'Mean Girls' (Waters, 2004)
Teen Genre
Sub-genre: Dramatic comedy.
Camera Techniques:
- Begins with a point-of-view shot which puts the audience with the protagonist.
- These point-of-view shots crop up repeatedly, asserting this and also placing the audience within the action and narrative.
- Begins with a point-of-view shot which puts the audience with the protagonist.
- These point-of-view shots crop up repeatedly, asserting this and also placing the audience within the action and narrative.
The opening point-of-view shot.
Editing:
- Many reaction shots showing the pupils reactions to the protagonists actions makes the audience feel more in her position - uncomfortable.
- Similarly, many reaction shots showing the protagonist's reactions are used to show how shocked and confused she is by this very different life.
- The typography has a modern look, representing youth.
Shot showing her confused reaction and the typography.
Sound:
- Has a non-diegetic song playing throughout in a major key which connotes modern teenage life and the energy of the pupils.
- A voice-over from the main character immediately establishes her as the protagonist.
- Dialogue between the protagonist and the other characters comes across as awkward, further emphasising her uncomfortable feelings. This also highlights the differences between the protagonist (and her past background and experiences) and the 'average high school students' seen at the school which sets up the opportunity for the rest of the film to exploit that different for comedy or narrative.
- Has a non-diegetic song playing throughout in a major key which connotes modern teenage life and the energy of the pupils.
- A voice-over from the main character immediately establishes her as the protagonist.
- Dialogue between the protagonist and the other characters comes across as awkward, further emphasising her uncomfortable feelings. This also highlights the differences between the protagonist (and her past background and experiences) and the 'average high school students' seen at the school which sets up the opportunity for the rest of the film to exploit that different for comedy or narrative.
Mise-en-scene:
- Establishes the setting as a typical American high school by the characters and classrooms.
- The costume is designed to emphasise the conventional teen movie characters: the 'jocks', the 'nerds', etc.
- Establishes the setting as a typical American high school by the characters and classrooms.
- The costume is designed to emphasise the conventional teen movie characters: the 'jocks', the 'nerds', etc.
Shot showing a 'goth girl' - a conventional high school stock character - and also the classroom setting.
- Displays the protagonist's background via the voice-over she does and and picture montage of her life in Africa.
- The dialogue between her and her parents tells the audience that she has just started high school having been home-schooled her whole life.
Still of the picture montage showing the protagonist's previous life in Africa.
Great choice, lots of achievable, but very effective techniques used.
ReplyDeleteThis scene seems achieveable in the fact that no special effects are needed, and the setting is readily available. However, organising that many students may be hard, as it is likely that some students may play up and break the 4th wall on purpose. Also, the soundtrack is quite extensive, with several songs being mixed together. This would be possible, but would take up a lot of time.
ReplyDeleteThis is a link to '13 going on 30' (Winick, 2004), which is quite similar in style and plot, relating to discomfort in a school environment.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nHTJRCnndU