The document analyzes various shot types from the film "Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen". It describes establishing shots that set the scene in New York City and introduce the protagonist. Close-ups are used to make the audience feel sympathetic towards the protagonist as she leaves New York. Subsequent shots from her point-of-view show her new surroundings and school from a disoriented perspective. Various shots introduce the school setting, different cliques, and Lola standing out from her vibrant style. The shots also establish a new friend for Lola and introduce the antagonist girls through their intimidating body language and facial expressions.

1. Analysing shot types of a
School-based drama
- Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen
George Lawrence

2. ‘Confessions of a Teenage
Drama Queen’ opens with the
establishing shot of a New
York Cityscape. This is impo-
-rtant as it instantly sets the
scene and allows the viewer to
see where the beginning of th-
-is story will take place. The
bright pink and bold titles sta-
nd out against the monotone
city in the background and hi-
-nt at a happy and friendly atmosphere. Initially sending out enigmas for the
audience that this place once represented happy times. It obviously doesn’t just
blend in to the background making it stand out and a surreal sight over the bleak
New York City. Its bright pink colour is possibly used to try and change the
opinions of viewers that New York is just a dull and boring city and the extreme
long shot portrays how it is vast, dominating and busy.
Extreme Long Shot

3. This is one of the first shots
of the protagonist and a close
up has been chosen in order to
give the viewer a chance to
conjure up any preconcepti-
-ons. Her emotions are clear
and we can see that she is
clearly sad and emotional ab-
-out leaving her beloved city,
‘New York’. This makes the
audience sympathetic towards
her and instantly gain a connection. It has been shot from an eye-line level in
order to create a common ground between the character and the audience. All of
these methods have been used to get the viewer feel involved and are regular
conventions used in school-based dramas in order to instantly get the audience
on the protagonists side. It’s a classic school-based drama story where the
protagonist (here named Lola) moves towns worried and apprehensive of what
she might find in the next.
Close Up

4. We now experience the move
from Lola’s perspective furt-
-her connecting the character
and us. This shot is of a welc-
-ome sign establishing the new
town. Beneath this sign is a
long stretch of road possibly
an enigma of the long road and
journey Lola will be going th-
-ough in her new town. Look-
-ing at this sign from such a
low angle makes its feel intimidating and that we or Lola are inferior to this town
and its going to be a tough up-hill journey. This sign is extremely significant as it
marks the start of Lola’s new life and the end of her previous one in New York.
In comparison to the long-shot we are first greeted with at the start of the film of
the cityscape we can identify just how different things are going to be for the
characters.
Cutaway/Point-of-View Shot

5. At this stage in the opening,
Lola is on her way on a bike
to her new school; as she rides
she examines her new surrou-
-ndings and while being dist-
-racted crashes into a tree and
falls off of her bike. This is
the shot to follow. The canted
angle demonstrates her dis-
orientation in her new surrou-
-ndings. The sprawl of belon-
gings on the grass is possibly used as a metaphor of the mess Lola’s life is
currently in. She has been forcibly moved from the city she loves and now has
moved to an unknown and completely different environment to what she has
grown up to be used to. This mirrors the narrative at this current point in the film
when she expresses her shock that she can get to school for free.
Canted Angle/Point-of-View

6. Here is our first glimpse of
Lola’s new school. It uses the
classic conventions of a sch-
-ool based drama such as us-
-ing imagery like the all-ame-
-rican yellow school buses and
diegetic sounds to match. Th-
-ese sounds include students
laughing, shouting, screaming
and running, the big engines
of the buses and tooting of
horns and finally the usual school bell which is extremely reminiscent of schools.
As the shot isn’t as clear and clean as it possibly could be it implies that it could
also be a Point of View shot as she makes her way there. The blue skies and
colourful vehicles contrasts again to Lola’s original home, the dull and bleak
New York representing a new and fresh start for her.
Long Shot

7. Another convention of school
based dramas is the introduct-
-ion and representation of the
different cliques within the
school such as the jocks, ne-
-rds, cheerleaders and goths.
This film has done this by one
clean and thorough point-of-
-view, pan shot flowing thro-
-ugh the different groups; this
also demonstrates how every
person in the school has a place and group where they belong and reinforces the
idea that Lola doesn’t fit into any of them. The shot appears busy and full of
staring people showing the they instantly recognize her as an outsider and also
provides the viewer with the typical school scene that they would expect.
Pan/Wide/POV Shot

8. Lola is in the centre of the
shot showing how she natura-
-lly demands attention yet
also shows how much she
stands out amongst the crowd.
There are many bikes in this
scene yet hers is the only one
that the audience can see that
is a bright and vibrant colour;
from this we can see that Lola
is not a shy person, this idea
is further shown through her choice of outfit which this shot shows of well. The
average person would try and dress subtly for their first day of school if a
uniform was not required in order to try and fit in, however, this shot shows how
Lola is not interested in trying to be like everyone else and follow the crowd. A
majority of the students around her are wearing casual t-shirts and jeans while
Lola opted for an all crème 70’s outfit including flared trousers, flowy blouse
and a retro bandana.
Wide Shot

9. Here is a long two-shot of
Lola and a new character both
locking up their bicycles. They
have been positioned in the
shot to be directly opposite
each other with a type of mir-
-ror line going through the
centre. It appears as a mirror
line as they both complete
their actions at the same time.
The viewer instantly recogni-
-ses the similarities between the two and is an enigma to the friendship they may
develop. For example, both are standing by their bikes looking into their bags
and about to pull a book out all at the same time and with the same hands. Their
similarities and shared interests are further developed and revealed in the shots to
follow.
Two-Shot/Wide

10. The extreme close-up of the
badges belonging to the two
characters informs the audien-
-ce of the shared interests of
these two characters. They
both are big fans of the same
band and gives them a com-
-mon ground on which they
can build a relationship and
friendship upon. This shot
also allows us to get a better
close-up look of the characters clothing and sense of style. The badges are the
main items of this shot and show a clear representation of who these people are:
one badge shows the name of the band, the other shows the faces of each of the
members of this band and the final largest badge is what the viewer takes to be
this girls favourite member of the band.
Extreme Close-Up

11. Finally, here is the introduct-
-ion of the antagonist. The
mid-shot reveals just enough
so that we can see the style of
the characters, which are here
represented as well dressed, as
well as the body language. Th-
-eir body language appears
cold and intimidating, yet in
unison to one another with
their hands on their bags sho-
-wing that they are one intimidating unit. It is clear that from their facial
expression’s (made clear from the shot) and by the way they represent
themselves that they are the mean popular girls that will pose as the barrier that
will stop Lola from achieving her dreams and getting on well in her new school
just like these characters always do.
Mid/Three Shot

12. In conclusion, from looking at these shots from the school based drama
film, ‘The Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen’ I can see the types of shots
commonly used by this genre in order to make a good and professional
production and this research and analysis has helped me greatly to decide the
types of shots I will be using.
To Conclude