Sub-genre conventions - Analysis of camera, editing, sound, and M.E.S in High School and Youth Drama

Analysis of Kidulthood

Camera: Close-up shots - convey emotion of character and give clearer understanding for the viewer, Longshot - Show the scene and environment the youth are living in (not very nice), also shows the clothes they wear so the viewer can understand the social context and gain a sense of the story, Medium shot - Shows the body language of the youth and also their expressions, Shot/reverse shot - display the conversation between two speakers.

Editing: Jump cuts - to show the events happening at different periods of time at different locations, links the story together, Ellipsis, Slow motion - slowing down of time shows the mental breakdown the youth is having and the struggle.

Sound: a lot of urban soundtracks being played to go with the urban story line, sound of people conversing, a lot of shouting, strong language, sexual noises throughout, weapon sounds (bats, guns, knives).

M.E.S: mobile-phones, weapons (knives,bats,guns), alcohol, drugs, clothing (very urban in the "ends" but more sophisticated in the city), blocks of flats, messy cluttered bedrooms, fancy/middle-class cars show that lower-class (which is a lot of the people in that environment) cannot afford cars.

Analysis of High School Musical

Camera: Close-up shots - expressions and emotions of the high school students, very frequent throughout the movie as they are very dramatic and express a lot of emotions, Long shots - show the scenery and environment, also show the clothes they're wearing to give some background on what the movie is likely to be about, mid-shots - show the body language of the teens, Shot/reverse shot - the conversing between the high schoolers. 

Editing: Jump-cuts - show the events happening in different locations and the thoughts, emotions, feelings the teens are having, Ellipsis, flashing lights - showing how fancy and cool the teens are in a more "upper class" high school (typical of american high school movies).

Sound: A lot of musical style music and soundtracks, ranging from up-beat and fast tempos to slow, more subtle ballads, conversing, shouting, musical instruments (bands).

M.E.S: cell-phones, sports outfits (cheerleading pom poms, soccer gear), cafeteria, lunch tables, bedrooms, city life, busy people, more casual dress sense.