This document summarizes 10 chick-flick/comedy directors and how their films and techniques could inspire elements in a narrative film project. It outlines each director's notable films, common themes and trademarks. These include elements of fantasy, humor, complicated relationships, independent female characters, and music to provide entertainment and escapism for a teenage target audience. Key directors mentioned are Mark Waters, Emile Ardolino, Gurinder Chadha, John Hughes, Gary Winick, Judd Apatow, Betty Thomas, Nancy Meyers, Richard Curtis, and Will Gluck.

1. Shyanne Sanders
Top 10 Chick-Flick/ Comedy Directors
Name: Mark Waters
Age: Born in 1964, Waters is 49.
Films best known for:
Mean Girls (2004)
Freaky Friday (2003)
Just like Heaven (2005)
Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009).
Graduate of the American Film Institute, Waters has a development deal
with Paramount Pictures. He often directs light-hearted, comedies. Mean
girl's was such a great success due to the over exaggerated stereotypes
that are incorporated, allowing a mass audience to be able to identify
with the character's (uses and gratification). In my opening sequence I will
use this element to have the same effect on the audience.
Name: Emile Ardolino
Age: 1943-1993 (Died ages 50)
Films produced: Best known for:
Dirty Dancing (1987)
Sister act
Techniques and influence to products:
Ardolinomade dance documentaries which
helped to popularise dance in America in the 70's. He begun his career as an
actor in off broadway productions and his passion for musical theatre is
evident in his films, all with themes of dancing and singing. The theatrical
element make them feel good films, offering the audience entertainment
(uses and gratification). Although my film is not a musical based film at
some point in the narrative there will be choreographed movement to
offer entertainment for my target audience.
Name: Gurinder Chadha
Age: 53
Films best known for: Angus thongs and perfect snogging
Bend it like Beckham
Trademarks:

2. Chadha's films are often based around the indian culture and she often
refers to the tremendous pressure of having your wedding planned for you
from the day you were born. She feels that making fun of it, takes the
pressure off and hopes that young girls in the position that she was in,
would be able to relate. Bend It Like Beckhamwas based on her and her
dad's relationship. Before the film she has recently lost him, so the film
was created from grief. Chadha feels that woman directors bring clarity
to female characters as they understand the roller-coaster of emotions.
This is evident in Angus thongs and perfect snogging and she often tries to
bring lightness and humour among tragedy. When she was young she
refused to wear Indian clothes or cook the food, battling with other
peoples judgments. This is a main theme in her films, in which the main girl
will do anything just to fit in. A teenage target audience will be able to
relate to the pressure of fitting in (uses and gratification). From her
success of adding elements that relate to her own life, I will include being
singled to one fixed friendship group in my narrative as it is an problem
that I face myself.
Name: John Hughes
Age: 1950-2009 (died age 59)
Films best known for: Breakfast club
Ferris Bueller's day off (1986)
Uncle Buck
Writer of: Home alone
Trademarks: Films often set in the suburbs of the Chicago in an area
identified as the fictional Shermer, Illinois
A strong emphasis on pop songs
Characters breaking the fourth wall
Additional scenes under or after the closing credits
Non-linear montages
A freeze-frame as the closing shot before the end credits
I will incorporate a strong emphasise on pop songs in my opening sequence
as it is a type of music which is aimed at young adults, my target audience.
The lyrics also usually offer identification for a teenage audience (uses
and gratification).

3. Name: Gary Winick
Age: 1961-2011 (died 49)
Films best known for:
13 going on 30 (2004),Bride Wars (2009),Letters to
Juliet and Charlottes Web.
Trademarks: Elements of fantasy
In my narrative the element of fantasy will be for
entertainment value (uses and gratification) when
Sophie decides that her teacher is a killer.
Name: Judd Apatow
Age: 46
Films best known for: Knocked up
This is 40 (2012)
Trademarks: Truthful, clueless main characters,
themes of relationships
Bases on this director's success I will ensure that my
protagonist seems clueless to provide entertainment to my target
audience (uses and gratification).
Name: Betty Thomas
Age: 65
Films best known for: John Tucker must die (2006)
Dr Dolittle
Alvin and the Chipmunks
The narrative of John Tucker must die and the way
in which Thomas presents the characters, has
inspired me as character's from different social
groups work together.
Name:Nancy Meyers
Age: 64
Films best known for: The Parent Trap (1998)

4. The Holiday (2006)
It's complicated (2009)
Trademarks: providing escapism and hope to middle-aged female audiences
(uses and gratification), complicated relationships— including marriage,
motherhood, and divorce
Stereotypical middle-aged characters
Later in my narrative it is revealed that Ms Graham, the teacher Sophie is
paranoid about, is actually her half sister. This complicated family
situation was inspired by Meyers films.
Name: Richard Curtis
Age: 57
Films best known for: Love actually
(2003)
About time
Writer of: Notting hill
Bridget Jones
Four weddings are a funeral
Trademarks: Timeless, charming and romantic. Mix of humour and poignancy.
The narrative of my film includes humour, with the audience being able to
mock the protagonist and her stupidity, and sadness, with Ms Graham's
unlucky story of loosing her father to a new family.
Name: Will Gluck
Age:
Films best known for: Easy A (2010)
Friends with Benefits (2011)
Trademarks: challenging the status quo, gender equality,
often features an independent female character.
The protagonist of my narrative is independent and challenges the status
quo by inviting different character's from different social groups, into one
group. This can used as a form of escapism for the teenage target
audience (uses and gratification) and was inspired by Gluck's films.