Teen Film - Codes and Conventions

Codes and Conventions

Codes and conventions of the teen film genre vary depending on the cultural context of the film, but they can include proms, alcohol, illegal substances, high school, parties and all-night raves, losing one's virginity, relationships, social groups and cliques, and American pop-culture.

The classic codes and conventions of teen film come from American films where one of the most widely used conventions are the stereotypes and social groups. The wide range stereotypes most commonly used include:

• The Jock/Cheerleader
• School Diva
• The Geek/Nerd
• The Rebel
• The Misfit, or The Outcast
• The Average Girl/Boy (the boy/girl next door)
• The New Girl/Boy
• The Loner
• The Band Geek

Apart from the characters there are many other codes and conventions of teen film. These films are often set in or around high schools as this allows for many different social cliques to be shown. This is different in hybrid teen films, but for the classic romantic comedy teen film this is almost always the case.