Mean girls is aimed more at a female target audience than male but still follows many of the teen comedy film conventions. The setting of the film is set in high school which is very conventional of the genre which is often set in high school and/or with characters of high school age, this allows the target audience to relate to the characters as the audience will be of similar age and will be able to relate to high school life. The different costumes worn in different groups represents the social cliques, which is conventional in many teen comedies to contain many social cliques and focuses specifically on social clique, this is also seen in films like american pie and Superbad. The new kid at school is a convention used in teen comedies dating back to ' A rebel without cause' and often contains a love interest for the new kid in which the story is based around. A wide shot is used of the school canteen to show the different social cliques of school which is conventional of high schools to have many separated social cliques. lots of fast paced editing is used during the high school scenes to show how hectic the school day is and suggests youthfulness which appeals to a teen audience which is conventional of teen comedies. The clothes worn by the students are high school are similar to what a teen audience would wear which helps the film appeal to them, as there are many social cliques represented this helps the film appeal to a mass audience. An extreme wide shot is used of the four popular girls walking down the corridor and shows how the other social cliques move out of their way which represents the popular girls as dominant. the trailer shows a scene where Regina is on the field and cuts to show different people all looking at her, this shows that she is popular and the centre of attention, the audience will be able to relate to this as most are high school age and there is usually a most popular kid at all high schools. The scene where Kady falls into the bin whilst walking with the popular girls show that she doesn't fit in with that group, it is a common convention for a kid not to fit in at high school and often used in teen comedies. Another common convention used in mean girls is the idea of everyone looking for romance which is a common trait of teen comedies and something that a teen audience, specifically female in this case easily relate to. An over the shoulder shot is used in the trailer of Kady talking to the popular girls which helps the audience relate to the main character, this is a typical teen comedy convention as often the film wants us to relate with the main character(s). The popular girls are shot with low angle shots
The shot of Regina above everyone else represents her as dominant and more popular than the other kids, this is also shown as one of the kids is looking up at her. There is also better lighting on her in the shot which shows she is considered more important.
An over the shoulder shot of Kady and Regina, this allows the audience to relate to kady which is conventional for teen comedies to make the main character relatable for the audience. The shot also contrasts the clothes of the two characters as Kady is wearing a chequered shirt which isn't very feminine compared to Regina who's shirt is pink and buttons opened to make it look sexier.
The wide shot of the popular girls walking down the corridor and Kady falling into the bin, this shows that Kady doesn't fit in with the popular girls. Its a comedic moment for the audience and would appeal for them to see the film if they see parts that make them laugh in the trailer. The fact that she feel into the bin shows that she is not used to school and is seen as a social 'reject'. The setting of the high school corridor allows the audience to easily relate as its set out like a stereotypical high school that most audience members would attend.
A wide shot is used to show the different social cliques separated in the lunch hall. The clothes worn by the jocks is stereotypical and conventional for teen comedies where the jock clique are often featured. The lunch hall would also be easily relatable for the audience as its a stereotypical layout that a teen audience would be familiar with.
The wide shot shows that Kady is isolated and doesn't fit in with any social cliques as she is walking with Janice and Damian but there is a big gap between them which shows that she is isolated. The clothing that Kady is wearing also shows that she doesn't fit in with any of the social cliques. Again the setting location is relatable for the audience.
Conventions- superbad includes many of the conventions of a teen comedy. one example is the fact that the setting of the film is set in high school which is very conventional for a teen comedy and also involves drinking and parties which are also conventional of the genre. Another convention used is the main characters being uncool/ not popular which is conventional as is their quest to have sex which is a major part of most teen comedy storylines. Another way in which Superbad followed conventions is that the main characters are all trying to go out with attractive girls which again appears in a lot of teen comedies.
mise-en-scene - the clothes worn by fogell, Seth and evan (costumes) are conventional for a teen comedy as they were 'uncool' and not in fashion clothes which is shown by contrast to the 'popular' characters who wear 'cooler' clothes. another example of Mise-en-scene is the setting/location of the film which takes place at high school which is very conventional for a teen comedy and proven to be successful. one of the main props used in the film is alcohol bottles/cans which is very conventional to see in teen comedies where drinking at parties is often part of the story. also the clothing that the girls wear in the trailer is often very provocative which is again conventional of the genre.
Sound- non diagetic music is used in the trailer which is conventional for all film trailers, the music often gets louder at a points where there is no dialogue and quieter when there is dialogue. the dialogue contains a lot of swearing which is appealing for the teenage audience is conventional for teen comedies. The non diagetic music is upbeat which shows youthfulness and again appeals to the teen audience.
Camerawork- high angle shots are used on Seth , Fogell and Evan to show they are not considered important people in their school and socially not important. This is in comparison to some of the girls they are interested in who are shown with low angle shots which shows they are considered more important in their social surroundings and also suggests that the girls are out of the boys league. A two shot is used between Evan and Becca to show the difference between and that their from different social groups which is conventional of a teen comedy.
Editing - eye line matches are used to show Seth staring at a girls breasts and Fogell staring at a girls bum, these are used as comical moments and are often used in similar situations in many teen comedies. The eye line match to show the boy looking at a girl who's out of his league is conventional of the genre. shot reverse shots are also used to contrast the difference between the 'uncool' guys and the 'cool' girls which is again a common convention of the genre. fast paced editing is also used which appeals to the teen audience as it suggests youthfulness.
This is a two shot used in the trailer showing Fogell and Nicola which contrasts the difference between them and their social cliques. This is shown as a comical moment as the audience recognizes that Fogell is with a girl out of he’s league which is conventional of a teen comedy. the mise-en-scene in the shot also shows Fogell to be 'uncool' as the clothes he’s wearing are over sized and unfashionable and is clearly contrasted to the 'cooler kids'. The low key lighting also shows that its a party/social event.
Wide shot showing Seth, Evan and Evan's mum. the shot shows that Seth is looking at Evan's mums breasts as she is bending over, this is conventional for a teen comedy as often the young male characters are interested in older women. This is comical for the audience as he is interested in he's best friends mum.
Two shot showing the two main characters (Evan and Seth) leaving the bus. The clothes (costumes) worn by the characters shows that they are 'unccol' and outcasts as they are on their way to get alcohol for the party which is unconventional as the cool kids are usually relied on to bring the alcohol to the party. Its comical for the audience looking at how Seth is dressed as he is wearing Evans dads clothes which again suggests that they are social outcasts. The fact that they have got off a bus rather than driving also suggests they would be considered 'losers' at high school.
A shot reverse shot is used between Seth and Jules, this contrasts the differences in appearance between their two respective social groups. From the scene you can also see that Seth is trying to impress her and so agrees to buy the alcohol for her party. The shot reverse shot also shows that Seth is far more uncomfortable in social situation which is comical for the audience as he is considered a social outcast.