rough cut

Video criteria

1. Holding a steady shot, where appropriate
2. Framing a shot, including + excluding elements as appropriate
3. Using a variety of shot distances
4. Shooting material appropriate to the task set
5. Selecting mise en scene including colour, lighting, objects + setting
6. Editing so that the meaning is appropriate to the viewer
7. Using titles appropriately

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This is our rough cut:





Feedback:

Mise en scene: Location is of bedrooms and street shots, costumes are stereotypical which show clearly the genre and target audience . Realistic natural lighting. Props: phone, shag list, games console - show characters personalities.

Camerawork: Nice choice of camera angles and panning works well towards the end, successful match on action shot.

Editing: Looks quite realistic, split screening works well.

Sound: Good use of diagetic and non diagetic, especially in the scene where the boy is playing on his xbox.

Generic Conventions: Overall the piece fits the 'teenage romantic comedy' well, particularly the stereotypical characters in their home environment.

Opening sequence analysis

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=qOad3LWnDjg

Mean Girls opening sequence analysis.

Mean Girls is an American teen comedy based on the book "Queen bees and wannabes" written by Rosalind Wiseman.
The film was directed by Mark Waters and was released during the summer of 2004.
The opening scene of the film shows us home-schooled daughter of zoologist parents, Cody Heron (Lindsay Lohan) is unprepared for her first day of public high school. The first part of the film is shown as a black background with the words fading in reading ‘Paramount company pictures presents’, followed by ‘A Lorne Michaels production’. Then lastly the main actresses name ‘Lindsay Lohan’ finishes the title sequence. The font used on the black background is bright, contrasting with the black making it appeal to the teenage target audience and also linking it to the films genre. The sound playing is non diagetic, its piano led music. Suddenly it cuts to upbeat drum music (this creates an exciting atmosphere) when the film title comes up reading ‘Mean Girls’, the title slowly fades.
Two parents are shown; they appear to be talking to a child. A low angle has been used to suggest this. The dialogue also shows this, the parents are acting in a patronising manor by looking down at the child and making sure she has their phone numbers. Cady pops up on the screen having been sat down whist her parents were talking to her; this creates comical mood. The scene changes and Cady goes on to explaining who she is. Clips of steriotypical home schooled children are shown. Cady makes them out to be "freaks" and says how she is nothing like them but that she was raised in Africa and has never been taught with other children while she was growing up. Images of her playing with animals are also shown to.
The scene changes again to Cady outside her new high school. Her parents are saying goodbye to her before she leaves. She then turns around to almost be hit by a bus; this shows her inexperience of living a city life and continues to add comical elements.
On the topic of costume, Cady is dressed plain 'boring' clothing, seperating her from the 'normal' teenagers at her high school.
A point of view shot is shown of Cady walking towards the high school and continues cutting to shots of her walking and back to point of view shots. The camera is shaking for the point of view shots which shows she is nervous.

Location

We are going to do our filming at Charlie's house, in Burwell. We decided on this location as we feel that it would be appropriate as we will be needing three settings: boy's bedroom, girl's bedroom and a street, and the location would offer all of these.

Costume & props

As we have two characters who's personality and style are almost opposite, we will need to think about what they will be wearing and what props they will need to suit their character.

Girl character: typical teenage girl clothes, e.g dress, cardigan, leather jacket etc. The girl character is popular and follows fashion, so therefore, we will have to address this in the costume. The props involved with the girl character will be things like a mobile phone, an iPod, and make-up. To show her popular/rebel image we will also include props such as a 'shag list', vodka bottles and condoms.



Boy character: stereotypical geeky teenage boy. The look we want to incorporate will include the character wearing things such as a geeky hoodie, possibly shorts and glasses. The props included with the boy character may be things such as gaming magazines, books, Xbox, headset and games etc.