She's The Man (Opening)

0:00-2:00

Distributor: DreamWorks

Sound:

Non-diegetic sound is the main type of sound that is heard in the opening of the film. The song is upbeat and fast which quickly establishes that the film is for teens. Diegetic sound is heard through dialogue but this only consists of screams when the brunette female character scores a goal. This emphasises that she is good at football which indicates to the audience that this could possibly be important to the narrative or her character.

Editing and Framing:

Straight cuts are used to follow the fast pace of the action, as well as creating verisimilitude. The brunette character is in the majority of shots, showing her to be either in the frame alone or surrounded by people. This gives the impression that she is the main character. Also, when close framing is used, the audience begin to identify the time of year that it is as the female characters are wearing bikinis and skirts, showing that it is summer.

Camera Shots and Movements:

Long shots are used frequently in the opening of the film, showing the setting to be a beach. This strongly suggests to the audience that it is summer, as well as giving an impression of the type of place the characters live. Tracking is used to follow the brunette character playing football. This reinforces the idea of her being the main character and important to the narrative. Close-ups are used throughout the opening, focusing on character’s legs and the football itself. This implies that football is very important to the narrative, as well as identifying that these characters are teenagers. Mid-shots are also used, an example of this is when the girls begin to dance with each other. This reinforces the stereotypical view that all teenagers just care about having fun, and also identifies the brunette female character to be quite outgoing and popular, as she is in the centre the dancing.

Mise en scene:

The costume the characters are wearing in the opening of the film reinforce that it is summertime, as all of the girls are wearing bikinis and the male characters are topless with shorts on. The brunette female character wears a bikini but covers her bottom half with a demin skirt. This shows her to be less feminine then some of the other girls as she isn’t showing as much flesh. This also highlights her to look physically different then the other girls, again reinforcing the idea that she is the main character of the film. High key lighting has been used to give a natural feel to the situation, as they are on a beach in the summer. This style of lighting also creates verisimilitude.

Titles:

The titles of the film are very artistic and colourful. This connotes that the film is youthful from the very beginning and possibly not very serious. The colour orange is used to highlight the different names that appear on screen. This colour isn’t gender specific, but is stereotypically associated as a more feminine colour, suggesting that the brunette female character has some masculine qualities. The font is a block simple style, but as the text is white, this has connotations of purity and innocence, which is a trait that is stereotypically associated with youth. The titles do not appear in one specific place on screen, possibly referring to the unpredictable lifestyles and personalities of teenagers. This random feel to the titles gives the impression to the viewer that the action taking place in the opening is going to be disrupted throughout the film, as it seems as if what is being portrayed is a perfect environment, but it is being invaded by text randomly.