Evaluation of Film Opening

Media Coursework Evaluation

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Final Media Product - Our Film Opening

Storyboard for filming

When filming, we were told that to make it accurate and to know what we are doing when we begin to film, we should create a storyboard using Celtx to follow while filming. We have had to alter our storyboard to fit the change from the two parents being shown to just the brother and sister characters, as we believed this works better. A few of the photos haven't rotated as planned however it states below what it should be.

Script for filming 

Preliminary Continuity Task

The preliminary task we did had to involve filming a character opening a door, walking across a room and then sitting down in a chair opposite another character who then have a small conversation. We were told that this task had to include a shot/reverse shot, the 180 degree rule and a match on action shot. We believe we successfully carried out this task using elements of continuity and then editing the shots together to complete it. 

Final Planning

Plot Synopsis - Changing Places
To ensure that we knew how to put together our opening and what to include, we had to not only know what was typically correct in general to openings of teen romance films, but also what is specific to our film. We have been asked to come up with a plot synopsis of our film, generalizing the plot and what will happen so we will have more of a detailed insight into some of the aspects to use in our opening.

Teenage girl, who brother dies when she was younger, lives in the countryside with her mom and dad however due to tension and arguments, they decide to file a divorce, so the girl and the mother move out of the countryside to the city in a new house. Unfortunately, due to the events which have occurred within their family, the mother and the girl do not get on very well and tend to stay distant from each other. Due to the new settlement, she has to continue school at a new high school where she fits in with the stereotypical ‘geeky’ group. Within this group, there is a male character in which she becomes very close friends, practically her best friend. She goes around to his a lot, where she meets his older brother. Through several events, she ends up falling for him, regardless of the fact he is stereotypical popular male and she is an average yet slightly geeky girl. After a while, she realises that maybe he isn’t the one she really likes, but her old best friend, his younger brother is.


Character Profiles 
1) Character Name
Kate
Costume

Past - Child clothing (bright colours such as yellow, white, pinks to connote the happiness and youth)

Present - Teen clothing (dull colours such as black, greys to connote the unhappiness)

Characteristics

- When we see the character as a little girl, she will only be very young so most characteristics don’t show through however we aim to show her being happy and enjoying the time with her family while they’re playing around. Also want to show the closeness she has towards her family.

- When we see her at towards the end of the scene we want to show that she is lonely due to events she has been through.

Gesture/Movement

- When she is little we will see her happily playing and running around with the brother, mom and dad.

- In one shot we will see her swinging around with her brother 

- When we see the character in the present, we will see her walking slowly around, slumped over, and unhappy.

- When she is listening to her parents argue, we will show her sitting on the floor/standing up and trying to cover up what she can hear.

- When we see her in the urban setting, being the city centre, we will show her walking slowly and alone to put emphasis on the fact she is lonely. 

Representations

When she is a child, we want to represent her as a normal and happy child with a supporting and happy family surrounding her however when she is older, after her family fall apart, we will try to represent her as troubled and lonely. This is a common representation of teenagers to be troubled and distant from their family. 

2) Character Name
Charlie


Costume
A typical 4 year old boys clothing - blues, greens

Characteristics
- Although we have decided that later in the plot, he will pass away, we want to show his character as a child being happy and playful, particularly with his little sister.

Gesture/Movement
- Playing with the family
- Running around
- Swinging around with Lottie (younger sister)

Representations
- How he is a beloved brother to Lottie will be shown through the several shots of them together and playing around

3) Character Name
Hayley

Costume
Motherly clothing - happy

Characteristics
- At the start she will be a happy, caring Mother and wife who clearly loves her children. 

- As the opening sequence move on we will see her become an unhappy person who's relationship with her husband is falling apart.

Gesture/Movement

- Playing with family.

- Having fun, no slummed gestures. 

- Do not see her when there is arguing.

Representations
- In shots with the family having fun connoting she is happy. Death of the son ruins her and her relationships with her husband and her daughter, which is common with child deaths. 
4) Character Name
Adrian
Costume
Stylish male clothes.


Characteristics
- Happy Father playing with his family.

- Later on, arguments with his wife showing his devastation of the death of his son.

Gesture/Movement
- Happy playing with children.

- Do not see again

Representations
- Represented as a happy Father who is seriously effected by the loss of his son. Typical cause of a child death.


After filming the beginning of our opening scene, we realized we couldn't use the two parents as planned in our opening, so to draw the audiences attention to the relationship between Kate and Charlie (brother and sister) in the past, we used these two characters only. We feel that this works better as the voiceover thoroughly describes the relationship between the girl and her younger brother, so this relates well to what the audience see in the scene. We have still used the younger brother, Charlie along with the main female character, Kate, when presenting the past at the start and towards the end, we are still using Kate in the present, as a older teenager. 

Location

Country setting

Clent – It is a nearby, countryside setting, which is what we needed to involve in our opening scene when we are showing the past setting. 

OR

Kate's garden - as traveling to Clent may be difficult to reach, we have come to a decision that we would film in Kate's back garden as it could pass as a country setting. 

Urban setting

Birmingham City Centre – This is the setting we will use for a short period of time at the end of the opening scene to use for the present setting.




Rehearsal Schedule

Who?

Kate- Female Main Character

What?

The rehearsal is going to involve:

• Facial expressions and body language being practised to fit in with the shots for the sequence so that the actress is aware of what she is expected to do
• A run through of the whole sequence so that the shooting of the extract runs smoothly

Where?

In the Media Room - a quiet setting so that there are no distractions and enough space to run through the script

Time Dedicated number of scripts needed:

We are planning to spend roughly an hour on rehearsing the first two minutes of our film. We need four scripts so that each member of the group, and our actress can see clearly a copy.


Shooting Schedule Example
Date/day: 

Sunday 27th February 2011

Location  

Clent (countryside setting for majority of filming) 

Actors

Kate -  Older female character

Charlie - The Brother

Lottie - Younger female character

Props

Costumes

Toys for children

Technical      

Camera

Tripod  

Scripts

Notes 

If the shooting is not as successful; planned a reschedule.


This was the original shooting schedule however one person in our group was unable to make this date therefore we remade the shooting schedule. 
Date/day: 

Friday 4th March 2011

Location  

Kate's (member of our group) back garden 

Actors

Kate -  Older female character

Ethan - The Brother

Ellie - Younger female character

Props

Costumes

Toys for children - cuddly toy

Bubble machine

Swing

Technical      

Camera

Tripod  

Scripts

Storyboard

Notes 

If the shooting is not as successful; planned a reschedule


We filmed on a second date for the scene in the urban setting;

Date/day: 

Saturday 12th March 2011

Location  

Birmingham City Centre 

Market/Selfridges area

Actors

Kate -  Older female character

Props

Costume - typical older teenager clothing

River Island shopping bag

Handbag

Technical      

Camera

Tripod  

Scripts

Storyboard

Audience Research

We knew that to create a successful opening sequence to a teen romance film, we had to find out the target audience and what their preferences are for a opening of this genre. Therefore, we had to gain a detailed and in depth insight into what people would like to see from our work, so we created and handed out 20 questionnaires in which we got a varied audience to complete. This advantaged us by using a larger sample of people as we would get a broader view as to what we should include in our opening. 
This is a copy of the questionnaire in which we handed out

1. How old are you?
10 – 15   ____
5 – 20    ____       
20 – 25   ____     

2.  Are you male or female?
Male ____
Female ____

3. How do you prefer to view a film?
TV/DVD  ____
Cinema  _____
On the computer  ____

4. How often do you view films?
Once a day  _____
A few times a week  ____
Once a week  _____
Every few weeks  _____                 
Hardly  _____ 

5. Circle which one out of the following teen romance films do you prefer the most?
Mean Girls  _____
500 Days Of Summer  _____
A Cinderella Story   _____
Dear John  _____
The Notebook  _____
Angus Thongs and Perfect Snogging    _____
Other ___________________________________________

6. What is the normal setting you would expect there to be in teen romance film?
High School    ____                          
Beaches and Outdoor Areas    ____  
Workplace    ____                                
Party’s    ____                                
Other   ________________________________________________

7. What certificate do you prefer the film to have?
12 ______
15 ______             

8. Do you prefer the main character to be the…
Geeky girl who gets with the popular boy    ____   
Popular girl who falls for the geeky boy_____            
                                                         
9. How would you prefer themes to be displayed in a teen romance?
Love throughout ____
Roller coaster of themes e.g. heartbreak    ____     

10. Would you prefer the film to consist of stereotypical characters?
Yes   ____
No  _____   

11. Do you like the opening of the film to?
Reveal the main characters                 ____       
Show the setting with no characters    ____      

12. Do you like the main character to do a voice over on the opening?
Yes   ____                      
No    ____                 

13. Do you prefer the opening to be all real life or with cartoon aspects?
Real life    ____          
Cartoon    ____       

14. Do you prefer the film to start in the past or the present?
Past        ____           
Present    ____    

15. Do you prefer the titles to be at the beginning or end of the opening?
Beginning    ____
End           ____    

16. In the opening sequence, do you like to be shown a lot of information about the film?
Yes     _____
No   _____


Summary of Results
After collecting back our questionnaires, we had to gather the results to see the responses to each questions. Here is a summary of our findings;

Question 1 – How old are you?
10-15: 5 out of 20 people who filled out the questionnaire were fitted into the age group between 10 to 15.
15-20: 14 out of 20 people who filled out the questionnaire were fitted into the age group between 15 to 20
20-25: 1 out of 20 people who filled out the questionnaire were fitted into the age group between 20-25

Question 2 - Are you male or female?
4 out of 20 people who filled out our questionnaire were male
16 out of 20 people who filled out our questionnaire were female

Question 3 - How do you prefer to view a film?
TV/DVD: 8 out of 20 people who filled out our questionnaire preferred to view a film on the TV/DVD.
Cinema: 10 out of 20 people who filled out our questionnaire preferred to view a film at the cinema.
Computer: 2 out of 20 people who filled out our questionnaire preferred to view a film on their computer

Question 4 - How often do you view films?
Once a day: None of the people answering our questionnaire viewed a film every day
A few times a week: 4 out of 20 people answering our questionnaire viewed a few films every week
Once a week: 11 out of 20 people answering our questionnaire viewed a film once a week
Every few weeks: 2 out of 20 people answering our questionnaire watched a film every few weeks
Hardly : 3 out of 20 people answering our questionnaire hardly watch films

Question 5 - Circle which out of the following teen romance films you prefer the most?
Mean Girls - 3 out of 20 people preferred Mean Girls out of the list
500 days of Summer - 3 out of 20 people preferred 500 days of Summer out of the list
A Cinderella Story - 3 out of 20 people preferred A Cinderella Story out of the list
Dear John - 5 out of 20 people preferred Dear John out of the list
The notebook - 4 out of 20 people preferred The Notebook out of the list
Angus Thongs and Perfect Snogging - 1 out of 20 people preferred Angus out of the list
Other - None because they don’t like romance

Question 6 - What is the setting you would expect there to be in teen romance films?
High School- 11 out of 20 people expect to see a high school setting in teen romance films
Beaches and Outdoor Areas-3 out of 20 people expect to see a beaches/outdoor area setting in teen romance films
Workplace- 1 out of 20 people expect to see a workplace setting in teen romance films
Parties- 5 out of 20 people expect to see a party setting in teen romance films
Other- none

Question 7 - What certificate do you prefer the film to have?
12 - 7 out of 20 prefer for the film to have a 12 certificate
15 -13 out of 20 prefer for the film to have a 15 certificate

Question 8 -Do you prefer the main character to be the…
Popular girl falls for the geeky boy - 10 out of 20 people prefer the main character to be the popular girl
Geeky girl gets with the popular boy - 10 out of 20 people prefer the main character to be the geeky girl.

Question 9 - How would you prefer themes to be displayed in a teen romance?
Love throughout - 6 out of 20 people prefer the theme of love to be displayed throughout the film
Roller coaster of themes - 14 out of 20 people prefer a roller coaster of themes to be shown throughout

Question 10 - Would you prefer the film to consist of stereotypical characters?
Yes - 9 out of 20 people would prefer the film to consist of stereotypical characters
No - 11 out of 20 people would prefer the film to not consist of stereotypical characters

Question 11 - Do you like the opening of the film to reveal the main characters or show the setting with no characters?
13 out of 20 prefer the film to reveal the main characters
7 out of 20 prefer the film to show the setting with no characters

Question 12 - Do you prefer the opening to be real life or with cartoon aspects?
Real life - 18 out of 20 prefer the opening to be real life
Cartoon - 2 out of 20 prefer the opening to be cartoon

Question 13 - Do you prefer the film to start in the past or present?
Past - 13 out of 20 people prefer the film to start in the past
Present - 7 out of 20 people prefer the film to start in the present

Question 14 - Do you prefer the titles to be at the beginning or end of the opening?
Beginning - 9 out of 20 people prefer the titles to be at the beginning of the opening
End - 11 out of 20 people prefer the titles to be at the end of the opening

Question 15 - In the opening sequence, do you like to be shown information about the film?
Yes - 11 out of 20 people like to be shown a lot of information about the film in the opening sequence
No - 9 out of 20 people like to be shown minimal information about the film in the opening sequence 


Summary of findings
We were asked to create a multi media presentation which would show our general findings from the questionnaire. We also used this presentation and our findings, to develop our ideas for the creation of the opening sequence of our teen romance film.
 

Research into Institutions

We have chosen to co-produce the film- Touchstone Pictures and Summit Entertainment are our chosen producers because from our research we have evaluated that Touchstone has produced a variety of teen romance films in the past such as The Last song ,A Lot Like Love etc., as well as Summit Entertainment who have also successfully co-produced films from this specific genre. This makes them suitable to produce our film due to their experience with teen romance films. Also, Touchstone and Summit Entertainment’s successful co-production of Step Up 3D inclines our group to use these companies for the film.

We have chosen Summit Entertainment as our distribution company because it has distributed many successful films such as Step Up, The Twilight Saga, Letters to Juliet, Sex drive etc. All these films relate to the teen romance genre, which fits in with our film genre and increases the likelihood of our film being successful due to Summit Entertainment’s experience with the genre. This specific company is also part of a vertically integrated organisation as it both distributes and produces films. This is significant as it means that the profit from our film will be split between two companies, also due to there only being two companies, it means that both distribution and production can be done within one company which altogether benefits the process. Summit Entertainment is an independent company, this is important as it means that they specialise in one specific area which makes the distribution process more accurate and successful.

Overview of Findings

After analysing five openings and three whole films of the genre teen romance, we have gathered an in depth, detailed overview of what a successful opening should look like. To conclude our findings, we have took a note of what we found was common throughout the openings and the whole films

Full length film analysis 

Stock Settings

Findings;  

• Throughout many of the films me and other people in my group analysed, there would commonly be a contrast between urban and rural settings. A stock setting of many of the films are inner city areas however, there is sometimes an occasion in which the main characters visit a more rural area such as a beach. Textual Evidence; of this would be be that in films such as Princess Diaries, A Cinderella Story and New York Minute, the whole film is set in an urban area, however in The Last Song, the main character moves from New York City to a beach setting in southern Georgia. 
• High schools were also a stock setting throughout a lot of the films our group analysed.  This is a common concept of teenage life to attend high school therefore is a obvious setting to be used to show their lifestyles. Textual Evidence; of this would be films such as Mean Girls, A Cinderella Story and Never Been Kissed which use the high school the main characters attend as their stock setting. 
• We also found that it appears to be key to introduce the stock setting or region as a whole first before the characters are introduced. 

Stock Characters 

Findings; 

• The stock characters were very much so the pretty, blond and popular female character who falls for the handsome, 'jock' type male figure. This links to the fairytale type of storyline. Textual Evidence; of this would be in Mean Girls when Regina George gets with Aaron Samuels and also in Dear John. 
• The main male character often has a key interest in a certain sport. Textual Evidence; of this would be Will in The Last Song, Aaron in Mean Girls, and Austin in A Cinderella Story. The sport varies but usually makes them a popular 'jock' character.
• We also found that another common pairing was for the female character to be an outcast and more geeky who happens to get together with the 'hot' male character. Textual Evidence; of this is used in A Walk to Remember, Princess Diaries, Mean Girls, A Cinderella Story. 
• The stock characters are usually part of a particular clique, whether this is the female or male characters, and the cliques tend to be very separate from each other and don't involve in social activities with each other. Textual Evidence; this is displayed very well in Mean Girls, A Cinderella Story and Step Up.

Themes

Findings; 

• Love and romance are the obvious themes displayed in all of these films because of the genre being teen romance and these are displayed through various different features.
• Death of a close family member commonly appears to be apparent in this genre as it affects the main character. Textual Evidence; of this would be in films such as Raise Your Voice, A Cinderella Story, The Last Song. 
• Jealousy is often portrayed as a theme towards the popular girls, as the outcast girls often are shown to feel threatened by them. Textual Evidence; Mean Girls portrays this aspect with Cady attempting to become like the popular girls and succeeds.
• Heartbreak and a 'rollercoaster of events' within the relationship often occur in teen romances due to other people.

Narrative

Findings; 

• The typical narrative we found throughout many of the whole, individual films we looked at to start with introducing us to the main character in which the film focuses on, usually popular or an outcast type character, then to meet a boy. As the relationship progresses, there are ups and downs which affect this relationship. In most cases this returns to a happy ending. Textual Evidence; of this would be in practically all the films we watched. Films such as Dear John are affected more in a negative way than others.
• Some of the films end on a more negative note. Textual Evidence; in A Walk To Remember, the main female character dies due to cancer. 

Iconography

Findings; 

• In the US, drinking is illegal under the age of 21 however a lot of the films show an element of drinking within teenagers such as at house party's. This shows the rebellion within teenagers and that this is a common  Textual Evidence;  Mean Girls and The Last Song show this. They also show sex, drugs as well as alcohol and this is a common concept which surrounds the teenage generation.
• Cars are often shown in the films which are set in the US which means driving is legal at the age of 16. 

Film Opening Analysis 

 

Creating an enigma 

Findings; 

• Almost all of the films watch create some sort of enigma, whether this is by not showing characters or not highlighting setting, we are still left needing to know more information. An example, in Step Up, we are not shown any key characters and only shown vague examples of what the setting is like. The use of this helps to keep the audience engaged by using the element of surprise, as they will be left longing to know what happens.
• They are a very common element to use and appear to be successful. 

Introduce Key Characters
Findings; 

• Characters are often not introduced until the end of the opening sequence as they seem to be secondary to setting, for example in Princess Diaries. 
• Characters are often introduced in their primary setting, usually their home for example in a Princess Diaries and New York Minute.

Introduce Key Themes

Findings; 

• Step Up shows a key contrast between two groups of people which helps identify the possible themes of jealous or rivalry between the two groups being displayed.
• A Cinderella Story introduces the immediate theme of love between the girl and her father which doesn't necessarily reflect on teen romance, but still highlights the theme of love for a family member

Introduce Genre

Findings; 

• Many of the films introduce stock settings in which we would associate with this genre for example, with Step Up, we see a place in which two groups appear to socially interact through dance and for the two groups of people, this could be where they commonly interact with each other. 
• Family is often associated strongly with the genre of teen romance as teenagers, in most cases, live with their parents as they have no reached adulthood yet. A Cinderella Story shows this aspect in the opening sequence by her father and her being the main focus. Also, in Princess Diaries we see the main girls mother.

Use of Titles

Findings;  

• The titles are very often in brighter colours, with the exception of A Walk To Remember and New York Minute, we often see yellows, pinks, reds which connote the romance but also the innocence of youth. The black which is occasionally used could connote the rebellious attitudes towards life. 
• Not many people, especially teenagers being their target audience, take much notice to the titles, this is why although some of the films do take up around a minute purely through title sequences for example 

Introduction

For our A-level coursework, we have been asked to create a two minute, opening extract for a film with a genre of our choice. After discussion, we have decided to base our extract around the genre of teen-romance. To develop our knowledge of this area, we have researched several other films of this genre to see what are the typical codes and conventions, particularly in the opening scenes.

Textual Analysis

Five openings - first two minutes

A Walk To Remember, 2002

The first thing we are introduced to on the screen is the recognisable Warner Brothers Pictures introduction sequence with the signature music played alongside which then leads on to a black screen when moving animation is used to created the company, Pandora’s title. Over the Pandora title, we begin to hear noises of cars and voices which we immediately think are teenagers riding around in cars as we already know the genre’s focus is the lives of teenagers and what they get up too. As this begins to fade out, we hear a big “woo” sound of a male. The speech and sound here combined connotes fun and the action of whatever is being hid from the audience, however by hearing them but not seeing them, they have created an enigma as we do not know what there are doing therefore the only knowledge we have is what we can hear. After we hear the “woo” sound, the screen fades to black and this is when the non diegetic music kicks in which almost starts the film off. The music has a distinctive beat to it which sets a rhythm to the title sequence as a whole. We can still only see a black screen with white writing over the top which states the two production companies again and also the main characters and the title of the film itself. We would usually expect in a teen romance to see bright colours such as reds, whites and pinks used to connote the romance and youth essence of the film however by using black and white, it connotes a contrast between two possibly groups or personalities of characters shown further on in the film- black representing trouble makers and white representing the good characters.

The screen then flashes into a still shot of cars headlights flashing off. This is a useful mid shot as we heard the noises of the car earlier on so the audience would be familiar of the cars at this point. The title sequence in whole took up nearly one minute of the two minute opening scene. The music continues throughout the scene and we see a side ways tracking shot used to follow three cars and the characters which get out of them. While this is happening non diegetic music is being used and diegetic speech from various characters, also various actors names are still being shown over the scene in white writing yet it still stands out as the atmosphere and lighting used in the scene is very low key and at night. This is different to what we would expect a typical teen romance to start like as a common stock setting is a high school or persons home however this setting is an unrecognisable and mysterious outdoor place. We see males and females get out of the cars therefore reinforcing the idea of romance and youth relationships. As tracking is used to follow another car pull up, we see a boy and girl leaning up the side of the car kissing which suggests rebellious attitudes in youth and this is a frequent representation of youth in films. A young male then gets out of this car and the camera zooms in on him and focuses on him more than the other characters which suggest he is the main male character in the film. Tracking is used again to follow how he interacts with the other characters; they all seem to acknowledge his presence a lot therefore suggesting he is the popular boy. This aspect of their being the popular boy in teen romance is a very common concept and is usually the male to be the second character of the main romance. We see the male characters mimicking the two girls and looking down on them which is a stereotypical aspect of males throughout the media of being the higher power, so here we see it is still present in teenage years. The two minutes of the opening scene finishes with a male character pushing a female character. This shows the negative aspect of youth feeling they can do what they want and shows again their rebellious ways. Many attributes of teen life has been shown in the first two minutes however it doesn’t give much away in the terms of setting or main theme throughout the film as all we have seen is a rebellious gang of teenagers and their current mode of transport.

The insight this extract has given to me of teen romance films is that it is likely that the opening scenes of this genre tend to use an enigma to create various situations in the audience’s mind of what is going to happen. Teen – romance is a fairly simple genre as it is clear what the film will be about, however by doing this, they have highlighted that it may not be so simple and shows a different side of teenagers to what we usually see. 

A Cinderella Story, 2004

A Cinderella Story is very much a typical teen-romance film. The film begins with the Warner Brothers Pictures introduction which lasts for approximately twelve seconds which then gradually fades out into a black screen. Soft, elegant and girl music begins to play in a non diegetic form alongside this black screen when text is introduced in italic style writing. Both these elements but mainly the sound added give a possible indication that this film will highlight a lot on femininity within teenage girls. This screen then quickly changes through a straight cut to a very fast moving tracking movement over a mountainous scene with titles including the main actors and actresses continuing to be shown over the top. The mountains immediately create an enigma as this is a very strange setting to be introduced firstly too as it is not a usual stock setting for this genre, so the audience would question where the film will go from here and if it will stick to its particular conventions. The quickly paced tracking, which could connote the hectic lives of teenagers, then slows down into a long shot of a picturesque scene of a ‘fairytale’ castle. This links back to the name of the film its self being ‘A Cinderella Story’ as Cinderella is a famous story of a girl who lives in a castle so the audience would somewhat relate the shot being given to the film as a whole. As the camera zooms in towards the castle, the title in the same italic font is shown across the screen. A voice over then begins of what sounds like a teenage girl describing a fairytale story from when she says “Once upon a time…” but unexpectedly, as the camera zooms around the castle, it then zooms out to show that it wasn’t really a real life castle but a castle in a snow-globe and we see a man holding it with a little girl beside him. Once the shot changes to the normal setting of a little girl and her father (we know this from the voice over) the tone of voice of the narrator’s changes to a much more informal and chatty voice, which is very similar of that to an everyday teenagers. Teenager’s girls are often represented as chatty characters so the use of a voice over is good at reinforcing this stereotype of youth being outspoken. The two shot of the young girl and father looking over the state of Los Angeles suggests that they have a close relationship and the rest of the film may be somewhat based around this relationship, however what we do notice is that the voice over character speaks of this period in the past so the audience would assume the little girl is her as a child.

Non diegetic upbeat music begins as we see a tracking shot of a car with the young girl and her father inside. The voice over here continues to talk in a positive way about the relationship however again we notice what she says is in the past tense for example "she was her dad's best friend". For the audience, this would create another possible enigma as they would be interested as to know what has happened to him now as different possibility's could be the answer. So far in the opening scene, we as an audience are not shown how this film relates to a teenage romance which indicates that the film develops further throughout. This appears to be a common feature across many teen romance films I have looked at. Titles are continually being shown over the scene to address actors and actresses. The stereotype of girls is next challenged by a long shot of the young girl and her dad playing baseball together on a pitch. Girls, in America particularly, are stereotyped to be mainly prioritised by peers, their appearance and social concepts so to see a girl playing baseball with her father is something different to what we would expect to see. The camera then straight cuts to a diner which we know is her Dad's diner from the voice over, therefore suggesting it is a popular setting throughout the film and a potential stock setting for the film. The opening two minutes ends with the little girl attending her own birthday party in the diner with a group of people around her talking to her about what she is going to wish for when she blows out her candles. Seeing a this film has already been influenced by a fairy tale, the 'wish' she makes here could possibly be explained in the rest of the narrative.

All in all, the opening sequence of A Cinderella Story mainly focuses on introducing characters, setting and the activities they participate in. It is interesting how it focuses on past and present, by showing the past however using a present voice over to explain. By doing this, the audience would feel they know the characters much more, especially the female character being the little girl in the opening sequence. 

 The Princess Diaries, 2001

The opening sequence for The Princess Diaries begins with the Walt Disney Pictures intro piece. The screen then fades to a black screen, then fades in to a light blue background with titles appearing on the screen stating the name of the film and other features. Slow piano music is played in a non diegetic form while this happens. The slow music connotes the elegance of a Princess and the blue background ties in with the innocence too which would suggest to the audience the film is based around femininity. A tilt is used from the shot of a blue background two tilt down.This is when the audience realise the blue was in fact the sky, and the tilt movement then sits at the top of the San Fransisco bridge. This informs audience of the regional identity as the bridge is a landmark. The camera stays at a high angle shot looking over the bridge and skyline. This then fades into another scene of a long road (long shot is used) revealing two motorbikes with sirens and a limo behind it with flags on. Which then again fades into a point of view shot from the side of the limo looking at the two motorbikes in front. This shot clearly reveals some importance to the limo and creates an enigma as we question, who is inside the limo? What relevance do they have to the film? Or even, is this the Princess we hear about in the title? The idea of girls wanting to be like Princesses in their youth is a common concept as a lot of girls are portrayed in films as wealthy and always getting what they want. These questions may be explained later on. Another key thing about this camera shot, is that while the camera follows the car, a flag which is attached to the limo waves in front of the camera. It is not clear what flag it is but it could represent a foreign country. A fade is used again to another screen using a crane shot over a what looks like a San Fransisco residential area and we see the limo and motorbikes on the road going off into the distance which creates an enigma as they were relevant at the very start yet now the focus has gone from them. We see here that the opening sequence so far is very much about identifying the characters whereabouts and the stock settings which is a common convention of all the opening sequences to teen romance films I have looked at.

The camera moves around to face a building in a more close up view to the others and we hear a woman shouting "Time for school!". Here we know that the teenager the film focuses on is still in presumably high school and in the window the camera faces on to, we see a sign with the name 'Mia' on it. The audience will presume the teenager is a girl called Mia. So we are introduced to two of the characters in a discreet way in the first two minutes. A straight cut is used into a bedroom of a girl in a uniform, with glasses and big 'frizzy' hair opening the blinds on a window with the sign behind it stating her name behind it. As this shot is shown, a different non diegetic sound is played which is more suited to teenagers with a pop/rock sound to it which is identifiable for teenagers, the films target audience. The change from soft and elegant music to this pop, rock music suggests that many teenagers dream of fairytale lifestyles where they are like Princesses yet this contrast states that really, the girl we see is only a teenager in a normal, day to day life. The appearance of the girl is very different to what we may expect to see in a teen romance. It is common too see a pretty, 'hot' blond in a teen romance as the first character we're introduced to but here we see a very different, 'geeky' looking character however we still presume her to be the main character throughout this film. We hear a woman shout again saying "Your going to be late for school". Teenagers often have to be encouraged to get up and to attend school so teenagers would relate to this character for this concept. The messy room we see behind her  with clutter everywhere could possibly connote a teenage girls mind, with all the confusion and problems of growing up. We then see the girl talking to the cat - this is quite an odd concept as people don't usually talk to cats they are just there as a pet so the audience may consider that she doesn't have many friends or she is quite lonely. We are then shown a low angle shot of her coming down two sets of stairs. The idea that her bedroom is so high up suggests her being separate from whoever else lives in the house and in favour of her own space. Many teenage girls feel the need to have independence in the family home and they tend to stay away from family members to avoid teenage troubles. Titles are still continuously being shown over this identifying actors/actresses. The shot then moves on to her placing the cat down and holding on to a pole. A low angle shot and a tilt camera movement is used to watch the girl slide down the pole. It is not a normal feature to have a pole in a home setting therefore this connotes that her life may be very different to many, or it reflects on her unique personality and need to stand out. The sequence finishes with a high angle shot of what we suspect to be the mother climbing down a ladder onto the bottom floor with Mia next to her. 

What we have learnt from this opening sequence is that progressive development of setting appears to be crucial in identifying the lifestyles of the characters and the characters themselves. It also helps represent class and regional identity for the characters. Also, the character goes against the classical convention of the popular girl which is a good idea for a future concept as it mixes up the stereotypical version of teen romance.

Step Up, 2006

The 'Step Up' opening sequence begins with the animated introduction by Constantin Film which identifies the production company. A fade to black is used to introduce another production company being Summit Entertainment. Another fade to black is used then a fade in when we begin to hear sounds such as clanging around and muttering voices, and with this we begin to see a long shot of girls in ballet outfits walking into what appears to look like an indoor ballet gym or possible a school which would be a typical setting for teen romance. The titles appear over this as the girls begin to stretch as if they're going to prepare themselves to dance. For a first introduction to the film, the scene of ballet dancers can be quite confusing as it is hard to see how this links in with the genre of teen romance however progressively through the opening sequence we can see how this can be successful. This then quickly fades out to a different and much darker setting, which helps intensify the contrast between the two settings. The first one with the ballet dancers is very well lit with high key lighting however in this setting, it is hard to pin point the appearance of each character shown. We can see in the second setting that the characters are not in a formal setting and from the way they are acting eg. dancing in and greeting one another. This suggests that this film involves two different crowds or societies, and the clashing or joining of these two groups. The second time we see the 'informal' setting, the title for Step Up forms across the screen and this is where the non diegetic sound track begins. It is a very up beat/hip hop soundtrack which resembles the dancing seen in the informal setting but doesn't fit well with the ballet dancing which could again suggest a clash in cultures.

As soon as the music starts, the opening sequence switches in between the two settings and shows the ballet dancers dancing in routine and also the urban dancers dancing. The dancing is very much in time with the music which helps with the rhythm and pace of the sequence. The idea if dancing being put forward as the main purpose highlights the fact that in teenage years, many teens have a hobby or a favourite activity they could possibly want to pursue for a career option, so to show two very different groups of people, taking part in the same activity could possibly make the audience believe that this is the reason these two groups are linked.

There are lots of mid shots used on the dancers feet in both scenes which highlight the different movements of the characters. I think varying the camera shots is useful in opening scenes as it gives the audience different perspectives of characters they are being shown, and of setting. In the previous three openings I have looked at, it seems that setting is highlighted much more than this one however the contrast between the two create many enigmas such as is the apparent difference in setting relevant to the romance? Is the narrative of the story about a girl and a boy from different social groups or different areas? These are just two of the questions which could be asked after seeing this title sequence. The same scenes switch back and forth for the full two minutes with titles being shown over them. The main thing in this title sequence is that it doesn't pay any attention to introduction to characters, or a central setting and only a very limited hint as to what the plot may be, but just simply shows two clearly different groups of people dancing in different settings.

New York Minute, 2004

The opening sequence for New York Minute is very different to what we would expect. The typical Warner Brother Pictures introduction is used, visually, as it always in however the recognisable music which accompanies it has been altered so it is the same tune, however guitars are used to make it sound much more 'rock' like. This automatically, before we have seen any of the titles, suggests that the film may have a rock music element to it however the audience are very limited in terms of knowledge. Once this has finishes, the Warner Brothers screen is wiped out behind a huge clock hand while quickly paced, non diegetic music is played over the top of clock bells in a diegetic form. The camera is used on a crane to zoom out at the watch then go round the opposite side and through the surface of the watch revealing the inside clockwork. This creates a very big enigma as we wonder, what has the intricate detail of a clock got to do with a teen romance. This film also contains the elements of drama similarly with other films however it is the same case being that it creates many possibility's as to what this is being used for. Titles are played over the top such as production companies, actors and actresses and so forth. The camera continues to continue through the clock work in different directions until it slows down and we see a girl running past saying "I'm late, I'm late". We realise that surely this can't be reality as the setting is so unreal so we start to suggest that this could possibly be a dream. The reference to her being late is a typical concept of teenagers, as they are stereotypically lazy and very often find it difficult to meet times and deadlines. She then enters through two double doors, and as she enters, the camera straight cuts into a very white hall or a room and creates a mid shot of her face. The actress is a very 'pretty' blond girl which would could connote the typical character of a teen romance film and possibly the main character as she is the first person we are introduced too. The camera switches to show the white hall which appears to be on the underside of the clock face as on the floor you can see the clock surface and hands appear, there are also doors on either side and the camera then returns back to a mid shot using tracking to follow her running down this hallway. The enigma is still the main focus as this is very thought provoking in the fact the setting is very unclear, and also, is it a vivid dream being explained for a purpose. 

The camera then shows a midshot of a male figure popping his head around the door saying "Are you reading for your speech Miss Ryan?". Here we gather information about the female character as we now know her surname and we also realise that she is worried about giving a speech but what this speech is for is still unknown. Teenagers tend to face many problems of various sorts which cause stress and feelings of being worried, so the target audience of this film would relate to the stress we see her in. The same thing (people popping their head out of various different doors and asking her questions about her speech) happens a total of three times, and this leads on to the screen splitting into two, forming a mirrored reflection of the same image (her rushing around trying to open many doors). The camera then zooms into one door quickly and a bright light flashes to reveal a midshot of the girl from behind on a stage facing a crowd of people. Long shots are used to show the audience by zooming in from a distance to show their reactions when she appears, which is laughter. This supplys the audience with the information that she is clearly doing or wearing something which creates humility and this realates to many girls who, in their teenage years, feel that they have something embarresing about them and feel like people are judging them for it. The camera switches back and forth showing her face in shock replying to the mass of people laughing with "what?" and again, showing sections of the audience laughing. She then steps out behind a stand in which she appears to be naked. This is when we realise, this is most likely to be a dream as this wouldn't happen in real life. 

This section of the sequence finishes with the camera on a crane zooming out from her hiding her body parts with her arms screaming, to reveal a large building which continusly moves away from revealing a large city land scape. We still hear her scream however the camera turns and shows New York Central Park which is when we see the title for the film appear across the screen. The camera continues to 'fly' very quickly in and out of New York showing different areas at a large scale from a big height, the pace of this could connote to the pace of a teenagers lifestyle as most teenagers lead hectic lives with a lot happening. It continues to do this until it reaches a road and the camera enters a window of a house and finishes with a extreme close up of the same girl we saw at the beginnings eye opening with an alarm playing. This confirms that what we saw was a dream yet the audience would link her and the speech we heard about together. Her room is very girly, with pink walls and bed linen which connotes she is a feminie character who takes pride in her appearance. The sequence ends with her walking down a staircase preparing breakfast. 


In conclusion, this opening sequence is very dramatic compared to the others I have analysed which contains a lot more technical detail. I believe this causes a lot more confusion with the audience however it does enable them to become much more familiar with the characters personality and lifestyle and less focus on setting.

Analysis of three films

After analysing the opening scenes to five teen-romance films, we have been asked to to a similar analysis based on three whole films to give us a more in depth understanding of what this genre includes and the conventions it holds.

The Last Song, 2010

Plot Summary

 In this film, it starts of with us being introduced to a female character who appears to be fairly distant from her family. Her mother takes her younger brother and the female character, being Ronnie, to their fathers who lives in a house on the beach. Her parents are divorced therefore Ronnie and her brother, Jonah, are going to their fathers for the summer period. For some reason unknown, Ronnie, although sharing a particularly keen  liking towards music, dislikes her father and ignores him as much as possible.  Her father spends a lot of his time producing a centre piece for the church, being a stained glass window in which Jonah learns to help him with. She begins to explore her new temporary setting and the people within it by visiting local hang out areas, however the 'new girl' is looked down upon by the stereotypical cliques within teenagers which results in her meeting the wrong crowd of people and participating in social events which she doesn't feel are right.

 Ignoring this, she results in meeting the stereotypical handsome, volleyball player who is the popular male with teenage girls within this society. After several ups and downs of meetings and arguments, she realises she has fell for him, and so forth they gradually progress their relationship into what they call 'love'. With their relationship blossoming, the sad news is presented to Ronnie and Jonah when they find out their father has a terrible illness which will unfortunately lead to death. Ronnie decides to fight the idea off and stays with her father while he gets ill to look after him and to give him back the time she was so nasty to him. While this is happening, Jonah continues working on the church piece as a present to his father with Will's help (Ronnie's boyfriend). Will comes clean to Ronnie that before she arrived, he was responsible for a church fire in which her father was a victim in which she breaks up with him for. As her father falls more ill, we see her focus more on music, the element of her life in which her father loved the most and wanted her to pursue a career on. When their father passes away, the song her father wrote for Ronnie, she played at the funeral and the church is renovated for the occasion with the stained glass window, completed by Jonah used as a dedication. Will arrives to the funeral unexpectedly and apologises for his actions. In this sense, the films end with a happy ending as the couple are re-united however the loss of the father lives on behind this happiness.

 

Stock Settings 

In many teen romance films we would tend to see high schools or house party's being the stock settings throughout, however this film varies on settings and are not the average stock settings we would usually expect in this genre;

Ronnie and Jonah

Throughout this film, one of the main focus points is on the beach in which her father lives on. This is a place where we are introduced to a lot of the characters, and is especially important as it is where Ronnie and Will meet each other. It appears to be the setting where social interaction is most likely between Ronnie and the other characters surrounding her. Beaches are often renown for being a peaceful setting with tranquil views which could be used to connote a side to Ronnie's character which is hard to see through the drama she is surrounded by. It appears to be an escape in many ways for the characters to roam when they are troubled by problems which is common in teens.

Ronnie and Father inside home

 When looking at the concept of their family life, her fathers home is a stock setting used throughout the whole film. It is where Ronnie and her father try to create a strong relationship and is where their talents shine through. Most teenagers still live at home so this is the obvious connotation of this however, for it to be their place of comfort and where their talents are noticed more is used successfully in this film as it highlights the steady relationship.




Cafes, Will's home, cars, weddings, churches and shops are just some of the other settings shown in the film however they are not necessarily settings we would associate with teen romance dramas as typical settings would usually be shopping centres and social events.

Characters

Ronnie and Will

Ronnie Miller - the main character throughout the film. She is the character in which the drama within the film revolves around her and her daily lifestyle. She has a unique style and is not what we would expect to see in a teen romance however this challenges stereotypical nature of this genre. 
Will Blakelee - is the second item of the main relationship throughout the film. He is the stereotypical popular boy who is into sports and is seen as good looking.

Steve and Jonah

Steve Miller - This is Ronnie's father who shares a very distant relationship with her (common in teens keep distance from their parents). After the divorce, they didn't speak for 3 years. The presence of Steve in this film is vital as the film appears to be solely on the progression of relationships. 
 Jonah Miller - This is Ronnie's younger brother who she appears to engage with only when the should. He appears to be the character who helps keep their family together as he is always encouraging them to attend places together.

Themes 

> Love

> Loss

> Heartbreak

> Conflict

What A Girl Wants, 2003

Plot Summary

 Since she could remember, Daphne aged 17, always longed one day meet her father. A downtown New York girl leaves her mother, Libby, to go to England for a search to find her father. Interestingly enough, he has no idea she exists. Libby and Henry, her father, married in Morocco however the upper class family didn't approve of his choices so the relationship washed out until she left, despite the close relationship they had, she never returned. When Daphne arrives in England, she almost immediately meets Ian, the young humble musician who is keen to help her. However her focus is still on meeting her father, so she goes to extreme lengths by breaking into his estate who he mistakes her for being the press seeing as he is in the midst of campaigning for the election. After being caught, and after she explains herself as to who she is, the shock that Henry has a daughter begins to kick in. Glynnis and Clarissa, his fiance and step-daughter are threatened by Daphne's shock appearance at first sightings and take it into their hands to see she is not around for long. Regarding this, the leading lady, Jocelyn Dashwood, of the estate soon takes a liking towards her and lets her stay in their home giving Daphne more time to bond with her father. 
 As Henry attempts to form Daphne from wild, New York teenager to upper class, sophisticated lady, it means she is attending events way out of her comfort zone. Clarissa and Glynnis continue to make life very hard for her to try and get her to go back home. While this is going on, Daphne and Ian remain close friends however their relationship blossoms half way through the film. He isn't keen on the 'new' Daphne and prefers the old one however her priorities are on pleasing her newly found father which causes Ian and Daphne to fall out. 

Stock Settings

Social Events/Estates

Within this film, showing the importance of social class and wealth seems to be an important feature. Daphne is a normal teenage girl who lives in a downtown apartment in New York, whereas her new life in London is a upper class, aristocrat family. The differences are clear, however by showing the large mansions and displaying various events which take place, it exaggerates the fact that this lifestyle will be much harder for Daphne to fit in with.

Characters

Daphne and Ian

Daphne Reynolds - She is the 'new girl in town' from a different country who doesn't particularly fit in with the standard British way of life. Her bright personality brings fun and trouble to the upper class social life of her fathers.   
Ian Wallace - Is the object of love for Daphne throughout this film. He is the person in London who she meets first and  from this he to help her achieve her goals. As an ambitious musician, he tries to win her heart with songs and passion in a way which appears to be much older than their age.

Henry Dashwood

Henry Dashwood - The father in which she never knew. After finding out he had a daughter, we see his life turn upside down as he tries to figure out what is best for his real family, Daphne, or his family as he knew it to be. As an upper class man in society, Daphne's out-going personality is a lot for him to handle however, the relationship grows between them and surprisingly his old one, between him and Libby (Daphne's mother).

Glynnis and Clarissa

Glynnis Payne - Henry's new wife. With a prim and rude personality, her and the news of Daphne do not go hand in hand however with Daphne refusing to leave, she has to put up with the craziness brought into their family. She goes to extreme lengths to get rid of her. She resembles a typical fairytale view of 'evil stepmother'. 

Clarissa Payne - The evil stepsister who feels as if she is being replaced by Daphne. Her rude, arrogant and jealous ways cause her to be disliked by a few however this doesn't stop her. 

Themes 

> Love
> Loss
> Acceptance
> Friendship
> Jealousy/Envy

Dear John, 2010

Plot Summary

 Army seargent John Tyree returns to his home, on a two week leave from Germany. Returning to his father and friends, he has limited time to relax. However he meets Savannah Curtism, a student at the University of North Carolina, after he saved her bag which happened to fall into the sea. She too is on break from university and is in the midst of building a house for a organisation. After spending everyday with each other, they fall in love practically at first sight and he begins to help her with the house. Johns father becomes a important element of their relationship, as Savannah takes a liking to him although John doesn't talk much with him however after watching him she suggests he may suffer with autism and. When they two weeks break comes to an end, Savannah promises to write to him for the next 12 months until he returned. However when John is asked to stay put in the army due to 9/11 attack, he therefore doesn't see Savannah for years and when he finally returns in the future, she is married with another male. When the realization that Johns father is ill, John sells his fathers coin collection for money to make him better. It ends with a happy ending.

Stock Settings

• The beach is an important setting as this is wear Savannah and John first meet. It seems to highlight the fact that teen romances are usually not family based or home based but in social areas and this is wear we see them as a couple a lot. 
• Other settings include family homes, the building site, army base and many others however none of these show significant importance

Characters

John and Savannah

John Tyree - Being raised by his father, he took a big interest in coins just like his father. After a rough past, he meets Savannah before his leaving date back to the army and happens to fall in love with her. He is the stereotypical handsome, ex bad boy male who turns good when in love.

Savannah Curtis - The pretty girl who falls in love unexpectedly but then, after he leaves the for the army for a long time, she marries another male which blows out the relationship. She is the person to inform John that his father may have an illness and is also a very kind person.

Mr Tyree

Mr Tyree - This is John's father, he is an unexpected main character of a teen romance however his importance is constistant throughout the film. he shares the same interests with his son, and although talking to him, Savannah becomes fond of his father and spends a lot of time talking to him. He is diagonoses with autism and his illness effects the people and his actions within the film

Themes

> Love

> Loss

> Bereavement

> New Love
> Illness