Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging (Opening)

0:00-1:55

Distributor: Paramount Pictures

Sound:

The majority of sound heard in the opening is diegetic. However, non-diegetic sound can be heard in the opening, through the use of instrumental music. The light music is relatively quiet, enabling the audience to hear and focus on the dialogue between the daughter and her father. The diegetic sound in the opening of the film is heard through dialogue. The stereotypical way that many teen romantic comedies portray young people to speak in slang and differently to adults is echoed here. The line ‘Boys don’t like girls for funniness’ reinforces the stereotype that young girls a constantly looking for approval from boys, which allows the audience to relate to the characters.

Editing and Framing:

Straight cuts are used throughout the opening, which creates verisimilitude. This also shows characters interacting, such as the father and daughter talking. When Georgia walks into the room, the frame is filled with shocked expressions from the other characters at the party. The use of this immediately creates comedy as she has come dressed differently to the other characters at the party. It also gives the impression that she is not like the rest of the teenage characters as she seems more quirky.

Camera Shots and Movements:

Tracking is used to follow the car as the Georgia’s father talks to her as she walks down the street. This immediately implies that she is going to be important to the narrative because she is creating an issue from the very beginning of the film. Mid-shots are used to show Georgia’s friends telling her why they didn’t dress the same as her to the party. This emphasises how different she is to the rest of the people at the party as the audience can see what the other characters are wearing. A close-up of Georgia’s face is also used in the opening when she walks into the room of people. This shows her looking disheartened that she is dressed so differently and also shows her to seem self-conscious, which aids the viewer in relating to her character.

Mise en scene:

The costumes that are seen in the opening are fancy dress, but still give an insight into the types of characters in the film. For example, Georgia is wearing an olive compared to the other girls who are dressed as angels and bunnies. This connotes her to be quirky and someone who doesn’t follow the crowd. One girl is immediately portrayed as being a bitchy character, as she teases Georgia on her outfit. This girl is dressed as a black cat, which has connotations of being bad luck and evil, giving the impression that she could be a villain in the narrative. Georgia’s friends are all dressed like many other people at the party, showing them to go along with the crowd and being self conscious about what other people think about them, which is a stereotypical teenage trait. High key lighting is used to create a natural feel to the film, allowing the audience to believe the characters and situations are real, and therefore relating to them easily.

Titles:

The titles appear at the bottom of the frame, which allows the audience to not be distracted by what is happening on screen. Also the font is curly and could be considered childlike, which gives the impression that the characters aren’t very serious. The font is white, which again doesn’t distract the viewer, but links to the idea of innocence, which is frequently associated with children.