MEAN GRLS

dents
Paramount Pictures Presents.
Connoting that paramount pictures were mainly involved in the making of the film and
paid for a lot of the films needs.
A Lorne Micheals Production.
CHARACTERS
The first two characters that are shown is in a point of view 2 person low
angle shot of a middle aged man and woman, the audience may
subconsciously presume that this is a married couple. The male says
'this is your lunch' which connotes that the male is speaking to the
camera, or the character. The audience are made to believe that this
male is talking to a child, then an over the shoulder shot of the two
middle aged people shows a teenage girl, denoting that she is the main
character, she then introduces herself to the audience 'm Cady', and
starts describing her life in the past and how it has built up to the
present, the audience is aware that Cady will be the main character
throughout the film as they now feel that they know this character.
As Cady walks into the school she is surrounded by teens of her age
and seems to be unfamiliar with this height of social meetings.
As Cady walks into her classroom she approaches a tall female figure
and explains who she is and that she is new, thinking that this girl is the
teacher, the girl replies 'talk to me again and ill kick your ass' which
stereotypes teenagers attitudes in modern day.
2 teenagers sat down laugh at the situation that Cady has just been in,
this shows a comedic side of the situation and possibly foreshadows
that Cady may become involved with them in the future.
The subject teacher walks n, to which Cady knocks into her and spills
the teachers coffee all down the teachers front, which denotes that she
will have made a bad impression on the teacher and may possibly get in
trouble which she is not used to, from being home schooled.
An authorative male figure is introduced, showing that he may be
another subject teacher or head of the school as he asks if the teacher
is 'ok'.
MUSC
Traditional African music (eg African
instruments) are played throughout the
opening of the film. This adds effect to the
background story that the audience are
given on Cady's life and adds to the
contrast of the school when trendy 'pop'
music is played when Cady enters the
school. t connotes differences between
cultures.
MS EN SCENE
At the beginning of the opening when the two adults
and a low angle is shown, there are trees behind
them which denotes they could be in a park or
outside their home. A suburban estate is then
shown which connotes that the characters are in a
new environment and don't live in the city.
There are photos shown of Cady's old life in Africa
with the dessert looking Mis En Scene with all the
exotic animals, and the weather.
When Cady gets to the school she turns around and
is almost hit by a big yellow school bus which is
famously known for taking American school kids to
school in. This begins the tense atmosphere as
when Cady is walking up and into the school she
feels 'awkward' and tense.
When Cady enters the classroom there are single
desks and chairs which connote that Cady has
shown up to her first lesson.
At lunch time there are many different tables in the
canteen area, and many different social groups are
shown which connotes that Cady may find it hard
fitting in.
Cady is shown eating her lunch in the school toilets
on her own which possibly signifies that she is
unhappy and is a stereotypical 'geek' and
unaccepted in her new school.
When Cady returns home to her housing estate she
is still unhappy which connotes that she is still
unfamiliar with her new surroundings and possibly
prefers Africa.
REPRESENTATON
There are a lot of stereo typical actions and phrases that happen in the opening
scene of Mean Girls to portray a very modern and comedic setting.
The main character, Cady, is first shown wearing a green jacket and jeans, covering
up her body, which signifies that she could a be a bit of a tomboy and not sociable
with many people.
Secondly, when we see Cady arrive into the school she is pushed by a black female
dressed in black with her hair tied back who is taller than Cady, this is representation
of a bully, possibly foreshadowing that Cady may be bullied in her new school.
Representations of other stereo typical teen social groups are shown, for example in
the canteen there are 'jocks', as well as Asian teenagers, Black American teenagers,
and the 'plastics' whom take up the role as the 'popular girls'.
When the main subject teacher is shown, she is wearing glasses and carrying a cup
of coffee and donuts, the glasses may signify that she was also a 'geek' in her
teenage years and has a boring personality. The donuts may signify that she is lonely
and eats comfort food, which makes the audience feel sorry for this character.
When Cady is instructed where to sit in the classroom by the two 'rejects', one a
female teen with a quirky hair style and the other an overweight boy who obsesses
over Cady's here, possibly connotes and represents homosexuality in the film to add
to the theme of modern society. The director has also thought about this
stereotypically, the odd girl dressed in black with unusual black hair has been
partnered with the emotional overweight boy, who takes desire in women's clothing,
colours, hair style etc. The audience believes that these two characters are
homosexual and are also good friends.
CONCLUSON
To conclude in my
findings, feel that
stereotyping a lot of
different representations,
gets the point across a lot
quicker to a teen
audience.
For example in a horror
film, if wanted to stereo
type a final girl, would
dress her in glasses and
braces, possibly wearing
white to emphasise that
she was pure and
virginal.