2. Exposition of character
In the opening of 21 Jump Street there are 3 characters that are shown and they have different
personalities and personas. The first protagonist is shown as an uncool and unpopular teenager that
is isolated from the hot girls and jocks in the school. He has a similar look to the rapper Eminem
which makes him look like a wannabe as he hasn’t got as much popularity as he would have liked.
While he gets enough courage to talk to the girl he seems to stutter which implies that he has
confidence issues when he talks as he keeps stalling. This links to the audience as the audience is for
teenagers who are still in school which will help them relate to the scenario.
The second protagonist is a popular jock who has the backing of his friends when he is picking on the
unpopular boys as they feel like they are the alpha males in the school. He is wearing a high school
baseball jacket which implies that he is part of one of the sports teams as him and his friends having
matching jackets. The girl reacts positively when he is talking as she feels comfortable when being
seen talking to him as people will likely look up to him as the alpha male in the school.
The girl has a weird facial expression as she finds out that the protagonist is trying to ask her out
which implies that she has high expectations of herself as she knows that she is very pretty.
This will be good for my film opening as I want to be able to show the audience that each of the
characters in the opening have different aspects and characteristics as this will add a variety of
characters that they can relate to.
3. Setting
The opening of 21 Jump Streets shows several different locations that are within in a
school. For example, the first shot is of a yellow school bus that shows that the film will
be based in America as the yellow school bus shows this to the audience. Also, as the film
enters the school they show lockers and notifications boards with prom written on them
which shows that it is based in a school and that the children are of an older age.
This links to the audience as the film is a teen comedy and the concept of the school
relates to the audience as the situations and issues that the protagonists come across
could be relatable to the audience as they may have experienced it themselves. The
settings will show the audience that the setting of the film is very familiar to them and it
will signify that the film is targeted at them.
4. Cinematography
There are a lot of close up shots used in the opening of the film as this will help establish
the characters roles as the facial vary differently between them as it shows different
emotions like discomfort and confidence. For example, the close up used while filming
the protagonists ask the girl to prom shows that he lacks confidence as his face looks
uncomfortable and he hesitates a lot. The girl’s reaction to him asking her out is almost in
disgust as she thinks higher of herself and she wouldn’t expect to be asked a question like
that from the protagonist. The other protagonists is shown laughing at the situation
which establishes the different in character between the protagonists as he is shown full
of confidence as he laughs at the situation.
This links to the audience as the opening of the film has a different range of characters
that they can try to relate to or chose between on whom to favour throughout the film.
