Synopsis - The Good Girl.

For my coursework I have decided to base my film on teen life. My film is called The Good Girl. It is about a girl whose brother died in a car crash and two years on, on her life has been turned upside down. Her parents split up, after her dad lost his job; her sister didn't talk, to anyone and now Beccy (the main character) had to help everyone re-build their lives. She was a good daughter, a good friend and a good student but not being able to talk about her brother was getting to her and she starts to steal...it didn't matter what she stole as she would just put it in a box under her bed but stealing was a release, it made her feel better so she didn't want to stop.
This film is a hybrid genre, part rom-com and part drama, she has to show the new boy round the school and likes him straight away bt her 'friend' likes him too.
In the end she confesses to her stealing and returns it all, also she ends up with the boy...happy endings do come true.

Preliminary Task

The Good Girl - Evaluation

My film challenged forms and conventions of real media products, as most films begin with music. Although all films begin differently they mainly all start with music, for example: Love Actually, Closer, Mean Girls. My film begins with the main character saying her first line “two years ago my life was turned upside down, I am going to tell you my story”. Although, this is similar (developed) to the beginning of Mean girls and Juno where the beginnings of the films are narrated by the main character of both films. Also, my film ‘flashes’ through time which a lot of film don’t do, they start at the beginning of a story.
I feel that the type of intuition that would distribute my film would be a smaller company such as working title as it is a British film. And although working title is part of universal I believe that the film is more likely to attract a younger audience (teens to young adults) and is more appealing to a British audience than to an American audience. Working title would be good for distributing this film for that reason, even though the film would be shown in America it is for a small social group that enjoy this genre.
To attract an audience the audience to this film it has to relate to the audience so as it is about a teen girl in trouble, teens are likely to see the film. Also the genre, the genre for this film is a hybrid genre, a mix of rom-com and drama. This will attract certain audiences, mainly female and young, which is who I aimed this film for.
From making this project I noticed that camera angles and genres are a crucial part of making the film work, as is editing. I found the editing more difficult than the filming as the software was hard to understand at first. Also all of the different effects that can be used in the film was a main part to make the film flow, I chose to use simple effects to make the film run through smoothly.
Looking back at my preliminary task I have found out that it is more difficult working on your own as oppose to in a group where people in the group can act and you can all do what is needed to be done a specific times. Also I have learnt about editing the film and adding effects to make the film look better as in the preliminary task our group did not use any effects.

Generic Conventions

Juno – At the beginning of the film the time of year is the first thing to come up and then it fades into the film. We see the main character 20 seconds into the film. From the beginning you find out that the main character is also the sort of narrator of the film. We see another character 1 minute into the film, with the main character. Then goes into the opening credits, where the film then goes into a cartoon style. In the opening credits there is music playing - All I Want is You sung by Barry Louis Polisar; also the main character is being tracked throughout this part, also there is use of OTH shot, pan, close up and high angle shot.

Closer – Music starts straight away and the name of the film then fades into the film. First main character seen 38 seconds into the film and second main character seen 46 seconds into the film – both are walking down opposite side over a road towards each other. Both characters are surrounded by people (in London) but they are the first people you see. When they make eye contact it looks as if they know each other but they don’t. Girl main character gets hit by a car and guy runs to her aid.

Love Actually – Starts at an airport, everyone there meeting their friends and family, whilst a narrator speaks (one of the main characters). Shows lots of shots of people hugging, greeting, and kissing. Then the shot changes to another of the main characters in a recording studio (1 minute 20). Pan, close-up, high – angle shot, shot of the other characters in the scene. High-angle shots and long shots of London and then into another main characters house. Credits throughout.

Mean Girls – Credits on a black screen for 15 seconds and fades into film. Starts with close ups of two people (parents of main character) then main character comes into shot (close up) and then into long shot. All talking to each other and then main character narrates. Flashes of things she’s talking about (stereotype home schooled children) then to photos of her family in Africa. Then to main character surrounded by people at high school, POV shots of what she can see and close ups of her face to show how she’s feeling. This cuts to her walking into a classroom and there’s an over the shoulder shot of her and 180° rule.

Because I Said So – music straight away, and goes into short clips (old fashioned clips – black and white and sepia) of mothers and daughters (matches music). Then wipes across to film, first shot of a wedding cake, and then to main characters (mother and daughter) and their family, eldest sister is getting married. They have photos taken and one of the main characters talk. Photos are taken and shown. Both main characters talk to each other OTS whilst switching between them talking and two other characters. Then wipes to another wedding cake (other sisters wedding)