Teen movie

NERVE MEAN GIRLS

 Absent father  Arguments over boys
 Arguments over boys  Losing friends
 Loses friends  Changes herself to fit in
 Starts off unknown  New girl, unknown
 High school  high school
 Goes out of her comfort zone  Let’s popularity overtake her
 Rumours  Rumours
 Only child  Only child

Some of the common and most used codes and conventions from teen coming of age movies are known
characters, for example the type of character of ‘the jock, the nerds, a dumb girly girl, the new girl/boy, losers,
outsider and a rebel’. Other common codes and conventions of this genre is the setting usually being high school
or teen bedroom, family home or local diners/cafes, iconography such as alcohol and drugs, mobile phones,
magazines and dvds, band or artist posters and narrative themes, for example identity crisis, peer pressure,
having an unrealistic crush or moving away. A typical code and convention almost always used is soundtracks;
voiceovers, car radios, indie/acoustic to portray the sadness of the characters, to add depth to an emotional scene.

Steve Neale has a genre theory which states that all genres contain instances of repetition and difference. Neale’s
theory applies to the two films I chose as the codes and conventions are repeated in both Nerve and Mean girls
but do have some differences. For example, the typical codes and conventions in both films are that they are in
high school and under pressure to be popular/ liked and loses friends in the process. In the film nerve, the main
character and protagonist is called Venus and she is an only child living with her mum and isn’t popular, she’s
not known by many people in her school. In mean girls the main character is Cady who is also an only child but
with both parents, she’s new to her school and isn’t known either. In both nerve and mean girls, popularity is
determined by the usual conventions of a teen movie. For example, what you look like, how many friends you
have, if your liked by the opposite gender and how you act. However, in nerve popularity status is taken over by
an online game and how daring you are to play.

A narrative theory that applies to both of these films is Todorov’s theory. His theory is that most story's or plot
lines follow the same pattern or path. For example, equilibrium, disruption of the equilibrium, recognition, an
attempt to repair and then new equilibrium. This theory applies to both Nerve and mean girls as both films start
as both girls shy, unknown and never really stepped out of their comfort zone. Then the disruption is when they
have an argument with their friends and end up losing them. Then they start changing and doing things out of
their comfort zone. Recognition is vee becoming a better player and finding Ian, playing against the game.
Mean girls recognition is Cady starting to feel bad about going against Regina and wanting to stop. The attempt
to repair is vee and Cady both trying to make bonds with Sydney and Regina and stop people who are spreading
rumours and being on the game. The new equilibrium is that vee and Ian shut down the game for good and in
mean girls Cady was able to get all the girls to come together, get rid of the burn book and stop there being a
popularity system.

In this scene, vee is explaining to the watchers and players to shut down the game by logging out as it is
dangerous and too powerful now. Vee and Ian are facing each other.