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Final Film Analysis Paper: Boyz N the Hood

Hilda Toles The University of Arizona Global Campus ENG 225 Introduction to Film Dr. Stephan Jones December 21, 2020

2 Boyz N the Hood When you think of Boyz N the Hood, you think of the rap duo N.W.A. hit song, but when you watch the movie Boyz N The Hood, you see the song's meaning play out. The film I chose to discuss is Boyz N the Hood, written and directed by John Singleton in 1991. The film classification is drama, with subgenres of hood, teen, coming of age, and crime film. A subgenre defined by Goodykoontz, B., Jacobs, C. P., Meetze, J., & Pritts, N. (2019) (p. 1.4). "It is a more narrowly defined category that also fits within a broader category." Boyz N the Hood is a film about three young men Tre, Rickey, Doughboy trying to survive and make it out of the hood alive without disappointing their parents being stand-up men, not allowing the peer pressure of a South-Central neighborhood to change them. Boyz N the Hood acknowledges how Utilizing experiences from childhood if leveraged appropriately, can directly build your strength to make better decisions for your future. Your environment should not control your destiny, like going to college, despite the norm and thinking about consequences before reacting, it is not easy staying on the right path. Still, the benefit if you do, is rewarding. In this essay, I will explain Boyz N the Hood through the lens of Genre Theory. Analyzing the film's different elements that help distinguish the film various genre's making the film the blockbuster it is today. I have learned about various theories throughout these five weeks, including Genre theory, which I relate to more than the other approaches. The Genre theory focuses on the technical elements and filming to help categorize what the movie genres should be. Goodykoontz, B., Jacobs, C. P., Meetze, J., & Pritts, N. (2019) (p. 3.4). The film Boyz N The hood shows plenty of genre theory examples by capturing the different genres in how to scene plays out. As we dig deeper into what makes a good movie, you realize it is not only the cast or the director that makes the film, but the behind the scenes do too. Piecing together the different

3 elements helps connect the mood of the scene to the genre. Parker-Flynn states, "Each genre film, according to one of the most firmly established "rules" of film genre study, must exhibit qualities that determine its relationship to other examples in the genre." (Christina Parker-Flynn 2018.p.1). For example, when you think of what links a horror genre to a film would be the suspense of the film, the scary sound effects, and the scene's lighting helps the audience recognize that it is going to be a scary movie. Sound One specific technique and design elements employed in the film contributing to the overarching narrative is sound, as it links the genre of crime to Boyz N the Hood. As the movie starts, you hear arguing, tires screeching, rapid gunshots, police being dispatch, and screams. Very realistic sounds, and while you hear these sounds at the beginning of the movie, the screen is black, giving you the ability to visualize the scene in your way. with a statement of " one out of every twenty-one black American males will be murdered in their lifetime." As the movie proceeds, one of Tre's friend asks if the group of kids wants to see something. Unbeknownst to them, it was a crime scene with the yellow tape still visible and bullet holes in the wall as they walk up. They are giving hints to the audience that there will be crimes committed throughout the film. The soundtrack to the film also helps with the theme. Each song contributes meaning to the genres and subgenres included in the movie; these elements are classifications or genre conventions. As Williamson, Jill explains, Genre Conventions are story elements such as archetypes, formulas, or structures common to specific genres. (Williamson2015). Set Decorations / Costumes Another Genre Convention that helps classify this film as a Coming of age film. When rickey is preparing to take the S.A.T.s to attend college, the scene occurs in the library with other

4 teenagers' seats spaced apart to alleviate cheating as you would do in a real classroom setting. The instructor is giving instructions and passing out pencils. The scene where Furious Tre and rickey are in an empty lot and Furious is asking them to explain the meaning of the billboard. As Furious is explaining the meaning of gentrification and how the area of property value goes down a group of young people starts to crowd them to hear what furious is saying out loud about keeping the community black owned. An older gentleman makes a statement about how gentrification is not the reason the community property value is going down. He states it is the younger generation fault acknowledging how the younger generation is responsible for the decrease due to their negligence. These elements help represent the coming-of-age themes. The costumes used for the cast are what was in style for the younger generation in that era. If you notice in the movie, most of the adults wore business attire, slacks, button-up shirts, and ties. In contrast, the young adults wore basketball caps sagging jeans, and tennis shoes down to the cast's hairstyles. You can tell the age difference by the choice of costumes for the characters. They used a lot of profanity and listened to hip hop music as opposed to the older crowd who were more mellow and always offering advice. Angles, Shots, and Chronological Order The last technique used in creating the film's theme would be the editing of the film. The film is shown in chronological order, making the film easier to understand. It starts from the Tre being a kid growing into a young man and making the film somewhat predictable because you naturally know he has to grow up. The movie includes different takes ranging from long, medium, and short, providing good views when watching the film. Certain angles provoke emotion in the film. For example, when Doughboy avenges Rickey's death, the scene starts with

5 a closeup, seeing everyone face to neck, allowing you to read the emotions on the character's face shot short. In contrast, in the car, see the emotion on everyone's face. As the camera settles on Tre, you can see indecisiveness, worries, and the tear rolling down his face before asking to be let out of the car. The shot then changes to the man in the front seat loading the gun with bullets, hinting what might happen if the rival is caught. The scene where they finally find the rival gang starts as a long shot, letting you see everyone sitting down eating, not paying attention to Doughboy's car, then to a closeup as they realize the danger is looming. The vehicle takes off, and the shot goes long, where you are able to see the rival gang from head to feet running. As the angle’s changes, so do your emotions of watching the film. You begin to feel antsy because you do not know the outcome.

Connection to Society The connection between the film and society would be culturally positive and negative. The film is considered culturally influenced because it touched areas of sex within young adults, the crimes in poverty areas, and the relationship between law enforcement and the black communities. From an era of disrespect to authority was welcomed, it showed to keep the peace and use that energy elsewhere. It tells a message of keeping your neighborhood in good standing to fight gentrification from happening. It shows positivity by seeing a father figure. Realistically, father figures are not the norm in African American households even though Tre has seen a lot and been through a lot. It does not stop his dream of going to college and making it out of the hood alive. It brought awareness of the black-on-black crimes in south-central and how gangs

6 were destroying neighborhoods with the violence. The ultimate message was no mattered what you have been through, you can still push through and thrive. Use those experiences as a stepping stool to help overcome what is holding you back. Do not let your environment control your destiny, saying that to avoid your peers' peer pressure. This film broadcasted an everyday ritual of gang violence at the time within communities. Gangs targeted and killed a talented young man with a bright future ahead of them for no valid reason, but he was guilty by association because of the area he stays in. Conclusion In conclusion, many elements and techniques help classify genres for films. Genre conventions from sound, costume, and angles help contribute to the film's message and theme. A film can also have multiple subgenres assisting with conveying the message. Like how Boyz N the Hood used sexuality as a coming-of-age symbol. Or how the sound effect depicted the audience's emotions. All the attributes covered in this essay is what helped make the movie what it is today.

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Source: File:Boyz n the hood poster.jpg - https://en.wikipedia.org

Reference

Goodykoontz, B., Jacobs. C.P., Meetze, J., & Pritts, N. (2019). Film: From watching to seeing (3rd ed.) [Electronic version]. https://content.ashford.edu/

8 Parker-Flynn, C. (2018). Notions of Genre: Writings on Popular Film Before Genre Theory ed. by Barry Keith Grant, Malisa Kurtz (review). Film & History: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 48(2), 59–61. Williamson, J. (2015, November 4). Are Genre Conventions Important? | Go Teen Writers. Go Teen Writers. https://goteenwriters.com/2015/11/04/are-genre-conventionsimportant/#:~:text=Genre%20Conventions%20are%20story%20elements File:Boyz n the hood poster.jpg. (2017, December 24). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Boyz_n_the_hood_poster.jpg#/media/File:Boyz_n_the_hood_ poster.jpg...