sound evaluation of 3 teen dramas

Gossip girl 

the first opening sequence i analysed was gossip girl. the first thing that you realize is the dialogue it is whispers and the voice of a women. this is to show that gossiping is done by women and the whispering symbolizes secrets. the music that is used is the sound track is commonly used through out the show it is catchy and up beat to show it is a teen drama. It fits the drama as it is about scandel and gossiping.

glee

the season which i analysed was season 5 and episode one. In this season there is a lot of speech rather than music to start with as the show lost one of their main characters Cory Monteith who died. then each character sings. the whole show is more of a musical as they are a glee group so they always sing. and they sing remakes of songs.

My Mad Fat Diary

this is a teen drama about a young girl who has just left a mental health hospital and talks about how she makes new friends and finds love. 

in the opening there is no music just speech. and the character introduces her self. then there is rock music played to show that she is a fun and outgoing character also rock music portrays wild attitudes and outgoing behavior which is what the show is about. rock music is also mainly sung by independent artists and has got a lot of meaning behind it which is meaningful as this drama is about how having mental issues can effect a person 

sound or music used in teen films

the type of music that is usually used in teen films are either RnB or pop music sung or rapped by artists that are big in the pop industry.
this could be for example: Drake, Katy Perry, Little Mix, eminem ect. these are all huge artists that are relevant to present generations it is rare to see country music or songs without beats being used as they may not fit the story line that well. we have been asked to find music that is copy right free.

this is because if we use music that is not it becomes illegal as the song doesn't belong to us and if we post it on you tube or other social networking sites it would be breaking the law.
This is why we use creative commons this is a website that gives a range of copyright free music which can be used when we make our final project. there are also other ways like using GarageBand and layer our own music to make our own tracks.

 i fould that cc mixer and jamengo were to complicated to use and therefore i have concluded that sound cloud is the best place to get copyright free music from.

order of titles

order of titles 

Almost ever film starts with the titles. This is to show who the minds behind the film are and to give them credit for their work. it mostly starts with the ident of the film producer for example universal or marvel following the directors and producers. If the film is a very successful one they usually show the characters to make the film more popular. it then follows the camera crew and costume designers. and finally it ends with the directors again to give them more credit.

this is the order of the title in the film 'the roommate'

1. Screen Ident of the distributor (Screen Gems )
2.  Distributor title presents 
3. Title of production company ( Vertigo Entertainment ) 
4. Title of film (The Roommate ) 
5. Name of star actors 
6. Casting by 
7. Costume designer 
8. Music Supervision By
9. Music By
10. Edited By 
11. Production Designer 
12. Director of photography 
13. Executive Producers 
14. Produced By 
15. Written By 
16. Name of Director 

Researching Blogging Post on Music

1.)

 Cyberbully

The opening of the teen drama movie 'Cyberbully' is started off with the song 'Chit Chat by Hannah Georgas'. The song can be described as explosive and energetic.

This is the official video of 'Chit Chat by Hanna Georgas' from YouTube.

It relates to the protagonist's mood and character during the beginning of the movie as it is her 17th Birthday and she is joyful.

2.)

Kidulthood

The teen drama film starts off with a tech-like remix. the song is called '08'Remix by The Angel'.

It creates a confusing and troublesome atmosphere conjoined with the dimness of the opening frame lighting. It foreshadows the havoc and trouble happening in the latter stages of the movie, creating a dramatic film for the audience to look forward to.

This is the '08'Remix by The Angel' song used for the opening of the movie.

Submarine Blog post

Our task was to import sound from Creative Commons into the beginning of the movie 'Submarine'.

It is important for us to use sound that is copyright free because it is Legal and helps us be more innovative and original in media.


This is a screen shot of a track from Creative Commons under Sound Cloud, the song is Drake- Girls Love Beyoncé Feat. James Fauntleroy

 To download we chose the download option, a track also has many other options such as Like, Re-post, share, play/pause etc.

This is a screen shot of the Creative Commons website, as you can see it is fairly easy to operate; It has a search bar and a simply display system for the Sound cloud option. Most tracks are unavailable for download as they need to be paid for however we did manage to find some good songs that would suit the film, after coming to a conclusion we decided to choose the song 'Fort Minor- Where'd you go- Instrumental.

The Breakfast Club Film

Evaluation of filming the breakfast club

Evaluation Of Filming

In order to recreate an efficient shot remake of the opening scene  the breakfast club we had to film the EXACT shots displayed in the opening scene of the breakfast club. Firstly, we acknowledged that a majority of the shots used were still so we decided to use the digital camera to take snaps of the still shots. After a while, we realised that this wouldn't be effective as when we started editing it would more like picture rather than video. We then used a JVC video camera to film all of our shots. 

Our storyboard consisted of  all the shots used in chronological order and the type of shot, this made filming easy to do. Some scene were very easy to film for example: we had to film a close up of clock - there was a large clock in the canteen so this was fairly easy to do. Also filming long shots of the corridor, eye level shots of the canteen and high angle shots of the classroom were easy as they still shots. 

In Conclusion we found that filming was a success as we managed to film almost all of the shots used in breakfast club and also they were the same. On the other hand, we couldn't cil all of the shots theta were included in the first scene due to the fact that we didn't;t have access to a gym. In addition we didn't have any access to cars so we film toy cars instead and drew the background. 

Planning The Breakfast Club

The Breakfast Club - Planning

Firstly, We planned our shot by shot remake of the opening scene of The Breakfast club by creating a storyboard of the scenes. 
We did this by looking at each scene of the film  and screen shot each shot before placing it onto our storyboard and writing a small caption describing the shot type, camera angle and camera movement. 
This was a fairly long process however we completed it without any difficulty. 

The second stage of our planning was to appoint a character from The Breakfast Club to each member of our group. We then discussed the costumes and props needed to accomplish our task of creating a shot by shot remake of the clip from The Breakfast Club. We wrote descriptions and a list of props for each character. Props or costumes that weren't available were cancelled out and we found an alternative. The costumes of our characters were determined by the stereotypical views of their personality. 

The third stage of our planning was to write down all the locations in our college that are similar to the locations in the scenes of The Breakfast Club. We wrote down the order of the locations to make it easier when filming. 
Finally, planning was concluded after a summarisation of each stage. 

Order of titles

No matter how popular or expensive a film is, all films NEVER begin without displaying some sort of titles for instance; production company, name of director etc. Titles are put in a specific order at the beginning of films, a majority of films generally have a similar order in which they present their titles to the audience however some films have a completely different order.

Example of order of titles from the film "The Roomate"

1. Screen Ident of the distributor (Screen Gems )
2.  Distributor title presents  ...
3. Title of production company ( Vertigo Entertainment ) 
4. Title of film (The Roomate ) 
5. Name of star actors 
6. Casting by ...
7. Costume designer 
8. Music Supervision By.. 
9. Music By.. 
10. Edited By ..
11. Production Designer 
12. Director of photography 
13. Executive Producers 
14. Produced By ... 
15. Written By ...
16. Name of Director 

Donnie Darko Camera & Editing

Throughout the opening clip of the film Donnie Darko a variety of camera shots and editing techniques are used in order to establish the different persona's of the alternative characters/groups and to capture different locations.

Slow motion 

Slow motion is used when the bully makes his first appearance in the clip. Slow motion helps us to understand that this character is the bully as the audience focus more on his actions. The bully makes an unpleasant and intimidating face at the three "handsome boys" whilst walking straight through the middle of their group rather than politely moving out of the way. The slow motion also strengthened our understanding that he is quite superior in high school as the three boys suddenly departed when he walked through the corridor. In addition, slow motion is also used to emphasize a shocking point in the clip where the bully casually sniffs cocaine in the corridor and the teachers spotted him but didn't do anything. Maybe this was slightly exaggerated but it certainly represents teenagers in high school as it's likely a small minority of people in high school will take drugs with friends.

Whip Pan 
Whip pan used occasionally used  in the clip to quickly move from one social group or character to another. This speeds up the pace of the clip to keep the audience constantly entertained and to help us to instantly apprehend the difference in characters and social groups.

Tilted Movement
A titled movement is effectively used in order to display the outcast in high school. The camera slowly tilts down from the statue to a chubby girl who is reading by herself. The audience have an impression that she hasn't got any friends due to her chubby appearance and this is probably why she is isolated and reading. Sadly, this is an accurate representation of outcasts in secondary school as nobody wants to hang around with "chubby" people as it would ruin their "cool" image that they are trying to portray.

Wide Shot 

Towards the beginning of the clip a wide shot is used to establish the main location of the film which high school. The mise en scene revealed in this shot such as school kids and the school children give the audience an impression that the film will be based in high school.

StoryBoard

The Breakfast Club costume and prop planning

Costume

Bernard- Will be playing the character of "the basket case". He will need to wear dark clothing, in a gothic style, to portray his insecurities. Specific clothing include black jeans, and a hoodie of a dark colour.

Mohammed- Will be playing the character: 'the athlete'. He will need to wear sporty clothes. specifically a baseball jacket and trainers.

Tasnia- Will be playing the role of the 'princess'. She will need to wear feminine clothing which should be relatively colourful. Specifically jewellery and a skirt.

Saheba- Will be playing the character of the 'criminal'. She will need to wear clothing that insinuates her rebellious such as denim, boots and gloves.


Props

Props will be needed to add emphasis on the roles of the characters. Specifically:

• cigarettes/ shisha pens (The Criminal)
• perfume and lipgloss (The Princess)
• basketball (The Athlete)
• headphones over his hood (The Basketcase)

Donnie Darko Analysis

Locations and Mise-en-scene

The locations used in the clip are classrooms, a playground and corridors are within a school in America.

The mise en scene used to let us infer the school location is mainly through costume and setting. From the setting we can see there are lockers, classrooms, school buses, students and teachers; which all connote to 'school'.

Costume is used to differentiate the characters, for example students at the school wear a uniform, portraying a lower status contrasting to the teachers who wear a suit or dress. The characters' below wear their respective bags on one shoulder, making themselves out to be cool, other ordinary students would wear their bags ordinarily. Donnie Darko however doesn't wear his bag, leading us to perceive him to be a rebel and problematic as he doesn't obey the rules. 

Props are also used to express characters' personalities and hobbies, an example is the female teacher who is portrayed to be strict and intolerant through holding a book called 'attitudinal beliefs' which shows she is a strong deducing character. Another example of a prop used to give implications of a character is when the clip shows a girl reading a book alone- her character can be inferred to be lonely, rejected and unwanted.  

Donnie Darko Character Analysis

Throughout the clip from Donnie Darko there are a range of different characters.
The first characters we are introduced to are a group of three boys, one of which seems to be the main character. The initial impression we get from this character is that he is a quiet well behaved boy, who keeps to himself and only has a small group of friends.

The second character we see is the school rebel. We can tell this straight away because of his entrance, which is quite dominant. He walks in by himself, which insinuates that he is independent. He seems confident, careless and superior as he mocks the other students and he has an anti school sub - culture as he takes drugs.

Another character shown in the clip is the pretty girl, or the 'school beauty'. We can tell this because she is shown looking in the mirror, which portrays that she takes pride in her appearance and cares about looking good. She is alone because perhaps the other girls see her as too prestige or it may be because she is independent and confident enough to walk alone.

Other characters include teachers. There's the headmaster, deputy head.
and subject teachers.

There are a group of young girls, who are younger than the first characters shown. They are in a clique.

There is a character who is shown briefly. She seems into her education and lonely, because she is by herself while others around are socialising. She may have low self esteem or possibly gets bullied.

The variety of characters shows diversity amongst the students in the school.

Order of titles in JUNO

Pretty In Pink Order of tittles

Title Sequence Of Pretty In Pink

Juno order of titles

Analysis of a teen film

21 Jump Street 


Genre 
An american action comedy

Story line
21 Jump street is about two police officers Schmidt and Jenko who are forced to relive high school when they are assigned to go undercover as high school students to prevent the outbreak of a new synthetic drug and arrest its supplier. In order to remain undercover they are both given new identities and personalities - their undercover names are Brad and Doug McQuaid.  Jenk and  Schmidt are former classmates who meet again at police academy. Schmidt was a chubby nerd obsessed with Eminem while Jenko was a popular but underachieving jock. However in there new identities Schmdit is a popular individual studying Drama whereas Jenko is a nerd who studies science. 

Target Audience 
The film aimed mainly at teenagers or young adults as the main characters are undercover as teenagers at high school. It appeals too teenagers as teenage events such as Proms, exams, crazy parties are all included  therefore teenagers can relate to the topics explored in the film. 

Representation of characters 

Schmit is a chubby nerd who is used to be bullied during his time at high school as he was a nerd who loved science, his chubby appearance didn't do him any justice either and this explained why he wasn't so popular with the ladies. This was an accurate representation of how nerds/ chubby children are currently treated in high school. During his police investigation his identity was completely changed to the exact opposite of himself - he studied drama instead of science and begins to take the more social approach to high school rather than the educational approach. As a result, Schmidt manages to fit in with the popular kids and takes a romantic interest in Eric's friend Molly. This challenges the stereotype that you have to be a jockey in order to receive popularity and chicks as Schmit acheives this despite his chubby unfashionable appearance. He gets caught in this life to an extent where he almost loses his close friend Jenko due to dilemmas with his prom date and spending more time with his popular friends such as Eric the drug dealer. 

Jenko had no problems back in school as he a handsome jockey who received plenty attention back at school however this alll changed when he received his new identity as he studied science instead of sports and drama. Attempting to remain undercover Jenko spent alot time with nerds and without realising he was slowly becoming a nerd as time progressed despite his handsome appearance. Again this challenged the common stereotype of a nerd as you sin't have to wear glasses, or be ugly to be a nerd. 

Themes explored within the film

• Prom 
• Relationships  
• drugs 
• parties 
• school fights 
• Crime 

Analysis Of Teen Movie: Let Me In

LET ME IN - TEEN HORROR MOVIE 

Let Me In Movie: Trailer Analysis

Shot Distance:

• When the man is about to kill the woman in the car whilst she is waiting at the rail road crossing, there is an over the shoulder shot which demonstrates that the woman is being watched. This creates tension and suspense because we know something will happen. The dramatic irony adds to the effect because we, the audience know that the man is there but the woman does not.  This helps promote the film to it's target because it taps into all the key conventions of the horror genre, violence, blood and murder.
• Extreme close up of the boy’s eyes when he is listening at the wall and hears a scream. This creates tension because the audience are able to see the emotions and reaction of the boy in detail. We are able to see the boy’s fear which is a convention of the horror genre. The close up allows the audience to analyse the emotions of the boy and creates tension because the audience sees that the boy is afraid, helping to promote the film.
• Long shots used at beginning of the trailer to show the village, assembly hall and surrounding area. The scene is set as a quiet town, reinforced by the narrative and the text shot. These establishment shots are a feature of trailers.
• High angle crane shot when the girl is jumping off the tree. This exaggerates distance and the fact that there is action creates excitement. The fact that the camera is looking down makes the audience feel as though they are looking down at the people under the tree. This make the watcher feel as though they are surveying the situation and so it creates fear. This emphasises the supernatural atmosphere because the girl can fall from very high without injury.

Camera Movement:

• In the tunnel, the camera is tracking forward. This is done deliberately to give the audience
  the feeling that they are the character in the trailer. The tracking creates a first person view and creates a feeling of intimacy because the audience will feel they are part of the story and part of the situation. This reinforces the codes and conventions of the horror genre because it creates a tense atmosphere. It also helps promote the film because the audience feel involved in the trailer
• When the girl is having a violent fit, the camera zooms in and out continuously. This creates a sense of fear and tension which are both important conventions of the horror genre. The zooming action itself can be interpreted as violent to further emphasise the scene. The camera movement helps promote the film because it creates suspense amongst the audience and they will want to know what is happening.
• The camera tracks back when the police chase is happening. This is to create a sense of speed and action. It reinforces the codes and conventions of the horror genre because it is a tense moment and the audience feel excited. This promotes the film because the audience will want to watch the film.
• At the beginning of the trailer, there are a series of deliberately static shots. This helps to emphasise the location of the movie and set the scene. This reinforces conventions of the horror genre because the town looks quiet and peaceful. It also promotes the film because the audience will be interested as to why a quiet town is the setting for a horror film.

Editing

• There are many scenes that are linked with a dissolve effect, in particular the scenes between the girl and the boy. This editing creates a sense of peace and possibly romance and emphasises the relationship between the girl and boy. This is a subtle convention of the horror genre because usually in a horror film, everything is calm before something bad is about to happen. This promotes the film because their relationship will interest the audience.
• Towards the end of the trailer, the edits are accelerated and fast paced. The jump cuts create a sense of action and excitement, which are conventions of the horror genre. This also helps to end the suspense building up throughout the trailer. The fast edits help to promote the film to the audience because the audience will feel excited after watching the trailer.
• At the beginning of the trailer, there is a series of fade in and fade out edits to link several scenes together. This effect helps to link the scenes and helps to set the scene and location of the film. This is a convention of trailers and helps to promote the film to the audience because the start of the trailer will get people interested in the film.
• When the boy is lying in bed, there is a slow zoom and a sudden jump cut when he hears the scream. This acts as a convention of the horror genre because the edit is sudden and creates fear within the audience because the jump cut is unexpected. It helps promote the film to the audience because it will make the audience jump and they will want to watch the film
  
  

Sound (Diegetic & Non – Diegetic)

• At the beginning of the trailer, there is a sound bridge in the form of a voiceover. This is when the setting and location for the film are being set. The voiceover helps to link the scenes together and act as a back story for the plot of the film. This is a convention of a trailer because the story is being set at the beginning. It also helps promote the film because it will get the audience involved and interested.
• Throughout the trailer, there is a steady drum beat which represents a beating heart. This creates a rhythm for the trailer and creates a mysterious/sinister atmosphere. It is a convention of the horror genre because when someone is scared, their heart beats faster. It promotes the film to the audience because it makes the audience feel a certain way. (e.g. fear, suspense, mystery)
• At certain parts of the trailer, there is screaming. Screaming is a common convention of the horror genre because it represents fear from the characters in the film and shows that they are afraid. The screams are a convention of the horror genre because they will scare the audience. It also helps promote the film to the audience because the audience will want to watch the film for the thrill they will get from fear
• Also throughout the trailer, the young girl makes low growling sounds. This sounds unnatural and mysterious because it is not familiar to the audience. It is a convention of the horror genre because in horror films, there is usually something supernatural like monsters and growling could be a sound that a monster makes. This hints to the mystery surrounding the young girl. It helps to promote the film because the audience will want to find out more about the girl and her true nature will interest them.

What happens in the beginning of a film

Before a film starts, Institution indents are displayed to the audience to show us who the distributor and broadcaster of the movie are.

  After the Institution indents are shown, it is then followed by the production company who have contributed to the film with funds.


Universal studios and Paramount pictures are two massive production companies who help fund blockbuster movies.





 
Warpfilms is an example of an independent film production company who fund for low-budget films.





The title sequence tells the audience the name of the film they are watching, it is often followed by the names of the main characters of the movie and the director, producer etc.

Here is an example of the title sequence used from the movie Transformers, it also includes the name of the director-

Michael Bay.

Joyful music for a film would be appropriate.

Music is also used in the beginning of a film to establish the mood appropriately, a tense horrific instrumental might be played for a horror film, whereas a romantic movie would start off with something more joyful and gleeful music.

Establishing shot of Big Ben, London.

Establishing shots are used to 'establish' the location/setting of a movie to make the audience aware of where the event is taking place.

Also, the storyline of the movie needs to be recognized by the audience, often films also foreshadow what is to happen in the latter stages of the movie.