Analysis of About a Girl

Mise en Scene        Representation of Class

Camera                   Representation of Age

Editing

Sound

*NOT COMPLETE*

About a Girl

Long shot of the main chaeacter as a silhouette

The scene opens with a long shot, and silhouette of a girl singing Britney Spears. It is clear that is the evening and she is by herself.

Medium close up of main character walking

The audience is then taken to a Medium Close Up of her walking and it is easy to determine that she is at least under class from her choice of clothing and accessories, for example, hoop earrings and a padded white coat. Her choice of clothing is inexpensive and practical, suggesting that she does not come from a background of wealth. Again, the character is on her own, which could suggest that she might not have many friends, or perhaps she doesn't enjoy spending time with people. Her accent immediately tells the audience that she is from the midlands, around Manchester. She could be perceived as under class by her use of vocabulary; it's very limited and she often uses the word 'thingy' for words she cannot use to describe something based in the topic that she is talking about. She also uses a lot of profanities, which could suggest that she is not well educated and she is used to saying words like these.

Close up of main character - background chaging	as time progresses

The background as the main character walks in constantly changing. In the background of the shots the audience can see council houses, along with, flats and terraced houses suggesting that she lives in an under class area. Graffiti is also noticeable in the background of some shots. This makes the area seem run down and a dismal place for someone to reside.

Another medium close up with a different background

Within the diegetic dialogues she claims that she is 13 years old and teenagers are known typically from their random changes of thought as the audience is able to pick up as the main character is speaking. She begins a topic with Jesus becoming a singer and then to the Bono (the frontman of U2), moving on to dental floss and ending with checking someone for worms. This could compliment the sudden changes of background material shown to the audience. The dialogue is used as a sound bridge throughout the short film as it overlays a lot of the various scenes shown to the audience.

It is easy to tell that the main character is very ambitious since she talks about wanting to become a singer, subtly suggesting that this is the way she wants to overcome her poverty. The main character elaborates on her musical ambition as she is shown on public transport with her 'mates' as she calls them, and they're all singing together at the back of a bus. However she has limited horizons of what the high life actually consists of, she believes that wealthy people go out and consume Baccardi Breezers at an expensive restaurant. She becomes smug at this point as she points out that her mother will have to continue consuming dodgy burgers and knock off lager, again suggesting that she doesn't come from a background of wealth. 

An Extreme Long Shot of the main character watching her father play football

In a Medium Shot she is shown sitting with her dad at a cafe and they're conversing about how she cannot come and live with him, suggesting that that her parents are no longer in a relationship, adding to her troubles as an under class teenager. She also claims that he is unemployed resulting to another reason why she isn't well-off. People who are part of the under class are often given benefits to live off. Having her father being unemployed could also suggest a reason why he's unable to let her live with him.

The main character sat alone outside the pub

Spending time with her father is shown to the audience as her just watching him play football with his friends and then sitting outside alone with a packet of crisps and a can of coca cola. This could suggest that her father doesn't want a lot to do with her, resulting in her feeling neglected and lost for guidance. This also represents her age as in some pubs around the UK, minors are not allowed to enter.

The lighting used in all of the outside shots is natural lighting which subtly becomes darker as the time progesses, however, the audience doesn't really notice this unless further observed.

The main character begins to talk about not being allowed to have a pet dog.