just turned eighteen - Evaluation Task 1 - In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? (i.e. of film openings)

1. Camerawork and editing - The over-the-shoulder shot we used makes her action clear and puts emphasis on the letter to show it's part of the main plot. This sort of shot was used on the 'Burn book' in 'Mean Girls' to show its importance to the plot and to draw the audience's attention to it.

2. How characters are introduced - The black and white used makes the main character stand out and is a contrast to the colourful film. The title is in green so it stands out and the handwriting font used with the voice-over makes the opening sequence seem like a diary entry - as seen in 'Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging' and 'Mean Girls', diaries are a typically associated with girls. The name is in all capital letters so that it contrasts with the title having no capital letters. The shot shows shows Jennifer texting, which is typical of a teenage film; this emphasises that she's waiting for Madison but Madison is shown that she isn't on her phone so Jennifer could be bored.

3. Costumes and props - We used typical costumes and props that the audience would expect from a teen film - such as casual clothing, mobile phones and school bags - because they make the film more realistic and relatable. Madison and Jennifer have contrasting styles - preppy and nerdy - to show the contrast between their character's personalities.

4. Genre and how the opening suggests it - The long shot of the outside of a school shows the audience that the genre will be a teenage film because I found in my research that most teen angst films are set in a school. Having the two girls walking together shows their friendship - which was used in 'Mean Girls' to emphasise the main character joining a new group of friends.

5. Title font and style - The handwriting font for actual names makes them stand out in contrast to the generic san-serif font used for the role titles. We used the two fonts because they fit in with the genre but highlighted the importance of the roles. Because we had actors who were also producers and directors, we had to make their name distinctly different to avoid confusion.

6. Setting/location - The lockers are typical of an American high school and we put this shot by the lockers to emphasise that we are using American stereotypes - as seen in 'Easy A' and 'Clueless'. The establishing shot of the school in frame 4 also tells the audience that the film will be set in a school in England.

7. Special effects - The transition used here separates the character/setting introduction from the actual plot. It also draws the audience's attention as there are no other transitions like this one used in the film.

8. Story and how the opening sets it up - I think that this frame is what conveys the story of teen angst the most as it shows an important convention being relationships of which in this scene there are two. The first relationship is between the characters Madison and Jennifer because of their friendship which is carried by Madison waiting for Jennifer instead of carrying on walking to class. The second relationship is between Madison and Ethan, while it is not considered a "mutual" one, it is because of Ethan's interest in her that they have a connection; romance is a typical convention of teen angst and is used as a major part of the plot in 'Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging' and 'Clueless'. Jennifer is only just in the frame to show that she isn't as important as the romance plot between Madison and Ethan.

9. The title of the film - The title is on its own screen for emphasis and is pink - which connotes girlishness and love. The font used looks like handwriting and includes no capital letters so that it stands out from other films in the genre, such as 'Clueless' and 'Easy A'. The water drops could be interpreted as tears and this foreshadows what may happen later in the film or they could be seen as ink, which fits in with the theme of our film being like a diary. The purple fade around the edges gives the screen a softer feel and puts emphasis on the center.