Micro Conventions Analysis

10 Things I Hate About You - 1999

Sub genre: High school

Camerawork: Establishing shot, slow pan across city, pans becomes wide shot of car, followed by pan to the car opposite, close up, medium close up, aerial shot of both cars, camera angle ascending upwards to show all students, over the shoulder whilst tracking student.

Editing: Animated texts, fade from drawing style to real image, match cutting, motivational cut.

Mise-en-scene: Inner city, daytime, suburbs, 'trendy' outfits, teenagers, cars (one convertible, other isn't), smart clothes vs casual clothes, jeans, teens playing hockey, huge high school.

Sound: Upbeat, 'hip' music, car pulling up, fade into rock music, car driving off, teens playing, chatter amongst teens, paper ripping, dialogue (ie 'Hey!').

15. MICRO Conventions Analysis

She's All That (1999)

Sub-genre: High School Drama

Camerawork

Cut in (hands/scissors), Point of view from character, Canted angle (paints), Cut away, Medium shot, Zoom, Tracking character, Long shot, Establishing shot (school), Zoom into character, Wormseye view (shoes), Track character, Over the shoulder shot, Two shot, Tracking of interacting characters, Steadicam, Over the shoulder perspective of character, Track of characters, Two shot (relationship)

Editing

Fade from cut to cut of crafting hands, Titles movement according to hand gestures, Animated title, Ellipsis - character change location, Titles on top of moving image, Cross cut (related to previous narrative)

Mise-en-Scene

Art studio setting (paints, canvases, etc.), Apron on character, Character's head tilted (art piece approval), Breakfast plate and juice, Exterior of school setting, Father in work uniform, Character (Zack) wearing school sports jacket, Casual clothing, Pushes other character (bully attitude), Taylor - wearing all pink (stereotypical)

Sound 

Soundtrack, Non-diegetic, Diegetic (headphones), Dialogue, Diegetic from school tannoy/radio, car noise - foley, dialogue, soundtrack continues in background

The MICRO conventions in Sequences

Micro Conventions Analysis

High School Dramas

Clueless (1995)

Camera Work
High angle tracking, Tracking character, Canted angle, Medium shot of character, Crane shot, Tilt shot movement, Zoom in shot, Close up, Point of view shot

Editing
Production company at the beginning, Animation of titles, Sound bridge, Fade transition (blur), Cross cut, Eyeline match, Slow motion (Flashback)

Mise-en-Scene
Outdoors (road), Car, Formal clothing "grown up", Shopping bags, Poised body language, Happy, Set by swimming pool, swimming costumes, Pink (reflects main character)

Sound
Soundtrack "Kids of America", Non-diegetic, synchronous sound - matching animation movement, characters screaming, foley sound (splashing), Dialogue, Foley (Car driving by), Voiceover, synchronous (computer), Motif song "Fashion"


Mean Girls (2004)

Camera Work
Two shot, Point of view shot, Close up, Over the shoulder shot, Depth of field, Two shot of relationship, Point of view shot with eyeliner match, Establishing shot, Tracking movement, Point of view shot again, Over the shoulder shot again, Medium shot

Editing
Titles fading on and off, Music in background, transition (fade on), Shot reverse shot, Sound bridge, Editing for perspective, Eyeline match, Screen flash, Ellipsis (Journey to school), Perspective, Slow motion, Ellipsis (getting to class)

Mise-en-Scene
Set outside home, Parents looking down, Lunch bag, Casual clothing, Bright lighting, "Nerd" look to character, Typical country looking children, Safari outfits, Natural colours, Animals: safari setting scene, Football, Sports baseball jacket, school setting

Sound
Production company sound, Building up "African" soundtrack, Dialogue, Foley (Camera shot), Change in soundtrack, Non-diegetic sound, Voiceover, Sound bridge, Accent, Synchronous Foley (Bus driving by), School bell (Foley), Dialogue

Youth Dramas

Kidulthood (2006)

Camera Work
Worms eye view, Two shot, Medium shot, Tracking of character, Panning of setting, Pull focus to character, Tilt, Close up on character, Two shot (relationship between characters), Establishing shot

Editing
Fading of titles, Sound bridge, Slow motion, Cross cut to other scene, Edit for perspective, Cross cut when "Claire" and "Sam" mentioned - cut to characters

Mise-en-Scene
Football prop, School setting, School uniform, Drill & Glasses - safety of school DT drill, Scared body language of two female characters, Trends "Just Do It" branding, Three characters not in uniform - Dominance

Sound
Soundtrack, Background noise of school, Kicking of the football, Setting up of the drill, Dialogue, Gaming sounds from character's console (foley), Shouting of characters, Drill sounds, Dialogue about party

The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)

Camera
Tracking, Establishing shot, Pull focus, Zoom out (establishing shot), Medium shot of character, Close up of character, Two shot showing relationship between characters, Depth of field, Point of view shot

Editing
Titles fading on, Fade on transition, Ellipsis, Eyeline match, Editing for perspective, Ellipsis to location, Cross Cut

Mise-en-Scene
Soft but dim lighting, Bedroom setting, School setting, Simple but dark clothing, Hiding body language, Baseball Jacket (School), Awkward wave, Lonely, Book in characters hands

Sound
Production company sound, Typewriter sound effect & new line of typewriter, Soundtrack, Voiceover narration, School bell, Dialogue between characters

Macro Conventions in Sequences

Superbad

Sub genre: High school



Plot idea introduced: Graphic/animated sequence, 2 guys dancing, simply colours, the guys are best friends who will be split apart. Deals with youthfulness of central characters, & sexuality/sexually active.
In chronological order.
2 main characters, who are bound to be split.
Complex representation of young, male students.

La Haine

Sub genre: Youth Drama


Plot idea introduced: Teens vs adults (& police, primarily). Riots + the aftermath.
Chronological order, however, flashback sequence used in the introduction, giving background information.
Characters introduced are Said and Vinz.
Social groups being represented are working class, teens (one is Jewish, other is Arab). Complex representation of said groups. Police are seen as negative.

The Breakfast Club - Remake

Shot-by-Shot The breakfast club

The MACRO conventions in Sequences

Macro conventions can be linked to the idea of the syntactic conventions - the stories the films tell. The main story lines of teen films focus on the concept of the coming of age and adolescence.



Name of Film: Superbad
Sub-Genre: High School Drama
The animated title sequence of Superbad presents the silhouette of two young male figures dancing - there is a use of simple colours. From this, we get the idea of the two friends being together, and the concept of fun and enjoyment throughout the film. The opening scene to the film shows the idea of the two friends being separated. The storyline is introduced in chronological order - sex, youthful, family, education etc. In the opening titles and scene, the two main characters and the mother is introduced. Social groups of a young male students are presented - a complex representation (neither negative or positive), they are presented as sex obsessed, although humorous.



Name of Film: La Haine
Sub-Genre: Youth Drama
The main plot idea presented in the opening title sequence as Teen vs Police/Adults, it presents the riots and its after math. The storyline is introduced with a flashback sequence that provides the audience with background information. Said and Vinz are the first characters introduced - working class teens that are Jewish and Arab. The social groups in this are also presented as complex - they are shown to be vandalising, although, the scene presents to police as negative.


Name of Film: The Breakfast Club
Sub-Genre: High School Drama
In the title sequence, the key plot idea is introduced - all the main characters are seen to be attending a Saturday detention. It's obvious that there is tension between the different characters, and the coming of age, from this scene, is the youthfulness of the central characters.
The storyline is introduced in chronological order, showing 5 characters of different 'cliques' coming to together, supervised by a teacher.
The scene shows a stereotypical representation of what would be expected from a group of teenagers. Jocks, nerds, etc. They are young students, and the group consists of both genders.




Name of Film: Juno
Sub-Genre: Youth Drama
The key plot introduced in this title sequence is the main character, Juno, thinking that she is pregnant. It is introduced with a flashback sequence to the main plot - linking to the purpose of the plot. Juno, her partner and a shopkeeper is introduced at the beginning. A young female is introduced, which is stereotypically negative.

Youth & High School Drama Analysis

Youth Drama

Bend It Like Beckham Analysis

Order of Credits:

• Kintop Pictures
• Association With x2
• Participation of x2
• In Association With x3
• Co- Production
• Director

Type of Title:

Titles on a blank screen

Font:

Simple, orange, Times

High School Drama

The Princess Diaries Analysis 

Order of Credits:

• Walt Disney Pictures
• Film Title
• Production Company
• Director
• Cast x11
• Casting By x3
• Additional Casting By x2
• Co-Producer
• Music Supervisor
• Music By
• Costume Designer
• Editor
• Production Design
• Director of photography
• Based on Novel
• Produced by x3
• Screen Play By
• Director

Type of Title:

Moving image title

Font:

Formal, in italics, "royal"- related to plot.

Action Behind Titles

Establishing shot, introduces main character, follows main character, titles fade on and off frame. 

Genre & Sub-genres of Teen Drama Films

Genre

Genre means a category or type - it is useful within the subject of film, as it assists in grouping films according to their plot and appearance.  We learn that genre can be ‘manipulated’. Codes and conventions are used to help us recognise the type of film we are watching. Having the concept of genre helps producers to make and market their films to an audience. We study that genre can be looked at in two ways: sematic (the way a film looks) and syntactic (the stories told).  Teen film codes and conventions are frequently repeated, and based around the coming of age.

We can split up Teen Films into two categories (sub-genres):

Youth Drama 

Youth Dramas revolve around social dilemmas that the main character faces and focuses on the problems of adolescence, the main character is often male. The teen audience favour this sub-genre, as it is seen to be more authentic with the representation of teens and youth, rather than High School Dramas. The main character often rebels and in conflict with others. Youth Dramas represent youth as a difficulty. 

High School Drama

High School Dramas often focus on the idea of youth being 'fun' and celebrating youth. They became popular in the 70s, 80s, and 90s. High School Dramas often focus on changes, makeovers and conflicts with different social groups. It is frequently 'girl centred', although sometimes with a male main character. The relationships between teens and young adults, with institutions like school, college, home etc. are often shown in High School Drama. 

What Is Genre & Teen Genres?

Genre is a term used for type, group, or category. This allows people to identify typical conventions that are expected of the film, before they even see it. Which will later determine whether they are to enjoy the film or not. The use of said conventions and codes, of recent, are now becoming more manipulated. There are several things in films of today that are expected within their genres, and others that are not. Genre allows the producers of films to directly market their film to the right audience, allowing for greater success of the film. Genre can be looked at in two ways: the semantic approach (how the film looks visually) and the syntactic approach (the plot being conveyed). Teen films, as a whole, require codes and conventions in order for it be considered 'typical of the genre'.

Teen genres can be split into two genres.
Youth Drama - Drama movies with complex social, youth, education, gangs, suicidal, conflicts, racism, violence, sex, drugs etc background content. Youth dramas tend to be seen as a representation of youth today, allowing the teenage viewers to connect really well with the characters in the film, their battles, conflicts, etc.

High School Drama - Drama movies with a much more positive outlook on things, usually involving 'trendy' music, several different classes/groups of people (ie jocks, nerds, goths, etc). Also, high school dramas of past showed a lot of binary oppositions between teachers and students, whereas now, it is more common to see teachers and students communicating on the same level.

Genre and sub genre

Genre is a definition or a category of something in this situation a film but it can apply to music and literature. Genre is important because it helps the producers of the film know who and how to market the film for example high school teen films are marketed for teenagers as they are more likely to relate to it.

Within film there are many different types of genres for example

 Action movies such as Guardians of the galaxy.

 Another genre could be adventure where movies such as the hunger games fit into.

Sub genre

Sub genre is a genre within a genre for example with comedy  there is action comedy , thriller comedy.

As you can see there are genres within the genres which are known as sub-genres. 




Within teen films there is high school dramas such as the breakfast club 

Within teen films there are also youth dramas UK film kidulthood which focuses on the struggle of being a teen in a inner city community instead of made up American high school tails.

MICRO Sub Conventions (14)

Finish

Macro Sub-Genre Conventions (13)

Macro Sub-Genre Conventions

Macro is the structural elements in a film and is the story that the film tells the audience which includes the producers, audiences, cast, plot lines, characters and the order in which the story line is told to the audience. 

Teen films 

Teen films share similar plots and there is a theme of "Coming of age" in these films and this may be represented in the following;

. Youthfulness of central characters
. Conflict with relationships
. Conflict with an older generation
. Management of adolescence families, schools, law 
. Romance and sexuality

Sub Genres

There are two sub genres of Teen Films which are Youth Dramas and High School Dramas and both represent the coming of age in different ways, for example how the story unfolds through the narrative and the characters/social groups we see. 

Analysis of High School Dramas  

What is the key plot idea introduced in the title sequence?
Animated sequence of 2 guys dancing. Uses simple colours for background and titles. It hints that these 2 best friends might be separated in the movie

In what order is the storyline introduced?
Chronological order- 2 friends talking on the phone while 1 is on his way to pick up his friend. Their concerns are sex, family, education.

What characters are introduced?
The two friends and one of their mum

What social groups are represented? How are they represented (positively, negatively, stereo-typically/ us of binary oppositions)?
Young male students- complex representation as their topic of discussion is gross but they’re both likeable characters. They are the stereo typical concept of being a 'nerd'.

What is the key plot idea introduced in the title sequence?
We are shown various cars with teenagers/ adults and it is clear that they are going to school on a weekend and that they all have detention thus giving them something in common though it is clear, from their costumes and mannerisms, that they are from all different cliques. 

In what order is the storyline introduced?
Chronological order- no flashbacks.

What characters are introduced?
There are five different characters that are introduced, all youthful characters, teenagers of all different cliques and one teacher. 

What social groups are represented? How are they represented (positively, negatively, stereo-typically/ us of binary oppositions)?
Young students, all with different backgrounds, socially awkward to the popular "jock" stereotypical high school students. 

Analysis of Youth Dramas 

What is the key plot idea introduced in the title sequence?
We are shown various rioting clips that indicate rebellion, teenagers versus police, and the aftermath of rioting

In what order is the storyline introduced?
Chronological but there is one flashback scene at the beginning of a news clip to provide details about why the riots are happening  

What characters are introduced?
We are introduced to two characters Said and Vinz, one is Jewish and the other is Arab and they are both friends. 

What social groups are represented? How are they represented (positively, negatively, stereo-typically/ us of binary oppositions)?
Both are young and working class, Said is Arab and Vinz is Jewish. They are both represented as positive characters and negative characters, complex representation, they are rude and aggressive but likeable as there is humour involved. The police in this film is represented as negative. 

People who like Kidulthood

People who like Kidulthood

The average Kidulthood audience.

This is the lifestyle that a Kidulthood viewers live.

The average personality of a person who enjoys kidulthood.

The brands that people who enjoy kidulthood spend their money on.

What entertains people who like kidulthood.

The media interests and amount of time they spend on media outlets.