Donnie Darko - Analysis

Donnie Darko 

Mise en Scene

The location of the film is in a school with kids dressed in uniforms. There are parts of the opening when some parts of the opening the characters are moving in slow motion and in fast forward. Certain situations are focused on more and have more camera time for example the boy who is taking drugs. Some of the characters come across as troubled or depressed. There are lots of props used such as the teacher carrying books and the students carrying bags and books. The lighting in the hallway is quite dark and dim which gives the opening a very serious feel, there is a big contrast to this when the teacher  and the student go through the door and there is a strong beam of light. 

Editing & Camera 

The editing in the opening film varies from being in slow motion, which at first gives off a chilled feel, but working with the Mise en Scene, it makes the scene very surreal, to being fast motion and the contrasts between the slow and fast motion tells the audience that something isn't right as it messes with the viewer's eyes and mind.

The very first shot is of the characters at a tilted angle and then moves into a normal eye-level shot, and along with the slow motion editing automatically tells the viewer there isn't something right, psychologically. Also, the whole scene is one continous shot of all the characters which makes it easy to establish all the different types of characters, but could tell us they're all united and the same in one way.

Character





Troublemaker - the type of character that will end up in big trouble or go down the wrong path or die.










Good boy/Teacher's pet - seems like the type that is very helpful towards teachers and other students.


Fat girl/Loner - seems like she has no friends and gets picked on a lot.



Stoners - the type of people that everyone goes to and has everything for everyones needs. he's the 'go to' guy.

Pretty girl - seems like the type of girl that goes out with bad guys but at the end of the film, end ups going with the good guy.













Strict teacher - seems like the type that no one likes.

Young Cheerleaders/Wannabes - young girls wanting to become cheerleaders. they're very enthusiastic and jolly. 

Order of Titles

It's something that you don't notice or pay much attention to, but every film has order of titles/opening credits. Watch any film, not just teen ones, and most of them will follow this pattern:

• Ident(s)
• Production title
• Distribution title
• Film title
• Stars (and other actors)
• Casting director
• Costume designer
• Music 
• Production designer
• Executive producers
• Editors
• Writer(s)
• Director

Most times the director is left until last, though sometimes they do appear before the film title, like the opening credits of Juno.

Take The Lead - Analysis

Take The Lead

 

A teen film from the 21st century.

Fantastic!

 

                This film is considered a teen film as the majority of the film is based around a

group of teens that are in detention all

the time (you see this throughout the film).

Most of the film is based in a high school

where the teens go which is something that

teens that are watching the film can

relate to.

 

 

 

 

The school does not have a good reputation because it is known for being in a bad area, having lots

of troubled teens that go there and not having many academic achievements.

Now these teens do not fit the typical character stereotypes that are in typical teen films, the main teen characters come from broken homes, abusive backgrounds and rough neighbourhoods. As the teens never do anything constructive during their detentions the principal of the school decides to bring in a dance teacher to teach the teens ballroom dancing.

 

Now to introduce the main characters, we have...

 

Jason 'Rock' Rockwell - The young brother of          

 a teenager that died from drugs, his father is an

alcoholic which is caused him to move out and

live at school for a while without anyone

knowing, he is very antisocial, him and LaRhette

are rivals but ends up falling in love with her at

the end.

 

LaRhette Dudley - Her mother is a prostitute                        

which means she has to care for her younger

siblings most of the time, she is nurturing but

can also get very aggressive, this is seen when

Rock talks about her dead twin brother's death.

 

Ramos - A cocky, flirtatious, proud person       

who is good at dancing has love interest which

is Sasha.

 

Danjou - Insecure about his dancing, a quiet

person, he also has interest in Sasha which

leads to fist fight between him and Ramos

 

 

Sasha - The pretty girl who is a good dancer

and is involved in a love triangle with Ramos

and Danjou

 

 

 

Caitlin - Clumsy and awkward, she feels

pressure from her parents' expectations

of her and feels out of place compared to

the other students in her ballroom classes

Eddie - Very childish, knows everything about

everyone, also a talented dancer who can also

DJ and loves to make a lot of jokes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Egypt - A very talented dancer, she has a bit of

an attitude problem and she dances with Eddie

in the competition

 

                   Kurd - Thinks of himself as a 'player'

                   and is frightened of his sexual urge and has feelings for Big Girl 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Big Girl - Loves to dance, the other teens

refer to her as 'Big Girl' because

of her size

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All these characters make Take the Lead a

teen film, it is all full of drama, rivalry, fights,

conflicts and romance and is really worth watching.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Order of titles - The History Boys

Order of Titles - The Roommate

The Breakfast Club analysis

The Breakfast Club. 

80s teen film. 

Love it. 

What makes this film a teen film is the typical high school setting. A high school building is something teenagers are very familiar with, and as the film is based around teenagers in detention, this is also a situation a lot of teenagers can relate to...

Another reason for this to be a teen film is the characters.
In order for a teen film to be either a teen film or successful is to have teenage characters. Otherwise, it's not a teen film. And what makes these five main characters special is that they all belong to different cliques and have their own personal secrets. The clothes they're wearing and how they are presented are what tells us what clique they belong to.

• Andy Clark, a jock who hates his father because he is forced to push himself to prove himself to his father

• Claire Standish, the popular girl who is a virgin 

• Brian Johnson, a nerd who was close to suicide because he got a F

• John Bender, a rebel who comes from an abusive family

• Allison Reynolds, a weirdo who is a compulsive liar 

All these attributes not only make The Breakfast Club a teen film, but it makes it a 'cult film' - easily quotable, talked about frequently and even has some clothing for it. It's worth seeing.

Binary Oppositions

Binary Oppositions

A binary opposition can be considered as opposites of each other, two things that wouldn't be put be put together because they are so different from each other.

Princess Diaries

Binary oppositions can be seen throughout 'The Princess Diaries' between the main character, who is a ordinary teenage girl and her Grandmother who is a glamorous queen. Mise en scene shows many binary oppositions between the teenage girl and the Grandmother such as the teenager is clumsy, she lives in an apartment, rides a scooter and wears a school uniform. The Grandmother is very posh. poised and elegant, she gets driven around in limos, lives in a mansion and dresses formally in suits and gowns.