American Pie section FM3

For example when watching American Pie, people of the age of above around 21, who have experienced the teenager life, can identify that the message (the emphasis on losing your virginity before the end of high school) behind American Pie is one that is exaggerated. However people of younger years that are in their teenage years or around about, can be easily manipulated to believe the message, thus take the POV they are presented. As a result they may adopt the ideology behind the importance of losing their virginity. This represents how film can manipulate us to see non-truths, and further as a result affect the way we see the world. American Pie is typical of all the teen comedy elements. It constructs a representation and presents it to teenage audience members. As well as promoting the teenage aspirations. We notice how the film depicts the fantasy of the stereotypical teenager; in that many of the elements and scenes used in the film are exaggerated and certainly show a less realistic view. Audiences segments to the film can range as I have already talked about. However the younger segments of audiences are the viewers that are most vulnerable to the ideologies promoted. We see this through by the POV of the film we adopt. In that we follow the film from the side of a stereotypical group of friends that may not be the most popular. As a result everything we see through the film is through their POV also. An example in American Pie is when we see the main core of the film being introduced, when the pact is made to lose their virginity before the end of high school. This concept is one that can easily manipulate the younger viewers, as a result have an ideological effect within their mind, thus changing their views on the sex topic. Another misconception for UK viewers especially is that many people are not aware of the age of high school students in America, in that they stay in high school until they are 18, effectively when UK teenagers leave college. This concept can be easily unidentified and can have a profound effect on the view of losing your virginity before the end of ‘high school’. Overall I feel the impact of American Pie is one that splits opinions. With my personal one being that it does not have a negative effect although may depict negative thoughts into audience’s minds; however we know audiences can have control over their own minds. This relates to the ‘Cultivation Model’ associated with media texts in general. In that the film does reinforce our thoughts and beliefs that we may have previously considered, and also that we are not passive enough as an audience to belief what we see. Overall, the defining outcome is that we are able to identify from personal experiences and reasoning that what we see is not entirely true. As a result, I would conclude that this film does not affect ideological views on the world, yet more simply reinforces common stereotypical views of the sex topic as a whole.