This document summarizes and analyzes the opening scenes of several films. It discusses how the openings introduce characters, set the tone, and foreshadow future events through techniques like montages, dialogue, and characterization. For Mean Girls, it examines how the first shot presents the main character as a child to subvert expectations. For The Fault in Our Stars, it discusses how the opening breaks conventions by mentioning the film will not be sugar-coated. And for The Breakfast Club, it analyzes how a voiceover and establishing shots in the montage introduce the plot and school cliques.

1. Assignment 1
Task 1
Unit 10

2. MeanGirls (2004)
Opening for a feature film – Coming of Age and
Comedy

3. FirstShot
In the first shot we see the main
characters parents talking to her as it’s
her first day of school.The parents are
acting how they would as if she was a
young child.
This presents something that nearly
every one has gone through with their
first day of school.
The dad says “you can ask one of the
big kids where to do that.”This gives
us the idea that she is a young child.
The way the camera is positioned also
creates the sense that she’s a child and
we are seeing it from her perspective.
In terms of mise en scene we are
presented with a stereotypical
suburban couple.
This is a stereotypical start for a
backstory of a coming of age film.

4. Reveal
Then in the montage we are
revealed that it is actually teenage
daughter. Upsetting the norm the
audience would expect to see.
This creates interest within the
audience.
Later in the scene we see another
normal thing to do with parents by
them taking a photo.The setting of
them doing this is an American
neighborhood’s porch.This setting
helps with presenting it as a coming
of age film.

5. Breaking the
norm.
An interesting thing the film does in
terms of audience again is
mentioning again about how it goes
against the norm.The main
character has a voice over in this
shot and in it she mentions how she
guesses ’for a parent to cry on their
kid’s first day of school’ then she
brings forward to the fact ‘it usually
happens when the kid is 5’.This
creates a comedic effect which the
audience would respond well too.
Especially with the sound of her
mother crying loudly.

6. Representations of social groups
In the piece we see 3 differing representations of people. In the film we see the
main character mention the stereotypical ideas of homeschooled children. She
mentions how they can be "freaks”. In the next shot they show a footage of a
stereotypical nerdy girl at a spelling competition. She is presented with a
stereotypical nerdy costume and the actress puts on a nerdy voice.This
effective to create stereotypical characters in the film to allow the audience to
process them easier. Also to make her joke more funny.
We then see her mention they might be ”weirdly religious or something” which
goes well with the next shot of 5 stereotypical hillbilly children.We see the child
in the middle talk about their religious views which are shown to be opposing to
the bible.The child says ”On the third day, god created the Remington black
Rifle. So that man can fight the dinosaurs… and the homosexuals.” Finally
showing the rest of the children saying ”amen.”These children are presented in
stereotypical clothing for their social group.This helps again with her joke about
most home schooled children being different. We see their views contrasting
with the films views making it obvious they don’t believe it by showing him
talking slowly with his accent to increase the presentation of the stereotype and
showing him lacking intelligence.

7. Cady’sCharacter Development –
AfricaSide
Immediately the main character’s personality and history is presented to
the audience. This is done through her voice over narration which is done
over African music linking to her life growing up there. Her voice is
presented in a mellow tone so that she is a more relatable and likeable
character quick quickly in the film.
We are shown shots of her life in Africa in this.These shots are given a
black border around them and are freeze frames. This is to give the affect
of photographs so the audience feels like she’s going through a photobook
while telling us about her life before the film.
She mentions how she likes Africa which shows how difficult it will be for
her to accustom to her new school. Foreshadowing the trouble she will
have in the opening of the film.

8. Cady’sCharacter Development –
America
After we have talk aboutAfrica we see her character develop in other ways, one of
these ways are through her clothing in the scene. She is presented in quite normal
everyday clothing which contrasts to the popular teenager’s clothing which is
presented to be chic and fashionable.

9. Teenage Portrayal
In the opening montage we see the film portray teenagers
as destructive and aggressive.This is to help portray the
films scary nature to humanize the main character more for
later in the film.This helps defend her actions later in the
film.The fire is an exaggerated effect they use which helps
with creating a sense of anarchy within the scene to show
the main character’s opinion on teenagers.

10. Foreshadowing
In the scene we see the film
makers foreshadowing a later
event when the main antagonist
gets hit by a bus.

11. The Fault in our stars
(2014)
Opening for: Romantic Drama

12. FirstShot
In the first shot of the film we see the filmmakers
foreshadow later in the film with the shot of Hazel
lying down outside at night.We hear the main
character mention the idea of sugar-coating things
the way movies or romance novels would.This
breaks the fourth wall within the audience because
of the coming montage of the happy moments
from the film.This montage (images) shown on
the next page).
She then mentions how this isn’t the truth
showing the theme of the entire film.This breaks
the traditional norm in a romance film.
This scene also shows the non-linear narrative of
the film start.We are shown this from how the
character shows the later shots of the film at the
beginning. Breaking the norm of romantic films
and turning this film into a memory instead of the
current time.

14. Representation of the characters
emotion in the doctors
The emotion of the scene is conveyed by the actress’
actions during the scene.These actions are used to convey
the character Hazel’s boredom in the doctor’s office scene.
This creates the norm of hazel’s life showing the audience
what hazel feels about her life in the scene and film.This is
the first time we are shown hazel in her breathing tubes
and her tank. Revealing to us that hazel is sick, breaking
the stereotypes for a romantic film.

15. montage
Hazel is then shown in a montage
on why she is sad.This is shown
from her missing life.Which
presents the emotion towards the
audience and makes the audience
feel bad for her creating her as a
sympathetic character.

16. The BreakfastClub
(1985)
Opening for:Teen-angst comedy drama

17. OpeningShot
In the first shot of the film after
the titles we are shown a David
bowie Quote from his song
‘changes’.This any David Bowie
fans who watch the film would
recognize the song creating a
connection between it and the
film.This allows them to feel a
connection between them and
the film.

18. Montage
In the film ‘The Breakfast Club’ they use a montage
edited together with establishing shots and a voice over.
The voice over describes the plot of the film and creates
an interest in the audience.While the establishing shots
shown presents the aspects of the school and cliques of
the school.These shots also link to the teachers.

19. Representation ofCharacters
Each of the characters in the film are presented different ways
from the use of dialogue, costume and actions.Their
conversations with their parents reflect their clique and their
individualism.The first character to be shown is presented to be a
‘princess’ which is mentioned doing the montage which helps with
a well known American high school stereotype. Her language used
to show her opinions.The second character is shown to be a ‘nerd’
with his mother telling him to study and him being shown to be
driven.The third character is presented to be a jock who is relying
on a scholar ship for university. Helping with the well known ‘poor
jock’ stereotype, we are slow presented him in the stereotypical
costume with him wearing his varsity jacket. We are then shown
the 5th character in the the current ‘bad boy’ costume for the time
period, with him not being safe and not caring about it.Which
represents the character within the stereotype well.The 6th
character is not shown in detail in this sequence.