real-world, easy to process themes. Audiences can see characters in similar communities, classes, and environments as them, and this relatability can make them more interested in the story and enjoy it more. These settings can also add to character development by providing a sense of identity: the characters can be tied to their environment or grow distanced from it, both important in developing the characters as they grow up or reach adulthood.
One coming-of-age film that uses setting as an important story element as well as in character development is Lady Bird (2017). The film follows the titular character through her senior year of high school as her friendships and personality change, and a large aspect of her identity revolves around her relationship to her home town of Sacramento. Throughout the film, Lady Bird is bitter towards her surroundings, her low-class household, and the sameness of the life and people around her, excited to go to New York for college. However, by the end of the film, she takes a ride around her town and comes to admire the surroundings she grew tired of. This development and the role that Sacramento plays in shaping Lady Bird’s character and identity is something present in many coming-of-age stories and the lives of teenagers themselves, and I would like to explore the relationship between selfhood and setting in my film opening.
The editing in coming-of-age films is ‘natural,’ flowing in a realistic manner or focusing on dialogue and acting in order to further realize the scene. Some coming-of-age films that cross into adventure or science fiction, such as Stand By Me (1987) and Donnie Darko (2001), employ editing conventions from those genres and highlight more action-oriented aspects of their stories. Most films are the standard feature-length, being 90 minutes to two hours, with shorter lengths being more popular for more carefree-feeling films and those with more serious films being longer.
Reflecting the familiarity of the setting, most costume and set design in coming-of-age films aims to realistically portray life in adolescence and childhood. Costume design is usually simple, with defining items sometimes standing out and remaining distinct to certain characters. Set design is often detailed, portraying schools or homes with accuracy and realism. Certain props also stand out and can be attributed to certain characters, giving them more distinct personalities within an ensemble or representing how they stand out in their community.
Ex) The Florida Project (2017) employs on-location shooting and detailed set design to reflect the reality of childhood in a low-class environment. The character Eleven in Stranger Things is often associated with the image of Eggo waffles, a brand that has been tied to her image.
Another relatable, nostalgic element often meticulously used and designed in the production of coming-of-age films is the soundtrack. Films such as the Breakfast Club (1985) and the Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012), both mentioned in my previous post regarding this genre, use ‘(Don’t You) Forget About Me’ and ‘Heroes,’ songs that have become culturally attached to the respective films. Soundtracks can consist of familiar pop songs that one can associate with a certain era or the timeless feeling that music provides, uniting generations over time. A well-crafted soundtrack can include songs like this, original songs composed specifically for the film that reflect its themes or characters, or other songs from outside sources that accomplish the same goal.
One of my favorite coming-of-age soundtracks is that of Palo Alto (2013), and is composed of songs from big artists in the ‘indie’ scene, such as Blood Orange and Mac DeMarco, as well as original songs written for the film, including an intimate one written by starring actor Jack Kilmer. Side note, this soundtrack was released under Domino Records, which I just researched for my Music Marketing Project. Small world. Anyways, this soundtrack and its song choices are evocative of the overall tone of the film, one of hazy half-adult late adolescence and the irresponsible choices the characters make to form an identity that they haven’t yet found this far into their lives. The atmosphere it creates both within the film and separate from it is incredible, and is widely regarded by fans of the film (as sourced by my friends Ian, Chloe, and Sailor - hi guys) as an amazing album in and of itself, not to mention what it does for the film.
post titled after this song
Resources:https://www.brightwalldarkroom.com/2016/04/18/living-in-the-sprawl-coming-of-age-in-the-suburban-void/
https://museemagazine.com/culture/2017/11/10/film-review-lady-bird-2017
https://www.anothermag.com/design-living/12106/teenage-girls-bedrooms-film-euphoria-pretty-pink-eighth-grade-girlhood-studies
https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/behind-the-scenes-photos-the-florida-project/
https://www.businessinsider.com/stranger-things-eleven-doesnt-love-waffles-2016-10
https://film-grab.com/2018/08/31/palo-alto/#bwg1271/78952
http://filmmusicreporter.com/2014/04/28/palo-alto-soundtrack-released/
No comments:
Post a Comment