Chick Flick films

We can see from these posters that the relationships that women have with other female friends and family will be important, as are the sexual/ romantic relationships that they have with men.

The film 'It's Complicated' features main characters who are all middle-aged, suggesting that the audience for this feature will be older females and women of the same age as the characters, because they may be able to relate to the situations that the lead female has found herself in.

The 'Dreamgirls' poster features the three main characters, letting the audience know that the relationships the females have with each other are going to feature heavily in this film.

The costume, hair and make up for Hairspray is very bright, loud and vivid; letting the audience know what's in store.

In the Moulin Rouge poster we can see that the red and the blues are used and have been edited to make the poster appear very dreamy, soft and romantic.

Just as we have in our film, the makers of Pretty Woman also named their film after the song ('Oh, Pretty Woman' by Roy Orbison) that is featured in it.

Target Audience for 'Chick Flicks'

This is what the questionnaire that we gave out to females of a range of ages, asking them to list their: likes, dislikes, interests, look up to, ambitions, film consumer habits, and musical preferences.

We found that:

• 35% of women we asked like to watch romantic comedies

48% of women we asked like to watch comedies

• 29% of women we asked like to watch horror/ thrillers

0% of women we asked said they like to watch war films

13% of women we asked like to watch action films

• 5% of women we asked like to watch science fiction films

Women like comedies because they like a release from their highly pressured lives, and similarly, they like to watch horror/ thrillers because they like to be scared, because this gives them an escape from their reality.

No women said they liked to watch war films, because this genre is still considered a male genre. The military is still mostly made up of men, because women are not permitted to serve on the front line.

Health and Safety

The sequence takes place in a bedroom, and therefore we had to make sure that all wires for objects such as stereos/ hair straighteners/ chargers were put out of the way of the people in the room, to ensure that they would not trip and injure themselves.

Shooting Schedule

Due to our shots all taking place in the same area during our opening sequence, we were able to shoot everything on the same day- 20th February 2011.

Shooting order:

Props- toys, jewellery, shoes, clothes, CDs/DVDs/ bags

Phone alarm

Isla in bed sequence

Isla coming towards camera sequence

Isla going to phone

Isla texting

Isla leaving room

Isla entering room

Isla putting on make-up sequence

Isla leaving room for final time

Storyboards

We changed the exterior location from the car park, to the student entrance of the school, this is so it would be easier to keep the actors and crew safe, and also the setting of the side of the school is more ideal for Isla's entrance because it is more secluded and less of a disruption.

Continuity test

This is our continuity test, which consists of a person entering a room through a door, crossing the room and sitting down opposite another person, then having a conversation.

It was a more difficult task than expected, as we storyboarded the scene, even though it's a simple scene, we learnt that everything takes planning. This affected us when we came to film the scene, because we had not written a script, we made up what to say on the spot, so when we filmed it again from different angles, we had forgotten most of what we said, and the way in which we said it. This made the continuity difficult to keep, because some people were nervous in front of the camera because we had nothing planned to talk about.

It was a good learning experience, because we realised that we have to plan everything that happens in a scene, from the way its filmed to what is actually filmed.

Costume and props ideas

These are the sketches I made for the costume and props of the love interest 'Billy' in our film, 'My Next Class is Biology'

This character is supposed to be trendy in the way that he dresses, and his personality. He wants to be a photographer, and he skateboards to get to and from places instead of using a bus or walking.

Here is the rear- view of the costume, his denim jeans would be a little baggy, but not so much so that his underwear is on show.

The idea is that he is wearing a jacket over a t-shirt, with jeans which are tighter around the the shins and ankles, and more baggy around the waist.

Some of his props include a back pack because he is at school, with a pair of converse trainers.

We will probably put a few books in the bag so that it looks like he is carrying schoolwork and equipment.

Billy is a photographer, so he will be wearing a big professional camera around his neck, because the character likes to take pictures wherever he goes.

Draft of script for 'My First Class is Biology'

Isla's arrival

Exterior, outside school, long shot- Isla rides bike towards the camera and stops, still in long shot, close up on hand on necklace, cut to medium close up, Isla brings hand down and camera pans to follow her pushing her bike into bike rack
Cut to long shot of Billy skateboarding down the ramp, cut to medium close up on Isla walking out of bike rack looking at her timetable, cut to medium close up on the two bumping into each other

Billy: Hey watch out!

Camera tilting down, medium shot of Isla falling to the ground and dropping paper and bag, Billy crouches to help her, both stand up, camera follows them

Billy: (Hands her the paper and bag) I'm so sorry--

Isla: (Taking them) No it's ok. I should have been looking where I was going.

Billy: I don't think I've seen you before, are you new here? (Smiles) I'm Billy.

OTS shot on Isla

Isla: I'm Isla (she smiles).

Billy: Isla,

OTS shot on Billy

that's a weird name.

Cut back to OTS shot on Isla

Isla: Oh, thanks.

Two- shot

Billy: No, I'm sorry I didn't mean--

SFX- School bell

Billy: Well, I guess I have to go now, see you around. Good luck on your first day.

Picks up skateboard and walks towards the school, Isla watches after him, medium close up on her, she smiles to herself


Isla meets Hazel

Interior, school corridor, long shot of Isla walking down the empty corridor looking at timetable, cut to medium close up as she stops just infront of classroom door, looks at timetable, confused, cut to close up OTS shot on paper, cut back to Isla, opens door and Hazel falls out, both look shocked

Hazel: Are you alright? You look a bit lost.

Isla: I don't know where I'm supposed to be. (looking around)

Hazel: Well let's have a look at your timetable. (OTS shot on Hazel) Oh we're in the same class! (Two shot) I was just going there, follow me.

They walk towards the classroom door

Interior, science lab, long shot from inside classroom on the door as Hazel and Isla enter,
point of view shot of room, pans across students, cut to medium close up on Billy writing, cut to medium shot as Hazel places tray on table

Teacher: Quiet down everyone. ,

Teacher: Oh thanks Hazel. (Hazel goes to sit down, Isla walks over, teacher notices Isla) Oh you must be the new girl... (Pronounces it wrong) Isla right? Take the seat at the back.

Medium close up on Billy at the back of the class, writing, Isla walks into frame to the seat next to him, and stands waiting for him to move his text book which is in her place, he doesn't notice so she nudges his shoulder

Billy: Oh, sorry.

He moves the text book

Isla: (Sitting down, joking) Is that all you say?

Teacher: (Out of frame) Everyone get into their lab partners.

Billy: I guess that means us then. (Getting up) I'll get the beaker, in case you fall over again--

Isla: (Stopping him) Oh no it's alright, I think I can handle one beaker. (Gets up)

Camera pans as Isla walks over to the counter and picks up beaker, as she walks back to her seat she trips over Billy's bag

Isla: Woah!

She sits down slowly as Billy laughs

Billy: Brilliant... Dejavu.

Early location photography

Exterior shot- Car park next to school
- This is where the main character and the love interest first meet

- May be interrupted by busy surroundings like cars trying to move in or out
- We will need a few extras scattered around because this scene is set at the beginning of the school day, so they should be making their way to class/ registration

Exterior shot- front of school

- Main character looks up at school, we see an establishing shot

- Make sure there are no cars blocking the view of the camera

- Prevent branches from blocking the view

Interior shot- corridor by labs

- This is where we meet the main character's friend, as the lead gets lost in the corridor, and the friend comes along and helps her

- Make sure people aren't walking through whilst we are filming

- There are large windows on one side of the corridor, with no blinds, so controlling the lighting could be tricky

Interior shot- Science Lab #1

- This is where the sequence will probably end, the main character comes into the science lab and has no choice but to sit next to the romantic interest

- We need extras to fill the seats

- Might need to possibly put the blinds down on the windows at the back, to prevent the audience from seeing people walk past

- We need to get the teacher's permission to use this room due to safety reasons

Interior shot- Science Lab #2

- I like the layout of this lab more, it's more open and you can get a view of the entire space more easily

- Same queries as above

Interior shot- Gym
- Where a PE lesson would take place, main character isn't too great at sports

- Bad acoustics, echo occurs very easily

- Need to book the space

- Don't want intrusion of sound from people walking past the hall, the sound carries easily

Interior shot- Common Room

- We could have a scene where most of the year would be hanging out

- It would have to be more homely, i.e. more cushions, brighter throw blankets

- Make sure it's free to use

- Need extras to scatter around the room

- Needs to be lived in but not messy

Initial Ideas

Name: Saskia Coomber

Other group members: Beth Lardner, Naomi Burgoyne, Simone Waldock

Genre of Film: Teen Romantic Comedy

We found that we could easily identify with the genre, because it is used in films known as 'chick flicks', which we are greatly familiar with. We instantly came up with ideas for our opening, plus, we enjoy films which are in genres similar to our chosen one

Other films in this genre include: He's Just Not That Into You, Valentine's Day, Mean Girls, The Prince and Me, where the plotlines are based on the romantic relationship between the main female and male characters

Our initial ideas for the film opening were that it's set in a secondary school, with the main character being an isolated female teenager, the male romantic interest being more popular in school, and a female teenager becoming the friend of the main character. The main character would wear a thai- dye t-shirt, three- quarter length trousers, ugly shoes (possibly crocs), hair tied up in a bun. The romantic interest would wear a leather jacket, jeans, t-shirt, a camera around his neck. The aim for the end of the film is that they will eventually get together, they are first brought together by her love of marine biology, and his passion for marine photography, and this would show that it doesnt matter how different you are on the outside, love is blind and the connection between two people is really what matters.

Panic Room and Malice- Third Textual Analysis: Narrative Codes

The Hermeneutic code contains anything in the film that is mysterious or unexplained, usually leading to questions which the viewer needs answered.

Panic Room:
The Hermeneutic Codes presented in the opening sequence- What is the woman with the glasses occupation? Why does she need to move? Why has she got quite a substantial amount of money? Why is she a single parent? What's going to happen later on in the film? Why is there a secret room? These questions provoke the curiosity and interest in the viewer, and makes them want to carry on watching the film in order for their questions to be answered.

Malice:
A question is presented when the film's title 'Malice' appears and a pretty instrumental plays, which contrasts with each other, suggesting that an event is about to occur, as suspicion is raised by the contradicting elements of the title and the instrumentation used. This leads to the question- who was the man that attacked her? If the viewer keeps watching the film, then they will find out the answers to these questions.

Mean Girls- Textual Analysis

The film 'Mean Girls, opens with a black background, with the names of the production company, film and lead actor appearing on the screen. We then see the dad giving Cady (the main character) her lunch and he starts to take pictures of the mother hugging her, and then there is a cut to the parents dropping Cady off at her new high school. She enters he classroom and we meet the characters who will become her close friends later on in the film. The opening sequence gives information and creates interest for the audience through the use of genre, editing, signifiers, camera, sound, setting/ iconography, lighting/ colour, costume/ make- up, the characters and relationships, the representations of men and women, the use of props, casting, and themes/ ideas.

The genre of the film is teen comedy chick flick, and the audience is able to identify the genre in the opening sequence, as it id narrated by a teenage girl, and includes jokes, for example, when she is talking about home- schooled children being freaks, one home- schooled character says "And on the third day, God created the rifle, so that man could fight the dinosaurs... and the homosexuals.", this amuses the audience, because the children were taught to believe this story, and suggests the stereotype of Americans from the deep south, and this lets them know that this is a light- hearted film. The weather is sunny and pleasant as it is the beginning of the school year, and there are shots of many different teenage social groups suggesting that teenagers will feature heavily in the film and the parents will not feature many times in the film.

We see in the editing of the opening sequence that there aren't many quick cuts at the beginning of the sequence before she gets to her new school, as Cady is calm and relaxed while at home, however the audience's interest is kept because the voice over by the main character begins. There are stills as the dad takes pictures of the daughter and mother together, and the audience is amused as the mother starts to cry hysterically, and we see a still of the daughter hugging the mother whilst looking at the camera with an exasperated expression, and this looks like a photograph. As we are introduced to her new high school, the cuts become more frequent as Cady enters the school grounds, suggesting that she is nervous, and that her heart pace may have quickened, which tells the audience that she is anxious about her first day of school.

The signifiers in the opening sequence give many messages to fill in little details to deepen the audience's understanding, for example, there's a car in the driveway next to the large front porch of Cady's home, and the family is all together in front of the house, portraying a traditional view on families, and suggests Cady's innocence, because we will see later in the film how she acts less innocent in order to be accepted by the 'mean girls'. When Cady says that home schooled children are usually weird, there's a cut to a group of young boys from the deep south of America, they all look gormless and behind them are sandbags with shooting bull's- eyes stuck to them, which suggests to the audience that their pass times include shooting, and that they do not bother themselves with the deeper issues of their country, amusing the audience as this is a typical stereotype of this part of America.

The camera shots gave information and created interest in the opening sequence due to the framing, positions and movement. For example, a point of view shot is used when the parents are talking to the camera as if we were the character 'Cady', then a low angle shot looking up at the parents is used which puts the audience under the impression that they are talking to a small child, however the camera then slowly rises upwards, and we see that they are actually talking to a teenage girl. When we see an over the shoulder shot of Cady, this puts the audience under the impression the daughter is a young child, and when we see that she isn't one, we realise that this is how her parents still think of her. When Cady goes to talk to the character she thought was the teacher, a point of view shot which is looking up at the tall character suggests the authority that we think she must have over the class, but we then discover that she is a student, and this shocks and amuses the audience. However when the actual teacher enters the classroom, Cady and the teacher are filmed in a two- shot, showing that the teacher feels she is equal with her students, and so we instantly gain respect for her, but then feel for her when she spills her coffee on her shirt and has to take it off, which the results in her getting her vest stuck to her shirt and revealing her bra, whilst the head teacher walks into the classroom, and this is amusing to the audience. The film is about the power that teenagers have, and therefore the teachers are portrayed affectionately and humorously.

There's not a lot of diegetic sound in the opening sequence, but it does include a school bus sounding the horn as it zooms past Cady, because she is almost hit by it, and there's background noise of the students chatting as Cady walks across the path towards the school. The non- diegetic sound begins when the production company and lead actor names appear, whilst a sinister piano instrumental is played, suggesting that the film will not be completely positive throughout the duration. When the name of the film appears, a drum begins to play an African- based riff, and we will see later on in the film that Cady compares the wild with school social life, therefore this informs the audience that this is how she perceives high school. The voice- over is the main character who narrates the film, and in the opening sequence she explains a quick background story for the audience, letting us know what has happened prior to where the films begins, such as, the fact that Cady used to live in Africa and was home- schooled, so this is her first experience of a mixed school system. Furthermore, as soon as she enters the school grounds, upbeat pop music is played, which shows the contrast between her old way of life and the beginning of her new experience.

The setting/ iconography of the opening sequence begins with Cady's house which is large, suggesting that she is from a middle class family. There is a large front porch made of dark wood, with many green trees around, because they live in the suburbs. She attends a typical large American high school, and her registration classroom is decorated with neutral colours as to not seem too intimidating to Cady herself, or the audience, and this lets the audience know that the film is not going to be a gritty or social drama.

The lighting/ colour of the opening sequence is positive as it is sunny because t is the beginning of a new school year, and there is a lot of brown' the trees, the house. There's a lot of green also; the leaves of the trees, and the houses in the background, therefore surroundings have very natural colours, which are welcoming, and they contrast to when Cady gets to high school, because of the unnatural orange and white bricks of exterior of school, and this lets the target audience identify with the genre of the film.

The costume/ make- up in the opening informs the audience on the personalities of the different characters. For example, Cady's wearing a green shirt and a red t- shirt underneath it, with jeans and trainers, suggesting that she's a laid back easy going character, as her hair is tied back into a relaxed pony tail, and she has very natural make- up on, telling us that she does not worry about her appearance much, however we will see later on in the film that she's transformed completely in the way in which she dresses and acts, because appearance in particularly important for young teen girls in today's culture. As Cady gets to school, most of the other students have casual every day clothing on, with natural make- up, and she soon meets two characters which will later on in the film become her close friends. One of the friends, Janice, has hints of gothic costume, as she has a lot of eyeliner around her eyes, black hair, and black clothing.

The characters and relationships create interest for the audience, as Cady is eager to try new things because she has never been to school before, and her dad's proud and excited for his daughter going to school, so he takes pictures and gives her lunch money. Whilst the mum is proud but also worried, so she starts to cry hysterically while hugging her daughter, so we can see that Cady is close to her parents. Janice is a defensive but welcoming character, who doesn't mind helping out the new student, and Damien, who doesn't say anything in the opening sequence, in the less forward of the pair, but we can see instantly that he's friends with Janice, because they have similar postures and movements, suggesting that they are close friends. The contrast between these characters creates interest for the audience, because we see how their differences bring them together more as friends.

The representations of men and women may be a little stereotypical in the opening sequence of 'Mean Girls', because women appear to be more emotional and clumsy, as the mum cries hysterically when taking photographs for Cady's first day of school, and she screams when Cady is nearly hit by the school bus, and Cady's clumsiness is shown here also. However women are also represented as more hospitable, because Janice gives advice to Cady about where to sit in the classroom, and the teacher does not mind when Cady causes her to drop everything that she was carrying and spill coffee all over her front. The men seem to be more refined in portraying their emotions, because as the dad takes pictures, he is smiling, and is happy to let his daughter go to school for the first time, and Damien does not have any lines when we first meet him, which suggests that he is less outgoing than his friend Janice.

The use of props in the opening sequenced deliver little details for the audience, for instance, the dad gives Cady a paper bag which contains her lunch, which is an old fashioned portrayal of a school student, and this suggests that the parents have not sent her to school before as she is home- schooled, and it also suggests the dad's character role of the father of the princess, a role suggested in Vladimir Propp's character theory. The dad takes pictures with a big old- fashioned black camera, and we soon find out that they have been away from civilisation for 12 years, and this idea is reinforced by the camera the dad uses, therefore this prop is used as a binary opposition.

The casting for the opening sequence will create a lot of interest, as Lindsay Lohan plays the main character, and she's a very well- known actress and would have brought a lot of attention to the film, hence an increase in audience. The other characters are not as well known as the main actress, however the dad's played by the actor who also plays tone of the regular characters in the popular comedy programme 'Scrubs', and Tina Fey, who plays the teacher, is now in a very well known comedy programme '30 Rock' which she writes and stars in, and this reinforces the genre of the film.

The themes/ ideas instantly inform and create interest, as Cady's the new girl at school, and has no experience of other modern day American teenagers, so she will be educated in the way of today's high school students, and therefore find that they are not as innocent as she is in the beginning of the film.

Twilight- Second Textual Analysis

Typically in the teen film genre there are a number of factors which reoccur time after time such as: the film will be centred on teenage lives, the main character will be individual and therefore isolated, the film normally takes place in a secondary school and at the main character's home, the character will have friends, adults will not feature frequently, and a lesson will be learnt by the main character. Furthermore, in the romance film genre, the characters that fall in love with each other normally differ in their beliefs, in order for some conflict to occur, there will be scenes which take place in a restaurant and open spaces, and there is normally a scene where it is raining, because the setting is very romantic, as it is only the two characters together in the rain.

In the first school sequence in the film 'Twilight', the character 'Bella' is wearing a green shirt over a grey long sleeved shirt, and we see a lot of greys and greens throughout the film because a lot of it is set in the forest, adding to the fairytale aspect of the film, and the town of Forks (which is where the film is set) is one of the most rainy areas on the Earth, therefore the sky is almost always grey. The extras are wearing tan or dark coats, and a lot of dark blue clothing, However when the characters called the 'Cullens' enter in the canteen scene, the interior is white, as well as the what the Cullens are wearing, and this makes them instantly stand out in comparison to the normal people, and it shows how they are perceived by everyone around them, however they are also very pale as they are the vampire family, and their clothing connotes this. The character called 'Jessica' wears a lot of pink, and this shows her to be the amiable friend of the main character, and the Cullens are wearing a lot of white, except for the character called 'Edward', he is wearing a dark long-sleeved t- shirt, suggesting that he is different from his 'family' in the way that he thinks and acts, and suggests that he will be thought of differently in comparison to the others, by Bella.

To begin the school sequence, there are establishing shots of the school, which tells the audience that this is going to be central in the film, as it is a setting which teenagers are familiar with and therefore they can relate to the characters within. When the Cullens walk across the canteen after entering, the camera tracks along with them, and this is so that the audience has to watch them, as Bella is doing so, because she cannot take her eyes off of them. This suggests that they will be central to her in the story.

The setting in the school sequence is a busy school, with a lot of students walking around and the diegetic noise of chatting which suggests that Bella does not know anyone and may feel alone, a noisy PE lesson which shows her feeling uncomfortable and out of place as she attempts to play volleyball with her new classmates, and a noisy canteen in which Bella is sitting at a lunch table with her new friends, suggesting that she may be feeling a little overwhelmed about all the people around her, seeing as it is only her first day at this new school.

Overall, it is through the costumes, colours, camera, setting and sound that we can see the aspects of the teen and romance genres in the opening school sequence of the film 'Twilight'.