Portfolio Project Genres

Hey Blog! I am back. This week,  I began pondering possible genres or ideas in general, I was bombarded with ideas. However, I concluded that I wanted to do something related to gymnastics, since I was a competitive gymnast for six years and now coach gymnastics. With this in mind, I believe choosing either a coming-of-age film or a drama would suit the idea well. 

Characteristics of a Coming-of-Age:

In a Coming-of-Age film, the main character is underage and typically undergoes a transformation, showcasing the hardships of life. The individual is taken on a journey to improve themselves and towards the end of the film, they are a "new person". These films can cover WIDELY different topics, such as an easy-going romance or something serious like mental health awareness. However, some coming-of-age can do poorly, due to unrealistic or inaccurate expectations. A high-quality coming-of-age film needs to have a clear mission and accurate character representation through things such as mise-en-scene, costumes, character personalities, etc to develop the character(s). The goal is to make the audience cheer for the protagonist on an emotional level. To connect the audience with the character, they need to be represented well. 

Here are some examples of coming-of-age films: 

The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)

Characteristics of a Drama: 

Dramas typically have a lot of conflict and a lot of pressure on the main character. Dramas have a very clear plot and are driven by emotionally-driven characters. They basically exaggerate characters and their setting, creating dramatic situations. A good drama film has well-developed characters once again using Mise-en Scene, (costume designs, props, lighting, music, etc) these characters connect with the audience and a well-written plot that is believable, and performed with good acting is crucial to achieve a high-quality drama film. Dramas can discuss various topics like love and family as well. However, if a drama does poorly, it is mainly due to the plot lacking something and/or bad acting.

Here is an example of a Drama:

The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)

Citations: 

https://medium.com/@english_grammar/characteristics-of-drama-2d42c83e9a08

By: Education Help Published: September 10th, 2015 

Title: Characteristics of a Drama 

Date Accessed: January 30th, 2025

https://raindance.org/coming-of-age-genre/#:~:text=Their%20character%20arc%20often%20goes,coming%2Dof%2Dage%20film. 

By: Kathryn Butt 

Published: July 30th, 2018 

Title: What Makes a Coming-of-Age Film? 

Date accessed: January 30th, 2025