This document discusses common elements found in teen drama films and television shows. It outlines various cliques that are typically portrayed, including loners, goths, jocks, cheerleaders, artists, and nerds. Common storylines involve a nerdy girl falling for a popular boy or an outsider trying to break stereotypes. Issues addressed may include feeling unhappy with one's life, losing one's identity, and falling outs between friends. Typical settings are high school locations like classrooms and cafeterias. Character stereotypes like nerds, jocks, and "new girls" are also outlined. The style is often colorful and the narrative is frequently from the first-person perspective of the protagonist.
2. CliquesTypes of Cliques
o Loners
o Goths
o Jockeys
o Cheerleaders
o Art and actors
o Geeks/Nerds
o People who aren't
in the clique
(usually the
protagonist)
Story Line Cliques:
o Nerdy girl likes popular boy who
doesn’t know who she is, by the end
they get together.
o There is a massive divide between all
the ‘cliques’ however an outsider is
trying to break the rules of stereo
types.
o There is a school bully in the school
and eventually the people being
bullied stand up for them.
3. Character Stereotype's
The Nerd: Shirt and
tie, glasses, really
clever, socially
awkward.
The Jock: Bully,
confident, good
looking, tall and
muscly and popular.
The ‘New Girl’ : Breaks the
stereotype, kind, intriguing,
‘outsider’ , shy.
The Cheerleader: Pretty, airhead,
popular, dating the jocks.
4. Setting's
High School:
o Corridor
o Classroom
o Sports Hall
o Locker Room
o Playing Field
o Car Park
o Cafeteria
Students House:
o Bedroom
o Kitchen
o Garden
o Swimming Pool
o Front Door
5. Issues and Problems
In almost all teen dramas there is a problem or
issue that the protagonist has to face. These are
some of the dramas they might be faced with:
Hating Life: 'The Edge of Seventeen'
is a prime example of a teen drama
where the main character is not
happy with her life and who she is.
Some teen films also use the idea of
the protagonist feeling like they are
stuck in the small town they live in
and feel that there is more to life
outside.
Loss of identity: Commonly in a teen drama film the
protagonist 'forgets who they are' and their
personality changes. An example of this is in mean
girls when protagonist (Cady|)becomes friend with
the bully (Regina) to become more popular. Another
example of this is in Reality High where the nerdy
protagonist is taken under the wing of her ex friend
(Alexa) she forgets who her real friends are.
Fall out with friends:
Commonly there is an argument
between the friendship group in a
teen drama, however it is likely within
a teen drama that they make up by
the end of the film.
6. Iconography
: the traditional or conventional images or symbols associated with a subject
In a teen drama it is very typical to have lockers
as they are often set within a school, most
commonly high school.
13 Reasons Why
Technology also comes up
very frequently in a teen
dramaAlcohol and under aged
drinking is also often
associated with teen
dramas as there is often a
high school party.
Sounds like school bells
are also very common
in a teen drama as they
are often set in high
school
7. Narrative
It is very common that in a teen drama the film is
narrated through the fist person, most typically the
protagonist. For example ; Angus Thongs and Perfect
Snogging, Mean Girls dilemma