Blog Post #2

The group that I'm representing is teen drama films. Teen drama films usually represent girls as  a constant source of drama and limit people by being in cliques. Another stereotype of girls is the airheaded female shown in characters such as Karen Smith in “Mean Girls. Guy are stereotyped as well. In these movies you get the usual male characters: the jock, the geek, the bad boy. The thing about those archetypes are that while they do exist in the real world, they are usually not as cliched or dramatic as in these shows. These characters in these movies aren't really accurate to how it is in real life. Also many movies portray teenagers as emotional, overly dramatic and immature subjects who cannot make rational decisions. When in reality a lot of teens are focused in school and want to get good grades and test scores. These portrayals make real teenagers feel they are missing out on the teenage “experience” that the media likes to grossly exaggerate. Another unrealistic aspect of these shows is how teenage characters “live in the moment.” Fictional teens rarely seem to be preparing for any sort of higher education, a concept that can influence the young, impressionable audience that is watching. However there are some movies that represent teenage life well are movies like Perks of Being a Wallflower. We see characters dealing with issues of fitting in, identity and emotional trauma, and it doesn’t seem phony or fake. That movie is a good portrayal of how normal teens are because a lot of teens are dealing with their own struggles and also try to deal with the stresses of school and finding themselves. Hopefully movies will start to represent teen life in the way it actually is rather than over dramatizing everything and stereotyping typing individuals. 

Blog post #1

Genre - Teen Drama
Genre Conventions - content : There’s usually a girl who’s an outcast as the main character and she could possibly be interested in a attractive popular guy. And there is also usually a best friend that the main character confides in. This can take place in a school setting.  There will also be obstacles and problems that the main character willhave to face. Drama films also make the audience relate and sympathize with the characters. There’s a realistic story line with some form of journey and a happy ending.
Genre Conventions - production techniques- There could be low and high angle shots that portray strength and weakness amongst the characters. Also clear shots and angles that show different groups within the cast . There will also be dramatic music in the background for emotional scenes
Film Magazine sample #1- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tbRlEXrysU The movie The Duff is about a high-school senior Bianca, has a rude awakening when she learns that her classmates secretly know her as the DUFF -- designated ugly fat friend -- to her prettier and more popular pals. Desperate to reinvent herself, Bianca enlists the help of Wesley, a charming jock. In order to save her senior year from becoming a complete disaster, Bianca must find the confidence to overthrow a judgmental student and revolutionize the school's social order. This represents teen drama because we have the main character trying to changer herself to fit in and we also have the popular girl who's portrayed as the antagonist that the main character has to confront and such. 
Film Magazine sample #2 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDU84nmSDZY The movie Mean Girls is about Teenage Cady Heron who was educated in Africa by her scientist parents. When her family moves to the suburbs of Illinois, Cady finally gets to experience public school and gets a quick primer on the cruel, tacit laws of popularity that divide her fellow students into tightly knit cliques. She unwittingly finds herself in the good graces of an elite group of cool students dubbed "the Plastics," but Cady soon realizes how her shallow group of new friends earned this nickname. This movie represents teen drama because we have the main character who gets involved with the popular girls. Throughout the movie we see Cady trying to secretly  sabotage the popular girl's life. This then leads to more craziness and drama. 
More examples of teen drama films 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWmjzCZr0Jw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5rh7O4IDc0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFGiHm5WMLk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNi_HC839Wo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYk80K4FzkM