Genre Identification Within Film Openings: Kidulthood

Kidulthood is a film which is part of the drama genre, and this is clear from its opening sequence, which contains many key components of the drama genre, with both visual and audible iconography being used in order to demonstrate this. 

The Stealth Films/Cipher Films production logo at the very beginning of the opening sequence tells the audience that the film has been made by a small British independent company, which connotes that the film will probably be part of a hybrid genre which is being aimed at a niche, local audience. The hybrid genre which is being seen in this film appears to be a crime drama, as it is a drama which follows the lives of a group of teenagers who are deeply involved in various gang related crimes.

The first sound which is heard, before the video has even started, is the sound of people screaming and shouting. This immediately makes the audience imagine a school playground, which connotes that the film is going to be set in a school. This hinted school setting means that before the film has even started, the audience know the films genre is going to be based in genre, as films containing teenagers almost always are. This school setting is confirmed to the audience when they see the school uniforms of the students, which confirms that the genre of the film must be a school based drama. The foul language used by the female characters is used as another way of showing that the film is a drama - it gives the film the shock factor which is often desired by people who are wanting to see a drama. Whilst a drama has to be realistic in terms of setting, the more ridiculous it is, the more entertaining it is for the audience.

The lighting which is used in the film opening is mainly naturalistic - this connotes that the film is a drama because it appears to be a realistic representation of a place. If the lighting was too dark or too light then the film would not appear to be realistic, so would be harder to place into the genre category of a drama. However, in the room where the drill is being operated, the lighting is of a more low key nature, which connotes that it is a serious drama rather than a light hearted one as it creates a sense of mystery about what the character is doing with the drill. 

Along with the naturalistic lighting of the opening clip, there is also a naturalistic setting. A school playground is a setting which could be found anywhere, so the audience are guaranteed to relate to this aspect of the film, even if they cannot relate to the activities which the characters are doing. This is a key convention of the drama genre, as the setting is relatable for the majority of the audience in order to draw them in, and then the entertainment comes from showing them things which they are unlikely to have ever experienced. The general setting of the film, which is somewhere in North East London, is established by the idiolect of a variety of the characters, with a heavy amount of slang mixing with a variety of different cockney accents. Whilst there is no specific location set for the drama in the introduction, the setting is established 

The costumes of the characters is hugely significant piece of towards showing that this film is a part of the genre of drama. The gold hoop earrings worn by one of the female characters are a piece of key iconography - they connote that she is from a working class background, and that she comes from a society where wealth is a important indication of status. By showing that she is wearing gold, even if it is faux, it connotes her wealth and seeming overarching social status over other girls.

The handheld camera which films most of the scene gives the film a naturalistic drama feel, meaning that there are high levels of verisimilitude. The shakiness also connotes the instability of being a teenager going to a school like this, and teenage angst is a key convention of the genre of drama. 

The opening immediately establishes a society which is patriarchal, which is shown by the frequent clips of the male characters playing football with the female characters watching from the sidelines. This male dominated environment gives the representation of women that they are weaker and unimportant in a society such as this. The gender divide is a crucial key convention of the genre of drama, so this is another part of the opening which connotes to the viewer that the film is going to be a drama.

Another key convention of drama which is shown in the opening of the film is teenagers trying to act like they are older than they are. This is shown by the frequent references to underage drinking, promiscuity and drug use, despite the majority of the characters being no older than 16, which we know due to the school uniforms which they are wearing. All of these key conventions, which are seen multiple times within the opening, show that the teenagers believe their school is a lawless society, and this sort of society, where people can get away with what they want, is often seen in the genre of drama. Additionally to this, the criminal activities which the teenagers are partaking in, or talking about, suggest that this film may be a crime drama. This does transpire to be true, as the crimes they are committing get continually worse as the film progresses. The idea of teenagers doing things which most adults wouldn't ever dare to is what makes the entertainment in a drama - the key convention of teenagers acting older than they are brings entertainment to the audience as they can look down on them.

There are many conventional characters of a drama piece visible in this opening. The majority of the characters would be stereotyped as chavs due to their sense of dress and idiolect. This then invites contrast from the characters who are not dressed in the way that they are, and the conflict between two separate social groups is a key convention of drama movies and TV shows.

Finally, there are a few different parts of iconography which have not been touched upon yet. The joint which one character lights and begins smoking says a lot about them, and the genre. It connotes that they have no regard for any laws (openly consuming drugs inside a school) and that they are trying to act up to an image in order to gain respect from those around them. The haircuts of the female characters appear to be more masculine in style - this again represents the society of the film as being a patriarchal one, where girls have to act the same as the men around them in order to be respected. The one girl who has a traditionally feminine style of hair is abused by the rest of the girls throughout the opening. This clash between the majority and minority is a key convention of the drama genre, because drama is a genre which relies on the differences and disagreements of people in order to be entertaining.

Studying the opening of Kidulthood will help when making my film opening because it has shown to be how important uses of iconography for representation are, especially for representing the genre in a clear way.