Representation

As of now, I'd like my project to be about an experience that I can relate to, as I believe that I would be able to vividly convey it to an audience. My short film will most likely be based on teenage hood and the issues that come with it. I am not sure on what specific aspect I want to focus on, but It could most likely be about moving into a new country and have a huge clash of cultures, making it hard for the main character to adapt.

"Mean Girls" (2004) being one of the most iconic high school movies, represents teenagers in a way that is not favorable or real (in my opinion). Although it is entertaining, "The Plastics" do not exist in real life, at least not that exaggerated version. I feel like what many teen movies do, is that they use something that they've seen in high school, create a stereotype out of it and emphasize every single characteristic, to almost make it seem fake. In films, teenagers can seem either evil and manipulative rebels, lazy and unmotivated, spoiled brats, or anti-social nerds. There is often no in between. In classic romantic high school comedy, "She's All That" (1999) the main character, Laney, a nerdy outcast, is portrayed as an introverted art student who wears glasses and has her hair tied up 24/7 (because apparently it is what all quiet art students look like). Throughout the movie she "flourishes" into a "beautiful" girl and couples up the most popular guy in school, Zach, which does not happen in real life whatsoever. (This turned into a rant lol)

In my opinion, films are doing a notable progress in portraying teenage characters. Even though the previous examples are not accurate, as of lately, I believe that representation in the media is improving. For example, the film Ladybird (2017), did a great job representing the main character, and I could very deeply personally relate to her, as well as her relationship with her mother, which I thought seemed very real. The whole aesthetic of the film also created a big impact for me because it seemed simple and homemade, as the director stated in a video about the production of the film, she wanted to make the shots seem like photographs.

For my project, I would do as much as I can to make it seem real and create an impact in the audience. My goal is to break as many stereotypes as I can when it comes to teenagers, making them be an "in between" of stereotypical characteristics of teenagers shown in movies. One of the factors I would retain, which I feel is not represented that badly is the whole "worrying about the future" thing. It is often a dominating factor in teenage films, which is also a dominating factor in real lives of real teenagers.