15. Analysing a Youth Drama

'Dirty Deeds' is a high school movie, released in 2005, starring Milo Ventimiglia and Lacy Sherbert (Who had a main role in the popular culture teen film 'Mean Girls'). Its plot line is based around a set of tasks students at an American high school try to achieve within 24 hours to gain social status. The main character tries to complete this task in order to gain the attention of her crush, a stereotypical jock. SOUND The music used in the title sequence is classified as 'Punk Rock.' This is because it uses heavy, crashing drums accompanied by an aggressive lead vocalist who is shouting lyrics about rebellion over the track. This works well for a title sequence featuring a high school movie as its message regarding conformity and 'breaking free' from the rules of society resonate with many teenagers as most people of this age bracket are trying to resist conventions in order to gain attention, freedom or popularity. Usually music classified as 'punk rock' is seen as care-free and would not be used in a youth drama as it features an ignorant characteristic that many youth dramas would not focus on. Therefore I think that the soundtrack in this opening is relevant to the rest of the movie, and sets the rebellious tone that the plot line of 'completing dirty deeds' suggests. CAMERA For the entire duration of the title sequence, the camera is positioned at a dutch tilt. By having the camera at this angle this helps portray a disorientated, frantic approach to the images. Once again, this conforms to the idea that teenagers want to break free from the structure and formality of eveyr day life, and by using a slanted angle, we are immediately seeing things from literally a 'different angle.' reinforcing that this movie is centred around a teenage character base. EDITING One of the most prominent aspects of editing in this title sequence is the special effects. A dark opaque layer is added around the clip, so you appear to be looking in on something private. By having this element of privacy or secrecy, this suggests that this film is based on something the characters are not 'allowed' to do. Similar to the camera angles and sound used, this will establish this movie's theme as 'breaking away from conventions.' Furthermore, by narrowing down the visibility of the clip (darkened edges) this increases the intensity of the focal point, you force the viewer to watch exactly what you want them to. This is useful for a teen movie as it allows the main target audience (teens aged 13-18) to concentrate on important elements established in the opening so that they can fully understand the concept of the film, thus not confusing the audience.