Mean girls essay

 The scene at Regina’s house starts with an expensive, convertible car pulling up onto a large cobble drive that has been fitted in front of a huge mansion. At first we see the camera pan out and follow the convertible car cruise along the driveway. The radio is on and we hear the four teenage girls playing music. As the camera continues to pan and zoom out to show the audience the full scale mansion, we can see other pieces of set and design in the shot. In the foreground we can see a well kept fountain surrounded by precisely cut bushes and flower beds. This shot of the fountain in the foreground stereotypes the ‘spoilt teen’ Regina is as we see her family value materialistic items to show that they are successful or special in some way. In the background we can see two other sports cars, a red one and a black one. The red car could be for the mum as it seems to be more of a family car then a business car. It being red could also symbolise Regina’s family personality as her mother and sister are sexualised later on in the clip. The most obvious set design/ location in this shot is the grey and white mansion. It’s large white pillars and steps are another materialistic item that the mother wants as it is an unnecessary design to the house.

The next shot is a close up of the girls getting out of the car. We are able to see their costumes as the camera includes the shot of all four girls. Their outfits are all pink and skimpy showing that they are trying to catch the eye of men but remain youthful by wearing a childish and girly colour. If we pay close attention to the girls during the dialogue exchange, we can see that they all are wearing silver or gold coloured jewellery to further materialise themselves to show that they are not only popular and mainstream teenage girls but also wealthy.

As the girls walk through the house and talk to Regina’s mum, they make their way upstairs to Regina’s room. This is an important shit as Regina’s bedroom gives us an insight on her personality, hobbies and interests as a person. At this point, the girls have split into two groups. The three girls who have been to the house many times are kept in a lease together and Katy who is kept in her own lense as the camera switches shot when dialogue is exchanged. As Regina leads her two friends into her room, the camera view switches to Katy’s position as it stays back away from the other girls allowing the audience to view Regina’s bedroom. On the left side of the brief shot of the room we can see Regina’s bed with red curtains and sheets. This is sexually suggestive as red is considered a sexual colour and it being where she sleeps infers her desires to the audience watching. In the background we can see she has two very big french sliding doors that go out onto a balcony. Outside on the balcony we can see a pink sun bed and umbrella which link to her common theme and dress code of pink or red.  On her walls we can see some subtle set design of posters or framed pictures to add personality to the room. Katy is initially shocked at the size of the room and feels out of place. This is shown as the camera focuses on just her when she speaks which helps alienate her from the other girls as she feels alone and is alone in the camera shot. This emphasises her feeling of being incompatible with the girls.

We next see that Katy wonders up to a picture board in the bedroom that has several photos and magazine word cut outs that Regina has made. The photos consist of herself and possibly a boyfriend at some point. One of the photos is Regina wearing a tiara/ crown as she poses with her boyfriend. This depicts Regina as a queen and that she, along with her family, idolise herself/ themselves and believe that they are the most important people in their own and everyone else’s lives.

In conclusion, the camera shots mixed with the location and set design portray Regina and her family as self obsessed people who try to fit in by being popular. Which contrasts with Katy as she feels out of place and out of her depth.

 

Max.