Romantic Comedy Genre Analysis-Mean Girls(2004)

Mean Girls is a romantic comedy and a typical teen drama. Telling a story of Cady Heron who we learn is the characters name through the voice over that is used in the beginning. The Film Opening starts with the Paramount Pictures logo, moving on to the production name. The Unique Selling Point is than introduced; Lindsay Lohan the star of the film. After that comes the name of the film straightaway after Lohan's name thus telling the audience the importance of her in the film.

Mise-en-Scene: The protagonist Cady is dressed very plainly,casually and she is very covered up suggesting that she is self-conscious and naive. Her plain clothes, tied up hair and very little make-up again project a possibility she does not want to stand out but blend in the background. This is a contrast to when she enters the school and see's all these people dressed in revealing clothes, initially showing a culture shock; telling the audience she is new to all this. In one shot her  clothes she is wearing are different indicating a change of location and she is smiling looking more happy and relaxed, conveying to the audience there is a flashback that the protagonist is taking them to. The location change is evident in certain scenes. One scene the location is shown to have deserts and it's environment looks hot. While the other location looks like a urban city, this is done to show the protagonists life used to be like before she ended up in this school.

Camera Shots: Different types of camera shots are used to establish the audience's relationship with Cady the protagonist especially point-of-view shots. The scene starts of with a point-of-view shot through Cady's eye's where she is looking up at her parents like a little girl, depicting the point she is still treated as a young girl. Her parents are clearly patronizing her about her 'first day at school' even though she is a young teenager and not a little child. Her mid shot of a cheesy smile towards her mum and dad displays to the audience she is the apple of their eye and a low angle emphasizes her weak position. Before she enters the school building close up's of Cady are used to portray her nervousness and slightly startled expression to the audience.

Editing: The editing used in the opening sequence is mainly straight cuts for continuity in the story line. However freeze frames with a flash sound are used to indicate a change in time. These freeze frames are photograph's from Cady's time in Africa showing what her life use to be like before. Thus making the audience feel more connected to her as she is telling them personal information about her life. The framing also changes when these freeze frames are shown, again indicating the flashback. The slow motion used when Cady is walking towards the school building illustrates her anxiety and fear; due to her first day at a new school.

Sound: This is the key to understanding the main characters background story and the flashback at the start. The use of diegetic sound starts in the form of Cady's voice over, forms a close relationship with the audience as they feel she is personally talking to them and including them in her life. Her friendly and casual way of speaking further enforces that she comfortable speaking about her life.The non-diegetic sound is the soundtrack that is playing in the background which has a element of unease, highlighting the moments black comedy in the film. The music changes when the scene goes to a flashback to a subtle African influenced instrumental music, highlighting the characters roots and life. When Cady is walking towards the school building a pop song plays in the background, possibly to imply how she feels and symbolize the era of time.


Posted by Bansari Raval