It shows the view of an American high school; we can see the segregation into different groups. It also shows the racial segregations. Race is not the main factor it’s the money. The black culture is leaked through the clothes etc. It is money that segregates the people. As we can see it was a film of its time. In the 1990’s we see the ‘nouveau riche’ period. People were making a lot of money in the 90’s and this is reflected by the culture the film shows. We can see that wealth is shown through the ownership of the technology etc. mobile phone and computer.
We have to take the Studio name Paramount as the opening scene due to the fact that it is supposed to be encapsulated within the whole culture of the film. This is due to branding and it reflects the nature of the film itself. You would not conventionally link the studio name and the film because the studio wanted to reinforce Paramount as a studio for a teenage audience. The song “Kids in America” redone by The Muffs is played with the Paramount name to reflect this idea.
The film begins with a series of shots of a montage. The first shot shows a high angle shot of a group of girls travelling on a jeep. It is being driven on an urbanised area with no traffic. We can see the carefree laughter of the girls in the jeep. I think this is trying to establish the theme of the film. The next is a mid-shot is of Cher shopping, however the audience not supposed to know that she is the main character. It has a sepia wash over the lens to give an impression of how fashion, clothes and shopping have always been an interest of women. The fashion industry has existed for centuries and the sepia is clearly showing us a clear link between fashion and time. The next shot is a monochrome medium close u of Cher and her friends. This monochrome shows us how fashion can change from the old fashion depiction using sepia is turned into monochrome. The next few shots are all Technicolor low angled shots showing us more depth in to the lifestyles of teenagers in California these scenes that are still in the montage empowers these teenagers. It suggests that they are living a comfortable and prosperous life and also they are far more affluent than any average teenager. In one of the scenes we see the girls drinking cocktails, this is a signifier that shows that their lifestyle is on a sophisticated level. Whereas an average teenager would have been drinking a low-class beverage like a beer or cider. These scenes form a montage, which shows a wider focus on the lifestyle that the teenagers are living in. The transition of the scenes from the sepia to the monochrome to the Technicolor shows how fashion can change from one style to another. This reflects the 90’s because different fashion statements were made. However on a superficial level this could reflect the different groups that exist in college life. We also see some boys influencing their life. It shows a Californian lifestyle and how it dictates their behaviour. We see a flirtatious relationship this shows the old fashioned ‘romance’. We say this because nothing happens in their relationship only a series of
From the very beginning of both the novel and the movie, we can see the similarities between the two main characters. Emma Woodhouse is part of the rich, upscale society of a "large and populous village" in nineteenth century England, while Cher Horowitz lives in rich, upscale Beverly Hills, U.S.A. In Highbury, the Woodhouses are "first in consequence there. All looked up to them." (7) Cher and her father are also among the cultural elite; he is a litigation lawyer, a prestigious and lucrative occupation in one of the most affluent cities in the world. Cher is also one of the most popular girls at her school. The description of Emma that Austen gives is also a description of Cher. She is "handsome, clever, and rich, with a comfortable home and happy disposition." However, we shall see that Emma and Cher are not as perfect as they may seem.
Because of their wealth, both Emma and Cher are spoiled, in control socially, and tend to think too highly of themselves. This is a result of the lack of a maternal figure in their lives, as well as their fathers' over-indulgence. Cher has everything a teenage girl could want: money, her own Jeep, a huge wardrobe, et cetera. Like a lot of girls, she spends a large amount of time and money at the mall; however, she spends hundreds and thousands of dollars on her clothes, not the kind of money a typical teenager would spend. Because her father is so busy with his court cases, he has little time to spend with her to give her guidance and discipline. An example of Cher's snobbishness can be seen in the scene where she and Dionne are explaining to Tai how to become more popular. Cher states that she has already started to elevate her social status "due to fact that you hang with Dionne and I." Cher may be taking pity on Tai, but she does so with an air of arrogance because she knows she is from a higher social class.
