Shannon Bulmer

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Specific Genre Analysis Coming of Age

Now and Then (1995) American
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxhiuNQPuj0

The trailer begins with the ident New Line Cinema; this shows the typical conventions of a trailer as the ident is featured at the beginning of every trailer to allow the audience to see the production company, whether its an American or British film as well as what type of genre the film would be i.e. New Line Cinema Now and Then, Twisted Pictures Saw. A female voice over is cut in saying truth or dare?, followed by a medium close up shot of another female character (Demi Moore) replying saying truth. The familiar game of truth and dare is associated with teens as it is normally played within groups to find out gossip from one another or humiliate their friends by daring them to do something horrific. However, the medium close up of the woman show that is juxtaposes the stereotypical age of people that play this game. Demi Moore plays the first character we are introduced to. This medium close up shot was used chronologically as Demi Moore is a well know, successful actress therefore it reinforces the audience that this film will be good due to the actors featured. A cut shortly after shows another medium close up of another woman around the same age, this is the second character we are introduced to who is played by Melanie Griffin. This character says are you happy followed by a wide-angle shot showing a medium long shot of Demi Moores character along with another female character sat next to her. A voice over cuts in of Demi Moores voice, repeated the question which was asked am I happy? Alongside this, non-diegetic music is cut in of a twinkle sound effect, this is effective as this sound effect represents that we are going into her head, as the voice over is symbolic of what she is thinking in her head. The twinkle also represents that we are going back in time, referring back to the title of the film Now and Then. A fade out and in transition is used, taking us to the next shot showing a wide angle long shot showing the 4 woman spending time together on swings. Again, the use of swings would reflect the type of activity young children would take part in.

The print screens above show the next two shots. As you can see, in both shots the props and location is exactly the same, along with the proxemics of each individual female character. The similarities between the two shots indicate that the film has gone back in time to when the four woman were children, showing how they are all still friends. The use of another fade transition also adds to the idea that they have gone back in time. This relates to a coming of age film as it is basing the story of the

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lives of the 4 female characters and how they have grown into the woman, which we were firstly introduced to. To make it clear to the audience that the film has gone back in time, a sound bridge of Demi Moores voice over is carried on saying the summer of 1970. Shortly afterwards, non-diegetic music is cut in of Jackson 5s ABC. Linking again to the genre of coming of age, this music also reflects this for example the band Jackson 5 produced this song when they were young children/teens therefore it links to the children in the film. Also, the music is very fun and qwerky, which could reflect the type of themes, which are included in the film. The next few clips then shows us the typical behavior of young teens discovering themselves, friendship and boys, all being common themes related to the coming of age genre. However, by doing it in the format of going back in time, this film could be targeted about both young girls as well as older woman/mothers as it could relate to how they were when they were younger etc. The clips represent the time period of 1970 with the costume of the young girls and the props they use i.e. they old fashioned bikes as you can see below with the wide angle medium long shot of the four characters;

The same sound bridge cuts in and continuous the voice over of Demi Moores voice. She says that was the summer when everything seemed to change which could symbolize their change in maturity. This voice over cuts in when a wide angle shot of 4 boys playing in a lake whilst the girls spy on them, meaning that they have started to become interested in boys which could be relatable for the younger target audience. The background sound bridge of ABC is still playing, however with the volume decreased. The following clip shows a long shot of the girls running up to the lake with clothes in their hands whilst shouting hey wormers which could link to the stereotypical behavior of the rivalry between the two sexes at this age. This is also shown in the next clip of the panning shot capturing the girls running through the woods with their clothes saying come and get them suckers! This shows the dominance that the girls have over the boys. A few clips following after, we see a medium close up shot of one of the girls looking in the mirror in her bra saying no matter what I do they just keep getting bigger not only is this comical as she is unaware that they are going to grow, it is also relatable for all young teens as it is a part of growing up. The nave approach shown by this character shows that they are finding it difficult getting to grips with growing up. Linking to this point, the voice over of Demi Moore is again cut in along with another Jackson 5 song I Want You Back which refers to the time period of when this film is

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set, the voice over says we wanted to hear the facts, we went to our parents which symbolizes that the girls are curious which is typical for a teen in the coming of age stage. A medium close up shot of one of the girls and her mother is featured next. The shot is set in the young girls bedroom and we know this from the colour scheme of pink, which connotes the stereotypical colour of a girly girl along with the frilly dcor, i.e. her bed and dressing table etc. The mother says I have been thinking about what you asked me quickly followed by a cut taking us to a close up shot of the childs face saying about sex? very openly. This again links back to the girls curiosity about growing up as well as creating the comedy within the film as she was very abrupt when answering and the naivety shown would be humorous for older audience members. The clip then cuts back to the previous two shot of the mother and daughter where the mother replies, you say that very casually and it scares me whom again links to the fact they are growing up and their mothers arent used to it. Another cut to a two medium close up shot of two of the girls are used, one says, have you ever been French kissed? which emphasizes their curiosity with the opposite sex. A cut then takes us to a close up, eyeline match of another girl responding saying are you kidding, I dont want to get pregnant! This again displays the hilarity of this character as it links to the previous clip showing her curiosity about sex, which she asked her mother about. It again demonstrates her naivety as she has the wrong idea of pregnancy that any contact with a boy could make you pregnant. Straight after, a cut takes us to a wide-angle medium close up shot of the girls side profile sitting on a picnic table. The other girls laugh which could relate to the competitiveness of young children about how much they know on sex and so forth. The voice over cuts in again saying, if we wanted to know the truth, we would go to our friends which associates with the previous voice over, presenting that this film is all about discovering. It also reinforces how close these four girls are due to the clips representing that they spend all their time together along with going through the coming of age changes together The next several clips show a montage edit of the four girls spending their time with one another, emphasizing how close their friendships are. This is supported with the sound bridge voice over which says, Just about the only thing that didnt surprise us that summer, was who our friends were which shows the sub-plot of friendship within the film. Below are a few print screens of the different shots showing this;

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The transitions used throughout these clips was the same fade in, fade out edit along with a change in soundtrack, using a more mellow and slow song however still calming and happy. A few clips following on, a wide-angle shot shows the four girls sitting down in a line in an attic. Using a sound bridge, carrying on the dialogue of one of the girls, the clips begin to change whilst the young girl says, whenever we need a friend, we are here for each other. Whilst this voice over is used, we see montage editing of the four girls doing things together. The speed of the clips begin to slow down using a slow motion edit, for example a close up shot shows the girls holding each others hands in slow motion. By using slow motion are shows that it is an important factor, emphasizing that their friendship is unbreakable. Whilst the girls hold each others hands, multiple voice-overs of the individual characters repeated the line best friends for life which matches to the actioning of the girls holding each others hands. A fade transition is then used going back to the future of when the girls are older, when we were firstly introduced to them as characters. A wide-angle long shot shows the four ladies together helping one of them who is pregnant. Again this shows that the four girls have gone through everything together and always by each others side. Music cuts in shortly afterwards whilst another cut is used changing going back in time to when they were teenagers. The music again represents the time period of when this was set, around the 70s. A close up tracking shot captures the girls riding their bikes, again emphasizing on the props. A cut then takes us a wide-angle tracking shot, showing the girls in a four riding their bikes. The proxemics between the girls is repeated throughout various clips, for example when the girls are riding their bikes they are in the same position along with when they are sitting down at the picnic bench and so forth. The shots used when capturing these are always wide-angle to emphasize that they are a four best friends.

During the different clips being featured towards the end of the trailer, a male voice over is cut in, narrating when the film is going to be released. It says New Line Cinema presents this reminds the audience of who produced the film, as the ident was featured at the beginning of the trailer showing visually their logo. The voice over cuts out to the four girls singing along to the sound track used in the background, making it being from a non-diegetic sound to a diegetic sound as it is being played in one of the scenes therefore the girls are singing along to it. A cut to a close up shot is used capturing one of the four girls; the male voice cuts in again saying Christina Richey therefore familiarizing the audience with which actress plays which character. A fade transition then takes us to a close up shot of one of the girls however when they are an adult. By using the fade transition, it almost graphic matches the two characters faces together, creating a sense of similarity between the two characters, for example this character looks similar to the character shown before

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hand, both having dark brown hair etc. The voice over continues to announce the actresses names saying Rosie ODonnell as Roberta showing that thats the younger and older version of that character. Following from the introduction of the two actresses, a clip is featured showing a medium close up shot of the younger Roberta fighting a boy, which sums up the type of character Roberta is, being the leader and tough one out of the group. This then repeats for the other three remaining girls, showing the actress who plays the younger character and the actress who plays the older followed by a clip focusing on their individual characteristics. By doing this, it makes it clear for the audience who plays who as well as making the audience want to see the film as the story bases on how the girls grew up to be the woman they are, therefore suitable for two target audience groups, young girls and older woman. Also it emphasizes the difference between the four girls personalities, reinforcing the idea that its good to be different and the four girls keep each other in line due to their different personality traits.

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The voice over continues using sound bridge saying in a film about who we were this tells the audience what the films purpose is for the audience, to capture the journey of the four girls through the coming of age period into how they turned out as adults however still staying best friends. A cut then moves on to a medium close up of the younger Roberta kissing a boy, obviously capturing her first kiss which is a stereotypical convention featured in a coming of age film. Relating back to the first impression of Roberta being the tough one, this is presented again showing after the kiss as she says if you mention this to anyone, I will beat the hell out of you again linking back to the comical aspect of the film. The voice over continues saying who we are followed by a wide-angle shot of two of the girls when they are older, again matching the voice over with the clips used as it links with who they have become now. After the following clips showing more of the characters when they are older, the voice over lastly says and the friends we have to thank for it followed by montage editing flicking from the now and then clips of the four girls together. The final clip used shows a high angle shot showing the younger girls putting their hands in the middle saying all for one a fade transition then graphic matches the older girls doing the same hand gestures, finishing the sentence and all for one showing to the audience the connection between them all from the past to present, highlighting that they have never changed. A low angle shot tracks upwards, following the younger girls on their bikes riding down their streets. As the tracking shot moves to an Ariel shot of the girls neighborhood, the credits revealing the title of the film fades in. This is the normal convention of a trailer, as the title of the film is always featured at the end of trailer. This is so it is the last thing the audience sees, therefore remembering the name of the film and leaving with wanting to see more. The clip ends with the male voice over continuing narrating saying Now and Then along with the director of the film to again familiar the audience with who created it and whether they were familiar with the director and their previous work.