Chick Flick Survey

We created an online survey to find out more about our audience: 

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/VVJQ6CW

Statistics will be posted soon!

Certificate Ratings

A lot of chick flicks tend to have a rating of 12 or 12A and I believe this would be an ideal rating for our film as this won't give us too many limitations. 

The difference between the two ratings is that 12A means that anyone aged 12 or over can go and see the film unaccompanied. The A stands for 'accompanied' and 'advisory'. Children younger than 12 may see the film if they are accompanied by an adult (eg someone over the age of 18), who must watch the film with them. 

Conventions of Film Openings

Title Sequence Timeline

Iconic Sounds in Chick Flicks

Chick flick openings are often accompanied by an upbeat feel good song. The backing tracks that feature are usually feel good songs to create a positive atmosphere.

This is exemplified in the opening credits of 'Legally Blonde.' The backing track is Prefect Day by Hoku. The song is upbeat and gives the impression of a positive storyline.



Other types of music that chick flicks often include is 'pop rock' which features in films such as mean girls and St Trinians. 


Aside from backing tracks, there are sounds that are often heard in many chick flick films. These would include the sound of a bell ringing if the film is set in a high school;



Chick flicks often feature party scenes, therefore background noise would have to be included to make it seem realistic;

Sub-Genre Synopsis

Guy Com 
A guy com is a chick flick created to appeal to a male audience as well as female. Like any other chick flick, guy coms include people dealing with their feelings, their future and relationships, however the films tend to focus around what males enjoy, like sport and strong language. Some examples of guy coms would be '17 Again',  'The Hangover' and 'American Pie'. 

Rom-Com 
Rom-coms are films that are centred around romantic ideas such as true love. However, these ideas are accompanied by light-hearted, humorous plot lines which make the films more of an easy watch. Some examples of rom-coms are 'What Happens In Vegas' and 'Love Actually'. 

Tearjerkers 
These films are the perfect watch if you fancy a good cry. Films like 'The Notebook' are a great example of tearjerkers. They are films based around family and being in the midst of an emotional crisis. 

Audience Expectations

We went around our school asking girls aged 16-18 what they would expect from a chick flick. Here's what we found out; 

Gigi King, 16, says "I'd expect  a chick flick to include lots of girl stuff, gossiping and should have a romantic story line" 

Becky Thorne, 17, says "Chick flicks should definitely include two people falling in love and having to overcome an obstacle. They should be funny and the best chick flicks would be starring High Grant and Sandra Bullock"  

Shona Reilly, 16, says "There should be lots of girly conflicts; cat fights and back stabbing. There has to be a romantic interest who is desired by more than one individual. Girl Power should be a big focus, it should feature strong and independent young women!" 

Alexa Rusakoff, 16, says "From a chick flick I would expect there to be a lot of girly banter; there should be plenty of ongoing gossip and a lot of flirtatious encounters. Slumber parties and house parties resulting in break ups and make ups. In the end the girls will stick together and help each other out, there's always a happy ending" 

Many other girls within our target audience agreed with these statements and all felt strongly that the film should be comedic and include a love interest. 

Nine-frame Analysis- From Prada to Nada

The first shot of this sequence shows a blue sky and palm trees, this sets the scene for the upcoming action. The name of the production company is credited across the screen. This shot as well as the upcoming shots in this sequence are accompanied by non-diegetic sound, this being Katy Perry's 'California Girls.' This track also help to set the scene.


 The next shots clearly identifies where the movie is set, it shows a Beverly Hills sign, this could be considered conventional for a chick flick. The credits continue across the screen. 



The third shot is similar to the first shot in the sequence, showing a blue sky and surrounding palm trees. 

 Shot 4 gives the viewer an insight as to what life is like in the area the film is set, showing a women sunbathing and being waited on by a butler. This gives us an idea that money will be a theme in this movie.

 In the next shot, the lifestyle of the people in Beverly Hills continues to be displayed, showing a grand house. At first, this could be perceived to be the house where the action is set, however we shortly see that this isn't the case. 

 The following shot shows the back of the house, where there is a tennis court, this further explores the lifestyle in which the film will focus around. 

The seventh shots displays a second house, surrounded by palm trees and fitting for the area. 

 Once again, in shot 8, a third house is shown, this is so that the viewer gets a clear enough insight on exactly what life in Beverly Hills is like. 



In the final shot, one last house is shown, although just as grand as the others, it is more picturesque, making the viewer take more notice to it. Hinting that this is where the initial action will take place. 

Nine-frame analysis- Fast Girls

                                               

The first frame is the production company credit which fits in with the conventions of a chick flick and is an aspect of creating my movie introduction that I will need to think about. This shot lasts for 20 seconds.



Next, The British Film Institute is credited as this was the company that funded the film. This shot lasts for 8 seconds.





In the third frame, we see an initial shot of what we assume to be the main character as well as surrounding photographs, this gives the viewer an initial and minimal idea of what the character in like and maybe hints towards the character replaying the past?



The fourth frame once again, kept the identity of the main character hidden by not revealing her face, therefore we see a shot of the character from behind. The following clips are accompanied by diegetic sound of the radio in the background.

 Finally, in the fifth frame, a shot is shown of the character from the front. Like many conventional chick flicks the character is shown getting ready.

However, unlike many chick flicks, during these few shots the cutting is much faster briefly showing different aspects of her getting ready.

The seventh shot shows a reflection of the character continuing to get ready, the shot is only two seconds long, within a sequence of other very short shots, this could give the viewer the assumption that the character is in a rush or is careless in regards to appearance?

As we come to the final few shots of this sequence, we see the character grabbing her belongings. The alarm clock displays the time 6.13am, showing that although the film only shows around 30 seconds of footage, in real time the events would have gone on for 13 minutes as the clock displayed the time 6.00am in the first shot.

In the final shot, the character who we now assume to be the main character is seen putting her headphones in and quickly leaving the room in which she is in.

Conventions of a Chick Flick

Chick Flicks are movies with a target audience of teenage/young women. These movies tend to be upbeat, fast moving and usually contain comedic elements. The main characters in Chick Flicks are almost always female, and the character must be precieved as strong and independant who must overcome obstacles to achieve their goals. There are a lot of these movies that also classify as Romantic Comedies, this means that often there is a love story within the plot of the main film. Chick Flicks aimed twoards teenagers and young women can vary by the location that they are set in, for example, chick flicks aimed at teenager are often set in high schools and are base around the common interests of teenagers, these being parties, friendship, crushes etc, examples ofd these films are Mean Girls, A Cinderella Story and Never Been Kissed. This contasts to chick flicks aimed at young women as these are usually set around the work place and tend to include a lot based aroubd rivalry at work, e.g. The Devil Wears Prada.   

The Origins of Chick Flicks

The concept of a film genre created specifically to appeal to females has been around since the early days of cinema. 

A well known 'Chick Flick' made in 1961 is Breakfast At Tiffany's directed by Blake Edwards and starring Audrey Hepburn. It is considered a chick flick as it fits many of the genres key conventions, these being dealing with loneliness, obsessive materialism and happy endings. 

The film would also fit the criteria of a romantic comedy. 

Many modern chick flicks are based on the Disney Animation Cinderella which was made in 1950. Films that could have been inspired from Cinderella include Pretty Woman, made in 1990, directed by Gary Marshall; this is because it fits the plot of a young woman from a negatively perceived background finding her 'Prince Charming.' 

Another film clearly inspired by the hit Disney animation is 'A Cinderella Story' made in 2004, directed by Mark Rosman and starring Hilary Duff and Chad Michael Murray. The two plots are parallel to one another; a young woman from a poor background is mistreated by her step-family eventually finds love and lives 'happily ever after.' 

Even Shakespeare has influenced many modern chick flicks. Shakespeare often included gender confusion in his plays for comedic purposes, this is shown in 2006 movie She's The Man, directed by Andy Fickman. Amanda Bynes plays the character of Viola who dresses as a boy to cover for her brother who is skipping college. She ends up falling in love with her room mate played by Channing Tatum, everything is resolved in the end and the film ends happily. This is similar the Shakespeare play As You Like It. 

Finally, Dirty Dancing is another famous Chick Flick made in 1987, directed by Emile Ardolino.  The film is about Frances "Baby" Houseman spending the summer in a holiday camp with her family and falling in love with the camps dance instructor Johnny Castle.  

These films are relevant to my coursework as the all exemplify at least on of the key convections that should feature in chick flicks, these being the love story included in the plot, the materialistic obsession at least one character possesses and of course the happy ending. These are all features that I want to include in my film opening. 

Directors

Mark Waters- Director of Mean Girls

Born: June 30, 1964 (age 49), Wyandotte, Michigan, United States 

His brother is Daniel Waters who is a screenwriter. He is married to actress Dina Spybey this shows that Marks family are in the movie making business. 

Mark and his wife have two daughters, this could be a reason for the production of some of his hit chick flicks. Movies that Mark Waters has directed include; Mean Girls (2004), Freak Friday (2003) and The Ghosts of Girlfriends past (2009). 

Robert Luketic- Director of Legally Blonde

Born: November 1, 1973 (age 40), Sydney, Australia 

Robert Luketic was the first of two children, he was noticed at an early age, winning his first award for 'Best Film' at the ATOM Film Festival when he was only 15. 

Movies: Legally Blonde (2001), Monster-in-Law (2005), The Ugly Truth (2009) 

Nancy Meyers- Director of The Holiday

Born: December 8, 1949 (age 63), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

Meyers was the youngest of two daughters raised by her mother who was a volunteer and homemaker and regathering who was an executive at a voting machines manufacturer. Meyers second film What Women Want (2000) was at one point the most successful film ever directed by a woman.

Movies: The Holiday (2006), The Parent Trap (1998), Father of The Bride (1991)

Opening Credits Idea

The opening credits in the Disney film 'The Lizzie McGuire Movie' caught my eye because they are fun, like every chick flick should be. The bright colours complimented by the up beat backing track made the scene light hearted and easy to watch. I was also keen on this idea as it would be a new experience to work with animation.

Film Opening- Initial Ideas

For my two minute film opening, I'm interested in working within genres such as Chick Flicks or Rom-coms. This would be an ideal option as chick flicks are primarily female casts which would make the production of the film a lot easier when it comes to casting.

Conventional Chick Flicks tend to have similar openings, they often show the main characters getting ready with an upbeat classic song as a backing track, as most girls will relate to this. This is shown in the following clip;

Children Of Men

Children of Men, released in 2006; exemplifies many different filming and editing techniques that contribute to setting the scene of the film. The four main factors that influence the mood of the film are mise en scene, sound, cinematography and editing. The film is set in 2027 and is a story about how the world’s population can only decrease when humans become infertile and the world hasn’t seen a birth in over eighteen years.

 Based on the first five minutes on the film, it appears to be a Sci-Fi movie including elements of both an action and a thriller. This could be assumed as there is an explosion early on in the film and explosions feature in many action movies, the film also includes deaths, dark colouring and even a woman missing a limb.

Theo the protagonist of the film, played by Clive Owen; is not initially portrayed as a heroic character, however, it is easy for the viewer to grasp that Theo plays a leading role as throughout the first five minutes of the film he is continuously in the centre of shots and is the only character who has spoken at this point. Theo’s character does not fit all of our established ideas of what a hero should be; this is mostly due to his ordinariness and the careless image he depicts. After the first five minutes the audience could conclude that he plays a character that is not typically heroic but has the status thrusted upon him.

Children of men is based in North West London, this area is portrayed negatively, as dull and depressing, this is done through mise en scene, the objects, actors and scenery are coloured in darker shades like grey and blue. Mise en scene is used to suggest the time, location and situation to the audience; for example, time is represented by the actors dressed in work attire packed into a coffee shops, this automatically suggests the audience that scene is set in the morning of a working day. The situation of the scene is set by the deflated mood throughout the first few shots, this mood in created mainly by the use of dull colours, however it also shown through the objects shown on the desks of the office workers who has such as toys and small cricket ornaments, this could suggest to the audience that these middle-aged working class characters are wanting to live in the past, away from this, what seems to be dingy and dark. In the opening shot we see a group of people gathered in a coffee shop, the extras used are also part of mise en scene as actors are often chosen for specific ages or appearances etc. This is relevant as in Children of Men the group gathered in the coffee shop are of a range of ages showing that what is being shown on the television screen in the coffee shop is of interest to a wider range of people. Although the film is set years in the future,  mise en scene is used to portray London in an old fashioned way; besides the advanced technology shown through objects such as floating televisions, transportation such as rickshaws are shown on the streets of London, this is a suggestions that although the film is set in the future, the world has taken a step backwards.

Sound also influences the mood of the scene; the film starts with a voice over of the news playing over a black screen; this encourages the viewers to listen to what is being said as there are no distractions, it also helps to set the mood of the opening scene and the seriousness of the situation occurring. The use of non-diegetic sound massively influences the mood of the scene, after Theo leaves the coffee shop sad music plays, the director has done this to subtly but surely set the gloomy mood in the scene. Noises such as the explosion and the high pitched ringing that follows are sounds that aren't originally shot in the scene, but added in later when the film is being edited. 

Cinematography influences the way the audience view the film as different camera work can show a different point of view. In Children of Men the camera in the first few shots appears to be handheld to reflect a human’s point of view. This is made clearer to the viewer as the camera follows Theo leaving the coffee shop and also reacts to the explosion in a human like manner by abruptly turning and running towards the scene of the incident. This makes the filming of the movie a lot more like a documentary; this is unusual for a major feature film as they are usually filmed in a more professional manner. This style of filming could have been used to show a more personal view to the audience to help them grasp the feelings of Theo and the general mood of the film. 

The movie was made by Universal Pictures, this would affect audience appeal as it is a major producer of motion pictures. Due to the events that occurred in the first five minutes of footage, it can be assumed that this film is aimed mainly at males aged from young adults to retirees. This is because a male would appreciate the action and thrill that the film provides and being an adult would make the film more understandable with themes such as infertility; this theme however could also influence an expansion in the target audience as it may be of interest to more females.

 

Today's Lesson: Editing

What I learnt in today's lesson
In today's lesson we studied the importance of editing in film making. We watched numerous extracts from movies and music videos, analysing the difference in number of shots and how this makes an impact on the scene. For example, when a sequence of short shots are used it adds intensity and excitement to the footage. This music video we looked at in our lesson today is a good example of how lots of short shots can make the video more exciting.

Sound in Mulan

Film summary- 
Based on a Chinese folk-tale, Mulan is a young high-spirited girl who tries hard to please her parents but always feels like she is disappointing them. Her father is drafted into the army which amounts to certain death because of his old age. Mulan disguises herself as a man and takes her father's place in battle, guided by a guardian dragon, Mushu. At the height of her success her secret is revealed and she is banished from home. But, undaunted she fights and defeats enemy invaders and saves the Emperor, bringing great honor to her family.

Sound in the opening scene- 
The opening scene of 'Mulan' exemplifies both diegetic and non-diegetic sounds. At the start of this extract, the only sound heard is the backing music which sets the scene, this is an example of non-diegetic sound. Examples of diegetic sound in this scene are the sound of the bird, the voices of the characters and the sounds made by objects in the story (e.g the door opening,, the fire burning etc). 

Diegetic and Non-diegetic sounds

Diegetic Sound

Diegetic sound can be either on screen or off screen depending on whatever its source is within the frame or outside the frame. It is any sound presented as originated from sources within the film's world, for example: 

• voices of characters 
• sounds made by objects in the story 
• music (that is coming from instruments in the story- not backing music) 

Here is an example from the movie Mean Girls

Non-diegetic Sound

Non-diegetic sound is represented as coming from the a source outside story space. Sound whose source is neither visible on the screen nor has been implied to be present in the action: 

• narrator's commentary
• sound effects which is added for the dramatic effect
• mood music

Here is an example from the movie Jaws

Mise en Scene- 'The Last King of Scotland'

In yesterdays lesson, we watched a clip from the movie 'The Last King of Scotland.' The short clip displayed two cleverly used techniques to show Nicholas Garrigans journey and the contrast between to the two places; 

Colour-
 The colour creates the atmosphere in the scene, and helps the viewer to gain an understanding of the setting. In this particular extract of the film colour is used to represent the differences between the two different settings in the film. 

Journey- 
Nicholas Garrigans journey is shown through a montage of videos giving the viewer the impression that they are literally following him on his journey, however in an interview, Michael Carlin stated that the shots were filmed in several different locations. 

Mise En Scene

Mise en scene refers to everything that appears before the camera and how it will be positioned in the shots. This includes props, costumes, settings and other aspects. 

There are issues to do with mise en scene that I may encounter when making my own two minute film introduction; 

• Location- As we are only given a limited time to film our two minute introduction, it wouldn't be ideal nor feasible to choose a location of a certain distance away as it may not be possible to get there and travelling would waste a large amount of time. 
• Props- I would have to ensure that I had appropriate props for the setting of my film (time period and place). Props could cause problems as we would have limited resources (including money), so not only will it be difficult to pay for some props, it may also be difficult to find certain props from certain time periods or places. 
• Actors- Depending on how many actors will be needed to film my introduction, it may be difficult to get enough people to play main characters as well as extras depending on whether people are willing to help out in the process of making our film openings. 

Evaluation of Preliminary Task

Using the green screen gave us the opportunity to be more creative when filming our preliminary task evaluation, Alexa and I thought it would be fun for our settings to be different holiday scenery's. Unfortunately we couldn't use our initial idea of using videos in the background rather than still photos as we couldn't work out how to insert them using the green screen setting. 

My Preliminary Task

Principles of Continuity

Match on action 
This is when one shot cuts to another shot that portrays the action in the first shot, creating the impression of continuity.
For example, in the preliminary task, we are required to to produce a piece of film in which a character opens a door, walks across a room and sits down in a chair opposite another character. When filming the character entering the room through the door, the first shot will be behind the character who will be pushing or pulling the door open, the second shot will then be from inside the room and will continue to show the character entering through the door.

Shot reverse shot
A shot showing one character looking at another character from their point of view (filmed behind the other characters back) followed by another shot of the other character looking at the first character from their point of view. 
This type of continuity editing technique would be used in the preliminary task when the two characters in the piece of film are having a conversation.

The 180º rule
A guideline that characters in a scene should have the same left-right relationship as each other. 
In the preliminary task, this would allow the audience to have a greater sense of location in the scene. Shot reverse shot can tie in with this rule to retain continuity by not distorting the audiences sense of location of the characters in the shots.

My First Blog Post- Cinematography

Cinematography was used cleverly in the animation 'Chicken Run.' Different camera shots were used to set the mood of the scene and even influence the viewers thoughts on different characters, This stood out particularly with Mrs Tweedy, the owner of the chicken farm. Low angle shots were used to really emphasize the power and authority that Mrs Tweedy holds on the farm. I think this was a smart use of cinematography as it helps the viewers to grasp the traits of a character quickly and how the plot will unfold.

Close-ups were used so that the audience can easily identify who the main characters are. An example of this is how Ginger in focused on a lot in comparison to the other chickens on the farm.
The Camera shots were often from the chickens point of view, I think this was a smart use of cinematography and is interesting as it gave the impression that the audience are meant to share the same views as the chickens.

Another animated clip that I found interesting was the John Lewis 2013 Home Insurance advert. The collaboration of smart filming, up-beat background music and fun imagery has influenced a desire to possibly include animation in my own short film.