There are a couple settings in the opening sequence which allow the audience to have an understanding of the area in which the characters live straight away. The first setting shown is the streets of her hometown as she is telling her dad not to drop her off as it will ruin her costume and her entrance this is stereotypical of teenagers as they do not like the have their parents to embarrass them.
After this a house party is shown. This is signifiant as this is associated with teenagers, enabling them to relate to some of the film instantly. However, at this house party, you can see that all the female characters are wearing quite revealing outfits in order to impress the boys, which is also very stereotypical. Georgia is wearing an olive costume which is very counter typical of a teenager to wear at a party however, she is surrounded by other teenagers showing a perfect stereotypical outfit at a party, such as a black cat and a devil costume. After this we see the main character running home, after her friends went behind her back and didn't tell her about the change in outfits.
In this section, the audience can see that it is a busy seaside town, which adds to the embarrassment of the main character that she now has to run through the streets wearing a stuffed olive outfit with lots of people watching her. To add to this chaos non-diegetic music starts playing as soon as Georgia leaves the house party. The song used is called 'She's so lovely', which is a very upbeat and happy song. In some ways this contrasts Georgias emotions as she is feeling very upset, embarrassed and like she has lost all of her friends. However, the fact that it is very upbeat can also be seen to symbolise Georgia's heart beating as she is running through the streets. The song was used to attract the teenage audience as it is a very modern song that teenagers would already recognise and listen to themselves. 'She's so lovely' may have also been used as an almost sarcastic element of Georgia saying how lovely her friends are that they didn't bother to tell her they weren't going with the fancy dress idea anymore.
The next setting in the opening sequence is Georgias bedroom. Here the audience can see her stereotypical side, as it is all pink, with boy-band posters up, lots of photos of her and her friends and teddy bears. This shows her comfort zone almost and it emphasises how brave she was to go to the party dressed as an olive as it was out of her comfort zone. This makes the audience feel sorry for Georgia as they can see how hurt she was by her friends, which is exaggerated further when she starts ripping down all of her pictures on her walls and throwing them and her teddy bears in the bin. Another aspect used throughout the opening sequence in order to make the audience feel sorry for her would be the consistent use of shot-reverse-shot at the party and as she is running home. It is used between Georgia and her friends and also between Georgia and strangers in the streets. At the party, it shows how guilty how friends feel and how hurt Georgia is by this, which enables the audience to feel more emotionally connected with her. As she is running home, it creates an almost paranoid effect and makes the audience think that Georgia feels as though everyone is watching her and adds to her embarrassment.
The last setting is the most stereotypical of teen angst films as it is a high school. This adds to the relatability of the film as it is a place that all teenagers attend and have their own experiences of. From the previous events in the opening sequence the audience gets the idea that high school isn't going to be an easy place for Georgia as she has recently fallen out with her friends and also embarrassed herself in front of a lot of people in her year.
The credits and title is presented in a white serif font, which gives a very feminine feel. This makes the audience think that is going to be based around female characters and their experiences as being a teenager. This is further supported by the fact that the film is called 'Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging' which are all elements associated with teenage girls. The use of white connotes purity and innocence, which can be contrasting in some teen angst films as usually this changes by the end of the film, as the characters are no longer innocent. In this film I think that it shows Georgia's character at the start of the film as she was always the misfit, but by the end of the film she has found out that it is okay to be different and that there will always be people who like you for you and that you don't have to change for anyone.
After this a house party is shown. This is signifiant as this is associated with teenagers, enabling them to relate to some of the film instantly. However, at this house party, you can see that all the female characters are wearing quite revealing outfits in order to impress the boys, which is also very stereotypical. Georgia is wearing an olive costume which is very counter typical of a teenager to wear at a party however, she is surrounded by other teenagers showing a perfect stereotypical outfit at a party, such as a black cat and a devil costume. After this we see the main character running home, after her friends went behind her back and didn't tell her about the change in outfits.
In this section, the audience can see that it is a busy seaside town, which adds to the embarrassment of the main character that she now has to run through the streets wearing a stuffed olive outfit with lots of people watching her. To add to this chaos non-diegetic music starts playing as soon as Georgia leaves the house party. The song used is called 'She's so lovely', which is a very upbeat and happy song. In some ways this contrasts Georgias emotions as she is feeling very upset, embarrassed and like she has lost all of her friends. However, the fact that it is very upbeat can also be seen to symbolise Georgia's heart beating as she is running through the streets. The song was used to attract the teenage audience as it is a very modern song that teenagers would already recognise and listen to themselves. 'She's so lovely' may have also been used as an almost sarcastic element of Georgia saying how lovely her friends are that they didn't bother to tell her they weren't going with the fancy dress idea anymore.
The next setting in the opening sequence is Georgias bedroom. Here the audience can see her stereotypical side, as it is all pink, with boy-band posters up, lots of photos of her and her friends and teddy bears. This shows her comfort zone almost and it emphasises how brave she was to go to the party dressed as an olive as it was out of her comfort zone. This makes the audience feel sorry for Georgia as they can see how hurt she was by her friends, which is exaggerated further when she starts ripping down all of her pictures on her walls and throwing them and her teddy bears in the bin. Another aspect used throughout the opening sequence in order to make the audience feel sorry for her would be the consistent use of shot-reverse-shot at the party and as she is running home. It is used between Georgia and her friends and also between Georgia and strangers in the streets. At the party, it shows how guilty how friends feel and how hurt Georgia is by this, which enables the audience to feel more emotionally connected with her. As she is running home, it creates an almost paranoid effect and makes the audience think that Georgia feels as though everyone is watching her and adds to her embarrassment.
The last setting is the most stereotypical of teen angst films as it is a high school. This adds to the relatability of the film as it is a place that all teenagers attend and have their own experiences of. From the previous events in the opening sequence the audience gets the idea that high school isn't going to be an easy place for Georgia as she has recently fallen out with her friends and also embarrassed herself in front of a lot of people in her year.
The credits and title is presented in a white serif font, which gives a very feminine feel. This makes the audience think that is going to be based around female characters and their experiences as being a teenager. This is further supported by the fact that the film is called 'Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging' which are all elements associated with teenage girls. The use of white connotes purity and innocence, which can be contrasting in some teen angst films as usually this changes by the end of the film, as the characters are no longer innocent. In this film I think that it shows Georgia's character at the start of the film as she was always the misfit, but by the end of the film she has found out that it is okay to be different and that there will always be people who like you for you and that you don't have to change for anyone.
Excellent, thorough & detailed research. Well done.
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