Conventions Challenged

Genre Establishments

One of the biggest conventions challenged was the genre of the film. We were keen on the idea of our protagonist having mental issues, so that we could explore his world and how he overcomes his problem - however the biggest issue for us was keeping the narrative's genre as coming of age rather than it becoming a psychological thriller. We showed examples of challenging this in our sequence by including the text that his mother sent him as a plot device - this makes the protagonist look not completely independent (likewise with teenagers). Almost contrasting this however (to keep a balance) we also had him take a knife as this signifies strength and willpower.

Sound

Another convention that we challenged in our opening sequence was sound in coming of age movies. Most of the sounds used in these films, especially in the opening sequence, are fairly upbeat and cheerful to attract the common teenage audience. However, because our film is targeted at the more mature teenagers the sound in our sequence gives off an eerie vibe to signify the atmosphere of the film. The opening scene is a microcosm of the rest of the film, so we wanted to have every convention steer toward the unnerving atmosphere that the film is driving toward.