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Teen film

 

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Teen film



 
 
The teen film (also called teen movie or teenpic) is a film genre targeted at teenagers and young adults in which the plot is based upon the special interests of teenagers, such as coming of age
Coming of age

Coming of age is a young person's transition from adolescence to adulthood. The age at which this transition takes place varies in society, as does the nature of the transition....
, first love, rebellion, conflict with parents, teen angst and alienation. Often these normally serious subject matters are presented in a glossy, stereotyped or trivialized way. Films in this genre are often set in high school
High school

High school is the name used in some parts of the world to describe an institution which provides all or part of secondary education. The term originated in Scotland and spread to the New World countries as the high prestige that the Scottish educational system had at the time led several countries to employ Scottish educators to develop the...
s, or contain characters that are of high school age.






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The teen film (also called teen movie or teenpic) is a film genre targeted at teenagers and young adults in which the plot is based upon the special interests of teenagers, such as coming of age
Coming of age

Coming of age is a young person's transition from adolescence to adulthood. The age at which this transition takes place varies in society, as does the nature of the transition....
, first love, rebellion, conflict with parents, teen angst and alienation. Often these normally serious subject matters are presented in a glossy, stereotyped or trivialized way. Films in this genre are often set in high school
High school

High school is the name used in some parts of the world to describe an institution which provides all or part of secondary education. The term originated in Scotland and spread to the New World countries as the high prestige that the Scottish educational system had at the time led several countries to employ Scottish educators to develop the...
s, or contain characters that are of high school age. Sexual themes are also common, as are nudity and crude forms of humour.

Types of teen film


As well as the classic teen film, which is similar to a romantic comedy, there are hybrid genres including:

  • Teen Sci-Fi
  • Teen Horror
  • Teen Drama
  • Teen Comedy
  • Teen Musicals


There are many more types of Teen Film which can then be divided again into sub-categories. This can be found at List of teen films
List of teen films

A list of teen films. Some of these films are targeted at adults as well as teenagers....
.

Codes and conventions


Codes and conventions of the teen film genre vary depending on the cultural context of the film, but they can include prom
Prom

In the United States and Canada, a prom, short for promenade, is a semi-formal dance held at the end of an academic year. In the United Kingdom, the term is more widely understood to be in reference to The Proms or "proms", which have been held between July and September since 1895, today run by the BBC....
s, alcohol, illegal substances, high school
High school

High school is the name used in some parts of the world to describe an institution which provides all or part of secondary education. The term originated in Scotland and spread to the New World countries as the high prestige that the Scottish educational system had at the time led several countries to employ Scottish educators to develop the...
, parties and all-night rave
Rave

A rave is a term in use since the 1980s, to describe dance party with fast-paced electronic music and light shows. At these parties disc jockeys and other performers play Electronica, Trance music, and Techno ,...
s, losing one's virginity, relationships, social groups and clique
Clique

A clique is an exclusive group of people who share interests, views, purposes, patterns of behavior, or ethnicity. A clique as a reference group can be either normative or comparative....
s, and American pop-culture.

The classic codes and conventions of teen film come from American films where one of the most widely used conventions are the stereotype
Stereotype

A stereotype is a preconceived idea that attributes certain characteristics to all the members of class or set. The term is often used with a negative connotation when referring to an oversimplified, exaggerated, or demeaning assumption that a particular individual possesses the characteristics associated with the class due to his or her me...
s and social groups. The wide range stereotypes most commonly used include:

  • The Jock
  • The Princess
    School diva

    A school diva is a popular culture reference for a well-liked or worshipped female student, whether in elementary school, middle school, or high school, who sees herself as an Alpha male....
     or The Plastic
  • The Geek
    Geek

    The word geek is a slang term, noting individuals as "a peculiar or otherwise odd person, especially one who is perceived to be overly obsessed with one or more things including those of intellectuality, electronics, etc." Formerly, the term referred to a carnival performer often billed as a wild man whose act usually includes biting the head...
  • The Rebel
  • The Misfit or The Outcast
  • The Average Girl/Boy (the boy
    Boy next door

    The boy next door is an archetype of storytelling. He is often invoked in American contexts to indicate wholesome, unassuming, or "average" masculinity....
    /girl next door
    Girl next door

    The cultural and sexual stereotype of the girl next door is invoked in United States contexts to indicate wholesome, unassuming, femininity; as opposed to the culture's other female stereotypes such as the tomboy, the valley girl, the femme fatale, or the slut....
    )
  • The New Girl/Boy


Apart from the characters there are many other codes and conventions of teen film. They are nearly always set in or around High School as this allows for all the different social groups to be shown. This is different in hybrid teen films, but for the classic romantic comedy teen film this is almost always the case.[1]

[1] Information taken from A-Level Media Studies Syllabus Notes.

Beach films

Early examples of the genre in the United States include the "beach films" of the 1950s and '60s, such as the Gidget
Gidget

Gidget is a fictional character created by author Frederick Kohner in his 1957 novel, Gidget, the Little Girl with Big Ideas. The novel follows the adventures of a teenage girl and her surfing friends on the beach at Malibu, California....
 series and the Beach party film
Beach Party film

Beach Party movies were an American 1960s genre of feature films which often starred Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon. The films, which combined music, romance, and slapstick comedy, were notable for portraying wholesome, fun-loving teens cavorting and living in beach houses free from intrusive parents or authority figures....
s.

John Hughes

The genre gained more credibility during the 1980s with the appearance of writer/director John Hughes
John Hughes (film director)

'John Hughes, Jr.' is an United States film director, film producer and writer, responsible for some of the most successful comedy films of the 1980s and 1990s, including National Lampoon's Vacation, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Weird Science , The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink, Planes, Trains & Automob...
. His legacy of teen films (The Breakfast Club
The Breakfast Club

The Breakfast Club is a 1985 in film United States teen film written and directed by John Hughes . The storyline follows five teenagers as they spend a Saturday in Detention together and come to realize that they are all deeper than their respective stereotypes....
, Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Ferris Bueller's Day Off is a 1986 in film comedy film written and directed by John Hughes . It stars Matthew Broderick, Alan Ruck, Mia Sara, Jeffrey Jones and Jennifer Grey....
, etc.) proved to be popular not only with audiences, but with critics also.

Noteworthy actors

Teen films also include actors such as Annette Funicello
Annette Funicello

Annette Joanne Funicello is an United States singer and actress. She was Walt Disney's most popular Mickey Mouse Club, and went on to appear in a series of beach party films....
 and Hayley Mills
Hayley Mills

Hayley Catherine Rose Vivien Mills is an Academy Award and Golden Globe Award-winning England actor....
 in the '60s and '70s, members of the Brat Pack
Brat Pack (movies)

The Brat Pack is a nickname given to a group of young actors and actresses who frequently appeared together in teen-oriented :Category:Coming-of-age films in the 1980s....
 in the '80s and early '90s, and Hilary Duff
Hilary Duff

Hilary Erhard Duff is an People of the United States of America actress and singer-songwriter. After working in local theater plays and television commercials in her childhood, Duff gained fame for playing the title role in the television series Lizzie McGuire....
, Lindsay Lohan
Lindsay Lohan

Lindsay Dee Lohan is an United States actress, fashion model and pop music singer. Lohan started in show business as a Child modeling for magazine advertisement and television commercials....
, Jason Biggs
Jason Biggs

Jason Matthew Biggs is an United States actor who is best known for his role as American Pie #Characters in the American Pie trio of teen sex comedies....
 and other teenage sensations in the later '90s and '00s, who were either preteens or teens at the time of the movies themselves.

See also

  • List of teen films
    List of teen films

    A list of teen films. Some of these films are targeted at adults as well as teenagers....
  • List of film genres
  • Teen drama
    Teen drama

    A teen drama is a dramatic programming television series in which the focus is on adolescence characters. The genre was relatively non-existent for the first 45 years of television; it came into prominence in the early 1990s....
     - (List of teen dramas
    List of teen dramas

    A list of teen drama, which are dramatic television series with a major focus on teenage characters....
    )
  • Teen pop
    Teen pop

    Teen pop is a subgenre of pop music that is marketed and oriented toward teenagers. Teen pop covers genres and styles such as pop music, dance music, and Rock music....
  • Teen magazine
    Teen magazine

    Teen magazines are magazines aimed at younger teenager readers, usually young women. They usually consisted of gossip, news, fashion tips and interviews and may include posters, label, small samples of cosmetics or other products and inserts....
     - (List of teen magazines
    List of teen magazines

    This is a list of teen magazines.ResourcesTeen magazines[Profiles of teen magazines in the UK http://www.magforum.com/glossies/teen.htm]...
    )


External links