The film begins with a birds eye view shot of girls doing gymnastics. This shot has been used to see the wider scheme of things and to immediately set the scene and theme of the film. Within this, editing is used to put the gymnastics in slow motion to exaggerate the movement.
Immediately after this, a close up is used on the protagonist. Juxtaposing this close up shot with the birds eye view shot makes it obvious to the audience who the protagonist is. It also makes it clear that gymnastics is a sport that McKenna (the protagonist) does.
Non-diegetic sound of music is playing at the beginning of the film and the lyrics say ‘winners never quit, quitters never win.’ This portrays the fact that winning and quitting is going to be a main theme of the sport and film and also a struggle that McKenna faces.
Diegetic sound is used through dialogue when McKenna’s best friend says ‘Olympics 2016, I’ll be on the podium with my gold, you next to me with your silver.’ This connotes the fact that the girls have big dreams that they are determined to achieve, and also shows their passion in gymnastics. This also shows that determination and passionate about something are characteristics a protagonist should have. This part of the film is shown in the trailer, suggesting it is a significant part of the film.
An establishing shot of a city is used to set the next scene. This shot has been edited to speed up the movement of cars and people to portray the fact it is a busy city. After this another establishing shot is used of the outside of a family house to further set the scene. A zoom in shot is then used to suggest the next shot will be inside this house. The mise-en-scene of the following shots consist of a family sitting round a table generally talking, laughing and joking around by singing. The way they are conveyed as a happy family makes them relatable to the audience.
A pan shot is used around McKenna’s room enabling the audience to see everything in her room and show clearly all the posters, trophies, medals etc that are all to do with gymnastics. A shift focus is also used along three trophies as it focus’ from one trophy to the next, allowing the audience to see that she has a lot of trophies. These shots convey how much the protagonist loves gymnastics and how passionate she is about the sport.
Whilst McKenna is attempting to do a science test, there is diegetic sound of a clock which has been edited to be made louder than normal so it is exaggerated. On top of this, more non-diegetic sound is used as a voice over of McKenna reading in her head. This has also been edited so many sentences are being said at the same time suggesting she is confused and stressed out.
In the scene of gymnastics competition, all shots of gymnastics have been edited and put in slow motion to make everything more dramatic. There is also non-diegetic sound of up beat music, and diegetic sound of applauding which work together to create a happy, but competitive atmosphere.
Just before McKenna has a fall whilst doing gymnastics, her moves are put in slow motion and a lot of close up shots are used. The length of shots are quite long and fade into each other; this builds up the tension and makes everything more dramatic. The diegetic sound is edited to sound delusional which gives a sense of realism and also gets the reader involved and allows them the empathise with the protagonist at this point.
After this there is an establishing shot used to show a thunder storm outside. This could be pathetic fallacy and relating to the protagonists current feelings. After this the mise-en-scene of the next shots of McKenna ripping down posters crying and the diegetic sound of thunder in the background portray McKenna’s feeling upset of angry.
A shot reverse shot is used showing girls doing gymnastics, and then McKenna. This shot is used to convey the fact McKenna is watching the girs doing gymnastics and is upset and jealous that she can not join in.
A range of shots showing different scenes of the protagonist improving at gymnastics, improving with her school work and having fun with her friends are shown for a short length of time alongside with non-diegetic sound of up beat music. The length of the shots and type of music suggest determination of McKenna and a more positive atmosphere.
Diegetic sound through the use of dialogue is used when one of McKenna’s friends says to her ‘you kind of inspire me, you're so fearless.’ This dialogue shows that the protagonist is inspiring and fearless which are characteristics that allow the audience to empathise with the protagonist.
When the protagonist is thinking back of memories with her friend, the shots are edited to make them look as if they are glowing. This ensures that the audience know these are the thoughts of the character.
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