Boyz n the Hood (Analysis)

Boyz n the Hood

Boyz n the hood is a powerful hood drama distributed by Columbia Pictures in 1991, it was written and directed by John Singleton. The movie addresses the situations of those growing up the hood, throughout the movie they show that most are exposed to violent crime, drugs, temptation, and even unjust harassment by the police. The movie was primarily aimed at young African American males, this is confirmed by the message displayed at the beginning of the film.

Through the 3 main characters Trey, Dough boy and Ricky the director helps to represent the average black male growing up in the hood. 

Trey (Cuba Gooding Jr.)

Trey is moved to go and live with his dad (played by Laurence Fishburne) when his mother (played by Angela Bassett) grows tired of him constantly acting up in school, in her doing this she not only puts him on the road to become a man but also subjects him to the danger of his environment.His character is set up as an almost "neutral" party as he represents the constant struggle between good and evil in a child as a result of their surroundings, Dough boy being the "evil" and Ricky being the "good". 

This is also shown when they are children, the camera frames the three of them so Trey is in the middle while the two brothers Dough boy and Ricky are fighting behind him. This further shows that throughout the movie he is constantly tempted to follow his friends despite the ramifications.

Ricky (Morris Chestnut)

Ricky represents the person trying to be productive with his life and get out of the hood. He is a teen father and is looking to go to college on a football scholarship. He is unsuccessful in the matter as he shot by local youths as result of a prior disagreement.

This was one of the most unfortunate and memorable deaths in the history of film, Ricky wasn't a gang member or delinquent but simple a teen father trying to make a life for himself and make sure he can provide a good life for his son. I talk about him as if he is a real person, because for many of the intended audience this was a real person as they may have known someone like this.

Dough Boy (Ice Cube)

Dough Boy however shows the person who is a clear product of his surroundings and has submitted to its ways of life, he is put on the path to crime at the tender age of 10. Some may argue that the absence of a father/ father figure in his life has resulted this to happen, it may also be because of Ricky being the apparent favourite child, it is implied that the "favorite" may be because of their different fathers. Dough Boy's mum (played by Tyra Ferrell) seems to be less affectionate towards him than Ricky through her actions in the movie. She would speak in gentle, loving tones to Ricky but speak harshly towards Dough Boy. When they both were fighting she walks over to them and slaps Dough Boy then turns around and comforts Ricky. This type of behaviour may have caused him to feels inadequate and so act out.

Through the presence of these characters they connect with their target audience, because they are relatable and are carried out realistically and with such passion. On some level this also connects with those outside of their audience as the chosen themes cover a wide perspective. 

Teen Spirit Movie ( Analysis )

Teen Spirit Movie 

I normally watch teen movies when I am bored, so I came across this movie and thought I would analyse it. 
This film is about a really popular high school girl, who's goal was to become prom queen shortly ends after she dies by being electrocuted, her only way into heaven is to help an unpopular gain popularity to become prom queen. When the unpopular girl gains popularity, she takes it to her advantage leaving her old friends behind and trying to attract male attention. So this involved her actually being noticed by the boy she had a crush on because she became popular.

Popular Girl and Unpopular Girl Becoming Friends

What I Thought
I thought that this movie was very interesting because it shows the trials and tribulations of teens in an American high school. This film caught my eye because it shows the popular girl becoming friends with a girl that the audience would have thought, to be very unlikely.

I think that most of these unpopular teen girls, in movies like this just need to be themselves and not worry about what others have to say about them..


Audience
This movie would be very suitable for young teenage girls, who may struggle to fit into their high school. This movie would also be good for popular girls who think that not everyone is right to be their friend.

Bling Ring (Analysis)

Bling Ring
(2013 USA)
Written and directed by Sofia Coppola

Bling Ring is a teen film that is based in a true story of a group of five teenagers one boy and four girls, who take part in the typical modern-day teen stuff, like using Facebook, taking photos 'Selfies' and discussing the latest celebrity gossip. These teens broke into celebrity homes stealing and using the celebrities goods for their own selfish purposes. They found the location of the houses by simply searching on Google.






This shows what the modern day clique' (group of friends) is like and that they stick together. But when something goes wrong they can all split up and turn against each other.














The main genres of the film are Biography, Drama and Crime. Some of the Sub-Genres include friendship, money and school. 

The film overall was alright I most likely would not watch it again, because it is a film that I would not normally like to watch. It did not influence me because I know not to go around into celebrities houses committing a crime.

Bring it on: All or nothing (analysis)

Bring It On: All or Nothing is the third installment in the Bring it On series of films that revolves around high school cheerleading. Directed by Steve Rash, the movie was released direct-to-DVD on August 8, 2006 by Universal Pictures

Starring:
Solange Knowles
Hayden Panettiere
Rihanna








In this film, Britney Allen, the head cheerleader of her crew is told by her parents that they are going to move which means that she would have to move schools as well. Even though she had promised to no longer cheer again, when she arrives at her new school (which is quite ghetto) she has no other place to fit in but the cheer squad, so she does start to cheer again. Whilst at her new school, she is given a hard time by the head cheerleader there, Camille who always refers to her as "white girl". Whilst she tries to fit in she starts to fall in love with one of the boy cheerleaders Jesse but this doesn't start off very well, all because she still feels the need to cling on to her old life. She breaks the trust of her new squad when she lies to Camille about going to the home coming dance of her old school. Britney then realizes that she has to let go of her old life for her old life to succeed.

Film Trailer

Camille:

She is the head cheerleader at Britney's new school. She can be very mean (especially to Britney), she is also very bossy which she is sort of permitted to do because she is in charge. She also fulfils the stereotype of black girls being rude by the way she talks to her squad and especially Britney.







Britney:
She is what you would call, a typical white girl. She is also a bit of a dumb blonde at times. At first she is a victim to Camille however she learns to over come that.

Girls in the hood?!

Boyz in the Hood is probably one of my favourite films of all time and for the movie review assignment I knew I had to use this movie. To do the movie justice I knew I had to rewatch the film (although I've done so around 9-10 times), and doing this made me rekindle my passion for 90's hood films. This started a chain of viewing watching other films such as; Menace II Society, Dead Presidents, Set it Off, Juice (featuring the late Tupac Shakur).

All of which are amazing movies to whom a fanatic such as myself would consider a "classic", and after we discussed the idea with our teacher we thought it might be a good idea to use "Boyz in da hood" and other similar movies as inspiration for our opening.

Teen Movies That I Have Enjoyed

Bling Ring (Analysis)

CARRIE (1976) MOVIE ANALYSIS

Carrie is an American supernatural horror film, that was based on the 1974 novel of the same name written by Stephen King.
TRAILER:



Carrie is an American supernatural horror film, that was based on the 1974 novel of the same name written by Stephen King.

Storyline/plot:
Carrie White is a shy, friendless 17-year old girl who is the butt of practical jokes at her small-town high school, whilst also being abused by her unstable mother Margaret, who is a religious fanatic.
One day at the gym during the showers, Carrie experiences her first period, having no prior knowledge of menstruation, Carrie believes she is bleeding to death. After her class mates taunt her about her horrified reaction to her unexpected first period, one of them takes pity on her (Sue) and gets Tommy, her boyfriend and class hunk to invite Carrie to the senior prom.
At the prom Carrie is surprised that she and Tommy are named prom king and queen. As the couple approaches the stage, Sue discovers Chris holding a rope attached to the bucket of pig's blood. Before Sue can warn Carrie, Miss Collins forces her out, believing she is there for mischief. After the crowns are placed on Carrie and Tommy's heads, Chris pulls the rope and they get drenched in pig's blood. Chris and Billy escape the gym, and Tommy is unconscious after getting hit by the falling bucket. Carrie starts to imagine that she sees the whole room (including Miss Collins) laughing at her.

 

Carrie snaps in a cold rage, and telekinetically seals the exits. She then manipulates a fire hose and uses it to blast the student body with water. The water makes contact with the electrical wiring and ignites a fire that consumes the gym. Nearly all of the students and faculty, including Miss Collins, are killed. Chris and Billy witness the carnage from a high window. Carrie leaves the gym and heads home. Chris and Billy attempt to run Carrie over with Billy's car, but Carrie telekinetically flips the car over and causes it to explode, killing both of them.
Carrie returns home.She embraces Carrie as the two recite the Lord's Prayer together in peace. In the middle of the prayer, Margaret stabs Carrie in the back. Carrie falls down the stairs and is cornered in the kitchen by her crazed Mother, who believes that killing Carrie will bring peace. Carrie defends herself by crucifying her mother in the kitchen doorway, throwing numerous blades and knives into her hands, chest and abdomen. Overcome with grief, Carrie unhooks her mother just as she causes the house to collapse on the two of them, before ultimately burning to the ground.
Sometime later, Sue, the sole survivor of the prom, has a dream in which she visits where Carrie's house stood. As she places flowers on the ground, Carrie's bloody hand shoots out of the ground and grabs her wrist. Sue wakes up screaming in her mother's arms.

 

Many films had featured school bullies, but Carrie was one of the first to focus on the special brand of cruelty unique to teenage girls. Carrie's world is presented as a snake pit.


WHAT I THINK OF IT:

Well, this is an old film so technology was different back then and watching it now in this present day makes it funny. I say it's funny because they make everything so dramatic, the use extreme close ups and cheesy sounds to match up with them. Also, the fake blood used doesn't look too realistic, but it doesn't matter, i think it made it funnier to watch, as times have changed. There is also a remake to this movie, that has a lot of CGI, better CGI than this one, but i still prefer this this one, maybe because it is the original. I do like the fact that they used extreme close ups and cheesy sounds to intensify the drama, because i actually think it made the film a little bit more scary. The sounds make you think something bad is going to happen which gets your heart racing, so i think that was very well thought out. I also think the way they presented the stereotype of a mean girl was very well done and the psychotic mum was wonderful too. On a whole the film was great to watch and even though it was made years ago key shots and sounds were used to have a huge effect on the audience.

BLING RING ANALYSIS

The Bling Ring is a teen movie based on a real life situations where a group of young teenagers robbed celebrities houses. What makes this movie different to typical teen movies is that rather than having people being bitchy towards each other, they team up and target celeb houses. The fact that the movie is based on real life events and links in with the celebrity lifestyle make the film more different to other teen films

There are multiple conventions that tie together that makes this film a teen movie.

Themes/ topics

• fashion
• crime
• drugs
• alcohol
• partying
• relationships/friendships
• greed/money
• fashion
• peer pressure 

Characters

• stereotypical teenagers
• authorities ruining the teenagers fun (police)
• parent's who are portrayed as lenient and clueless. 

Settings/location

• high school
• clubs
• celeb houses
• parent's houses 

costume

• designer clothes and jewellery 
• Music
• hip hop/r'n'b
• dancehall 

The specific teen movie stereotypes in this film are that teenagers are greedy, selfish and shallow, this is because towards the end, they get caught and one of the girls lies and says she wasn't involved in the robbery to the police. This proves that she's selfish because everyone else owned up except her, also she was the ring leader. It also shows that teenagers are quite naive because when they robbed the first house, they didn't get caught so they got confident until they did get caught by the police.
The clique also portray teenagers as party animals and alcohol/drug addicts. In the movie, there were scenes after scenes of the group taking cocaine and continuously drinking at clubs and parties. A lot of teenagers can relate to this sort of lifestyle. We hardly see them at home and when we do, they don't seem to happy or they are getting ready to go out.




Teenagers can also relate to this movie in terms of how they contact each other. Other than their mobile phones, facebook was a main source of contact for the clique and many people can relate as teenagers spend most of their time online talking to their friends, not so much facebook, as new social media link have blown up.





The protagonist is presented as...

The protagonist (Marc) is portrayed as being vulnerable and gullible at the start of the film, simply because he follows the main girl into the houses of people he knows and says things like 'we should go now' and 'we shouldn't be here' but rather than actually leaving he stays along her side like a puppy. When he finally understands what she is really doing, he comes out of his shell and starts going along with her to all the robberies and even finding the address of the celebrity's houses on the internet. A key important pint is that he also begins to take a lot of drugs and alcohol, this shows that he is easily influenced. The protagonist is the same in most teen dramas, as they all make really bad chices and have isuuues with friends or any friends at all.




I think the movie opened a lot of teenagers eyes, as it is shocking to think that this is what the world is turning into. It should hit home to those who live similar lifestyles portrayed in the films.

Cinema Experience 1

Frozen

Over the Christmas holidays, i went to the cinema with my family to watch a film and it was Frozen. It was a Disney film and it was an animated film. I found it funny and mystical. The storyline was great and the characters were beautifully voiced.

Reflective Post

Reflective Post

• I have to catch up with all the work i have not finished
• Make a blog about a teen movie over the holidays (carrie) opening, whole film in general, genre and conventions
• write about bling ring

• write an analysis 

REFLECTION

My progress

I am up to date with all of the posts that we have been set to complete apart from; 

• Audience task 2: analysis of 3 different teen movies with different audinces  which needs more detail/analysis 
• Representation task: identification of stereotypes in teen films this is almost complete and needs just a few more pictures and information.

Reflective Post

Blog posts I have not completed are:

• The analysis of 3 teen movies with different audiences 
• Stereotypes in teen films*
• What is a teen film?*

These tasks will be done over the christmas holiday along with my holiday tasks:

• Write an analysis of a teen film I have watched. (Boyz in the hood)*
• Write up of bling ring* 

Hopefully by the end of the christmas holidays I will be up to date with all my work.

REFLECTIVE POST

My Progress

I am up to date with my work, all i have to do is rite up my analysis of Bling Ring and another analysis of a teen film i will watch during the holiday.

I will also be updating some posts i had done earlier, I all be adding more detailed sentences and some pictures or GIFs to make the posts more visual. 

What I Learn't Today

Representation

REPRESENTATIONS IN TEEN FILMS

Representation is all about understanding the choirs that are made when it comes to portraying something or someone in a mass media text.
In teen movies the characters are usually (a lot of the time) represented by stereotypes. Certain features of their personality and appearance are highlighted. The representation can be a distorted representation of a person/group of people, and often in teen movies it is exaggerated. 

Examples found in films:

Male Jocks -  are typically found in American teen films such as Greece and Hairspray. The Jocks are quite popular in the school and wear Jerseys that match their football team or sports team.

Cheerleaders - can be found in films such as High School Musical, 17 again and Bring It On

The Pretty Ugly Girl - this character is usually very dull at first and not that fashionable but has a makeover that makes her stand out in the crowd. The pretty ugly girl can be found in films such as The Princess Diaries, Cinderella Story and mean girls.

Represenations in Teen Films

Teen Movies                           

Stereotype of Teenagers

In teen movies the characters are usually represented by stereotypes. Certain features of their personality and appearance are highlighted. The representation can be a distorted representation of a person/group of people, and often in teen movies it is exaggerated. The producers of the film will do their research to ensure they are getting the stereotype right, so the audience will know what they are trying to represent.

 In the films the producer exaggerates the characters personality, making them stand out from the others.

The clothes that the characters wear display their personality even further. The cheerleaders are always wearing bright colours, with little clothing. Also the cheerleaders are very loud and usually very popular.


In Films

Cheerleaders - can be found in films such as High School Musical and Bring It On

Male Jocks -  are typically found in American teen films such as Mean Girls. The Jocks are quite popular in the school and wear Jerseys that match their football team

The Pretty Ugly Girl - who is very dull and not that fashionable but has a makeover making her stand out. The pretty ugly girl can be found in films such as The Princess Diaries, Cinderella Story and St.Trinians

Quiz On Teen Films

What do you know about Teen Films ?

1. Which Type of character do you expect to find in a Teen Film ? A Builder A Jock A Business Man

2. Who would get made fun of in a teen film ? Stupid Fat Guy The Perfect Girl Rich Kid

3. Which Group Are the Most Popular in Teen films ? Geeks Asian Kids Cheerleaders

4. Who Would Not Get A Lot Of Attention At High School ? The Cruelest Girl An Obsessed Best Friend A Pretty-Ugly Girl

5. Which Film is a Teen One ? A Cinderella Story Toy Story The King's Speech

Jumbled Words- Media

STORYLINES AND PLOTS IN TEEN FILMS

Storylines and plot: Ferris Bueller's Day Off

The storyline set up in our intro is:

 The intros storyline starts off with Ferris (main character) lying in bed, with his eyes fixated into a stare and his parents are on the side of his bed looking worried. He is pretending to be ill and has fooled his parents into believing him but not his sister who walks in and sees him making funny gesture when his parents' backs are turned. Having fooled his parents this results in him not going to school, which relates back to the title, Ferris Bueller takes the day off. It ends with him sitting up straight, talking to the audience, saying that his parents actually believed him.

Binary oppositions in 4 technical areas

The binary oppositions in the film intro are parents vs. children, sibling rivalry of brother vs. sister and honest vs. dishonest.

Mise en scene:

Setting - The bedroom is messy; average looking so therefore is a more realistic representation of a teenager's room. The house is quite grand yet is conservatively designed. The bedroom is a contrast to the house's exterior and it is nowhere near as clean as the outside.

Appearance - The parents appear to be dressed in formal wear, such as suits and dresses appropriate for work, whereas the children are dressed more casually in trainers and plain shirts.

Body language - Parents are standing up straight, which makes them look in power and very confidence. Ferris is rolled up in bed, making him look weak, as he should be considering he is pretending to be ill. His sister has her hands on him and an unimpressed facial expression, she give off a frustrated and annoyed vibe.

Screen shot of the sister with a disgusted facial expression

 

Screenshot showing the parents wearing a suit and looking professional and a screenshot showing the sister wearing trainers, this shows the a binary opposition of formal vs casual

Camera:

Establishing shot - Shows the house and of Ferris' room, the house is surrounded by trees and 3 cars are parked in front of the house which tells us that the family are wealthy. The bedroom is messy and unorganised which is a huge contrast to the rich looking house.

High angle - Ferris is presented at a high angle, which makes him look small and powerless.

Low angle - The parents are presented at a low angle which makes them look significantly bigger and again very powerful. The low and high angles are a representation of how families are presented in society, the parents are in control and the children are supposed to obey them.

 

Screenshot shows the contrast of how the room is messy and unorganised as opposed to the outside of the house which is big and the lawn

Here is the intro of Ferris Bueller takes the day off:

Editing 

Editing from perspective - At some points the camera takes on the role of Ferris and sees what he would see. This is seen when he is looking at his sister and the vision blurs her out a bit, and then refocuses into a clear shot. Also at some points we are seeing the film through the parent’s perspective or the sister, these are mostly done to show Ferris playing sick or making faces at his sister.

 
  The screen shot shows that the vision is blurry and then focuses, this takes on the role of Ferris’ eyes

GENRE AND CONVENTION

What is a teen film?

Teen films are films created around teen themes and are targeted towards teenagers; swell as young adults.in which the plot is based upon the special interests of teenagers, Most teen film genres orientate around the sub genres of first love, rebellion, conflict with parents or teachers, teen angst or alienation.

Other sub genres:

Musical

Comedy

High School

Romance

Horror

Conventional themes in teen films

The conventional theme of a teen film depends on its genre. Below I have put some themes and topics found in different genre teen films that were all created in different eras (but still have similar themes and topics within them).

Grease (1978)

The themes/topics circulated in this film are:

- Romance

  This has to do with characters fist love or just the man in characters falling in love

- Musical

  Not all teen movies are musicals but grease is, and at the time it was release singing and dancing was popular amongst teens.

- Heartbreak

  This ties in with romance too because nearly all teen films have dilemma and the heartbreak plays a role in this particular film.

- Comedy

- School

   Most of the setting is located in school, since they are teens and school is where teens spend most of their time at.

  
Love and basketball (2000)
The themes/topics circulated in this film are:

- Romance
  This theme shows up in a lot of teen films, in this film we see it from a young age within the characters and then also when they are older and have finally fallen in love.

- Sports

- Comedy
  Most teen films use comedy different, some use comedy to tell serious stories and some use it to exaggerate (mostly when showing a stereotype)

- Friendship

- Drama

- Heartbreak

  I think this would go with romance as it usually seen a lot in movies. The characters fall in love, something happens and they break up, some get back together in the end and others don't. It all depends on the story line, but in this film it ends on a romantic note.

 

The Perks Of Being A Wallflower (2012)
The themes/topics circulated in this film are:

- First love (romance)

- Sexuality

  The theme of sexuality can be very dominate in some teen films or not very, but sex is a very common topic

- Drama

- Isolation

  Some teen films circulate around this theme of depression and isolation but further along into the story it will get better or worse, which again depends on the genre

- Violence 

  There is only a little bit of violent in the film, but it could also go as conflict with students.

 

Stereotypical characters:
Most of these stereotypical characters would be main characters in teen films

• Popular guy - Usually is very sporty and lots of girls like him 
• Nerd - Very smart girl/boy who has nerdy friends
• Underdog (shy person) - Doesn't have any Friends but later on in the film either gets a boyfriend or is really popular
• Diva
• New girl/boy
• Rebel
• The popular pretty girl (with her clique)
• Outsider 
• Bully

   

(examples: Popular guy ~ Troy from High School Musical and on the right The Nerds seth, evan and fogell from superbad) 


Locations 

What are the typical locations in teen films?

• At home
  In the living room
  Bedroom
  Bathroom (toilet/shower)
  Garden
  Kitchen
  
  
• At school (top common location)
  Cafeteria
  Classroom
  Gymnasium (basketball court or sports hall)
  Hallway Toilets (boys or girls)
  
                    
• Hang out locationsSkate parksEstateRestaurants
  Someones house (friend/relative/neighbours)
  Beach
  Shopping centre
• Other locationsPartiesInside a car
  Backyard/Garden