17 Again
Mise en Scene
Costume: In the opening scene of 17 Again we see the main character Mike wearing his Basketball kit. This shows to the audience that he is skillful and this is backed up when he scores several baskets in a row whilst practicing. The basketball kit shows he is very sporty as well and from past associations made in many other films the audience will assume that Mike is Popular. This is the first film opening I have analysed where the main character is male, this will have a completely different effect on the audience to if it was female. The majority of the target audience are teenage girls and the likelihood is they will have a crush on Mike and therefore they will be more inclined to watch the film because of the attractive, male actor rather than a female actress they can relate to.
Props: In the opening scene of 17 Again we see Mike playing basketball with lots of basketball equipment this is to show that he is passionate about his sport (Basketball) and it shows that he is skillful, these skills that he has portray him as cool and this is to help make him desirable to teenage girls as they will be the majority of the audience and therefore will be the film's target audience.
Setting: In the opening scene of 17 again we see the main character Mike in a school sports hall. This is a relatable setting for most probably all of the film's target audience as the target audience will be teenage girls who go to school. This relatable scene will help the audience build a connection with the film and become closer with the film. The audience will therefore enjoy the film more as it reminds them of their own life and they have made this sub-conscious connection between their own life and the film.
17 Again Analysis
Editing
Shot Reverse Shot: In the opening scene of 17 Again we see a shot reverse shot when Mike is shooting hoops in the school basketball court. The shot reverse shot is between mike and the Basketball hoop showing that he has a strong connection with the hoop. This, in turn, can suggest to the audience that Mike has a passion for basketball and is possibly really good as he has this connection with the sport. As a result of this the audience may like him more as he is very gifted at basketball which makes him 'cool'.
Quick Cuts: In the opening scene of 17 Again quick cuts are used when Mike is shooting hoops on the school basketball court. This use of quick cuts speeds the scene up and can suggest to the audience that he is very skill full as he is scoring multiple hoops in quick succession. This can make the audience like him as he is very skillful at basketball, if you are very skillful at a sport you tend to become very popular. The audience will be more inclined to watch it due to the fact that popular character that they want to be like is in it.
Foley: In the opening scene of 17 Again the use of Foley is present when we see Mike playing basketball. Examples of foley in the opening scene consist of: The sound of the ball bouncing; the sound of the basketball going through the net; the sound of the trees rustling in the wind or the sound of Mike's shoes squeaking on the gym floor. This is all done to make the scene more realistic for the audience, make the sound more defined for than if it was just picked up by the cameras. By doing this the scene can become much more enjoyable for the audience and they will be inclined to watch the whole film.
Soundtrack
Musical Attack: In the opening scene of 17 Again we see the use of a musical attack when Mike O'Donnell is first introduced to the audience. The use of the musical attack shows to the audience that Mike is important as all the score stops just stops introduce him.
Crescendo: In the opening scene of 17 Again crescendo is used just as Mike starts scoring hoops on the basketball court. I believe the use of crescendo is to build up the introduction of main character Mike, the crescendo helps in the big introduction as the rise in score gets the audience uneasy and tells them something big is going to happen, in this case it is telling them that Mike O'Donnell is about to be introduced. Crescendo helps show the audience that Mike is the main character in the film.
Ambient Sound: In the opening scene of 17 Again the use of ambient sound is present. Ambient sound helps build atmosphere for the scene and can help just make the scene of believable for the audience. For example, in the opening scene of 17 Again we hear birds tweeting and trees rustling these noises are something that are expected to hear on a daily basis so by putting them into the opening scene it will relax the audience as they will hear the things that they expect to hear, this makes them more comfortable watching the film.