Holiday Homework: analysis of a teen film

Save The Last Dance:

 

Director: Thomas Carter
This is a teen film produced by MTV Films and distributed through Paramout Pictures. The film is about an interracial couple trying to deal with their predjudice peers whilst also pursuing their love of dance. It all starts when Sara (Julia Stiles, also popular for other teen movies such as 10 Things I Hate About You) moves to live with her dad after the death of her mother, which she feels partly responsible for. She moves to an urban Chicago school and is essentially 'alienated'. Giving up dance for a while, she tries to get on with her life and her difficult relationship with her father. We are then introduced to Derrek (Sean Patrick Thomas), whom she dislikes at first, and becomes friends with his sister, Chenile. She then falls in love with Derrek who inspires her to pursue her dream of being a ballerina and to get into Julliard. Throughout all of this, the couple endure confrontations with those who have a problem with their relationship. Derrek also teaches her how to dance, the urban way.

The movie also deals with gun crime, gang violence, racism and alienation, all typical assets of a teen film. The difficult parental relationship Sara has with her father can also be relatable to some young adults. Derrek is also confronted by conflicted loyalties between his love for Sara and his friendship with his best friend Malakai, who doesn't approve. Malakai is also involved with gang life, which Derrek doesn't want anymore.

Binary Oppositions in Grease

Binary oppositions are set up in movies to create two sides. A very common one is Good vs. Evil, usually shown through the protagonist and antagonist. These oppositions can be shown through things such as mis-en-scene, editing, camerawork and sound. In Grease, the prominent binary opposition is innocent Sandy and bad boy Danny. 

Mis-en-scene: 

Sandy: Blonde hair, pastel coloured dresses, sparkling hair barretts, light and natural makeup. During the cartoon credits at the beginning, Sandy is portrayed as a Disney princess. There are forest animals in her room, birds putting on her shawl whilst she sits at the dresser. These features connote her innocent and angelic character.

Danny: Black leather jacket, slicked hair, black jeans, black boots, a cigarette. In the cartoon credits he is shown to have a messy, boyish room. These all signify his 'bad boy' persona.

Camera work & editing:

At the very beginning, Danny and Sandy were shown in nothing but two shots at the beach where their romance blossomed. (note: Danny was also wearing a light blue shirt, contrasting to his black attire at school. This could perhaps signify how they were not opposites before, but Danny's changed behaviour and persona at school now makes them opposites) However, on school grounds their are cross cuts between Danny and Sandy, signifying their new found differences and showing the audience they are no longer the same connected lovers. The Pink Ladies and the T-Birds (Danny and his friends) are also binary opposites.

 Sandy is seen to join the Pink Ladies, and they are shown in group shots like the T-Birds. This connotes the different "high-school" cliques, also representing the teen film genre.

 

Sound:

 Danny speaks in non-standard English and slang, whilst Sandy speaks softly and in standard English. This directly symbolises their differences as people.

Audience Analysis

Mean Girls

The audience for Mean Girls is for is for teen girls because the film is something 

that they can relate to. It is about a group of girls and how they fit in at school.

American Pie

The audience for American Pie is for teen boys because it is about how they act with girls 

and whats right to do.

teen films

teen films

Piranha 3DD trailer- this film is a comedy horror mostly aimed at boys due to its nudety and attractive females but can be enjoyed by both genres due to its typical teenage humour and being thrilling to watch. the setting of the film appeals to both genders because its set in a hot spot for teenagers to go to during their spring break

Project x trailer - project x is a teenage comedy of a out of controll house party that turns  into a party that takes over a whole neighbor hood. it appeals to both genders because of its a comdey and a fantisy of most teenagers to go to a huge party with all of there friends. the setting is in a normal neighbor hood so there is no specifc appeal to a gender.                Harry Potter and the deathly hallows part 2 - the deathly hallows part 2 appeals to both genders due to it being a teenage film but also a family film. Another why it appeals to both genders is because it has main charecters of both genders. The setting of the film doesnt appeal to one gender over the other due to Hogworts being a mixed school of magic.                  

Task 2: Teen movies & their audiences

Save the Last Dance is a dance teen movie targeted at both genders and was released in January 2001. It is based around a romance between the two main characters and their passion for dance, however also touches upon other themes such as gang violence, alienation and teen pregnancy, which some young people can relate to. Sara, the main star, moves to a new city and gets enrolled at a new school, which can also be a relatable situation for some.The soundtrack for the movie is predominantly hip-hop/r&b making people with music tastes as such the niche. The movie was produced by MTV which also focuses on its urban theme.

Clueless is chick teen film made in 1995. It is about Cher, the main character, and her friends Dion and Tai surviving their adolescent life. The girls have to juggle their friends, family, school and social life. The target audience for this movie is teen girls aged 14 - 19. The themes include romance, partying and mild use of drugs and alcohol. Again, this film includes scenarios that can be relatable for teenage girls. Brittany Murphy who plays Tai is a popular teen actor who starred in Sister, Sister and Girl, Interrupted.

Umbreen's Prelim

03. PRELIM - Kadija, Noorjahan, Umbreen, Joshua from 283goswell on Vimeo.

Prelim

05. PRELIM - Lashay, Aanisah, Nahida, Karen from 283goswell on Vimeo.

Genres and Conventions

A convention is a way in which something is usually done.Teen films is a film genre targeted at teenagers and young adults in which the plot is based upon the special interests of teenagers, such as coming of age, first love, rebellion, conflict with parents, teen angst or alienation.

The large majority of teen films are set in high schools and colleges. Usual character stereotypes are: Jocks, Nerds, Cheerleaders and Stoners. 

Some sub genres are: rom com, drama, thriller, mystery 
and comedy. 

grabs attention
incoporates genres
introduces main characters

Genre and Convention

What is a teen film?

A teen film is a film targeted at teenagers. It is usually set around the themes of romance, alienation, rebellion and conflict with siblings, peers and parents.

Most teen films also have the placement of a 'clique'. This being a group of friends who are known for being together. There are examples of this in Grease and Mean Girls.

Teen films are usually set in a school setting. The use of the gymnasium, track or field setting is popular even in teen movies without a central sports theme. Hallways and classrooms are also commonly used. This setting in particular helps relate to the target audience of young adults. In chick teen films, bedrooms are also widely used as a place of gathering. Used quite often too, is a place of general hang out where socialising with peers can be done. An example of this is in Grease, where they have the ice cream parlour.

 In Love and Basketball, the two main characters are always seen to be around their college campus.

In more gritty realism teen films, such as 'Kidulthood' and 'My Brother the Devil' (which are both set in London) use places such as estates and general streets which give it a more realistic touch. Both of these films also include more serious themes, such as knife crime, drugs and teen pregnancy. 

Genre and Convention

what is a teen film ?
 a teen film is a film that engages with the teenage target audience. mostly young adults and teenagers watch these films due to them appealing to them. 
the most common sub genres of a teen film are romance or comady becuase these are what appeal more to teenagers and is something that they can easily relate to.
the main themes in teen films are usually the same, they consist of either a love story, a comedy or a horror story. most times they include more than one theme for example scary movie is a comedy but has funny horror moments there for it has a comedy theme but a sub genre of horror.


the locations are generally set in common teenagre hang outs. for example either school or college, caffes, houses and other areas. the areas also change depending on the theme of the film but most teen films have parts that are in high schools or colleges.
 

alot of teen films are based during the summer time when young people are more active and their life is slightly more exiting.