Evaluation 2 - How Does Your Media Product Represent Particualr Social Groups?

Faye

                                      Jo Michell

I'm comparing Faye from our film opening OMG to Jo Mitchell from Mean Girls 2. Both girls are wearing similar clothes, a black leather jackets and skinny denim jeans. Stereotypically this is what teenage girls are known to wear due to the fact these items of clothing are seen as stylish and fashionable. Though both characters are seen as innocent their poses appear to be confident and they are both posing for the camera therefore following the stereotype of teenage girls caring about what they look like and what other people think of their apperance. They both have blonde, straight hair and blue eyes. Overall, I think these elements of the photographs represent a normal teenage girl social group due to the fact there is nothing extreme or obscure about the way they look. This particular social group of people are shown throughout our film opening OMG. Both teenagers are seen as innocent and friendly. Stereotypically blonde females in teen angst films are seen as the mean girls due to the fact blonde hair is  normally associated with perfection and looking like a Barbie doll. But our film opening challenges this representation because instead Faye's blonde hair represents purity and this is also the case with Jo from Mean Girls 2. 

Charlie

I am comparing Charlie and Arron.
Both boys are seen to be wearing a t shirt, this item of clothing is seen as casual but still stylish therefore connoting that both boys make an effort with their appearance. They both are smirking, posing in this way often connotes confidence and arrogance therefore showing that both boys are confident in the the way they look. Both boys hair is slightly styled therefore showing that they take pride in their appearance. These elements of the photographs suggest a popular teenage boy social group.

Arron

 Both boys are seen as confident and attractive. In both Mean Girls and our filming open these boys are seen as the school heart throbs. Our film opening follows the stereotype of an attractive, popular and confident boy getting all the attention form teenage girls. 

                                 

Christian

Damian 

I am comparing Damian and Christian. Both boys in each film are homosexual. Both boys are seen to be posing a feminine way therefore stereotypically connoting that they are homosexual. Due to the fact they are posing confidently suggests that they are both open about their sexualities, this is commonly seen in teen angst films as there is normally a 'gay best friend'. Due to these elements they are both from the same social groups because they are both homosexual. Although, Christian is dressed more casual due to the fact he is wearing a bomber jacket and cap, whereas Damian is in a shirt. Christians outfit would generally be seen as more stylish due to the fact teenagers stereotypically prefer casual clothes.

The Mean Girls

The Triple L's

I am comparing The Triple L's and The Mean Girls, The Triple L's are from England and The Mean Girls are from America. Both groups are posing in similar ways with a fierce pose on their faces connoting that they think they are better than everyone else at their schools. The Mean Girls are seen to be wearing short skirts and mainly the colour pink, the items of clothing they are wearing are climate appropriate for an American high school. Due to the fact they are wearing pink also connotes that they are feminine because pink is generally associated with girls. The Triple L's are seen to be wearing jeans or a dress with tights. Not only is this causal attire more realistic for an English school it is also climate appropriate too. They are also wearing darker colours such a black channeling the stereotype of mean girls dressing 'girly' and wearing the colour pink. Stereotypically the main mean girl is blonde because blonde hair is stereotypically seen as perfect and like a barbie doll,  our film opening has challenged this stereotype because our main mean girl is ginger. Due to all of these elements both groups are from a popular social group.

                                                                                                                  

Evaluation 1 - In What Way Does Your Media Prouduct Use, Develop Or Challenge Forms And Conventions Of Real Media Products?

1st frame - the title font and how it appears

The font we used for our main title is Goudy Stout. We used this font because it is bold and looks like bubble writing therefore attracting a younger audience due to the fact this style of writing is generally associated with teenagers and younger people. The title appears on screen in unison as each character says each word of the acronym. We have done this because it adds even more emphasis on what the are saying and dramatizes the situation even more. This is a typical convention of a teen angst film and this style of writing is also used in Juno.

2nd frame - editing

Nearing the end of the film we used a split screen to show the Triple L's and Faye and Christian approaching each other after the previous weekends drama. This form of editing is very effective because it adds to the suspense of both friendship groups meeting due to the fact you can see them both. This is also a typical convention of teen angst films because split screens are generally used to build emphasis before the drama. In Mean Girls there is a split screen showing the mean girls and the main character having a phone call , this is a four way split screen. Therefore we have developed this by having a two way split screen.

3rd frame - props and costume

In our film opening we used a selfie stick. We used this prop because it is a modern trend of today and teenagers stereotypically like to follow trends. This is following the typical teen angst conventions because generally in this genre of film different trends are shown but due to this particular trend of a selfie stick being a new trend it hasn't really been used. The teenagers are seen to be wearing casual clothing at the party. This somewhat challenges the typical clothing teenagers are seen to wear at parties in teen angst films, this is because films such as Mean Girls are set in America therefore they wear more climate appropriate clothing such as dresses and skirts. In many teen angst films the teenagers are seen to wear more formal clothing to parties therefore we have challenged this.

4th frame - introducing characters

To introduce our main characters we used a montage of selfies taken by the selfie stick. This looks very effective because selfies and selfie sticks are very modern trends they therefore relate to our target audience. Underneath the selfie we have the actors names and also who they are acting as in the film. This is a typical teen angst convection because a montage is used in  Easy A. Although we have developed this because the montage in Easy A was just of different settings whereas our montage is showing the characters.

5th frame - genre and how the opening suggests it

Our film opening shows a party that occurred the pervious weekend. The party shows teenagers underage drinking and dancing with friends. This helps to convey our genre because teenagers are often stereotypically viewed as rebellious. A party is a typical teen angst convention because parties are shown in many popular teen angst films such as Easy A, Mean Girls and Wild Child. 

6th frame - special effects

The special effects we used to transition from the party scene to the school scene is clock wipe. We made the clock go around the screen clockwise to therefore show that the film going forward in time. This has helped move from one scene to another effectively helping the film flow. 

7th frame - camera work

One use of camera work we used was an over the shoulder shot. This was used to show a conversation between the Triple L's and Faye. This shot helps to involve the audience more with the conversation due to the fact that can see what Faye can see. This is a typical convention used in teen angst films and it is usually used to show an argument,. 

8th frame - setting/location

One way we have introduced our setting was using a mid-shot of Faye, our main character outside of the school. We got the Longsands Academy sign in shot in order to convey the school setting. This setting of a school is a very typical convection of a teen angst film due to the fact most teenagers go to the school. Many teen angst films show a school such as The Duff and Wild Child.

9th frame - story and how the opening sets it up

The opening sets up the storyline because it gives the audience an insight into what the whole film would be about. This frame shows the Triple L's about to find Faye. On the screen is a piece of text which gives extra information on the Triple L's along with a voice over, Throughout this scene there are several pieces of text explain who a character is along with a voice over. This helps to set up the opening due to the fact the audience has further information on the characters. The use of extra text to introduce a character and a voice over is also in The Duff therefore this is a typical teen angst convention.

More Changes to OMG

Another change we have made to OMG is the font when our characters are further introduced by a voice over. We decided to change the font because we wanted it to be easy to read but also appropriate for our film genre. I think this a good font because it is bold and has a teenage look to it due to the fact it looks like bubble writing. 

Another change we have made is the font when the characters are first introduced by the montage. We changed this font because it originally had a white shadow making it harder to read, therefore we have taken off the shadow. We changed the font from San Serif to Serif.









Not only did we change the font for the character and the actors name we also changed the font that says " the triple L's". We have made this change because we wanted the font to be bolder and to look more like bubble wiring therefore connoting the fact our film is teen angst.





Another changed we have made is when the triple L's open the door to find Faye in bed. We have slowed down their reactions to make it slow motion. We have made this change to dramatise the situation even more and to exaggerate their reactions therefore making the film more interesting.

Another change we have made is instead of using the music Happy Rock when Faye walks into school we are now using it in the beginning of the film opening because the music is upbeat but modern therefore helping to connote that our film is teen angst. We got this music from Http://www./bensound.com. 

Third Draft - OMG

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-0ENzt5ytA

Second Draft - OMG

https://youtu.be/gsHoh0XZI9Y

Further Changes To OMG

One of the further changes that we made to our film opening was that we re-fimed the clip of the alarm going off. We changed the phones background (the alarm) to a photograph of Lucy and Faye (Cerys Thompson and I) to show that the two characters used to be friends. So, once Faye (Cerys Thompson) had stopped the alarm this photograph would be shown for a few seconds. This therefore has made our film opening easier to understand and follow.

Another change that we have made to our film opening is not only do we introduce our characters during the montage, in separate stages of the opening when that character is on screen we paused the shot for a few seconds and had Faye (Cerys Thompson) introduce them. Whilst this is occurring on screen there is also some text that comes on the screen saying something about that person. We have made this change because we thought it will help the viewer to understand the film better and also voice overs are also commonly used in teen angst films so we did this to connote the fact our film is teen angst.  

For this shot the film pauses for a few seconds on the Triple L's, the voice over of Faye speaking says "These are the Triple L's, the school mean girls". Then on the screen in pink writing we have wrote "Lucky I'm friends with them". We made this change because not only did we want the viewer to understand who the Triple L's are (by the voice over), we also wanted the audience to understand that Faye and Lucy were friends. We chose the pink writing in order to connote that the film is teen angst because stereotypically teenage girls like the colour pink. 

For the next shot we again, paused the film for a few seconds but this time on Charlie (Johnny Crook). The voice over of Faye speaking says "This is Charlie, Faye's ex". The writing whilst this is occurring says "School Heart Throb", again we did this in pink writing. We made this change because we wanted the audience to understand further what Charlie's character is like. The fact our film has a school heart throb connotes that our opening is teen angst because typically in teen angst films there is always one teenage boy that very girl is interested in. Also stereotypically teenage girls are known to be very interested in boys. 

For this shot we paused the film for a few seconds but this time on Christian (Niall Hay). The voice over of Faye speaking says "This is Christian, my BFF" and then the writing on screen while this is happening says "always got my back". We made this change because again, we wanted the audience to have further understanding of Christians character and also his friendship with Faye.

Organisation Of Actors

These were the messages that were exchanged in order to see who was going to act in our film, also to find out the time and the day that they would be needed for our filming.

First Draft - OMG

https://youtu.be/fDUe1ycX06Y

Edited by Rebecca Pennell and Cerys Thompson, directed by Niall Hay and I.

This is our first draft for OMG - our film opening.

Changes To OMG

An example of one of the 'selfies' we are going to used in our montage. 

• One thing that we are adding to our film is instead of introducing each character whilst they walk through the party we are now going to use a montage. This where a series of 'selfies' are going to be used of our characters and underneath will be the name of the character and the name of the actor. We added this change because using 'selfies' is very relatable to the target audience of teenagers because generally most teenagers are know to do this, this therefore also connotes a teen angst film.  

During our filing of OMG we have made some changes to the script. ( all that has been changed is in red writing)

• Scene 1 changes:
  
  

In scene one the only thing that we changed was what Faye says when she wakes up. Instead of saying "what have you done Faye", she now says "oh no what have i done". We made this change because we thought it would sound better and the choice of words now used are more relatable to what a teenager would say. 

• Scene 2 changes:

In scene two we made some more changes. First of all a group does walk up to the house but in the group is also Charlie (Johnny Crook) and Christian (Niall Hay) therefore now both boys and girls walk up to the house. We did this because we thought a bigger group of people would look more effective. Secondly, we changed from Lucy (myself) having dialogue when the group knocks on the door to her not saying anything. We did his because with no dialogue the party scene flowed better. Finally, we changed where Charlie rushes past the Triple L's to him actually answering Lucy's question, he now says "not anymore". We made this change because by Charlie actually answering the question in the way he did adds to the drama of the situation. 

• Scene 3 changes: 

In scene three we have made quite a few changes because there was a lot of dialogue which not only isn't generally seen in a teen angst opening but also it would make our film opening too long. Firstly, instead of Faye finding Christian in school we deiced to film Christian walking up to her outside of the school. We did this because we wanted to introduce the fact they were at a school by getting the school sign in but also we thought this would look more effective both friends entering the school together.  Secondly, we changed them walking to their lesson to both Christian and Faye walking into the school together. Thirdly, instead of Faye saying "not here charlie look who's coming", she now says "no not here'. We changed this because we wanted to add an element of surprise when the Triple L's approach Faye rather than the audience already knowing. Finally, we changed the last section of dialogue to instead of Lucy having an argument with Charlie she has an argument with Faye. Lucy says "i thought you were my friend" then Faye says "I'm so sorr" and before Faye finishes her sentence Lucy slaps her around the face. We changed this because we wanted this scene to be shorter but still drama filled in order to connote our genre of teen angst. 

Settings - School Scene

Our final setting used in our film opening was Longsands Academy. This connotes a teen angst film due to the fact a secondary school is associated with teenagers because this is where they go. School scenes are often used in teen angst films, for example the film Easy A opens with the setting of a secondary school.

This is where Faye (Cerys Thompson) is first shown back at school after the drama of the weekend.













This is where Faye and Christian (Niall Hay) walk into the school linking arms.

This is the door that they open to enter the school.














This is also showing where they enter the school but from a different angle.

These are the stairs that Charlie (Johnny Crook) walks down when he bumps into Faye and asks to talk to her.

This is the angle where Faye and Christian are shown walking out of the class room door, this is also where Charlie asks to talk to Faye and where the Triple L's then also approach Faye.

Settings - Morning Scene

This bedroom will be shown in first scene of OMG. This is where Faye (Cerys Thompson) wakes up and realises what she has done the previous weekend. The bedroom has colours such as pink, purple and white, these colours are often associated with girls therefore connoting a feminine theme. Though there is some colour the bedroom it is rather plain this also connotes a teenage film because often teenagers have a more basic room.

Props

We used alcohol bottles during our filming of the party scene. We did this because underage drinking if often seen in teen angst films and is also stereotypically what teenagers are seen to do. Therefore by doing this not only did it make the party realistic but it also connoted that our film is teen angst .












We also used a selfie stick, not only to take the selfies of our characters but to also connote the fact it is a teen angst film. The selfie stick is a new and current thing teenagers are viewed to be up to date with trends therefore this helps to connote a teen angst film.















This is the phone that we used for an alarm when Faye (Cerys Thompson) is woken up. We deiced to use a smart phone instead of an alarm clock because most teenagers are known to have smart phones and be on their phones a lot of the time therefore this would help to connote a teen angst film.

Characters and Costumes

Not only do these photographs show who the characters are but they are going to be used in the montage in our film opening to introduce the characters.

This is Christian the 'gay best friend' played by Niall Hay

He is wearing clothes like a teenager would wear to a party because although they are casual they are seen as fashionable, this therefore connotes our film genre of teen angst because the clothes are relatable to teenagers

In this 'selife' he is seen to be smirking which is relatable to this character because although he is seen as a nice character, he is cheeky as well.

This is Charlie the 'school heart throb' played by Johnny Crook.

He is wearing a smart shirt but has his sleeves rolled up which is seen as a more casual look, this connotes that our film is teen angst because this type of style is seen to be worn by many teenagers.

In his 'selfie' he is seen to be 'posing' this is relatable to his character because he is the boy that every girl likes and therefore he is seen to have some arrogance about him.


This is Faye the friendly type who everyone to seen to be nice to everyone played by Cerys Thompson.

She is wearing a casual top and a skirt this connotes that our film is teen angst because many teenagers stereotypically dress like this.

In her 'selfie' she is seen to be smiling this is relatable to her character as smiling connotes a look of innocence and her character is seen to be this way.

These are the triple L's - Lizzie, Lana and Lucy (the mean girls) played by Rebecca Pennell, Naomi Newell and I.

They are wearing casual teen like clothing therefore again connoting that the film is teen angst.

In their 'selfie' they are seen to be pouting this is relatable to their characters because a more serious pose can connote that they are mean.

Settings - The Party Scene

One of the settings have used is a house where the party occurs, this is a typical setting for a party in a teen angst film therefore this is partly why we used it.










This is the outside of the house where the party is, this is where the group of friends filmed walking up to the from door.













This is the front door where the group of friends ring the door bell at to be let into the house party.




















This is the view of the front door from the inside of the house, this is where Lucy (the girl whose party it is and one of the mean girls) lets her friends in.

This is the kitchen where the main part of the party is. This also helps to connote a teen angst film because parties in this genre of film are often seen in the kitchen.

These are the stairs where the triple L's (the mean girls) see Charlie (the school heart throb) rushing past them. 

This is at the top of the stairs where you see the triple L's rushing to the bedroom to find out what is going on. 

This is the bedroom where the triple L's find Faye in bed. The bedroom is quite plain but has mirrors and makeup in the background therefore connoting a feminine theme. Also the plain colours such as the white connotes a teenage theme because often teenagers prefer having a\more basic, plain room.

Pitch

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2UVkW-Sm8c&t=26 

This is the pitch that my group and I did in order to present our film ideas verbally and to show the choices we had made. Some things in this pitch have changed due to the fact this was filmed before we decided to make some minor alterations.
 Written by Rebecca Pennell, Niall Hay, Cerys Thompson and I.