Research and Planning

What is Film and genre?

A film is moving pictures on screen that makes a movie. It creates an event or story recorded by a camera and is usually shown in cinemas or television for peoples entertainment.

Genre categorizes films, it makes it easier for audiences to choose what they want to watch. Some examples of genre include comedy, horror, thriller etc... Different genres have different conventions for their films, people may not like certain conventions in film so categorizing films into genres makes it easier for audiences to choose a film that will suit them. 

The genre of film I personally find the most entertaining and I can relate to the most is comedy, more precisely teenage comedy. I like this genre most as when I watch it I can relate to the story line most of the time and I like being able to laugh when watching a film, I find it very entertaining. Because of these reasons I decided to make an opening sequence in the genre of a teen comedy.

A Bit of History about Teen Movies...

The genre of film I have chosen to make an opening sequence to is a teen comedy. the first piece of research I decided to do was look into the history of my chosen genre.

Codes and Conventions

What are codes?

Codes are systems of signs, which create meaning. Codes can be divided into two categories which are technical and symbolic.

Technical codes are all the ways in which equipment is used to tell the story in a media text, like the camera work in a film.

Symbolic codes show what is beneath the surface of what we see. Like a character's actions show you how the character is feeling.

Some codes fit both categories, like music is both technical and symbolic.

What are conventions?

Conventions are the generally accepted ways of doing something. There are general conventions in any medium, such as the use of interviewee quotes in a print article, but conventions are also genre specific.

How codes and conventions apply in media studies

Codes and conventions are used together in any study of genre. It is not enough to discuss a technical code used such as camera work, without saying how it is conventionally used in a genre.

For example, the technical code of lighting is used in some way in all film genres. It is a convention of the horror genre that side and back lighting is used to create mystery and suspense, an important part of any horror movie.

The Codes and Conventions of Teen Comedy Film Genre

Setting: The most popular setting for a teen movie is 'High school'. Scenes can be set in the high school locker rooms, hall or corridor and the gym or field.

Another common setting is in the houses of the teenagers. The house settings are usually for house parties or sleepovers and sometimes showing family moments. Sometimes teen movies can be set in universities and at the 'Mall'.

Cliques: Cliques are a staple to any stereotypical teen film. An example of this is in 'Mean Girls'. Even in teen films which are not the stereotypical kind, there are still examples of different groups in high school.

Stereotypes: 

1. The Stereotypical Nerd- Geeky glasses, shirt and tie. Really intelligent but cannot interact with members of the opposite sex.
2. Stereotypical Cheerleader- A bit of an airhead, usually pretty but has a spiteful personality
3. Stereotypical Jock- The bully, popular, mean, strong but stupid and usually dates the cheerleader.
4. Stereotypical outsider- Sarcastic, sees people for who they really are.
5. Stereotypical wannabe- Will do anything to fit in with the 'it' crowd, copies the popular girl and will confirm to today's view of 'cool'
6. Stereotypical New Girl- Different from everyone else, breaks the stereotypes, kind and smart and usually pretty.

Camera Shots: The camera work is very natural within teen comedies as all the characters tend to be at the same social status, with certain exceptions. Medium shots, close ups and two shots are used commonly to show the relationship between each character and the reactions to jokes.

Sound: Sound is very important within the teen comedy genre, Basic dialogue has to be very clear and well presented to make sure the audience can hear and laugh at the dialogue. Sound effects are also very important, added sound helps emphasize the event on screen, this encourages more laughter.

Lighting: The lighting in teen comedies is usually quite bright, natural light. This emphasis the reality of the program or film and makes the audience more intrigued by the characters and setting and creates a more realistic environment. Bright and happy colors are generally used, like blue and yellow to show that the scene is happy. The scenes are usually set in daylight.

Props: Props are vital in teen comedy, from everything you would find in a high school and houses to footballs, golf clubs, or anything that could potentially give any pain on a character in a comic scene.

Alter Ego

Films To Use As Inspiration

For my opening sequence of a teen comedy film, I have gained a lot of ideas from various different teen comedies. Certain scenes, music, wardrobe and characters have inspired me to create an entertaining teen comedy sequence.

The films that have inspired me:

1. Wild Child 

Wild Child is directed by Nick Moore and stars Emma Roberts.

Plot: A sixteen year old American girl (Poppy), who lives in LA with her rich father and little sister, gets out of hand with her actions after her mother dies in a car accident and her father gets a new girlfriend. When Poppy finds out her fathers new girlfriend is going to move into their house, she pushes the boundaries and her father sends her to a boarding school in England. He believes that by sending Poppy to this British boarding school, it will build her into a kind, caring and respectful young lady. However instead of trying to settle into the new school, Poppy tries everything to get out of it. She teams up with her roommates who help her get expelled. Through all the time she spends trying to get expelled, Poppy forgets to live in the moment and finds out that her Mother attended that boarding school when she was younger. Poppy also finds true friendship and love on the way.|

How it inspired my opening sequence: The character of 'Poppy' is a very interesting one, which I would like to rebuild a similar character in my short sequence. Her character is very unpredictable with her actions throughout the film and I think that is a good trait to have in a comedy as it keeps the audience interested in what the character will do next.

I also like the contrast of the setting, An all American girl being put in a British boarding school. The audience automatically become interested in her reactions to a new environment and how she will fit in. I think the idea of this is very well though of and it is something that I would like to develop on with my short sequence.

The music used also fits with the film nicely which is another reason why this film is very inspiring and the use of wardrobe that Poppy wears in contrast with the British uniform creates a very compelling element to the film.

   2. Clueless 

Clueless is directed by Amy Heckerling and stars Alicia Silverstone 

Plot: Shallow, rich and socially successful Cher is at the top of her Beverly Hills high school's pecking scale. Seeing herself as a matchmaker, Cher first coaxes two teachers into dating each other. Emboldened by her success, she decides to give hopelessly klutzy new student Tai a makeover. Meanwhile she falls for the new boy however to her confusion he turns out to be homosexual. When Tai becomes more popular than she is, Cher realizes that her disapproving ex-stepbrother was right about how misguided she was. Cher realizes that she has loved her Ex- stepbrother all along and they become a couple. 

How it inspired my opening sequence: The main idea of popularity is defiantly something I want to introduce in my opening sequence. Clueless shows a very clear view of popularity in high school and what you have to do to get to the top of the schools social hierarchy. Popularity is a topic which I think is a crucial part in  any teen movie. Also the idea of the most popular girl in school with her social power over people and how she used and abuses it. I would defiantly add elements of use and abuse of power into the opening. 

Another element in this film that helped me craft my idea, is the 'girl power'. The friendship between the girls is a love/ hate relationship where they are friends but are really in competition with each other other silly things such as who has the best boyfriend, best clothes and most popular. This is the kind of relationship I want to include in my opening sequence between the characters.

The fashion in this film is also very vintage and stylish, its very different from the other clothing in teen comedy films. This element of the film made me consider what year to set my opening scene in as I would really like to add a 'old fashioned' twist to it.

Clueless has won 8 awards and been nominated for another 9

3) Mean Girls

  

Mean Girls is directed by Mark Waters and stars Lindsay Lohan.

Plot: A sweet and innocent sixteen year old girl named Cady has been home schooled by her scientist parents all her life in Africa. Now she has moved to America with her parents so that she can experience a normal teenage life and become 'socialized'. Cady gets to experience public school and gets a quick primer on the cruel, tactic laws of popularity in high school. She unwittingly finds herself being accepted into the schools most popular group called 'the Plastics', Cady soon discovers why her new group of friends have been dubbed this name. Along the way Cady creates a plan to destroy the plastics so that the rest of the school can see what they are really like. 

How it inspired my opening sequence: Mean girls has inspired my opening sequence for many reasons, one being the stereotypical high school 'cliques' that are mentioned a lot during the film. I want to add in this 'stereotypical' element in my opening sequence to really exaggerate the typical teen comedy.

Another reason i have used this film as inspiration, is because of the humor. The hilarious humor used in this film is defiantly the best out of any teen comedy. Mean Girls has quotes and phrases in it that teens use today and will be using for a long time into the future. Some of these quotes are "That's so fetch", "She doesn't even go here', "You go Glen Coco", "I'm a mouse, Duh" and "I'm sorry that people are so jealous of me, but I can't help it that i'm popular".

I want my opening scene to have comic jokes in it, similar to the ones in mean girls that will make people laugh.

Mean girls has won 7 awards and been nominated for another 19.

4) Geek Charming

Geek Charming is directed by Jeffery Hornaday and stars Sarah Hyland

Plot: High school student Josh is the school geek. Dyaln is the most popular girl in the school. Josh decides to make a documentary about the life of the most popular girl in school for a Media project, in which he turns to Dylan. Josh soon finds that Dylan is shallow and selfish and a mean person, he decides to change the documentary for his media project as he finds Dylan to controlling and obnoxious. She also keeps calling Josh's project "Her movie" which irritates him. However Dylan later apologies to Josh and they continue to make the documentary on popularity. Along the way, Josh teaches Dylan to be more kind to people and be more down to earth and Dylan teaches Josh to be more confident. They learn things about each other and tell things that they have never told anyone before. A romance blossoms between the school nerd and the most popular girl in the school and Josh gets a top grade for his media documentary on popularity.

How it inspired my film: Geek Charming sparked ideas for my opening sequence as the film highlights school hierarchy and different cliques, much like mean girls. The film focuses on the relationship between these two completely different people in school and how they put aside their differences and help each other. An element that I thought was interesting about this film was that it was the popular girl that fell in love with the geeky boy. Usually it is the popular boy who falls for the nerdy girl, Hornaday has flipped the cliche teenage romance story line. I thought that the idea of the film being 'flipped' would be a good idea to add to my opening sequence as it would make it different and less predictable. 

Geek Charming was nominated for 1 award.

These films that have helped with my inspiration for my opening sequence all have things in common:

1. They are all set in 'High school'
2. They all have love interests in them
3. They all star a female lead who portrays a 'popular'
4. The popular female lead is wealthy in all these films
5. The popular female lead is shallow in all these films
6. The characters are all around 16 years old
7. They all deal with popularity problems
8. In all the films there is an unstable friendship or 'fake friends' scenario
9. There is a theme of 'rebellion' in all the films
10. There is a set hierarchy or 'cliques' in each film

Pointing out all these similarities within my inspirational films, has helped me with what I should consider including in my teen comedy opening sequence to create a realistic teen comedy opening. 

Although all these points link the films, the overriding message is that to be yourself is ultimately the way you should be and all the films highlight that the shallow self absorbed people are actually the ones who are the most insecure. The main 'popular' characters at the beginning of the film always finish the film as a different person.

Camera Angles

Identifying genre

There are all different types of teen movies that are obviously aimed at teenagers of both genders aged around 12-25. The genre I have picked and decided to create a opening sequence about, is teen comedy, therefore I am going to research into teen comedy's and identify how the conventions in the opening sequences make it clear to the audience that it is a teen comedy. This research will help with my opening sequence as I can take key ideas from these clips which will hopefully help with the construction of my teen comedy opening scene and make it clear to the audience what my film is.

1) Clueless 

 (1995)

Directed by: Amy Heckerling

The film stars Alicia Silverstone and Paul Rudd.

Clueless is about a sixteen year old girl called Cher who lives in LA with her rich father. She has the perfect life good friends, family, clothes, popularity but there is one problem, Cher is completely and utterly clueless.

In this opening scene it is clear that this film is a teen comedy. The opening titles clearly indicate to the audience that this film is targeted at a teenage audience. They use bright colors with a bold font to emphasize the youth of the film and to catch the eyes of teenagers all around the world. More precisely, the colors are purple and pink which are stereo typically female colors. This potentially means that the main target audience is girls for this film. The indication of a female audience becomes clear again as the first character on screen is Cher (female lead), she is filmed exiting from a fashion shop with bags in both hands. This one shot tells the audience so many things such as the main character is going to be a female who follows the conventions of a popular teens with her blonde hair and blue eyes, obvious love for shopping and stylish fashion sense. In the next shot which is a long shot, she is shown being surrounded with friends both boys and girls. This highlights her popularity which is otherwise essential for any female lead in a teenage comedy. The music used is also a clear indication of the genre. The song is called 'We're the kids in America'. Even from the title the genre is a great give away. The song is supposed to be reflecting on the teenagers on the screen, as if it were them singing about their life. The use of the word 'kids' highlights their age to the audience as teens are still classed as kids. The main pace and tune of the song is upbeat which mirrors the teenagers in the shot. From the first few seconds of this opening sequence, it becomes clear to the audience that this is a teen comedy from all these conventions that have been clearly shown. More evidence that supports that this is a teen comedy is the dialogue. Silverstone's character Cher opens the film with the line "Okay, so your probably going 'is this like a commercial or what?'" This is intended to be a joke to make the audience laugh. The fact that the first line in the whole film was a joke strengthens the idea that this film is a comedy. Cher continues to say "But honestly I have a way normal life for a teenage girl". This dialogue is clear evidence that the main character is a teenage girl. The first lines in the opening automatically give the genre away to the audience with the funny line and the straight evidence that she is a teenager sums up the whole genre and it is clear that this film is a teenage comedy. Other conventions in the opening that highlight the genre are the stereotypes. Cher lives in a big house with a rich father, she is just learning to drive, has a equally popular best friend and is on her way to school. These are more elements to identify that this film is a teen comedy.


Movie Montage
The genre of film I have chose to study and create an opening sequence to is 'Teen Comedy'. They most commonly are about teenagers aged 15-19 and deal with issues such as relationships, parties, annoying parents and popularity problems.

For my Movie Montage, I have decided to put together the convention scenes found in teen movies. This includes clips that support the evidence that most teen films have certain elements or 'conventions' that occur during the film such as the 'make over scene' or the 'first kiss scene' that are quite essential to teen movies.

Analysing Mise En Scene

 1)Easy A

(2010)

Director: Will Gluck

Starring: Emma Stone and Amanda Bynes 

1) Settings and props.

The setting of this scene in 'Easy A' is in the house of Olive Pendagast, she has just returned from school on Friday afternoon. The scene shows what Olive has been doing all weekend, which is sitting around in her house listening to the music from her birthday card. It is important later on in the film why the director has decided to show Olives weekend as Olive tells a small lie about what she did on this weekend and it becomes a big deal that changes her life. Director Will Gluck wanted to show the audience what Olive was really doing on this weekend so that we experience the film from Olives point of view and feel the same frustration and humiliation that she feels throughout the film. The setting of a house is a very regular and stereo typically a calm place. The setting of Olives house in comparison with the lie she told about what she did on this weekend contrasts the scene wildly, as Olive tells people she has a "crazy weekend with a bunch of collage guys". Perhaps the director has done this on purpose to really highlight the difference of the actions of Olives real weekend and the enterprise of  her made up one.

A lot of props were used throughout his scene, including a birthday card that Olives receives when she walks through her bedroom door. The card plays "The worst song ever" when it opens. The birthday card plays a sing called 'pocket full of sunshine'. The use of this song in the scene is extremely ironic as despite the films comedy elements, Olive is stressed, angry and upset throughout most of the film even though she does a good job hiding it from everyone. Other props used were the shower head, when Olive was in the shower, nail vanish as she paints her nails, needle and thread to sew up her top and a paint brush to paint her room. All of these props used are house 'staples' and a lot of her weekend actives are chores. These props just help communicate to the audience how bland and casual Olives weekend was.

2) Costume, hair and make up.

Olives hair and Make up is minimum reflecting on her weekend, not very exiting and boring. The merest bit of make up Olive is wearing however shows the audience that the film is set in the present and also gives a rough idea of how old Olive is. The costumes that Olive wear are mostly jeans with a t-shirt. Again its nothing exiting yet it helps broadcast Olives age and fits with her weekends activities.

3) Facial expressions and body language.

Olives facial expressions in this scene do not vary very much. When she opens the birthday card at the beginning of the scene she screws her face up and quotes "Yuck! worst song ever" It is clear that Olive finds the song annoying at first yet she warms up to it throughout the weekend. For most of the scene Olive is singing a long to the 'pocket full of sunshine' tune while dancing around her room. This clearly shows the audience that Olive is happy as 'dancing around your room' is a bit of a happy cliche. 

4) positioning of characters.

Olive Pendegast is the only character in this scene, besides her dog which is shown sitting on her bed while she painted his nails. There is not a wide variety of different camera angles in this scene. Most of the scene is shot in a 'medium shot' camera angle. Director Will Gluck might of done this to concentrate on Olives facial expressions, so that the audience see her being happy and silly. The audience can clearly see Olives hair and make up which again highlights her age and gives the audience an idea to when this film is set. This camera angle also allows the audience to see what Olive is wearing without focusing too much on the costume. Furthermore the location of the setting (Olives house) was earlier introduced to the audience, therefore it would be unnecessary for the director to add in other camera angles such as 'extreme long shots'. Another camera angle used in the scene is a 'long shot', this was most likely used to show the audience what Olive wore on Saturday and Sunday as this can help disclose her status and help express her attitude. Will Gluck might of also added in 'long shots' so that the audience can watch Olive dance around her room. Even though this is not so important to the story, its funny and it adds in the 'comedy' to the scene, which is the audience intention, to make the audience laugh.

5) Lighting and color.

The lighting throughout this scene was high key, this was used so that we could see Olives facial expressions and actions well so that the audience understand how she feels at this point in the film. Natural lighting was also common in this scene as it helped communicate to the audience what time of day it was when Olive was in her room all day. A lot of 'back lighting' was used through 'natural lighting' especially when Olive was sitting on her bed and dancing on Sunday afternoon. The use of natural sunlight to light up the setting of the bedroom could also mirror Olives emotions as she was feeling happy all weekend, it could be looked at as the director used sunlight lighting to show her happiness. Another reason why the director perhaps used natural sunlight was because of Olives birthday card song 'pocket full of sunshine', the use of 'natural lighting' echoed the song as well as her feelings.

6)Sound.

The only music in this short scene is the 'pocket full of sunshine' tune from Olives card. Olive does hum and sing over the song as well. The card tune starts of as being sound just coming directly out of the card then gradually as the scene goes on the tube becomes part of the movies audio.

Easy A is a film targeted mostly at teenage girls from 15 to 25. It is a niche audience film however has been very successful. It is very relatable to girls of this age as Olive goes through teenage problems that most girls will have gone through at some point.

Easy A has won 9 awards, nominated for 1 golden globe award and another 19 nominations.

                       

2) Superbad

    (2007)

Director: Gregg Mottola

Starring: Jonah Hill, Michael Cera and Emma Stone

1) Setting and props

The setting in this scene has two locations. The first location in this scene is set in a liquor store, the teenage boy (Fogell) is only 17 but has brought a fake ID that states he is 25 years old so that he can buy alcohol for a girls party and impress her. The scene was filmed in a real liquor store. The props in this scene include a lot of alcohol, a basket that Fogell carries around and the checkout till. All the alcohol that are used as props are real alcohol bottles and cans.

2)Costume,hair and makeup

Fogell is dressed in a shirt and trousers, he dresses in this way to try and appear older than he is so that he can buy alcohol. His hair and face hasn't changed much though. Fogell also wears glasses, this adds a bit of humor to the scene as he is trying to look adult however apart from dressing in his fathers clothes he looks the same. This makes the audience laugh as it is totally unrealistic.

3) Facial expression and body language

Fogell's facial expressions vary throughout this part in the scene, he is grinning a lot to try and look normal and not suspicious to the woman at the checkout desk. He cannot keep eye contact with the checkout desk lady as it makes him feel uncomfortable because he knows he is in the wrong.

The woman's facial expressions while she is serving Fogell looks suspicious. She doesn't take her eyes of Fogell as she most likely has a feeling that he is underage.

Fogells body language is awkward, he is looking around the store and swinging his arms around slightly to try and look casual. When he speaks to the checkout lady to make conversation he stutters a lot,this clearly shows the audience that he is nervous and he choking on his nerves,struggling to create a more easing atmosphere. He also coughs before speaking to the lady,this again highlights his nerves to the audience ans also to the checkout lady.

4)Positioning of characters

The characters are positioned in a fairly basic position. Checkout lady is behind the counter and Fogell is standing on the other side. The camera angles used during this section of the scene do not vary much. Its a close up camera angle for most of the scene on Fogell and the checkout woman, this was done specifically to exaggerated the characters facial expressions, especially Fogell so that the audience can really look deep into his insecurity. When Fogell first comes over to the checkout, the camera is lowered slightly on the checkout woman,this is to show the audience that she has more power than Fogell at this point. If she finds out his real age she could get him into a lot of trouble, that power is in her hands.

5)Lighting and Colour

The lighting is high key to clearly show Fogells facial expressions. It also makes it obvious to the audience that it is early afternoon.

6)Music and sound

For the first part in this scene there is no music or sound effects, only the conversation between Fogell and the checkout lady. The reason why there is no music or sound effects is most likely because the director wanted to create a more naturalistic moment between a underage teenage boy trying to buy alcohol and the suspicious checkout lady. If music was added in,it would make the scene potentially more 'cheesy' than it really is and the scene itself is already awkward without overwhelming music. The use of music would take away the funny moment. Its also known that music helps take away awkward moments and that is really not the objective that the director wants in this scene. The more awkward the more funny.

Superbad is a film targeted at both genders however edges more toward teenage boys between the ages of 15 to 30. The film has a lot of bad language in it as well as sexual references/scenes and moments of violence.Therefor this film is not appropriate for anyone under the age of 15. The film edges more toward boys rather that girls mostly because of the use of 'boy humor' and the main characters are boys therefore most teenage boys can relate to their conversations and the problems they experience throughout the film.

Superbad has had 14 award wins and 21 nominations.

3) Kick Ass

  (2011)

Director: Matthew Vaughn

Starring: Aaron Taylor Johnson and Chloe Grace Moretz

1)Setting and Props

The setting in this scene, is in a small flat room. The room is full of  drug users and Kick ass has gone there to try and stop a man named Rasul from bothering his girlfriend. Th flat room is most likely a set however the props added into the scene make it look like it was shot in a real flat. The director most likely chose to set this scene in a top floor flat as its stereotypical that drug users are poor because they splash all their money on drugs. It also crates a tense atmosphere as the room is full of people who are potentially quite dangerous so to be in a confined space such as a small flat room makes the audience feel uncomfortable for Kick ass. There were many props used during this scene. Most props were drugs,alcohol and cigarettes that the drug dealers were either using or dealing. kick Ass also used a machete to threaten Rasul, he keeps it on his back, he also used a taser. Later on in the scene Hit Girl comes to the rescue and she has an even bigger machete that Kick Ass. It is also shown that she has a knife which she also uses to defend herself.

2) Costume,hair and make up

Kick Ass's costume is divers suit, however he dresses up in to pretend that he is a super hero. The costume id blue with yellow stripes in it and he also wears the matching mask to protect his identity. The use of a colorful superhero costume contrasts with the real intention of being a hero, fighting crime. The colors that Kick Ass's costume represent are happy yet he is wearing it to fight crime such as fighting drug dealers which is a dark topic. Hit Girls costume is equally as odd. She is dressed in a purple wig and skirt with a grey jacket Hit Girl also wears a mask to hid her identity. Again there is a contrast in color as she wears purple a bright color yet she is a very dangerous and dark girl.

The drug users, who's flat the scene is set in, wear dark clothing. The dark clothing could symbolize their dark personalities and their dark actions (drug use). The only inhabitant in the flat who is wearing something bright, is the girl. She is wearing a red dress and boots. Perhaps the director wanted to contrast her as not being 'in' with the other people. She was also the only female in the room, by making her the only character to wear something bright makes it easier for the audience to point out her minority.

3)Facial expressions and body language

Because of Kick Ass and Hit Girl, the two main characters in this scene are wearing masks it makes it hard for the audience to see their facial expressions. The actors have to show their emotions more through body language and speech. However the facial expressions on the drug users face is very easy to read. They are clearly to stoned when Kick Ass walks in the room to even be concerned about who he is and why he is there. Yet when Kick Ass tells then he is looking for Rasul in regards to 'Katie', one of the inhabitants becomes interested in his arrival. The audience start to see his curiosity as when the name 'Katie' passes Kick Ass's lips Rasul slowly looks up, turns his head around and puts out his cigarette. This addresses the audience that he is Rasul and he knows Katie.

Kick Ass's body language in this scene is small, he is slightly hunched over, this could be to emphasize that he is insecure and scared at this point. The body language of Hit Girl however is very different. She stands straight and confident when she introduces herself in the scene and has a very wild grin on her face to indicate that she is happy with what she is done and she is leading up to doing something else mischievous. The body language of the inhabitants is mostly strong and confident, this is because they are in their own home, which already gives them authority over the setting and their is also more of them and only one kick Ass so they feel more powerful altogether.

4)positioning of characters

Most of the inhabitants are either standing up tall and proud or slouching into a chair sleeping. They are all scattered around the dirty flat room drinking, smoking and watching tv. There is one sofa in the middle of the room. Kick Ass is positioned standing behind the sofa when he walks in. Rasul the man he is targeting is sitting on the sofa so no eye contact has been made between them. Kick Ass dose not move from that spot the whole conversation, he takes a few steps back when Rasul threatens him however. We did not see Hit Girls entrance yet, she makes a big impression on the audience when she stabs her giant machete through Rasul's chest. After Rasul falls to the ground, Hit Girl is standing directly behind him and it becomes clear who killed Rasul. The camera lowers on Hit Girl to show she has dominance over kick Ass and the inhabitants. Throughout Hit Girls fighting scene, the camera is almost always 'low angle shot' to show her strength. Kick Ass during the fight scene is curled up in the corner shaking in shock from Hit Girl. When the camera shows him it is a 'high angle shot' to exaggerate his fear and weakness.

5)Lighting and color

The lighting used in this scene is 'Ambient'. This is when the lighting is not quite high key but not really low key. There is not much lighting in the scene, the setting is very dim. Perhaps the director did this on purpose to mirror the 'dimness' of the inhabitants. It is also set during the nighttime so the setting cannot be made to light as it would not look naturalistic to the scene.

6) music and sound

There is no music to introduce the new scene, there is only talking at first between the inhabitants and Kick Ass. Sound effects are used when Kick Ass tasers Rasul, an electricity sound exaggerates the effect of the taser. This makes the audience feel more shocked by the action. Another sound effect used is the sound of a sword slicing up something when Hit Girl penetrates the machete into rasul. Throughout the fight scene, the sound of knives sharpening continue to emphasize the pain of the inhabitants deaths. Music starts to come into the scene after Hit Girl say's 'Ennie, minne, miney...moe'. The music that was chosen for the fight scene juxtaposes the fighting. The music is juxtaposed as there is a serious fight scene happening with people dying, yet the music is happy and almost childish. This adds a bit of a comic twist on the scene making it not all dark. The music was also contrast because its a little girl killing people twice her age. The childish music is contrasted with gory fighting and reflects on the situation with a young girl (represents childish music) killing people much older and stronger than her (represents the drug users).

Kick Ass is a film targeted mostly at boys from the age of 14 to around 40 years old. Kick Ass is a marvel superhero film, the boys who follow this fan base are labelled 'Fan boys'. Kick Ass would not be suitable for anyone under that age of 14 because of violence, gory moments, strong language and sexual references/scenes.

Kick Ass has won 19 awards and had 57 nominations.

Research Into Lighting

Aim of lighting...

The aim of lighting is to enhance the mood, atmosphere and drama. It helps illuminate the story, suggest depth, direct attention and reveal characters. It suggests the time of day, and reflects how a character is feeling.

Types of Lighting...

1. High key Lighting- It is a type of lighting that it commonly used in film. television and photography that aims to reduce the lighting ratio present in the scene. This was originally done, partly for technology reasons, since early film and television did not deal well with high contrast ratios. However now the high key lighting is there to suggest an upbeat mood.

 2. low Key Lighting- is a type of lighting that is used in film, television and photography. It is a  necessary element in creating film. low key lighting make the most of dark tones and shadows to create images with drama and atmosphere. Unlike high key lighting which requires plenty of  natural or artificial lighting, low key lighting hardly requires any.

 3. Ambient Lighting- This refers to the natural looking light in a scene of a film. It is the lighting surrounding the subject. It is mostly artificial lighting however it is not as extreme as high key      lighting or low key lighting. It also known as the lighting that belongs to the scene. Not exactly the same as natural lighting however.

4. Back Lighting- Back light separate subjects from background, saints from sinners and one pro from another. the angle is toward the lens from above or behind the subject or above, behind and slightly to the side of it, high enough to cut lens flare. It is used a lot in films that have a lot of 'on edge' contrast.

Other types of lighting include...

1. Rim- this is similar to back lighting however it is placed directly behind the subject and is quite strong.
2. Chiaroscuro- Means there is a high contrast between light and dark in the picture.
3. Color Distortion- Gels not only correct the color of light sources relative to one other or the film, they can also be used to distort light for dramatic or artistic purposes.

Three point lighting...

The three point lighting is made up of three different positions of lighting.

1) The Key Lighting- This is the main light, it is usually the strongest and has the most influential look on the scene. it is placed at the side of the camera so that the side is well lit and the other side has some shadow.

2) Fill Lighting- This is the secondary light and is placed on the opposite side of the key lighting. It is used to fill the shadows created by the key. The fill will usually be softer and less bright than the key. 

3) Back Lighting- The back light is placed behind the subject and lights it from the rear. Rather than projecting direct light, its purpose it to provide definition and subtle highlights around the subjects outlines.

Film Remake Comparison

1) Freaky Friday

Remake Vs Original

Original Plot (1976): Annabel Andrews and her mother, Ellen, don't always see eye to eye. After a particularly frustrating argument on Friday the 13th, the two simultaneously wish they could switch places and suddenly their wish is granted. Each discovers how difficult it is to be in the other's shoes, with Ellen causing chaos at Annabel's school, and Annabel unable to deal with her mother's domestic duties. The two learn a lot about themselves and their relationship in the process.

Directed by Gary Nelson

The original film stars Jodie Foster as Annabel and Barbara Harris as Ellen.

The original Freaky Friday was nominated for 3 golden globe awards. 

Remake Plot (2003): Single mother Tess Coleman and her teenage daughter Anna couldn't be more different, and it is driving them both insane. After receiving cryptic fortunes at a Chinese restaurant, the two wake up the next day to discover that they have somehow switched bodies. Unable to switch back, they are forced to masquerade as one another until a solution can be found. In the process, they develop a new sense of respect and understanding for one another.

Directed by Mark Waters

The remake film stars Lindsay Lohan as Anna and Jaime Lee Curtis as single mum Tess.

The remake of Freaky Friday has been nominated for 1 golden globe award, has had 5 wins and another 9 nominations.

COMPARISON

Freaky Friday 1976	Freaky Friday 2003
Jodi Foster plays Annabel Andrews a thirteen year old girl who doesn't understand her mother	Lindsay Lohan plays Annabel Coleman as a fifteen-year-old girl who doesn’t understand her mother.
Annabel has a brother name Ben whom she calls 'Ape Face'	Anna has a brother called Harry and there is nothing in the film that suggests she calls him ‘Ape Face’
In the original film, Annabel’s mum is still married to her husband Bill	In the remake Anna’s mum is a single parent who is planning on getting married to her fiance.
The swap in the original happens when Ellen and Annabel are in two different places. Annabel is at the mall with her friend eating ice cream and Ellen is at home doing the cleaning. At the same time they both say “I wish I could switch places with her, for just one day”. Then suddenly they have a body swap.	The swap in the remake happens when Anna’s mum’s fiance take the family to eat out in a Chinese restaurant. Anna and her mother can’t stop arguing at the table and a waitress at the restaurant overhears this. Anna and her mum excuse themselves from the table and during their argument the waitress offers them both a fortune cookie with their fortune in it. They both eat the cookie and suddenly switch bodies in the restaurant.
Annabel’s mother in the original film is a housewife	Anna’s mother in the remake film is a upcoming author who has just finished writing her new book.
Annabel is a tomboy in the original Freaky Friday who is fairly intelligent but quite lazy.	Anna is a ‘rock chick’ in the remake of Freaky Friday who has her own band and is portrayed as being not as intelligent as the original ‘Annabel’

REVIEWS

The original Freaky Friday (1976) reviews were very mixed, with top critics calling it "A good performance but a predictable plot" (Time Out Magazine) and "Dismal and cheap, like any 70's Disney movie would be" (New York Times). Yet some reviews were positive calling it a "Kids comedy classic" (Sense Media) and an "Inspiring Disney comedy with fine performances" (CityBeat).

According to Rotten Tomatoes the 1976 Freaky Friday received 71% positive critic reviews and 58% of audiences enjoyed the film rewarding the film a 6.5/10.

The remake of Freaky Friday (2003) received much better reviews than the original, with many critics still slating the original in their review. "What should of been a bland Disney remake of a bland Disney film has somehow ended up as the most satisfying family comedy for a long time" (Film4), "A fun, well acted and laugh out loud remake" (Cinema Crazed), "A hilarious, heart warming remake" (Topics). However there were negative reviews as well, "A flimsy retread that is barely worth the effort" (Chicago Tribune)

According to Rotten Tomatoes the 2003 remake received 88% positive critic reviews, yet only a 57% audience satisfaction. The film is rated an average of 7/10.

In my personal opinion, I prefer the Freaky Friday remake with Lindsay lohan. I think the transition of the switch happens in a more interesting way and the original was slightly cheesy with the swap. Another reason why I prefer the 2003 remake is that more entertaining things happen throughout the film such as Tess's new makeover scene, Anna's crush falling for her mum and the school scenes. It is more satisfying and funny than the original. I also like the relationship between Tess and Anna before the switch, even though they fight all the time, the director found a way to make it funny and a bit slap stick with their disagreements. Whereas the relationship between Annabel and her mother in the original seemed more spiteful and was slightly uncomfortable to watch.

2) Father of the Bride

Original VS Remake

Original Plot (1950): When beautiful Kay Banks announces her engagement to Buckley Dunstan, her doting middle-class father, Stan, must contend with a variety of problems, ranging from money issues to wedding planning difficulties. As things get hectic, Stan's wife, Ellie, tries to be the calm in the center of the storm. At the heart of the comedy, though, is Stan's emotional tie to his little girl, and his realization that she has indeed grown up.

Directed by Vincente Minnelli

The original Father of the Bride stars Elizabeth Taylor as Kay and Spencer Tracy as Stan (The Father of the Bride)

Father of the Bride 1950 was nominated for 3 Oscars and 1 other nomination.

Remake Plot (1991): George Banks and his wife, Nina, are the proud parents of Annie, but when she returns from studying abroad and announces that she's engaged, their whole world turns upside down, especially that of overprotective George. From meeting the in-laws to wedding plans with an over-the-top consultant and his flamboyant assistant, it seems as if the troubles never end.

Directed by Charles Shyer

The Father of the Bride remake stars Steve Martin as George and Kimberly Williams as Annie.

Father of the Bride 2003 has won 1 award and had another 4 nominations.

COMPARISON

Father of the Bride 1950	Father of the Bride 1991
The Father of the Bride is called Stan	In the remake of the film the father is called George
In the original the bride who Elizabeth Taylor portrays Is called Kay	In the remake the bride’s name is Annie
The mother of the bride is called Ellie in the original	The mother of the bride is called Nina in the remake
The set location in the original is set in the Suburb, outside New York.	The location in the remake film is set in the Suburb, outside Los Angles.
Gender roles are portrayed differently, in the 1950 original Ellie stays at home and always greets Stan as soon as he comes home	In the remake Nina runs her own successful business.
Bride Kay intends to marry her fiance Buckley at age 20	Bride Annie intends to marry her fiance Brian at age 22

REVIEWS

The original Father of the Bride had extremely good reviews from critics and audiences. "One of the best comedy's made in the 50's" (Movie Guide), "A honey of a picture of American family life" (New York Times), "An endless array of laughs and goosebumps" (Moviehole). Despite all its positive reviews, there will always be critics that don't approve, "Nightmarish comedy, about the hunt for a wealthy husband and an expensive wedding" (Classic film and television).

According to Rotten Tomatoes, the original Father of the Bride obtained a 93% positive critic review score and a 73% audience satisfaction score. Overall the film was rated a 8/10. 

The 1991 remake of The Father of the Bride also received positive reviews, however they did not match the height of the original. "The film does work, but not quite as well as the Tracy classic that it seeks to replace" (Empire Magazine). On the other had most critics did enjoy the film "A charming remake of a classic" (Film4), "Father of the bride should bring a smile to everyone's face' (Metropolis). Still there were more negative reviews about the remake than the original with people calling it "A waste of talent" (Mercury).

From Rotten Tomatoes, the remake of The Father of the Bride received 73% positive critic reviews and a 70% audience satisfaction. Averaging the film to be a 6/10. 

I saw the original version of The Father of the Bride a very long time ago and could not recall all of the events that happened. However I have recently watched the 1991 remake and from what I remember the two films were relatively very similar. I personally prefer the remake with Steve Martin as he is my favorite comedian and I think he brings a comic element to the film that Tracy didn't. Also as the remake version deals with more modern day events, the themes are easier for people to relate to. Yet the original is a classic that was just as heart warming.

Film Titles in Teen Movies

1) Angus, thongs and perfect snogging....

(2008)

Plot: Angus the fluffy cat retains its dignity even in a crazy Eastbourne family, unlike them. Eldest daughter Georgia is completely besotted with 'Stiff Dylans' band hottie Robbie, who just moved in from London and helps run an organic groceries shop with his brother Tom, whom her best friend Jas has the hots for. Peter Dyer calls Georgia his best ever kissing-course pupil, but she ignores him and later the brothers' other classmate Dave the Laugh. Robbie was considering to dump haughty Lindsay, but reconsiders given the immature brat's apparent cruelty. Thus manipulative Georgia keeps changing her mind about a grand birthday party and her father's career opportunities as engineer in New Zealand, while mother seems to flirt with the interior decorator Jem.

Directed by: Gurinder Chadha

Stars: Georgia Groome as Georgia and Aaron Taylor Johnson as Robbie.

Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging has won 3 awards and was nominated for 1 other award.

Paramount Pictures Corporation is the films producer, this tells the audience that the film is quite big budgeted as Paramount pictures are the sixth biggest film production company in the world. It is an American company, however this film is British. Therefore this grants the film more advertisement around the world, especially in America.

Nickelodeon Movies also helped produce this film, this addresses the audience that the film is targeted at a younger audience as Nickelodeon is most commonly known as being a 'kids TV' company. Yet the audience know that this film is not aimed at really young children as Paramount add in an older element to the film. Nevertheless the film is targeted at the fairly younger audience of 'teenagers'.

In the opening scene, all the credits came up on the screen. The production company (Paramount and Nickelodeon Movies) first of all, followed by the name of the film (Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging) then the name of the actors.

After the main actors were credited, there was a break from the opening credits and the scene was Georgia running home, dressed like a giant olive. The director perhaps did this to let the audience focus more on the setting and where Georgia was running to and why she was running instead of leading the audience to focus completely on the credits.

When Georgia arrives back at her house, the opening credits appear back on the screen. The continued opening credits tell the audience who the music is by (Joby Talbot), the costume designer (Jill Taylor), followed by the film editors, director of photography and main producers. Then the screenplay writers and finally the director (Gurinder Chadha).

The font of the writing is fairly large and curly. The 'curly' effect on the font gives of a young feeling about the film as its childish and fun. The largeness of the font also directs you to think the film is targeted at a younger audience as it keeps your attention and leads you to keep reading it. This was perhaps done as children rarely read the opening credits so the writing might of been made large to almost force them to read it.

The color of the font is white, white is a basic color which is clear to read. This color was probably used to make the font clear to read. White also stands out well if the background is darker, therefore the ambient lighting used in the opening scene complimented the white font well. White is a color that represents purity and youth, this could reflect on the characters in the film as they are young, innocent girls.

2) The Kings of Summer

(2013)

Plot: Joe Toy, a fifteen year old boy, who is on the verge of adolescence, finds himself increasingly frustrated by his single father Frank's attempts to manage his life. Declaring his freedom once and for all, he escapes to a clearing in the woods with his best friend, Patrick, and a strange kid named Biaggio that he recently met at an 'end of school party'. He announces that they are going to build a house there, free from responsibility and parents. Once their makeshift abode is finished, the three young men find themselves masters of their own destiny, alone in the woods. A 'coming of age' teenage comedy.

Directed by: Jordan Vogt-Roberts

Stars: Nick Robinson as Joe Toy and Nick Offerman as Frank Toy

The Kings of Summer has won 3 awards and had another 6 nominations.

CBS Film production company was founded in 2007, it is a new production company and is considered a 'mini-major studio'. Therefore this leads the audience to think that this film is not a big production. It is also an all American film company which could lead audiences to think that the film will not be advertised globally as it is not an 'international' film production company.

Low Spark Films is also a fairly new film production company and is not very well known. Low Spark Film company has only produced three films so far, Kings of Summer included and is again only an American production company which could mean the film is not very well globally advertised. This make the audience continue to think that this is a low budget or independent film.

Big Beach is a an American film production company, hardhearted in New York City. Its is another new production company as it was founded in 2004. However Big Beach has produced many well known films such as 'Our Idiot Brother' and 'Little Miss Sunshine'. Big Beach also advertise their films globally therefore this gives The Kings of Summer a more widely ranged audience and attention in the media.

 The opening scene of 'The Kings of Summer' after the production company titles, does not show the opening credits straight away. The opening scene was improvised by the actors. They are set in the woods with a long water pipe surrounded by trees. The three boys improvise a funny opening sequence that draws the audience's attention to them, wondering what they are doing in the middle of a forest. They create a musical sequence using sticks and logs that they found on the floor, banging them on the water pipe making a timed noise that intrigues the audience and makes everyone watch this opening in silence.

The opening credits for 'The kings of Summer' stays the same font all the way through. The font is fine lined but curly, much like the opening credits for 'Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging'. Again this curly font could symbolize a fun, crazy story, it is giving the audience a glance at what the film holds through the font. The fine lining of the writing perhaps reflects the delicate synopsis of the story, as the story does hold a fragile topic of children running away from home because they are not happy with their family lives. The fine, delicate font could mirror this element of the story. Yet the curls in the font contrast that theme with the more comic, fun side of the film.

The first credit that comes up on the screen is written in black. The rest of the credits are in the color white. Perhaps the reason why the very first credit is black is because it is a solid, bold color that straight away grabs audiences attention. The bold black color was put there to guide the audiences eyes onto the opening credits. The second and third credits are written in white. Much like 'Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging', the white font could again mirror the youth of the teenage characters, even though the things they do throughout the film are very adult and not so innocent. Perhaps the black font used for the first credit at the beginning represents the more dark side to the story. Another reason why white might of been used for the credit font is because the lighting used in this scene is ambient with some natural lighting from outside as Joe rides his bike to school. So the white shows up well on the screen and the audience can clearly read it.

The opening credits do not last for long however. Only three credits come onto the screen in the beginning and the rest are shown in the end credits. The first opening credit addresses the audience to the films main production company (CBS Films), followed by the production company (Low Spark Films and Big Beach Productions) and lastly the name of the film (The Kings of Summer). The name of the actors, director, photographer or screenplay writer do not come up. This was maybe done to keep a short introduction to the film.

When the final opening credit states the name of the film, the Birdhouse that Joe built himself had dropped onto the floor as he was riding to school. Next to the low angle shot of the bird house, came 'The Kings of Summer' credit. This was done to reflect the main focus of the story, as Joe and his two friends build their own house in the woods.

Film Titles

I have used a website called 'DaFont.com' and 'videocopilet.net' to create different titles for my Teen Comedy film. I have compared them all and whatever one I think represents my opening film the best, I will use with advise from friends and family

I picked out my favorite ten film titles that I created.

Please leave a comment saying which font is your favorite and which one you think would be best to use for my film's opening scene, posters, billboard etc...

Your opinion will be taken into consideration as you are my audience and what appeals to you is a key element.

Thank you very much xx

Film Title Feedback

I asked friends and peers about my film titles, receiving their opinions on which one they like best to represent the film and why. I tried to stay with my films target audience of ages 12-28, male and female, with the opinions on the titles, as it will be them viewing the end film. I want to really look deep into what catches this age ranges eye and what pulls them in to watch a teen comedy film. I uploaded my film title ideas onto the films Facebook which is powered by my personal Facebook.

I received brief feed back from friends and peers saying which number title they preferred however I did not get much written feedback on why these certain titles were the favorites. Yet I added up the total number of votes and found that title 9 was voted for nine times and was the clear favorite. Title 8 was second favorite voted for five times.  

Initial Ideas

I created a mind map on a website called 'Get Revising' to write down all my initial ideas for my teen comedy 'Alter Ego'. These are the ideas that popped into my head when I first knew I wanted to make a teen comedy. The ideas on this mind map explore what I want my character to be like, what stereotypes I want to add in, the inspiration from other teen comedy's that helped me build my film idea and more. I have categorized the different ideas into colors so that it is easy to understand and separate ideas.

Red = Ideas about the main character

Pink = About the lifestyle 

Light Blue = About the family

Dark Blue = About friends

Yellow = Inspiration from other films

Green = Words/ Quotes 

To view the mind map in full definition, click on the link below:

https://getrevising.co.uk/diagrams/initial-film-ideas

Annotating an opening sequence simiar to mine

Wild Child Opening Scene

Overview of opening:

The scene opens with the view of the sky in a 'point of view' camera shot. The camera takes the audience into the bedroom of a teenage girl where she lays sleeping on her bed early in the morning. The scene is peaceful showing the 'medium shot' of the sleeping girl. She starts to stir slightly and wakes up. The scene suddenly goes from calm to panicked in just a second after the girl realities something which is at first unclear to the audience. The girl jumps out of bed and rushes to get downstairs where she is joined by he younger sister who is making a sandwich for breakfast.

How it will be similar to mine;

This opening scene will be similar to mine as I am going to film the beginning of the scene from a 'point of view' shot, leading the audience into the bedroom of the teenage girl much like the opening if wild child.

It will also be similar to mine as the girl suddenly jumps out of her bed after she obviously has either forgotten or remembered something important. I am adding in a 'jump' out of bed however my character will be startled by a younger sibling waking her up with a loud noise rather than her being woken up by herself.

There is a younger sibling shown in the wild child opening scene which is something I wish to add in as it will help to communicate to the audience my characters family life and the way she acts around them in contrast to the way she acts in school. However I was planning to make to make the sibling younger and possibly a boy as in comedy's there is stereo typically the 'annoying little brother'. I am really trying to include the teen comedy cliches to really exaggerate and get across the genre in the short opening.

Annotating the shots:

1) The scene starts with a still image of a clear blue sky and blue sea which slightly merge into one. This still perfectly sets the scene for the audience addressing them to where the film could be set. A big blue ocean view and clear blue sky's give the audience the idea that the film is perhaps set in a hot location. It also gives the idea that the family that the film will revolve around could be quite wealthy as it appears they have a beach house. The blue sea and sky is the first thing the audience sees, the clearness of the sky and sea could represent that everything is perfect at this moment in time.

2)

The second shot is an establishing shot which zooms to a close up shot in the space of 30 seconds. The 'Mise en scene' gives us the idea that we are looking at a teenage girls room: the room is of a blue and pink color scheme. The furniture and other use of props that we see suggest that the girl who is sleeping in this bed comes from an affluent family. The camera shot is at a close up by the time the girl opens her eyes and shouts "Shit!". This suggests to the audience that something bad is going to happen and it kills the 'clam' atmosphere that the scene had built up to.

These are key shots as, at first, it gives the audience a 'long distance' shot to let them explore this girls room and pick out certain elements that could symbolize her characters lifestyle or personality before we have even heard her speak. The scene then zooms into a 'medium shot' then zooms in even more to a 'close up'. The 'close up' shot is a very important shot as it shows the expression n the girls face. At first her face has a gentle smile across it which pairs with the still blue sky and sea suggesting that everything is perfect. However her face suddenly turns worried, her eyes widen and mouth drops open, The 'close up' shot helps exaggerate the panic of the character and how suddenly everything doesn't seem so perfect.

3)

In the third shot, the girl suddenly rises from her bed and starts to run around in a fluster. This starts of as a 'medium shot' when the girl rises from her bed but turns into a 'long shot'. The 'long shot' shows the audience the setting of the scene and further presents more evidence that the character is affluent. While the girl is busy charging around her room, the film title pop us up on the screen. The film title 'wild child' is shown at the perfect time in the scene, while the girl is running around her room like a headless chicken. This affect emphasizes the word 'wild' in the title as she is acting very 'wild' in this extract of the scene. These shots are important as it gives the audience a better idea of the lifestyle of this girl and helps explain her 'wild' personality.

What I can take as inspiration:

I have taken many elements of this scene as inspiration. The first shot of the clear blue sea and sky to show location and which was also there to symbolize perfection in a wealthy lifestyle, I have taken as inspiration for my own opening. I want my first shot to be of the sky to mirror a peaceful lifestyle. I also want a shot of the house of my character to show the audience location and address to them that she comes from a wealthy background much like the girl in wild child. This is key in my opening film as is shows status of the character and also guides the audience to think she could be stuck up and snobby as stereo typically most wealthy teenage girls are. 

Film Timeline

I have created a film timeline on a website called 'time toast'. On this time line I have included key dates in film history and how these actions have shaped films today. I have included film development, in technology, acting and length of film.

Audience Research

For my audience research I conducted a survey on Survey Monkey and emailed out the survey to family and friends to answer. The survey asked various questions about film such as 'whats your favorite?' 'What was the best teen comedy?' 

I found from my research that the best teen comedy voted for was Mean Girls with American Pie not far behind. The most common favorite genre of film voted for was comedy and the the least favorite genre appeared to be musical as it got the least amount of votes. 

I also asked people why they liked that specific genre and the most common answers were 'Its funny and light hearted', 'I'm always up for a laugh', 'It makes me happy when I'm sad and even more happy when I'm already in a good mood'.

I also asked people what their favorite film of 2015 was, I found that it was tied between Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Jurassic World. When I did more research into these films I found they both had a lot in common. For example, they are both based on a sci-fi, fictional topic (Dinosaurs and space), they are both action films and they both smashed the box office when they were released. Jurassic World is currently the third film int the world that is smashing the box office and Star Wars in currently number one. However one thing I found a bit baffling was that the most popular genre was comedy yet the 2015 comedy films were hardy touched for best film of 2015.

Take my survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/summary/on50OZVwLnh4x1DNbzwIkT_2Bz05Z_2FVmuQRd_2FzHL71e2U_3D

Perfect Audience member

There are so many different types of people in the world, all with different interests, hobby's, careers and features. Out of all these people, I thought 'what percentage of them will actually take an interest in my film?' Everyone is different therefore I thought that perhaps my film might have a wider audience range after all. I have done a lot of research to find my 'perfect audience member' and investigate into what people I thought would over look my film, might actually take an interest in it if I were to include certain elements that spark their interests.

I have used various websites to help support my theory and help me find the perfect audience member for my teen comedy 'Alter Ego'

One website that I used to help with my research, was 'UK Tribes'. This is run by ITV and looks at young people of Britain between the ages of 16-24. This website was perfect for my research as the age range it focused on was very close to the age range of my target audience which is 13-30.

UK Tribes found out that their were so many different types of young people in Britain that it was hard to just simply categorize them as they all had so many interests and opinions. For example, a typical girl who dresses trendy, has perfect hair, is wealthy and is very popular could be easily cast as a 'mean girl/popular' but what most people don't consider is that she could be extremely intelligent and not a shallow, cruel girl. She probably has so many layers to her. That is why UK Tribes found it hard to categorize the young people as there was more to them than meets the eye.

UK Tribes categorized these young people into five different categories

1. Alternative- This tribe strives to be different and stand out. From Colored hair, tattoos, piercings and loud clothing they are determined to be different but do it together.
2. Mainstream- This tribe forms the backbone of tribal society, they are indulged by things such as popular music, Friday night parties, bit of booze, prime time TV and cliche things like Starbucks and top shop.
3. Leading Edge- This tribe is the leading edge tribe, they are scene leaders taking up activities such as magazine publishing, documenting and collecting.
4. Urban- The majority of people in this tribe are wealthy or are influenced by wealthy styles of life. They are interested in latest sounds, clubs and fashion.
5. Aspirant- This tribe of people live life for the moment.

Looking into all these tribes, I decided that the tribe that will most likely watch my teen comedy film would be the Mainstream tribe. I think this as they seem to be influenced by activities and would deal with issues that my film would deal with. Things such as Friday night parties with booze, music, dancing and friends is defiantly a big part in teen comedy's. Therefore the 'mainstream' tribe can relate to my film. The mainstream tribe are also associated with cliche things, that is what my teen comedy focuses on, cliches and stereotypes.

I do think that the 'urban' tribe would also be interested in my film as they are described as being 'rich' or having an interest in a 'wealthy lifestyle'. This relates to my film as the main character is of a wealthy background, therefore her lifestyle could potentially spark their interests.

Overall there was no perfect individual audience member in any of the tribes. This is probably because no body is perfect and no matter how many people watch my film, everyone will have their own opinion on it, things they liked, things they didn't like or jokes they didn't find funny, while another person found it hilarious. The closest thing in the UK Tribe to a perfect audience member was probably the 'mainstream' tribe as they really seem to associate with my film and a lot of them are close to the actual characters in my film. Because of this they would most likely find the film funny yet realistic and easy to relate to. I have found that when audience members find films easy to relate to, they tend to have more emotion towards it as they have perhaps experienced something similar and can feel the emotion of the character. This makes them grow an attachment to the film as they share a common trait, much like how you grow attachment to friends and family in the same way.

On the other hand, if there were to be a perfect audience member:

• They would be polite about all the film elements even if they didn't like certain parts. I would want my perfect audience member to respect all aspects of the film and appreciate the hard work that has gone into making the film.
• They would dress trendy but comfy as well. I would want my perfect audience member to dress trendy and keep up with the latest fashion as someone who does this tends to represent a person who is daring and likes to try new and exiting things. A person like this would help create a perfect audience member as it means that they are a fun person and it could mean that even though 'teen comedy' perhaps is not their favorite genre, they would be willing to watch it, to try and experience something new. Yet I would want them to dress comfy as this could symbolize a person who knows what they like and doesn't let other peoples opinions defeat them, they do things for them and not for anybody else. This would help build the perfect audience member as they would not hesitate to watch a film they love, they will not let other peoples opinions influence them in a way that they would stop watching your film if they love it.
• The perfect audience member would eat healthy but would also enjoy foods such as chocolate, sweets and candy. I would want my audience member to eat healthy so that they do not have any health problems. I would want them to enjoy treats like chocolate because those are the kind of things you eat when you watch a film.This suggests that the more sweet treats the audience member east the more films they watch.
• They would listen to pop/house/dance music as that is the music that is advertised the most in the media through film, TV, radio and magazine. Therefore this could lead to the audience member to hear about my film and take an interest in it as it shares mutual media resources such as radio and magazine. 
• The perfect audience member would watch TV shows similar to the 'teen comedy' genre. TV shows such as 'Gossip Girl', 'Melissa and Joey' and 'Teen Wolf'. Also maybe some Disney shows such as 'Hannah Montana' and 'Wizards of Waverley Place'. This is because if they are already familiar with the 'teen comedy' genre, they will already be open to finding new 'teen comedy' films and TV shows.
• They would read teen pop magazines such as 'Bliss', 'Tiger Pop' and 'Sugar' to get familiar with the stereotypical 'teen' traits and the teen lifestyle that these magazines feed to young men and women. Because of this, the perfect audience member would perhaps want to watch films to see what a typical teenage lifestyle looks like. I would also want my audience member to read fashion magazines such as 'Vogue' to stay on top of the latest fashion.

They would also:

• Read classic Literature books
• Enjoy going to parties on Friday nights
• like spending time with friends
• Is around the age of 16-18
• Is currently in High School/Secondary School
• A fairly clever person
• Enjoys doing activities such as drama, photography and dancing
• The perfect audience member for my film would preferably be female

If an audience member had all these traits they would defiantly be interested in watching my film. even if they didn't like it or they didn't think it was that funny, they would appreciate the hard work, time and research that went into it anyway.Their personality has traits from the characters in the film so they can relate to them and they are of the age range of the main characters as well.

Check Out the UK Tribes and see what tribe your in: http://www.uktribes.com/

I looked into the official BBFC website to find out how they regulate films into the appropriate film ratings.

How Films Are Regulated

For more BBFC information visit the website: http://www.bbfc.co.uk

Who would Distribute my Film?

I have done detailed research into top film institutions trying to find out if they would produce, distribute or exhibit my teen comedy film 'Alter Ego'. I looked deep into what these film institutions most commonly produce and what age range they tend to target. I found that most of these institutions have quite a wide age range, producing and exhibiting children movies as well as adults. The reason for this is most likely because the more films they help produce the more money they are likely to receive as an end result of the films success.

Key Conventions

Theories: Vladimir's Theory

Does Vladimirs theory fit with my story?

No, Vladimirs theory does not relate to my teen comedy story. Its clear that this theory was for action, superhero, sci-fi or fantasy films that have a more serious or non naturalistic twist to it. This theory would not fit with my film as its naturalistic and funny. The stereotypes that Vladimirs is explaining are not the same stereotypes that are in comedy's.

The Male Gaze Theory

The male gaze is a concept conceived by Laura Mulvey, a feminist film critic. It refers to the way the visual arts are structured around a masculine viewer. Mulvey came up with the theory that for years men have been observing women, the women watch the men observe them and gradually mold into what the men want to see, as women grow to love the attention and love being admired. This means showing more skin, dressing in a particular way and adjusting certain body language. Mulvey believes this is an art and has developed over centuries with the influence of sirens symbolizing the art of seduction. 

In teen movies, the most common reason why the male gaze is used is to attract the heartthrob of the film. An art the new girl learns to steal the heart of the boy she likes. For example in 'Legally Blonde' Resse Witherspoon's character Elle, teaches her arguably less attractive friend to do a 'bend and snap' as she tells us that from her experience it has a "85% chance of a dinner invitation". This line tells the audience that Elle has watched men observe her and through this has picked up things they like and used it to her advantage.

Another reason why the male gaze might be put into teen movies, is because the main target audience for teen comedies are females. Therefore by putting in scenes of women who are dressing or saying things that males find attractive, could draw in a bigger target audience by getting more males to watch the film.

I made a short video containing various clips from teen comedy's that include the male gaze.

Common Characters Found in Teen Movies

1) The New Girl

The common character of the 'new girl' in school usually joins early on in the film and starts of as a sweet and innocent character. The 'new girl', commonly comes into the school and changes peoples perspectives on the stereotypical 'rules' and breaks the high school hierarchy. The usually get a major makeover by more popular people so they will fit in as when they get introduced in the film they are stereo-typically 'bland' and boring. Usually the character of the new girl is the lead in the film, yet this has been proven not always the case.

Examples of 'New Girls' in teen films...

Cady Haron from 'Mean Girls'
Cady is the main character in the film and the new girl who joins a new American high school at the beginning of the film. Cady is introduced into the film as a kind, thoughtful and smart young lady who grew up in Africa with her parents, yet she gets taken into the popular group in school dubbed 'the Plastics' and turns in to a brat. However she comes through in the end by stereo-typically braking the laws of high school as her 'new' character was destined to do from the start.

Tai from 'Clueless'.
Tai gets introduced to the film fairly early on, not quite at the beginning. She gets befriended by the popular girl Cher, who gives her a makeover to help her fit in with the school and so that she has the right 'look' to hang around with the popular girls. Tai is not the lead in the film however she has an important role and again breaks through with the idea of going against the rules when she starts to date a boy in high school that was dubbed as being 'out of her liege'.

2) The Popular girl
Every Teenage film whether it is a comedy or not, has a popular girl included in it. Commonly the lead role or recurring role, the popular girl is always pretty, stylish and bitchy. She is stereotyped as being mean and spiteful to anyone who is not as high on the school social hierarchy as her. She has her own group of friends however they are usually 'fake friends' as she is always secretly in competition with them. It is common for the popular girl to not be very bright as its giving out the message that all she has is her looks. On the other hand sometimes the popular girl is portrayed as being fairly intelligent as they she can be manipulative over people. A lot of the time they are blond and wear pink. At the end of the films they usually turn out to be a completely different person to who they were in the beginning. They stop hiding behind the fake barbie type and start being themselves.

Examples of 'Popular Girls' in teen films...

Regina George from 'Mean Girls'
Regina is the stereotypical Popular girl. Shes blond, bitchy, manipulative and wears a lot of pink. She is at the top of her school social hierarchy and surrounds herself with other girls just like her, only she makes sure that they are not as pretty or manipulative as her. It becomes clear that they were fake friends all along as they only want to hang around Regina to be popular. Regina is not the main character in Mean girls but she is the recurring role and the whole film is about her popularity.

Sharpay Evans from 'High School Musical'
Sharpay is cruel and spiteful to everyone at her school. It appears that her only true friend is her twin brother Ryan. She bullies 'new girl' Gabriella into not doing the talent show and threatens Kelsey the pianist that if she tell's her what to do she will make her miserable. She has a crush on the school it boy Troy Bolten, in fact the only thing not stereotypical about this teen comedy is that the school's popular boy doesn't date the school's popular girl, Sharpay. Instead Troy falls straight for the new girl Gabriella. Sharpay is also stereo typically blond and manipulative.

3) The Popular Boy
The popular boy is the boy that all the girls want to date. He usually dates the popular girl however falls in love with the new girl by the end of the film. He is good looking and strong but stereo typically stupid. In some cases the popular boy dates more than one girl throughout the film as this portrays him as a 'player'. The popular boy is usually into activities such as sports as it makes them look masculine. Sometimes the popular boy can be just as mean as the popular girl and by the end of the film turns out to be a nice boy. Yet this is not usually the case but there are a few films with this popular boy trait. By the end of the film they grow mentally, becoming brighter and realize what is really right for them.

Examples of 'Popular Boys' in teen films...


John Tucker from 'John Tucker must die'
John Tucker is good looking, captain of the basket ball team and dates a lot of girls. John has numerous girlfriends throughout the film as he is portrayed as the school player. Yet no one but him seems to know about all his girlfriends. He stereo typically falls in love with Kate the new girl in town who has recently joined is school. He dumps all his other girlfriends for her and confesses his love for her at his birthday party. Yet in the end Kate chooses not to date him for various reasons. By the end of the film he shapes into a different person that the 'new girl' taught him to be.

Raymond from 'Aquamarine'
Raymond gets a job as the new life guard for a summer job and all the girls have a crush on him. He reunites with his girlfriend Cecilia, the town popular girl, after she returns from summer camp. Even though he is dating Cecilia, who is cold hearted and an attention seeker, Raymond is sweet and caring and looks after everyone. He seems to be oblivious to Cecilia's cruel side. When the new girl 'Aquamarine', arrives from the sea (as she is a mermaid) he instantly finds her attractive and with only five days left of summer, Raymond is determined to spend each day with Aqua and find out more about this mysterious girl. He predictably falls in love with her in the end but cannot be with her as Aqua returns to the sea to reunite with her family. Raymond is stereo typically into sports such as water boarding.

4) The School Nerd
There is always a school nerd in teen comedy's. They add the comical elements into the film as they commonly say and do weird things that are hilarious to watch. The nerd is generally portrayed as being not very good looking. Usually wearing glasses, bad hair, wears dowdy clothing and bad posture. The school nerd can be a boy or a girl, sometimes there is a boy and a girl nerd in one film as they end up in a relationship together by the end of the film. They are stereo typically very intelligent and are always shown getting good grades which they usually get bullied for a lot of the time. They almost always have a big crush on the popular, which in reality they know they will never be with, yet there have been films where the geeky girl gets the popular boy or the geeky boy gets the popular girl. By the end of the film, they don't really change. But people learn to accept them for who they are and they show that its alright to be super smart.

Examples of school nerds in teen films are...

Gabby Harrison from 'How to Build a Better Boy'
Gabby gets bullied everyday because of her good grades and creative ideas. She is stereo typically intelligent, Gabby hacked into a high tech government system and built a robot through her computer. She gets picked on by the popular cheerleader because she doesn't have a boyfriend and has a crush on the cheerleaders boyfriend. Gabby builds a robot boyfriend to take with her to prom so that she didn't look lonely. At the end of the film the popular boy asked Gabby for a dance during prom.

Fogell from 'Superbad'
Fogel is the school nerd in 'Superbad'. He wears geeky glasses, bad clothing, is skinny and has relatively bad posture. He would do anything to try and fit in with the more popular crowd in school, including buying a fake ID and risking getting arrested buying alcohol with it. He has a crush on all the popular girls in school but has never actually spoken to them as whenever he does he messes up his words. Later on in the film however one of the popular girls dances with him at a party. The audience is lead to believe he is fairly smart as he has 'strategies'. He is stereo typically physically weak and socially awkward with everyone.

Why High School?

From my research I found that 93% of teen comedy films are set in high school this is probably because there is not another place where you could find more teenagers, each with a different story to tell and that is the starting point of making a teen movie. If the teen comedy or film is not set in a high school, its set during the holidays of a high school break (Cruel Intentions, High School Musical 2). Or they are set at another education pace such as a university or somewhere where the teenagers are on work experience (Legally Blonde, Pitch Perfect).

I have created a short movie montage that contains clips from various teen comedy that highlight the best moments from teen comedy's set in high school. From this clip it makes it clear as to why teen comedy's prefer to stay in school as even though it sounds bland, teenagers make their own fun and it can be the most hilarious of places. Even the nerds who get picked on realize that school was a blast in the end and seem to have a laugh about it, which the teenagers in this clip demonstrate.

What Sparked the Idea of an Alter Ego?

Film Production Comany Logo

I used a software called 'Fireworks' to create a logo for my film production company 'StarStruck film productions'. I thought that creating a logo for my film production company was important for various reasons. It is mostly important as it will be in my films opening titles as it is the main production company. Without creating a logo to represent it, I wouldn't of been able to use the films production company in the opening titles. Another reason why creating a logo is key, is because it is the image that represents the company on all the social media pages that promote the production company including Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. It is the first thing people see when they go to find out more about the company.

I spent a while on fireworks trying out different fonts, images and designs until I created a logo I was happy with to represent my film production company.

 

This is my final design for StarStruck Film Productions.

As my production company is aimed at teenagers and young adults, I went for colors that are fresh and vibrant to attract the eye of the viewers. I though that neon pink and glowing purple would be a wise choice of colors as they do stereo typically appeal to females which is my target audience. I wanted to carry out the stereotypical theme throughout my logo, reflecting from my opening sequence. I wanted to make the words "starstruck productions" white as it symbolizes youth, mirroring my target audience. I made the words bold so that they will stand out and used colorful lining around the words to again enhance the words. I wanted to use a star in my logo as it would be the instantly recognizable element in the logo. As soon as people see the pink star they will straight away know what film production company produced the film they are watching. 

Story Board

I took pictures and then sketched a detailed story board of what I picture my opening scene to look like. I used Alice who will be acting as Sydney in my opening scene to model for me so that I could get a good idea of positioning and shots that I want to use. As you can see I sectioned out the sketches to different parts of my opening and put them into the order I want my sequence to go through.  

Establishing shot with Sydney in bed and a zoom in on her face.

Pan going around the room glancing at Sydney's possessions 

Alarm goes of and Sydney jumps out of bed

Sydney goes over to her mirror and admires herself

Sydney dances in the mirror.

Shooting Schedule for Alter Ego

As you can see I planned out a shooting schedule so that I stayed on top of time for my opening. I shot over four days and at two different locations. Unfortunately during post production the first location (Oxshott), I decided to cut. You can see from my first edit of the opening that the transitions of locations did not make much sense, therefore I decided to cut the first location and focus on the second for the opening.

Filming Location

The opening sequence for 'Alter Ego' will be filmed in my dad's house. I wanted my opening sequence to be set in a house as it will show how Sydney acts at home with her family. It is Sydney in her natural state, her without the pressure to be the pretty, popular girl in school. I wanted to show this side of her first as its how she starts and how she will potentially finish in the film. Still, I want the audience to see her 'alter ego' as well. I thought I could show this in the house. When she starts snapping at her parents and slams the door in their face, gives the audience the idea that she is not all sweet and innocent. Specifically the scene will be shot in my bedroom, as its early in the morning and Sydney has just woken up, ready for school. Another reason why I chose to film my opening sequence in my house is because its easy to get to and I am able to film whenever I want. It will be easy to create a shooting schedule and its not far to get to.

The scene will open with a long shot view of Sydney's bed while she is still sleeping in it. The camera will explore the room as the credits pop up on the screen with the actors names, producer, director etc... Around the room will be posters of various artists, actors and heartthrobs. This suggests Sydney's age and addresses the audience of her interests. The room is painted purple, stereotypical a 'girly' color which shows that Sydney is a typical high school girl. The bed cover will be white, I though that using a white cover will symbioses Sydney's youth and highlight her innocent nature while she is at home.

Why only one location?

I wanted to keep my opening sequence simple without too many complications about locations and scene jumps. The intention of my opening scene is to let the audience see the two sides to Sydney and they can see the two sides to her in the simple location of her home. Plus there is only so much you can fit into a two minute scene, otherwise the scene would look unity and possibly badly edited as all the jumps would be very squashed.

Equiment Used

Reasons For Casting

There is really only one character in my opening sequence, I decided to this as after watching various openings to other teen movies and through my research, the majority only introduce the main character and minor characters in the opening. It was a convention. I decided to introduce the lead female character (Sydney) in the opening who I cast Alice Turner to portray.

I cast Alice to play Sydney as she is a terrific actress who is also a big fan of teen comedy films so she knows exactly how to perfect the role of Sydney. 

Alice has a pretty face that is potentially similar to other lead females in teen films, such as Lindsey Lohan when she was in Mean Girls. I stuck to the convention of making her pretty and also making her Caucasian, as most female leads in teen movies are Caucasian. 

However I did decide to challenge one convention of teen movies as I didn't want to copy other films too much and stick to all conventions. I rebelled against the stereotypical convention of making the lead popular girl blonde. The predictable thing to do in a teen film that has become so predictable it is now a convention, is make the lead girl have blonde hair. I decided to break that convention and make Sydney have brunette hair to add a twist to my film and flip the stereotype. 

Alice is also the perfect age, she is sixteen which is the same age of Sydney in the film. I thought that by having an actress who is the same age would be essential as they are more likely to portray the role better. Because Alice was the same age, she was able to relate to the character more which makes Sydney more believable and realistic. The age also helps physically with the character as Alice looks like she is sixteen and this adds to the realism of the film. If I cast a 12 or 20 year old they would just not look the part which would be a big problem for the film and would take away some of the realism.

Costume and Props

Summarising My Final Film Ideas

Using Taylor Swifts Mirror Idea For My Opening Sequence.

I really like the clip in Taylor Swift's 'You belong with me video' where Taylor dresses up in different costumes and accessories to mimic the different types of people you find in a typical high school. She then does a funny dance around her room using her hairbrush as a microphone while the boy she has a crush on watches through his bedroom window.

I wanted to add an element similar to this into my opening sequence for various reasons. The behavior of dancing silly in front of a mirror shows the the young and immature side of teenagers. Teenagers are obsessed with being older and being accepted as a mature adult. Therefore leading to them masking their childlike habits such as dancing in front of a mirror with a hairbrush as a microphone. I thought this was important to show in my sequence as I want my target audience, which are teenagers, to see that they are not the only ones who act silly and that it is okay to still hold onto that more youthful side.

Another reason why this is ideal to add into my opening sequence is because it foreshadows the films story line. Sydney is dressed up as different characters, whom you would typically see in a high school. The audience could view it as Sydney trying to find her true self when she looks into the mirror. The way Sydney changes so fast into the next character could symbolize her not liking any of those characters therefore quickly getting rid of them. One of the characters she dressed up as could of been her true self, Sydney looking at her true self directly in  the mirror. Yet she doesn't like that person or tries to hide her, forcing her to change quickly. This element could tell the story in a nutshell, weather the audience notice it or not. 

Using '16 Wishes' Nose Peel Idea

In the film '16 Wishes', the main character 'Abby' portrayed by Debby Ryan is introduced waking up on the morning of her sixteenth birthday. She wears a nose peel on her face throughout the night to help reduce her spots.

I really liked this idea as it highlights teenage imperfections. In most teenage movies, all the girls are obsessed with looking perfect and they make other girls think that they just wake up looking perfect without any work. In my film I wanted to challenge that convention and actually show the popular girl with imperfections and how she fixes them. Teenage imperfection has been showed in various teenage films, one example being mean girls. Regina George finds herself gaining a lot of weight by eating cereal bars that she thinks is helping her loose weight. However this is an imperfection she is blind to and believes all the fat is just "water weight". My character Sydney is not in denial about her spots and dances around her room wearing her nose peel. Furthermore most of the teenage imperfections in teen films are on the inside, like the girls personality. Their personality flaws are always recognized in the end though and it is clear to everyone that they were there from the beginning. Sydney does have personality flaws also but I also wanted to show other types of imperfections that are common but denied. Physical imperfections, such as spots and weight, are not always so clear and often ignored to portray a 'perfect' teenage figure that the director wants the audience to admire. But I want to challenge this convention and portray Sydney with more than one type of imperfection and show of what everyone wants to hide.