The Perks of Being A Wallflower - Opening Analysis

Institutional information
The Perks Of Being A Wallflower is a 12 rated, American production, directed by Stephen Chbosky and produced by Mr. Mudd. It was a fairly small budget film of £13 million based off the popular novel written by Stephen Chbosky. The plot follows Charlie, a socially awkward teen boy played by Logan Lerman, and his troubles through high school as meets new friends: Sam (Emma Watson) and Patrick (Ezra Miller). Charlie discovers new joys with new found friends, however his inner demon stir when Sam and Patrick prepare for college. The film was sold as a coming of age comedy-drama film with a hint of romance and was released in 2012. It was successful as it grossed £33 million worldwide at box office.

Genre and Target audience
The target demographic for this movie was a teenage audience. The idea of a socially awkward teen; a wallflower who has never quite found his place, teaming up with society's other misfits and having the adventure of a life time, can sound more than appealing to most 12-20 year olds. However this movie is not exclusive to a young adult audience; in fact some of the more complex issues arisen towards the end of the film may be better understood by an older audience. Also the nostalgic elements of the film may appeal more to the youth of the early 1990s.  
This is primarily a coming of age drama film but with a bit of romance and comedy thrown into the mix too. 

Opening Credits
An old typed white font on a black canvas with type writer sound effects in the background first appears in the movie. This immediately lists off the most important people in the production process: first the production companies, then the main actors, finally followed by the title 'the perks of being a wallflower' written in all lower case. The type writer font and simple white text and black background style connotes an old timey feel. Within the first few seconds the viewer is given an insight to the time period in which the film was set. The text also fits in with the narrative of the film as the book was made up primarily of letters and the setting of the film is in the 1990s - a time when mobile phones and digital messaging did not yet exist.
Next the diegetic soft sound of ' Could It Be Another Change' by The Subways is played. The gentle and happy connotations of this music add to the idea of nostalgia that goes along with this film; as if you are looking back on better times. The rest of the credits are displayed over the top of a series of six different continuous shots, from the point of view of the window of a car travelling through a tunnel. This tunnel later become significant to the story and the protagonist, so again the audience is introduced to a key feature of the film from the get go. This again allows room for imagination as to what the film is about. 

Location and Atmosphere Representation 

The establishing shots of the film are shown during the credits. The shots are fast paced and with a point of view from a car window going through a tunnel. This sets up the location of the film for the audience as a city or urban setting. The black night sky then transitions into the window of a young boy's room as he writes a letter. By using a graphic match editing technique to transition one image into the next, it suggests that these two scenes are in some way connected and sheds a light of importance on the tunnel. We later find out that this is significant in our protagonist's story, so by highlighting this at the beginning of the film it is brought to our attention immediately and it's importance is presented from the start. The mis en scene of the scene is typical of a teenage boy for the period in which it was set. At 2:16 we see a medium long shot of the room in which we can see items such as a music centre on the side of his desk which was fashionable during the 90s: effectively establishing a sense of relatability for the older audience yet a causing a slight disconnect for its targeted teenage audience which highlights the fact that this not a current film. 

Narrative
The protagonist is first presented to us in a typical setting for his character. He is wearing orthodox clothing for his age and gender and his surrounding environment is typical of the 1990s, in which this was set. He is also shown writing a letter whilst his non-diegetic commentary of what he is writing is played over the top. The letter holds significance as it refers to the time period that he is in - it was a time before social media and mobile phones, so letters would have been more common. Also his commentary and the use of a medium close up shot of him writing, allows the audience to build a report with the character. As he speaks of his 'time in the hospital' we are brought closer to him on an eye-line level shot so that we can connect with him on a personal level. The pleasant and bright music also slowly fades, leading up to the moment in which he refers to his dark times. This suggests that beneath this ordinary surface that the atmosphere of his room implies, there is a darker side to this teenage boy. 

Character representation
Medium long shots have been used when presenting Charlie's house, allowing us to see the ordinary details of his home. This allows the targeted audience of teenagers, to identify with him as he is no more than just an everyday teenage boy. However the commentary that is played over the top of these clips suggest that Charlie is in fact quite distinct as he vaguely talks about his 'time in the hospital'. This sets a sad and unsettling undertone to the film as it hints at something much darker beyond the pleasant music and ordinary house.
However we do not avoid the stereotypical teen drama of trying to 'survive' high school, as we see our protagonist walking through the hallways in triumph in a slow motion, medium shot, as he imagines the perfect end to his senior year. However a fast transition to the next scene presents the harsh reality played in real time, as the school bully humiliates some of his fellow classmates and Charlie hides from the scene instinctively. From this we get another brief insight into our protagonist's character. We see his 'wallflower'  personality shine through as he watches the chaos of his school environment from the sidelines; never getting involved. 

Conclusion 
I think that this film opening is effective as it lulls the audience into a false sense of security. It puts on the pretence of a typical 'high school drama, teen romance film' yet deters us with this idea of our protagonist being a wallflower, an observer of the chaos; not your typical 'loser' character. Also there is a sense of hope that is presented through the bright music of 'Could It Be Another Change', the comfortable assurance that by the end of his senior year, Charlie will be walking down the corridors in triumph, and finally the introduction of the tunnel, which later becomes the place where Charlie feels 'infinite'. However the reminder of Charlie's vaguely explained 'dark days' still remain in our mind, as its importance is made clear but it is then pushed aside, leaving it to gnaw at the viewers brain until it is time for it to be referenced again.