For my representation homework, I looked at how teenagers are
represented in the newly-established cult movie, Project X.
The ‘blurb’ from Wikipedia states that:
Project X is a 2012 comedy film directed by
Nima Nourizadeh in his feature film debut, written by Michael Bacall and Matt
Drake based on a story by Bacall, and produced by The Hangover director Todd Phillips. The plot follows ... three
friends who plan to gain popularity by throwing a party, a plan which quickly escalates
out of their control....The film was presented as a home video from the perspective of an attendee using a camera to document the night's events.
Project X was released in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom on March 2, 2012, and grossed over $100 million worldwide during its theatrical run. The film received a mixed-to-negative critical response on release. Criticism focused on the perceived misogyny, mean-spirit, and "loathsome" behaviour of the lead characters, and disregard for the effects of drug use. Following release, incidents of large scale parties referenced or blamed the film as an inspiration.
Teenagers are
represented as destructive and immoral. Numerous acts of criminal activity are
presented, such as under-age drinking and destruction of property (seen in the
image depicting a police car being vandalised from the view point of a police
security camera), and these negative events are celebrated. Depending, on one’s
discourse, the trailer may be viewed differently. A person with strong morals
and little desire for destructiveness might look down upon the trailer’s events.
However, a teen with loose morals and one that enjoys dangerous and vulgar
behaviour may look upon these actions with respect and amazement. Regardless of
discourse, it is clear what the producers of the text want the audience to feel
when watching the trailer, through the use of the written code stating that the
film is “a celebration of bad behaviour”, suggesting that although these
activities are recognised as bad, they are still represented as fun, or a
socially constructed image of fun. This caused a ‘moral panic’, as it led to
cases of teenagers being reckless and mimicking the behaviour seen in the film.
In March 2012, a spring break rave in
a Houston mansion, that was
meant to emulate Project X, ended in disaster after several attendees fired guns, killing one
person as police tried to break up the party. In Florida, an 18 year old sent
out an invitation on YouTube, promising the ‘party of a lifetime’ and was arrested
after vandalizing a house and causing $20,000 worth of damage with fellow
teenagers. This establishes the film as a moral panic, but also demonizes
adolescents simply because of a few negative incidents. 
As the night deteriorates, the lighting changes. The high-key lighting where
the party-goers are laughing and dancing changes to a low-key lighting when the
police become involved and criminal activity begins. The low-key implies
negativity and wrong-doing – possibly a method of convincing teenagers that
this rebellious behaviour ends badly. Despite this negative result, large scale
parties were still carried out, imitating the Project X gathering. This
particular trailer screenshot, depicting teenagers wearing hooded jackets may further
the stereotype of the ‘hoodie’ culture (a group of ‘folk devils’), being
destructive and rebellious as a way of having fun. This is an extremely
negative representation of teenagers, as it fails to represent those that abide
by laws and morals and value other legal activities.
This
particular screenshot demonstrates how Project X furthers the notion of girls
being sexual objects. The teenage boy in the picture is fully clothed, yet the
girl is in a bikini. The way in which the boy is holding the girl in this
particular scene also implies a sexual relationship dominated by him. Even the
angle of the camera implies that women are inferior objects to men. The male is
at the forefront of the two shot, and even though the scene prior to this
depicted the scantily clad teenage girl alone, the boy is now in control of the
situation as he pushes her into the pool. Throughout the trailer, men are seen
as the ‘fun loving’ gender and the girls are seen as the ‘objects’ for the men
to gaze at. From a feminist point of view, this stereotype being furthered by
Project X is an unjust and rather old representation. Women of the 1950s, such
as Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor, were seen as objects of male gaze, which
was just the common media representation of the time. However nowadays, women
such as Germaine Greer and other women that are not seen as sexual objects,
rather as figures to be respected, have emerged and revolutionised views on
women. One could argue that this film’s representation of women is a ‘set-back’,
almost forgetting the positive representation of innovative women and resorting
back to older media representations to interest the male gaze and fantasy.
The up-beat, modern
non-digetic music, close-ups of smiling faces and the fast-paced montage
editing This shot depicting a teenage boy jumping from a height into the
swimming pool is shot, cleverly, with a high-angled camera shot, in order to
make the audience look up at him, physically and metaphorically, in an
admirable way. Whether or not the audience view his behaviour as exciting or
fun, they are forced to look up at him, implying that his way of life is
superior and the way life should be. This links to the blurb’s statement “Following release, incidents of large scale
parties referenced or blamed the film as an inspiration”. The
teenagers replicating this behaviour may have done so in order to fit in and
imitate those they view as superior.
Overall, teenagers are unjustly represented in the trailer
for Project X. Not all teenagers engage in criminal activity or large-scale
parties. Women are represented as objects of the male gaze, which is a rather
sexist view that revolutionary modern media tries to avoid. Despite all of the
negative implications, the party within the film is seen as a celebrated and
amazing event, even though it ends in destruction and criminality. The
producers of this text may have included scenes of rebellion and immorality in
order to create and maintain interest or to present ways of life for some teenagers.
Since this film was shown globally, media imperialism could apply here, as
teenagers from other countries and cultures may mimic the seemingly fun, but
ultimately negative behaviour they see. Teenagers are represented as the cause
of problems, crime and corruption in society, which may be the case for certain
individuals, but not for adolescents as a unit.
Sources:
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