Film Openings Breakdown

 Hi again! 

I have decided that my genre will be coming of age, so I did some research about 3 great contenders of the genre. 

#1: The Breakfast Club 

The first 2 minutes of this film consist of credits. After, a crack appears on the screen and the setting of the story is introduced, Shermer High School. Music can be heard throughout the whole opening and the voice of a male can be heard once the credits are over. The school stays on screen for over 10 seconds and then empty parts of the school are shown, suggesting it's a weekend. 7 A.M. is on the clock, an empty hallway, a beverage & candy stand, a decorated wall, lockers, "I'm eating my head" written on wood. Following, images can be seen of lockers, newspaper of the high school football team, "I don't like Mondays" written on the wall, a trophy room, a bunch of doodles, trash on the stairs, a stage with the banner  "senior spirit soars," a notebook with the words written "Help" all over it, "Man of the Year" portraits with kids in different grades, a computer lab with the sign "Hackers will be expelled," a gym locker with dirty socks and shoes, the guidance counselor's office, a banner that says "Vote for your Prom Queen," and a locker saying "OPEN THIS LOCKER AND YOU DIE ***!!!"`  Finally,  a tilt of a BMW is presented, with a girl and an older man next to her. They exchange some conversation and as she steps foot inside the school, the scene begins. This is a classic opening in my opinion as so many films begin with the setting and environment of where the film will be taking place. This opening provides a comfortable feel right off the bat. 

 

#2: Perks of Being a Wallflower

The film begins with a black screen featuring some credits and after the first minute a shot of a bridge leading into a tunnel. Credits are still seen throughout until another black screen appears and a pan from the screen into a window is shown. On the window, there is the reflection of a kid, and as this shows, a voice begins to talk. There is some slow zooming out of the kid's reflection and he is shown writing, suggesting that what he is saying, he is writing. A part of his room is shown, and some of his interests and items become visible. He continues to write until a few seconds later, which he leaves his room and walks into another. In this room, his parents can be seen watching the TV, and as he is looking at his parents, they cannot seem to bother to even look at him. There is a quick cut back to the kid's room, and then another to a school where other kids are throwing papers at him. It is clear that as he is writing, he is listing down his thoughts and goals for the upcoming year. Unfortunately, he is brought back to reality when the bell rings and the chaos begins. After that, the scene shifts to lunch, where the kid struggles to find somebody that will sit with him. He introduces his sister and her boyfriend, and two other kids. Throughout this time, his sister rejects his offer to eat lunch while at the lunch line, and he smiles at the other two kids who he thought may want to eat lunch with him but instead just get back to what they were doing. This is just the beginning to the poor kid's struggle. Overall, I think this approach to the opening is pretty cool because it gives a more intimate understanding to the character and his struggles. From the beginning, it's quite obvious that he struggles with introvercy and fitting in, and I think that it represents what a lot of kids go through at that age. 

#3: To All the Boys I've Loved Before

The film begins with a girl in a red dress in a field of tall grass. The tall grass hits her gracefully as she begins to speak and suddenly, a guy is shown turning towards her. He quickly walks to her, and she begins to do the same, until she is hit with a pillow, and the camera shifts to a pan leading to a younger girl. Then focus shifts back to the girl and she picks up her book and says, "I just wanna finish this chapter," suggesting she was imagining everything the whole time. Another girl walks into the room and after exchanging some conversation, the girl goes back to reading her book. Everyone heads downstairs to an older guy cooking, and the same guy that appeared in the beginning just opened the door. Some drama begins to unfold as they are all gathering to eat, and the girl explains her feelings and background with the guy. She then introduces her writing, and explains how she has written a letter to every guy she's ever had a crush on. I love the way this film opens because I feel like it captures what it feels like to be a teen girl. This opening introduces the perfect mix of coming of age with rom-com, and it's something every girl will appreciate. I also think it's very well done, and the concept is made clear from the start.