Representation

I would like to focus on teenagers as a representative group and an issue would be peer pressure. The teenagers would be specifically discussing are high schoolers from 14 to 18 years old.  I feel that teeanagers in the media do not portray realistic delimas an average teenager would face. Demonstrating teenagers juggling school work, clubs, sports or work is hardly shown in films. People don't see how responsible the group can be. The media itself doesn't always portray how understandably stressed a teenager can get. The media gives teenagers negative stereotypes for certain social groups at school: the dumb jock, weak nerd or mean cheerleader. I want to show teenagers differently, as responsible, kind, not dramatic and how they take action in their community. I can do this by combining the social stereotypes: the cheerleader being smart or the quarterback being shy and not buffed up. For my issue, pressure is extremely evident for teenagers because there is a need to want to fit in and have people approve of you. Peer pressure is usually negative, teeangers usually face pressured to try illegal substances, E-cigs, cutting class and having sexual relations with others. Peer pressure can be harmful psychologically, mentally and emotionally when someone cares a lot about what to oher people think. Specifically for E-cigs there has been a sharp increase in teenagers vaping which is still harmful because the device has a lot of nicotine.
    A counter for my earlier argument is that teenagers can certainly be lazy, rebellious and self absorbed. Teenagers obviously do drink,  smoke, gossip and don't attend school. However it is unfair to only show teenagers in these categories because they are capable of much more. I would retain the representation characteristics of the teenager(s) overcoming something in their life. Something specific would be obtaining freedom for the first time or stopped caring what negative people thought of them. Overall I would love to portray teenagers dealing with problems such as growing uo and not just finding a significant other.
    In the movie “The Hate You Give” Starr Carter demonstrates her desire to make a change and be active in her community. Most films concerning teenagers focus on their lives and not what’s going on in the outside world. The media suggests teenagers are wrapped up in their own lives with their peers and not being responsible or taking action. Atypical is a show on Netflix about a teenager named Sam who is on the autism spectrum and is starting to enter the world more independently. He starts to experience dating, family issues and what is his plans for the future. The show goes in more depth about Sam having to pick a college and figuring out what he wants to do with his life. I feel that most movies or tv shows about high schoolers do not portray the fear of the future. Most focus on what is happening in the moment not long term for the character.

Period Piece

Do you ever wonder what it would have been like to be born in a different era? Certain films allow us to get a glipse at what life was like before we could experience them. Period films are set in differnt time period than when they were filmed with the use of costume designs, props and mise en scene. The difference between period and histroical is historical captures a specific event that happened while period is that whole time frame. Period drama is also known as costume drama or period peice.

Content Used In Period Pieces
Content for a period peice reflects the era the film is taking place and constantly reminding the audiance of the time period(s). Most of these films are based off of classic novels such as "Jane Eyre." The content consists of family, a love story or other relationships. There can be a classic hero and herion to create a contrast and set a plot. The director in the  end may subidly critize the beliefs during this time period in the film.

Production techniques for Period Pieces
These films can deliver the fact that the film takes place in a differnt time mostly through mise en scene. Mise en scene means anything in front of the camera: props, costume design, set design and lighting. Location is everything because even the architecture of the buildings can say a lot about a time period. The costume design is something easily noticed when the character is first visible in front of the camera which can also deliver the message of a period peice.

Sample 1
My first example of a time peice is "Little woman." The movie was based off the early 1860's however it was produced in 1994. This is the first reason it is considered a period piece. It did not focus on a historical event but instead on the lives of the four sisters growing into young women. One of the costume designs was women wearing big dresses from the 1800's. The props used reflected what people in the 1800's truly had. The lack of modern technology was demonstrated by using a real fireplace instead of a heater. This film is a period piece due to the costume design,  props and the time it was filmed.

Sample 2
My second example is "That 70's Show" because it was filmed from 1998 to 2006 but was based off 1976 to 1979. The show uses terms from the 70's such as slang. The show also has music from that time period as well if it was diagetic. The props are from the 70's such as the cars and the costume design. The hair styles and the clothes  were all popular in the 70's. This all relates to tv production that was shot in a certain time period but the content was based off another decade.

Enjoy some period peices until my next  update!
- Pride and Prejudice
-The Post
- The Help
-Lady Macbeth
-Love and friendship
-The Age of innocence

Check out some of my earlier articles if you haven't done so already !

Melodramatic: Overview

    Almost everyone enjoys watching films. Engaging with the characters, the plot, the solution and the overall message the director is delivering. I will be taking you on a journey to research the specific characteristics of "melodramatic" films, also known as "tear jerkers", "weepers" or "soap operas." 

   Melodramas can easily over lap with other genres a film has been categorized. Overall true melodramatic films are not very popular today, however they are still emotionally swaying. Technique wise the genre is known for having close ups, fast cutting, location shooting and parallel editing. Close ups are important to viewer can accurately see the actors facial expressions to demonstrate the mood. There is fast cutting to create chaos and heighten the excitement in the scene. Location shooting is used to have realism and making the audience further believe what is happening on screen is not artificial. In melodramatic films, if there is more than one plot it makes the story more interesting. Therefore parallel editing shows two different story lines occurring at the same time but are not in the same location but somehow connect. The content forces viewers to tap into their emotions through an increase in drama. The word "melo" means music therefore music is added to create a tone for the scene at times. Examples may be where there is chaos between character versus character or character versus the world. There are stereotypical characters that will stick out with certain titles. Such as good vs evil or love and war. There are intense and elongated fight scenes or romantic scenes to enhance the tone the director wants. On scene you would see characters with animated facial expressions and body language to demonstrate how they feel. These films play with ridiculousness to go as big as they can. However directors or writers must be careful with avoiding anything too over the top as it may come out as cheesy. This genre is marketed by having an obvious theme of romance or conflict, some sort of strong relationship between characters with a conflict. The trailer may introduce the problem as melancholy or as a desire for something. The emotion of the characters pulls the audience wanting to know what happened to the character. The characters may also represent everyday people in their lives. Earlier melodramas focused on woman having confrontations about marriage or how they are running their home life with their children because while these were most popular the ideology that woman stayed home was still a major social standard. Comparing this to today's melodramas the character(s) may be getting a divorce or having a failed relationships with partners or friends are more understandable situations to the public even if it's not personal. 

   That may all sound more interesting for females with all the sappy and overly dramatized story lines and at times that is the target audience. Adults in general are the main targets because the stories are usually mature and need a certain understanding to truly enjoy the film. A filmed I named in my last post was called "Wuthering Heights". This is a melodramatic film due to the strong romantic relationship, the tragedy of not being able to be together and  how there is a love triangle. The drama of forbidden love and the strength  of the romantic love between characters gives the film a melodramatic title. A second melodramatic film is "Now Voyager" due to a the main actress finally breaking away from her mother and being free. However it is mostly the character development of how Charlotte wanted to be with a man and then when that couldn't happen she grew as a person. She gained a lot of confidence and even more independence through the painful experience. Overall themes that make a melodrama film what it is are: ideas of evil, purity, character development, tragigies or damaged relationships. 

I will be posting updates as I dig deeper into my research! 

If you want to get started on some melodramatic films check out these: 

"Talk to Her": https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0287467/

"Notes on a Scandal": https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0465551/
"Frida": https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120679/
Pride and Prejudice: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0414387/
Now Voyager: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0035140/

References:

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/melodrama

https://itpworld.online/2008/10/30/what-is-melodrama/

https://www.filmsite.org/melodramafilms4.html

https://www.standoutbooks.com/melodrama/ 

https://literarydevices.net/melodrama/ 

Welcome !

Hello, my name is Gabriella Sanchez, I am a senior in high school. In my AICE media studies class we are discussing different genres in the film industry. I will be posting my findings as I go deeper into research with my specific genre. The true purpose for this blog is to analyze what makes a melodramatic film, how they impact viewers, and the importance of the genre. Even if you have never heard of this genre or haven't had any prior interest... THIS IS THE PLACE FOR YOU! Or you can be someone who only watches melodramatic films you can learn even more about them here! 

Until my next post check out some incredible melodramatic films if you haven't already: 

On Netflix:"Blue is the Warmest Color", "45 Years" and "Miss Julie."

General: "Interstellar", "Titanic", "Pride and Prejudice" and "Frida"

Earlier Melodramatic films: Wuthering Heights", "Gone with the Wind" and "Breakfast at Tiffany's"