Research: What Have I Learnt?

After my three genre analysis on the short films: 8 Meter, I Miss You and Youth, as well as my non-genre specific analysis of 1500 Words and the Irrational Fear of Nothing I have learnt some elements that are prominent in the Coming of Age genre which I will try to include when planning out my own short film. I have also learnt some different conventions used in short films compared to feature films and will also take these into consideration during the planning of my short film.

Characters:
Characters within the Coming of Age genre are generally young adults or teenagers who have to overcome either a physical or mental hurdle. These characters tend to rely on other characters to help them and give them advice however they often ignore the advice of others as they cope with the struggle. For example the protagonist in 8 meter ignores all the warnings from his friend and family to stop before he endangers himself but he ultimately ends up doing it anyway. Characters within the Coming of Age genre tend to be very determined as they face the problem ahead. however they also tend to be one dimensional simple characters as the small time running time of short film limits the amount of character development which can be included and the audience needs to be able to understand the character and their motives as earlier as possible.

The problems these protagonists tend to face are normally conventional, for example in "I Miss You' the character is facing a breakup, in 8 Meters he is facing his Mother's illness. However it is possible to flip these conventions and put an original spin on them e.g. in 8 Meters he believes he has to set a new long jump record to wake his Mother up.

Narrative:
Feature films tend to have their protagonist solving their issue towards the end. However due to the limited time allowed for a short film, the protagonists in these films often don't find a resolution at the end. For example in '9 Meters' the audience doesn't find out whether his Mother gets better again or whether he makes the 9 metre jump. In the short film 'I Miss You' it ends with the main character deleting a draft of email he was about to send to his ex-girlfriend telling her he misses her. Therefore the concept of ending my short film on a cliffhanger or unresolved ending could be taken into consideration during the planning process.

Narratives in the coming of age genre can also focus more on the idea of growing up instead of focusing on one character and the problems they face as a young adult or teenager. For example in the short film 'Youth', there isn't any character development as we know little about the people starring in the film. However, the short film gives us an essence of what growing up is. This is told through a series of short clips edited together into a montage. This is a much more lighthearted take on the Coming of Age genre.

As this genre is a sub-genre of drama there are often typical conventions of a drama film included. For example the inclusion of abusive parents, parents, drugs etc.

Editing:
The editing in the coming of age genre tends to be made of complex techniques. Montages tend to be prominent within the genre, especially for short films. These allow for a more interesting narrative for the audience. They also allow the audience to see the character age up and adapt even in the limited running time of a short film. The short scenes used in the montage can be linked together through the use of techniques such as a match on action, a graphic match and an eye-line match. This can help tell a narrative or storyline in itself without the dialogue.

Mis En Scene:
Typical locations in Coming of Age films are cities and towns. Characters tend to live in urban areas as busy locations tend to give the idea that the character is lost amongst all the people and their busy lives around him. Props which tend to appear within the genre are items such as knives, guns, drugs, cigarettes etc. Short films tend to be shot in one location due to their limited budget.