Analyzed Coming-of-Age Credit Sequences

Hey Cambridge! Today I'm going to be analyzing Coming-of-Age films credit sequences. So, when I first started, I wasn't really sure what a credit sequence was but now that I've searched it up, I found out it's just the opening title when all the names appear. I also found out that typography is the design of the text like font, color, timing, and etc. Anyways, here's the website I used to get background info...

Heckmann, C. (2020, May 17). Movie opening credits: How to make a great title sequence. StudioBinder. https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/movie-opening-credits/

So now, here are three Coming-of-Age credit sequences I analyzed.

Legally Blonde (2001):

Legally Blonde Opening Credits. (2019, July 22). YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kbpy7tIedKY

The opening credit sequence was very immersive. It immediately starts with an upbeat song, a barbie-like font, and her blonde hair being brushed. They used a lot of warm lighting, pink colors, and close-ups of Elle's morning routine, applying her lip-gloss, to show her world. So, far we can already tell she's very feminine. The typography (vocab word!) has a handwritten/cursive look. It's white with an outline of pink which matches her personality. 

MGM Studios. (2001). Close-up of Elle Woods brushing her hair with the “Legally Blonde” title overlaid in pink cursive font [Film still]. Legally Blonde. 

The Edge of Seventeen (2016):

The Edge of Seventeen – Opening Scene. (2016, November 14). YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMMrp4-zOJE

This movie begins with showing the main character Nadine rushing into school very stressed. It also has fast-paced music playing in the background which adds to the stressful mood. The lighting is very natural which makes it look like a "typical school morning." Aswell as the camera focusing on her face a lot so we can see how nervous she is. Also, the typography is very simple which fits the film's realistic teenage mood. 

STX Entertainment. (2016). Nadine walking down steps in a park during autumn, wearing a blue jacket and orange skirt [Film still]. The Edge of Seventeen.

Eighth Grade (2018):

Eighth Grade – Opening Scene. (2018, May 1). YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JEwSi_TjXI 

This movie begins with Kayla's phone playing music and waking her up. The song is very upbeat and happy which contrasts with the mood of her room which is very dark and she looks super tired. Next, she's putting on makeup while watching a tutorial (the one below) and she looks very awkward and like unsure if she's doing the steps right. The typography is super simple, it's just plain white, and it's shown in the bottom left kind in a small text size. This helps immerse the audience into the movie and also kind of show how insecure she is in her life.

A24 and IAC Films. (2018). Laptop screen showing a YouTube makeup tutorial titled “Everyday Makeup Tutorial” with Kayla watching [Film still]. Eighth Grade.