Representations/serotypes

A stereotype is common and generally understood idea or set of ideas that are often exaggerated to give a representation of certain characteristics/qualities in people, characters,groups. In teen films there many stereotypes that represent normal people in real life but in teen films they tend to over exaggerate them here are  few below.

Jock

This character in a teens film are stereotypical viewed as the sporty popular guy who is deeply devoted to his sports and nothing else .They often lack intelligence but rely on their looks for success and status. In most films they are the antagonist from the nerds (outsiders) as they mainly bully and pick on them up due to their size and not being attractive and unpopular . Jocks come off in films as rude ,arrogant  they tend to abuse the uses of alcohol and drugs to make themselves seem popular , they also tend to make relationships with girls within their social group such as the 'cheerleaders ,popular  girls' etc. but they often don't last long  as the Jock may develop feelings for a girl outside of his clique which tend to be the 'protagonist' in films or they may fall out due to other circumstances. 

Popular girl

This character in teen films are stereotypical viewed a very popular and extremely good looking, they always have an  high status within school as most girls look up to them and aspire to be like them as they   attract so much attention from the jocks and other cliques.In most films they are also antagonist like  the jocks as they often bully and pick on the outsider, however in some famous teen films  such as 'mean girls' they may follow the story line of which the popular girl takes in the outsider and brings them into their group where they become like them and learn their norms and values. Popular girls come off in films as  unintelligent , self centered and naive. They often are played by characters who have blond hair and white race to enforce the 'dumb blonde' stereotype,the popular girl also tends to come from a upper class family who live the 'American dream' with each family member for fills their stereotype such as the dad is the main breadwinner of the family and has a high paid job and the mother stays at home and lives of her husbands wealth and lastly the popular girl living off her fathers money to buy   material items such as clothes etc. to make Themistocles more fashionable 

nerd

This character in teen films  are stereotypical viewed as very unpopular and highly intellectual and marginalized , they often have a low status within school not having  that much friends and always getting bullied and picked  on by the Jocks.Nerds are very intellectual but this is often the cause of their bulling as this is seen as a negative to people like the Jocks and the popular girls as they believe you should care more about your looks rather than your brains. Nerds take part in activities such as card trading , reading comics  and science fiction novels which are seen as immature and 'child-like' to the rest of the other cliques. They are often shown in films to be of a white background, wear glasses and out of date clothing and have to spots and greasy skin.In most films they have trouble talking to the opposite sex as they feel unattractive and they feel they are out of their league, however in some films a nerd may go through a make over which makes them better looking and more attractive in which case after the make over they get the girl  they like and move up from being a nerd towards a different clique or gain a higher status within school. 

The bling ring

The Bling ring is a teen film following a group of teenagers livening in the sunny hills of California but craving the Los angeles celebrity  lifestyle in order to do this they decide to break into the houses of the rich and famous.
 
The Bling ring is a typically teen film as it follows the codes and convection of a teen film as it includes the different types of characters such as the outsider , rebel, dumb popular girl etc. It also is set in a  high school and typical teenage locations such as the classroom , beach , shopping mall and others 

  The film does well in portraying the materialism and how fashion obsessed our youth is and how we care more about looking good and what people think about us rather than the bigger picture such world hunger  and poverty, also it shows a dark side of how teenagers in today's society are driven mad and crave for this 'popularity ' and the 'lime light'.

 

The clique is represented as a group  of teenage girls that are seen as popular to people but to themselves they think they need to reach to the same level as celebrities, also there are a group of 4 girls which you typically see in teen films with them normally consisting of a leader , rebel and the good looking girl  but however a guy who is seen as an outsider is brought into the group which we rarely see within teen films but it is also shown he is a homosexual which makes it easier to develop relationships with these girls as if he where a heterosexual it would cause a sexual tension with the girls in the group.

 The Bling ring differs from a lot of teen films as we now live in a new era of youth with teenagers now being able to access drugs and alcohol more easily  in which case the film shows the use of it, while the film is still in the genre of teenage film it follows into the movie genre of films like oceans eleven and the bank job but the films manages to dull it down to a teenage level. Also the film exaggerates the hunger that youth crave for fashion and popularity compared to films like 'Mean girls'.

The boy is portrayed as an outsider who has no friends and is seen as quiet until he is brought into the clique of the girls where he develops character and shows what he is really like  which is very similar to the girl (played by Lindsay lohan) in mean girls as she is an outsider that has nothing in common with the popular girls but until she is noticed by them and brought into the group she starts to become more like them and develop friendships with them.

The Bling ring shows a lot of social networking with sites such as Facebook in which case this is how the teenagers get convicted by posting pictures of themselves with the stolen items to seem more popular against their peers .In addition the film also focuses  on celebrities like Lindsay lohan by showing them through media  and news channels and their involvement with the teenage thefts as this is what motivated them to commit the crimes .Lastly consumerism is used to show how the group robbed clothes to make themselves more popular.

Overall i enjoyed the film as it was able to show me the dark side of how teenagers are almost corrupted by clothes and fashion and also  their representation of themselves.

The Bling Ring

The Bling Ring

1. Is 'The Bling Ring' a teen drama and why?

'The Bling Ring' is a teen film as it explores the conventional themes of teenagers and is based upon the special interests of teenagers.

2. Name some of the conventions that make this film a teen drama?

• Themes - Materialism, Cliques, Drugs, Partying, Friendship, Crime.

• Setting - High School corridors, School lockers, Outside section in High school where everyone congregates, Parties, Homes. 

• Characters - The popular mean girl, The outsider, Cliques, The jocks, The black guy.

3. What does it reflect about teens and modern culture?

The film portrays a negative image of materialistic teenagers who value the worth of money and would go above and beyond for money. However, this is a heavily generalised view of teenagers and does not accurately apply to all teens so this is a stereotype. 


4. How is 'the clique' represented? How does this link with other teen drama's you have seen?

'The clique' from The Bling Ring fulfil some stereotypes due to their love for fashion and the urge for consumerism. However, usually, the outsider is a female who is eventually introduced to the clique and grows to become part of it. In 'The Bling Ring' the outsider is a male who becomes part of the clique, however he turns out to be homosexual which allows the clique to function through friendship only, because if the male outsider was heterosexual, there would always be an underlying sexual tension between the girls and him.


5. How does the film differ from the teen drama's of the past?

In 'The Bling Ring' the outsider is a male who becomes part of the clique, however he turns out to be homosexual which allows the clique to function through friendship only, because if the male outsider was heterosexual, there would always be an underlying sexual tension between the girls and him.


6. How is the protagonist (the boy) portrayed in the film? How is this similar to the other teen drama's, (for example the protagonist in 'Mean Girls').

With regards to the protagonist in 'Mean Girls', the audience view the film from the protagonist's perspective. The protagonist usually is from a different state, or country and anti-social. Stereotypically, when the outsider is introduced to the popular clique, they gradually become part of the clique. Like 'The Bling Ring' and 'Mean Girls,' the protagonists get caught up and forget what they value most, e.g. family, old friends, etc. 


7. How does the film represent consumerism, social networking and modern stars?

Social networking becomes a part of how the 'bling ring' get convicted as they post their photos with the stolen items which is how they are discovered. Lindsay Lohan, who has previously been convicted, is embedded within the film. This portrays a negative outlook on modern stars as it illustrates the idea that a celebrity's fans follow their footsteps precisely, even if it means they have to commit a crime. It indicates that teenagers would do anything in order to gain some recognition and fame, even if it's for the wrong things. The 'bling ring' go above and beyond for pieces of jewellery. This shows that materialism has become common to the point where teens would steal if they cannot afford it, reflecting on their urge for consumerism. 

Identification of Stereotypes in Teen Films

What is a stereotype?
A stereotype is a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing. 

An example of this is a mother who is often viewed to carry the burden of childcare and domestic chores:


Stereotypes come with specific characteristics and qualities, in which we identify the stereotypes by. 

Examples of stereotypes in Teen Films:

The Jock
The jock is identified through his popularity and the attention they receive from girls. They are also established through their costumes as they usually wear the football jerseys and tend to occasionally, hold a football or throw it around with his friends. They're typically portrayed to lack intelligence however, rely on their looks to gain success or popularity.


The Nerd
The nerd is identified through their costumes which usually consist of big, thick glasses, a shirt, neatly worn with trousers. Their fashion tends to be very old fashioned and consistent as their clothes don't vary according to where they're going. They're usually extremely intelligent and have a high IQ, and know a lot about technology. They tend to be loners due to their obsession over technology and science. They're conventionally picked on by 'the jocks' who are put together as binary oppositions and therefore, clash due to their differences.


The Mean, Pretty Girl
With regards to this stereotypical character, they tend to be extremely popular, sometimes this is overly exaggerated to the point where the girl's peers almost become her fans. This characterisation usually lacks intelligence and mainly focuses on her appearance and who her current boyfriend is or who her next boyfriend will be. This character is usually sexually active and the nerd grows to envy her as she gains so much attention. This character is usually established through her conventional costume of pink clothing, short skirts, short tops, usually blonde, and wears excessive make up. The character is usually portrayed to be very bitter and self-orientated due to her popularity; some may say "her popularity has gotten to her head". Example from Mean Girls:


The Black Guy
This stereotype brings up a lot of controversy as this character is usually very unique in teen films as the roles usually consist of mainly a white cast. This character is usually very loud and brings comedy to the teen films. They aren't very popular and are occasionally the white, popular male's friend, however doesn't receive the equivalent attention of their white friend. Example from Clueless:


The Rich Kid
This kid is almost always of white origin. This character is usually very spoilt and the character's parents tend to have no control over them and treat them in a very soft manner. The audience are almost always introduced to the 'rich kid's' house which is typically a mansion. The character tends to drive a convertible as a symbol of their wealth and is very well dressed. Example from Mean Girls:

Stereotypes in Teen Films

WHAT IS A STEREOTYPE?

SOME EXAMPLES:

Stoners






Jocks








Nerds






Stereotypes can be seen as bad the majority of the time but sometimes they can be good, for example, yes the nerds aren't popular but they are smart which in the real world can get you really far.

Binary Oppositions in Teen Films

The term binary opposition refers to a pair of concepts that have opposite theoretical meanings.

In Teen films, binary oppositions are portrayed as two theoretical opposites which are strictly defined and set off against one another. In this case, the binary oppositions are conveyed through characters that contradict each other.

Exploration of how binary oppositions are established in '10 Things I Hate About You.'

In this Teen film,the binary oppositions are established through the 4 technical areas:

1. Mise en scene
2. Camera
3. Editing
4. Sound

Watch the clip above from 1:02 - 1:24

In terms of mise en scene, the binary oppositions of the popular girl(s) versus the unpopular loner are established as the cars stop right beside one another, emphasising the difference within the cars as the popular girl(s') car is clean and one colour, whereas the loner's car is rusty, the colour is wearing off and the hood is a different colour to the rest of the car which is abnormal.

With regards to editing, we see the loner who is alone in her car and is wearing all black from the popular girls' perspective, which emphasises the differences between the loner and the popular girls and the group of girls are wearing colourful, light clothes, contradicting the loner's all black dress code.

In terms of camera,  a mid shot is used on the car with the popular girls, in order to capture the whole 'clique.' However, a close up shot is used on the girl, emphasising that she is alone, in comparison to the popular girls who have the company of each other.

With regards to sound, the diagetic sound of the conventional 'girly,' pop music playing from the popular girls' car slowly fades into rock music that is being played loudly from the loner's car as it approaches. This emphasises the opposition between the two characters and how they differ from one another: their taste in music, what they wear, what cars they drive, how many friends they have.

binary oppositions

Binary Oppositions

Binary oppositions are a pair of related terms or concepts that have a complete opposite meaning such as (hot and cold). In teenage films there are many binary oppositions here a few examples of some.

Nerds

Jocks

Popular girl

Unpopular girl

Student

   

Teacher

Genre and Sub-genre Task (1)

Genre and Sub-genre Task
Mainly focused on examples of sub-genres


What is a teen film?

A teen film is a film genre that is mostly targeted to teenagers or young adults as they explore  the special interests of teenagers: first love, teen angst, rebellion, alienation, conflict with parents. However, teen films are not always targeted to teens and young adults as they are divided into sub genres: Teen Comedy, Teen Sci-Fi, Teen Thriller, Teen Romance, Teen Fantasy, etc.

For example, Mean Girls is a 2004 American teen film, with the subgenre of comedy.

Within typical, conventional teen films, the protagonist is usually seen shopping with a group of friends which would appeal to a group of teenagers as it reflects the realism of teens socialising with their peers.



Conventional themes regarding teenagers are usually topics like:

• teen angst
• gangs
• crime
• conflict with parents/adults/authority
• relationships
• lust
• rebellion
• cliques
• friendship
• drugs

 

These typical themes cause the media to portray a stereotypical outlook on teenagers today:



The typical locations in Teen Films are:

• Girls bedroom - This is the location where the girl is usually seen talking or 'bitching' on the phone to her friends about others or typically crying over a break up or some sort of conflict with friends or family.

• School/public toilets - This is usually where the anti-social outcast is picked on and bullied. They usually go the toilets as a hide-out away from the areas where the congregation of cliques takes place.

• School lockers - This is usually where the girl and boy who gradually become love interests for one another, congregate or flirt or make some sort of eye contact.

• The local diner -The social outcast tends to work at a nearby diner where all the popular people go and congregate and give her orders in an impolite way. 

• Parties - This location is where all the popular people go and have fun. Sometimes drugs are involved. Alcohol is almost always involved.

Within Teen Films, the characters are usually based on strong stereotypes. This is one of the generic conventions of teen films. These characters are:

• The typical bully, could be a girl or a boy. They are usually popular and admired by the opposite sex. E.g. Regina George from the Teen Comedy film called 'Mean Girls'

• Popular cheerleader girl - Almost always admired by the popular boys who are usually Jocks.

• The jocks (different cliques)

• The nerd/loner - The social outcast who gets no attention from no one. They're almost always in love with the popular girl who they believe they can never get. In some films, he somehow becomes the popular girl's boyfriend.

Genre and Convention

 teen films are movies they are strictly targeted towards teen within the ages of 13-18, however they can also develop niche target audiences such as adults who enjoy teen films and that type of genre due to things such as nostalgia.Teen films can cover from a wide range of sub-genres such as musical , horror , fantasy , crime and many more. Grease was on of the first iconic films to really introduce and shape the new way of teen films by making the characters in the film seem youthful and happy by using this technique  other teen films created stereotypes of teenagers such as a typical 'nerd' a 'jock' and a 'dumb blonde' with these stereotypes a lot of teens started to watch these films so that they could relate to the characters.

 Characters 

Teen stereotypes, teenage characters within films are mainly based on stereotypes and generalizations of students in high school here are a few:

 jock/scholar: This  character is  seen as the 'dominant and masculine'  character  within films they often participate within the high school sports team and are the top of the  'high school hierarchy', they mainly are the antagonist against the nerd/loner and bully them. They  mainly use the popular girls in school and have relationships with them to gain credit and status from the students in school.

A typical jock sport (american football)

Popular girl/cheerleader: This  character is seen  as the 'popular' character within a film they are often stereotyped to be dumb and blonde and rely on beauty rather than brains, they affiliate themselves with people within their status such as the popular  jocks which they have active relationships with them  they also take part in typical popular  teenage girls activities such as cheerleading , throwing parities and organizing homecoming and prom events.

cheer leading 

Nerd/loner: this character is seen as the 'outcast' within the film they are often stereotyped to be very intellectual but are often bullied and marginalized cause of this, they hardly have any friends or affiliate with any other cliques/ groups. they also experience high levels of bullying from the jocks or cheerleaders.Depending on what genre of a film they are mainly the protagonist and triumph over the popular jocks and cheerleaders.

  

Location

In teenage films there are typical locations

Football locker room:

bleachers:


School/public toilets:



Local plazza/diner:












Bedroom:

Themes 

Teen films have now developed and split up into different sub-genres of teen films such as: Teen/horror

Film-(I know what you did last summer)

Teen/sport

Film-(coach carter)

Teen/relationships

Film-(Juno)

Teen/rebellion

      film-(Youth in revolt)