Main Task Research & PlanningBy Alana, Laura & Hannah

What type of Genre?• ‘The chick flick that I watched was 'Definitely Maybe'

which introduced the main character at the very beginning. And also introduced the storyline slightly.The beginning two minutes are very conversational because the main character is talking to the audience about what's happened and how he is coping. The music playing in the distance is also very modern and in the pop genre.From watching these I hope we'll be able to chose our final idea correctly and successfully make the film look and create the atmosphere that other films of that genre create.’

• By Alana

Who is our target audience?• As we have decided to base our film

as a chick flick, we are aiming our film at a teenage/young female audience. We know from research that at the box office chick flicks such as ‘Mean Girls’ has been very popular with this type of audience. We think that our film would catch the attention of the female audience.

• By Hannah

St. Trinians • I couldn't find the opening 2 minutes of 'St Trinians' so I settled for the trailer.

In the trailer you are viewed straight away the setting and the school the girls attend which is mainly where chick flick are located.In this chick flick you are introduced to many of the different main characters. You also get to see the different groups of people there are at school; popular, grungers, athletics and geeks. In this trailer you get to see the different groups separated through the school. And how the 'popular' girls rule/own the school. The different groups don't interact with each other at the beginning but you then see the girls all talking and doing something together.

• The music of the trailer they use is the modern pop tune which most people generalize with chick flick and girly films. However, finding a song to play that isn't copy right may be hard as most modern songs are well known.

• We also know that the film is British because of the accents the actors are speaking in and the fact that the girls of St Trinians are wearing school uniform which people will associate with British schools.

• The film is also very well lit and open. This shows that the film isn't going to contain any horror or scary parts. This then will let the audience know that the film will be calm therefore letting the audience know that it is most likely going to be either a chick flick or a rom-com.

By Alana

Angus, thongs and perfect snogging: analysis

• Here i have found the opening to the film 'Angus, thongs and perfect snogging' i have chosen to look at this type of chick flick as it is British (actors, location and idea for film), this shows how films are approached in England and not America. this shows how different each can be, in here we see lots of uses of English accents, vocabulary and also settings. this would again be very useful as we are British and are producing a British film. in the first two minutes of the clip we see a lot, giving the action packed suggestion toward the film. we as the audience are able to determine the mood of the film, the genre and the target audience just by the opening two minutes, which is again things that we need to ask ourselves. The film uses natural lighting giving the realistic take on the film, there are also a wide range of shots shown through the clip, such as mid shots, close up, establishing shots, high angles, low angles and jump cuts (these are possibly the most effective type of cuts) I loved the use of mise-en-scene to the clothes and make-up really give a sense of real life, sucking the audience in, the extras are also something we need to consider in great detail if we are thinking of doing a school theme with lots of groups of pupils. I will have a look into mise-en-scene if we are going to look at different social groups. Another thing that i homed in on was the fact that the credits appear once the film has started keeping the audience entertained but also able to clearly see the cast and crew within the film, again i was thinking we could go along those types of lines, which may well pull off to look effective and also professional. I found interesting that they used a British band within the film clip(2min clip) enhancing the British theme of the film within the short 2 min clip. If we are able to i would really like to have some sort of British link with the music, i think we will be able to come up with our own small piece of music if we are not able to come up with a copy right piece that we could use. Overall i really like this film and enjoy the quirky energy that it possess, giving the film a edge from other chick-flicks. By Hannah

Mean girls: analysis• I have decided to analyse the opening for the film Mean Girls, I decided to choose this Chick Flick because it

is one of the most successful and well known girlie films of the 21st century. This film follows a girl called Cady Heron, she has lived in her Africa for all of her life up until now when her parents feel that it's time she socialised and went to a high school. Cady herself has no idea what her school life will be like. She soon gets informed of the 'Queen Bee's'; Regina George, Gretchen Weeners & Karen Smith, they notice her and decide to invite her into their group. Cady also starts to notice a guy, called Aaron Samuels, she doesn't know that he is Regina's ex boyfriend, Regina says to Cady that she will talk to him for her and Regina ends up snogging Aaron in front of Cady. Cady then makes up a plan with Damien & Janice (the people who invite her into their group when she first arrived.) Although Cady is reluctant to carry on being Regina, Gretchen & Karen's friend she finds it quite easy and almost like it's part of her routine. Cady quickly changes into a 'plastic' and leaves the people who befriended her when she first arrived behind, and lives the life of a Queen Bee. While Cady is living her life as a fake Queen Bee she has been giving Regina 'kalteen' bars, which are nutritional bars given to children in Africa to help them gain weight, she lies to Regina and says that they are weight-loss bars. Later on in the film Regina finds about the Kalteen bars out and so she makes a plan of her own to boycott any respect Cady has.In this film a lot of artificial light has been used to create the illusion of lighting in a school. When Cady is outside there is natural light from the 'sun'This film also lets us into the normally secretive world of the American High School, their social groups and how bitchy they all are to each other, in this film and probably everywhere in America if you don't have looks then you're not popular with the boys and you don't seem to get anywhere in your school. In our film we would be using the American kind of social groups, with the Jocks and the Nerds and the Queen Bee's.Quite a lot of the ideas from our two minute clip are going to come from this movie, as we feel it is easy for us to relate to the topics that are raised in this movie.

• In the first two minutes of Mean girls the film credits take 19 seconds of the first two minutes, and the Opening credits come up as the film is going through. At the very beginning there are low angle shots, which could suggest that Cady, is only 5 or so, as it is her first year of school, but we then see that she is 16 or so, and starting high school for the first time. This could imply to the audience that Cady isn't going to fit into the School.

• By Laura (:

Plot line• A English comprehensive school called St Ivan's, where three girls think

they rule the school. Lydia, Ellouise and Jasmine. Everyone tries to stay out of the way and stick to their own groups (grungers, neeks/emos, athletics) but they don't always succeed.A new student called Natasha joins St Ivan's. Natasha has transferred from a Private school in Kent. So she is rather posh. She immediately is picked up the neek group as they realised that she is highly intelligent. Natasha becomes head girl and succeeds well.While Lydia is walking down a corridor she notices Natasha's opportunity of popularity. Lydia, Jasmine and Ellouise drag her into a room to which they quickly do a make-over. They also begin to start calling her Tasha.Natasha becomes too big headed with the popularity she has achieved. She becomes Queen Bee and kicks Lydia off the top seat. The school life is as normal just that Tasha now rules the school and her old group of friends fear what she has become.There is then Prom night to which Lydia and Tasha have a heated discussion which ends up with Tasha throwing her drink over Lydia. This then make Lydia realise that she has lost her title of being Queen Bee forever. And that the school is no longer 'hers'

By Alana

The StoryboardBy Hannah

Here as i said, i have illustrated our brief plot and camera shot outline. It begins from the top left box of the bottom picture, it then continues on the same as each picture moves up. The first shot is of a prom scene as discussed within the plotline posted by Alana. moving slowly through the social groups until we land on the 'queens' the audience then grasp a slight knowledge about the plot line. the second is that of the flash back, the catalyst for the events to follow, we see how the school is usually run. the third is that of the 'queen bee' arriving, there is a pan up and down of the 'queen bee' as she arrives out of her car.

the next section of shots starts with the queen bee followed by her cronies and them talking about the prospect of a new girl arriving and them adopting her into the group, done through a mid shot. followed by a POV shot of the queen bees. this is showing in their take on the school, and their status. We then cut to shot of the new girl being dropped off in the exact same way as the lead queen bee showing the great comparison between the two.

The third is a POV of the new girls prospect of starting a new school. with a low angle of the school , we make the school look a daunting and menacing place to start. then showing her reaction we see her fear and apprehension and we create an emotional bond between character and audience. a long shot introduces the characters to scene and we move with the new girl following her journey and her introduction to the new scenarios that a teenage girl would encounter. her meeting the queen bees would be very intense and slightly unnerving. As the scene and conversation progresses the queens decide to make her one of them and take her under their wings.

in the close-up of the lead queen bees face (foreground)) we show she is the main character within the school and in the background we see the two cronies changing her appearance to fit in with their idea of what a teenage she should look like. The next shot we wish to split into six smaller scenes all going at the same time focusing on certain parts of her appearance changes, working to gather making this overall dramatic change, this would look really effective. The next shot is that of all the queen bees stepping back are reviewing the new girl and the changes they have made to her. the last shot is an extreme close up of the lead queen bee's lips saying 'Welcome to St. Ivan'

By Hannah

Shot list part 1• Quick Character Introduction

Lydia - Main Queen BeeJasmine - Queen Bee FolloweeEllouise - Queen Bee Followee

Natasha - New GirlShot List

• Shot One• Movement shot on a Dolly -

• Shot of Apple Tizer 'Champagne', the shot then moves up into a moving shot between two people talking, then it moves through the Social Groups of the school.

• Shot Two• Establishing shot, we're also going to sound bridge the voice over from shot one into shot two to link the two together. This will be

filmed from the top of the school, we're going to see the different social groups and the Queen Bee & her followers walking into school ready for the start of the day.

• Shot Three• Medium Shot - steady cam. This shot is of a car, with Lydia (the Queen bee) getting out of the car and she shot shows just the bottom

of the car door opening and then just her feet getting out of the car, with really 'posh' shoes on, different to everyone Else's. (Close Up)

• Shot Four• Tilt shot, of Lydia, from her shoes when she gets out of the car upwards so we can see what she is wearing, and how she differs from

everyone else in the school.• Shot Five

• Low angle, medium shot of Lydia, Jasmine & Ellouise walking down the corridor talking about the new girl.• Shot Six

• A P.O.V shot from Lydia & her Followers point of view, they're going to be looking at all the different social groups.• Shot Seven

• Natasha and her older brother (Robert) in his car being driven to school• Shot Eight

• Long shot of Natasha (the New Girl) getting out of her car, close up of her feet getting out.• Shot Nine

• Tilt of Natasha from her feet up (shows the contrast between Lydia & Natasha)• Shot Ten

• Low Angle, P.O.V from Natasha

Shot list part 2• Shot Eleven

• Extreme Close up of Natasha's Face• Shot Twelve

• Long shot, Introduction between Natasha & Lydia• Shot Thirteen

• [linked to previous Shot) • Arc round to Natasha's shoulder, Q.B come and get Natasha

• Shot Fourteen• Close up of Lydia Talking in foreground, in background Natasha will be being slightly changed

• Shot Fifteen• [montage] of Lip gloss being applied to Natasha's lips

• Her plaits being undone in her hair• Her Skirt being Shortened

• Shirt being unbuttoned• Tie being Loosened

• Glasses being taken off• Shot Sixteen

• Mid shot of Natasha - Now 'Tash' • Queen bee's stood to side of her

• Shot Seventeen• Close up of Lydia's lips saying 'Welcome to St Ivans!'

• By Laura :D

Things to consider• I know that we have all divided most of the things up to make it an even work load and that we are all given roles to show

our talents and abilities but i have just noted a few things that we will need to clear up if we are to make our clip a really effective and worthwhile product.

• when will we film? possibly -before school: But this would mean it would be harder to organise and less people would turn up. -after school: the more likely option as i think we will be more prepared and more people to star in our film will be more inclined to come.

• if we are to do the prom scene we will need to ask all extras and actors to bring in their prom dresses or a formal dress/suit.

• mise en scene: Laura-costume: school uniform, prom dresses. we need to ask all those starring in the film to bring their own and the you will style them further to fit in with our idea of what they should look like.

• Alana- Hair: both prom scene and school, making sure there is a large distinction between both the scenes and also the group divisions. I think we should be able to get together the supplies, from Alana's work and also if we put in money we can buy other hair products needed.

• Hannah- Make-up: make up will play a large role in giving the groups their individualistic facial appearance. The 'Queenies' will need to look perfect, where as the more grungers/gothic look will need black eye liner and so on. Supplying will be done by all three of us as I think we all have unwanted make-up that will be useful.

• 4. The prom scene: we will be needing: lights fairy lighting-Christmas lights),• food-bowls of punch, fake champagne glasses, drink-appetizer to look like posh drink. • tinsel & balloons-looking like decorations enhance the feel and mood• tables, chairs & benches: seating• 5. Cars for parents of characters to be dropped off in: Dom & mini: new girl- drop off• Posh car: Queen Bee- drop off• 6. skate board: Laura/ Alana, if you have one we could use. this could be perfect for a possible dolly, we will need to look

up on 'YouTube' possibly to see how to make one. • 7. music for each group and also prom music: supplied by Robins band?• i will look into further detail about each of these points and post some more information on them, hopefully this will help

filming run a lot smoother.

By Hannah

Setting locations• We have the Drama Studio; we would use this for the actual Prom, I think this is an effective

location to locate our Prom in because it is well lit, it has a stage for our band and it also has lights. It would also be very easy to dress it up and make it look snazzy. The only downside is that the Drama Studio is quite small.

• Another location for our Prom is the New Dining Hall. I think this is a good place to use because it is very well lit, and it looks quite posh, the only downside is that it doesn't have a stage for our band to go on, so we would probably have to make one. It doesn't have any tables that we could cover to make them look good

• Another location for the Prom is the Main Hall, it's light, airy, and massive. only downside is that it will be being used for the drama production.Locations for the Queen Bee to be walking through before she gets to the PromN corridor - this is good because it's light and airy, but it's quite thin

• S corridor - this is good because it's well lit, but then again its small for a complete pan round the queen bee

• • S corridor downstairs - good because it's light but it also echoes

• By Laura (:

The End• Edited by Laura • Co-ordinated by Alana • Information gathered by Hannah