MEAN GIRLS
Mean Girls is one of the most popular teen romcom movies of this generation. The film is an honest and truthful representation of what highs school life is like in America for teenage girls. It shows the life of a teenage girl named Cady who was previously homeschooled when she lived in Africa. It shows how an environment surrounded by teenage girls can completely change a girl in order to fit into a clique and gain popularity - even if it means ruining friendships and copying everyone around you to avoid being judged.
MISE EN SCENE
The opening scene takes places outside a traditional family home in America as they introduce that it is Cady's first day of school. It features the typical morning routine of a child's first day including being given their lunch and having a photo taken. It also includes other clips of different settings including a spelling bee and a not so typical family setting which is farm like to portray the life of a 'typical home schooled kid' - this shows the difference of peoples lives in America which foreshadows how different people all come together in high school. There is also a scene of where Cady has a flashback to when she lived in Africa before moving to America which is showing how different her life is and how high school is her first real shot at a normal teen girls life.
The lighting used in the opening scene is natural daylight which is high key lighting, used to present an upbeat mood and to make the movie seem youthful which is conventional for a teen rom com film, this gives the film a positive vibe and more relatable to a typical teen lifestyle - therefore making it appealing to the target audience.
The clothing seen in the opening scene is very casual clothing but Cady's outfit is not that of a typical teenage girl. Hers is very simple and similar to what her parents can be seen wearing - a collared jacket and plain tee shirt in very neutral colours, typically we'd expect to see a more individual style, brighter colours and possibly branded clothing as that is what would appeal to a teenager. As her outfit is not conventional at the start of the film, is shows how she is not use to the typical American life style and how different it is from what she is used to in Africa. It also foreshadows how she won't fit into the high school life but throughout the year she will adjust and individual aspects such as her clothing style will change in order for her to fit in. The same theme can also be seen in how her hair has been styled and make up done. In the opening scene Cady is seen to have minimal or no make up showing how she is not used to wearing it like a stereotypical teen girl would be, again showing how different her life style in Africa was compared to an American life. The hairstyle chosen of a simple pony tail is not conventional to the other girls seen in the film as they appear to have spent time styling it in a specific way which has no doubt been perfected before attending school whereas Cady seems to be a lot more care free about her appearance as she is not use to styling her hair or wearing make up.
OPENING CREDITS
The first title in the opening credits that we see is the distribution company, Paramount Pictures. It is shown in an bold blue font in all capitals which represents youth and that it is aimed at everyone as the colour appeals to everyone. This would attract a teenage audience as the bold colour stands out against a black background again implying that the film is fun and youthful. This is then followed by 'A Lorne Michaels Production' in the same sans serif font in bright yellow. This colour choice presents that the narrative will be full of excitement and entertaining for the teenage audience. Next in the opening credits is Lindsay Lohan playing the protagonist and main character in the film, Cady Heron. By showing the main actress' name in the credits will make it more appealing as she is so well known and having previously been successful in other films will attract the audience as they will have the same view on this film. Again, this is shown in a bright green making it seem youthful and appealing to the target teenage audience. The final part of the credits that is presented in bright colours on a background is the movie name 'Mean Girls'
The rest of the credits which are the other main actors names appear whiles on the opening scene of Cady walking into high school for the first time. As they are not as clear to the audience as they'd be focused on the film it shows that although they are the main characters they are not as important as what has been shown on a black background.
TYPOGRAPHY
All the credits in the film opening are in the same typography style. They use a sans serif font and are all bold and capitalised which makes it eye-catching to the audience. They are also in bold and bright colours, again to make it more attractive to the target audience. The positioning has followed the rule of three in which they imagine the screen split vertically into three equal sections - the distribution company and producer are in the first third, Lindsay Lohan's name in the last third and the film name 'Mean Girls' in the centre third which shows that it is the main focus of these starting credits. The rest of the credits that are shown during the first high school scene all appear in the last third as they have placed Cady in the centre third as the main focus. The order that the credits appear is also conventional as most films follow a ; studio, main actor, producer, director or similar order.
SOUND
During the first opening credits which are shown on a black background, there is use of diegetic which is a slower background music which mirrors the way the credits have been presented. This then changes when the film starts where credits are still being shown to a more upbeat pop music soundtrack which suits the genre of film and makes it more appealing to the teenage audience as the majority will listen to pop music therefor making it more relatable and this is major key which presents a happy and upbeat mood. There is also slight ambiance used to add to the effect of the film such as cars and buses running and the dents talking which has been almost entirely faded out by the background music. The opening scene is also fully narrative from Cady's point of view as she talks about starting school, how she was home schooled and what her life was life in Africa.
CAMERAWORK
Establishing shot - In the opening scene we see an establishing shot of Cady's home. From what we can see it is your typical family home on a quiet street which most of the target audience can relate to and connect with. As it is more relatable it will appeal more to the audience and encourage them to watch the film.
Mid shot - During the opening scene we see a mid shot of CAdy which helps the audience to get an idea on her character right from the start and as the characters are quite relatable it helps them connect.
Two shot - This shot shows the relationship between Cady and her mum. This builds emotion with the audience as it shows how close their mother-daughter bond is and how it will be difficult with Cady no longer being home schooled.