Clueless (Opening)

0:00-2:00

Distributor: Paramount Pictures

Sound:

The first sound heard in the opening of the film is non-diegetic. The music used here is a popular song called ‘Kids in America’. This immediately indicates that the characters are teenagers and the setting is America. Non-diegetic sound is also heard through the use of a voiceover. This allows the audience to feel as if they are seeing into somebody’s life and the voiceover also makes the character have a personal connection with the viewer. Diegetic sound is heard through the use of dialogue. The audience get in impression of the type of character that teenage girl is as she calls her father ‘Daddy’, which is a stereotypical way of portraying a character to be spoilt.

Editing and Framing:

Straight cuts are use throughout the opening, immediately creating verisimilitude, as well as keeping a fast pace to the action, connoting that a lot happen in these character’s lives. In many shots the frame is full of people having fun and laughing by the pool or joking at the bar. This gives the impression that it is summer time and indicates that this group of people are friends. Also, the blonde female character is in the majority of the shots, which quickly gives the impression to the audience that she is will be important to the narrative, and is probably the main character.

Camera Shots and Movements:

Mid-shots are used frequently throughout the opening, an example of a mid-shot is when the female blande character walks out of a shop carrying shopping bags. This indicates to the audience that she is possibly a materialistic character as well as being very wealthy. The camera then tracks the character as she walks off with her shopping bags. This gives the impression to the viewer that this character is going to be important as the camera follows her. Close-ups are also used in the opening, for example when the group of girls are at the bar. This shot shows one of the girl’s legs on show as she is wearing a very short skirt. This reinforces the stereotype that young girls are provocative and want attention. A crane movement is used when the jeep is shown. This allows the audience to see the group of girls in the car and shows that these characters will more than likely been seen numerous times throughout the film.

Mise en scene:

When the girls are around the pool, they are all wearing bikinis and swimming costume, reinforcing the idea that it is summer. This also shows them to be revealing quite a lot of their bodies, implying that they take care of their appearances, which is a stereotypical teenage issue. The blonde female character’s costume when at home is quite formal and covers the top half of her body. This gives the impression to the viewer that she is a different type of person when with her parents, which is a common thing that many teenagers do, and this helps the audience relate to her character. This yellow tweed skirt and blazer, has connotations of her being popular as she would be noticed in a crowd and again emphasises that it is summer as yellow is often associated with this season. The lighting used is very bright in the scenes outside, as it is summer. High key lighting is also used to create a realistic feel to the film and allow the audience to relate to the characters and issues more easily.

Titles:

The titles of the film begin immediately after the Paramount Pictures logo is seen. The titles themselves are very bright but it could be argued that the colours don’t match, which echoes the stereotype that young people try and express themselves through colour but they’re not always perfect. The font used is large and in block, but the letters aren’t all the same sizes, which again reinforces the idea that teenagers aren’t always perfect. The text appears in the centre of the screen, but only the distributor and name of the film are shown in the opening. This gets the audience’s attention straight away but doesn’t allow them to be distracted in the rest of the opening.