Misplaced Pages

#22977

65-455: Troop Beverly Hills is a 1989 American adventure comedy film directed by Jeff Kanew and starring Shelley Long , Craig T. Nelson , Betty Thomas , Mary Gross , Stephanie Beacham , and Jenny Lewis in her film debut. The film features a host of young actors, including Ami Foster , Carla Gugino , Kellie Martin , Emily Schulman , and Tori Spelling . The film follows Beverly Hills housewife Phyllis Nefler (Long) as she decides to become

130-467: A bankable star before completing all planned takes or the loss of sets or footage can render a film impossible to complete as planned. Furthermore, professional quality movie cameras are usually rented as needed, and most camera houses do not allow rentals of their equipment without proof of insurance. All this meticulous planning is necessary because time equals money. Every hour spent on set resolving issues which could have been resolved earlier—while

195-478: A "landmark of effects-led adventure cinema." Outside technical effects, adventure films of Douglas Fairbanks such as Robin Hood (1922) with its scenes of battles and recreations of castles cost a record-setting $ 1.5 million to produce also provided a variant of adventure spectacle to audiences. Tasker stated that The Lost World (1925) arguably initiated a jungle adventure film cycle that would be expanded on in

260-468: A continuing trend for Hollywood adventure films. The other major Hollywood style was the historical adventure typified by early films in the style of The Black Pirate (1926) and The Mark of Zorro (1920) which feature less intense violence. Historical adventure was a popular Hollywood staple until the mid-1950s. While the historical adventure film would be parodied or presented as highly camp , special effects -driven adventure films began to dominate

325-749: A fellow Wilderness Girl. Though the Red Feathers cross the finish line first, they are disqualified because council law stipulates the leader must be with the troop. Troop Beverly Hills is declared the winner of the Jamboree and is recognized as Wilderness Girls. Frances fires Velda for cheating and for placing the Troop Beverly Hills girls in jeopardy, as well as finally tiring of her overall rude and entitled behavior. Phyllis and Freddy kiss and profess their love for each other, with Freddy proposing remarriage. The next year, Troop Beverly Hills

390-587: A low critical status, with a few exceptions. Historically, the genre has not been seen as authored cinema. The genre's cinematic traditions were effectively absent from debates on genre cinema since the 1960s. Chapman echoed this statement. He argued that with only a handful of exceptions, adventure films have not won much favour with film critics: "In traditional film criticism there are few 'good' adventure films; those that have won critical acclaim have usually done so on grounds other than their status as genre films." When action and adventure cinema secure awards, it

455-512: A quest narrative, where characters seek mythical objects or fabulous treasure as seen in films like King Solomon's Mines (1950) or Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981). Tasker opted for a broader sense of genre, and commented on Taves limits, stating it was an understandable impulse to place generic limits on potentially diverse bodies of texts, while included films like Raiders of the Lost Ark which she described as feeling "like an adventure in

520-406: A re-shoot will be carried out on the day of shooting (digital) or on the day of the viewing (analog). Sometimes, additional shooting is needed after principal photography is complete, because the shots already made have subsequently turned out to be unusable or additional shots are required. For example, serious deficiencies in the narrative structure may become clear only after filming (such as when

585-407: A rough cut of the film is put through test screenings with audiences who have not had the benefit of reading the screenplay in advance). Other reasons for re-shoots may be the production company 's desire to make the film more commercially appealing, or the replacement of actors whose performance was lacking or who no longer fit the project after significant revisions to the film's plot or tone. If

650-590: A setting that was both remote in time and space to its audience. While Cameron refuted the idea of a clearly defined adventure genre, he said films described the "positive feeling for adventure" evoked from the scenes of action in the film and the identification with the main character. Taves echoed this, exemplifying the character of Robin Hood who deals with a valiant fight for just government in an exotic past. Taves wrote in The Romance of Adventure: The Genre of Historical Adventure Movies (1993) that defining

715-404: A shooting time of 15 to 20, 40 to 50 or, for larger productions, 80 to 100 days is used as a basis for studio productions, although in other countries the shooting takes considerably longer. Because of breaks in recording and subsequent shoots that are difficult to calculate, the principal photography is usually planned longer than actually necessary. Once a film concludes principal photography, it

SECTION 10

#1732794269023

780-516: Is a member. With Velda being commander-in-chief of the district, she has considerable influence at the regional council level, she declares Phyllis' customized merit badges ineligible. Velda sends her assistant troop leader Annie Herman to infiltrate Troop Beverly Hills and sabotage them. Velda and Annie's attempts at sabotage prove unsuccessful, as Velda's superior and regional council leader Frances Temple states that while Phyllis may have unusual methods, she has taken an active interest in these girls and

845-429: Is hamstrung by a one-joke premise, leaving this Shelley Long comedy woefully short on laughs." Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 32 out of 100, based on 11 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews. Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on a scale of A+ to F. Roger Ebert criticized the film for not being the "merciless evisceration of

910-424: Is often in categories such as visual effects and sound editing. Tasker found this reflected Richards comments on the creative labor as being the primary appeal on work in the genre. Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production . Besides

975-451: Is ready to shoot, the AD calls "roll sound" (if the take involves sound), and the production sound mixer will start their equipment, record a verbal slate of the take's information, and announce "sound speed", or just "speed", when they are ready. The AD follows with "roll camera", answered by "speed!" by the camera operator once the camera is recording. The clapper , who is already in front of

1040-423: Is said to have wrapped , and a wrap party may be organized to celebrate. During post-production , it may become apparent that some shots or sequences are missing or incomplete and are required to complete the film, or that a particular scene is not playing as expected, or that a performer needs to be replaced entirely. In these circumstances, additional material may have to be shot. When using analog cameras,

1105-738: Is the designated Poster Troop. Meanwhile, Velda is forced to take a job as a cashier at Kmart, where she makes a store-wide announcement about cookies. The film is inspired by producer Ava Ostern Fries' experiences running her daughter's Girl Scout troop. Principal photography began in Los Angeles on May 31, 1988. All exterior locations were filmed in Beverly Hills , aside from several sequences shot in Malibu State Park. Many landmarks in Beverly Hills are seen throughout

1170-508: Is trying to help them learn to survive their personal environment. Troop Beverly Hills can gain recognition from the regional council by passing a series of tests at the upcoming annual Jamboree . In order to qualify, the troop needs to sell 1,000 boxes of cookies . To prevent this, Velda one-ups Troop Beverly Hills by selling cookies in their own neighborhood. Annie severs ties with Velda and sides with Phyllis. The Troop ends up selling over 4,000 boxes of cookies, more than enough to qualify for

1235-425: The daily call sheets , which summarize the relevant information from the schedule and lists exactly who has to be on the set for a planned daily shoot. At the same time, the call sheets provides information about the scene numbers, script pages and locations relevant for each day, as well as the necessary equipment. Feature films usually have insurance in place by the time principal photography begins. The death of

1300-425: The production schedule , production board , and shooting schedule to work out the exact sequence in which the scenes in the script will be shot. Due to a great many considerations beyond the scope of this article (but addressed at length in the production board article), the sequence of the scenes to be shot normally does not follow their chronological sequence in the script. These schedules are then used to build

1365-399: The script supervisor to record changes to the script and the still photographer to produce images for advertising and documentation. Several reports are prepared each day to track the progress of a film production, including the daily production report , the daily progress report , and the sound report . Principal photography can take place in a studio or in an actual setting , and

SECTION 20

#1732794269023

1430-488: The silent films of the 1910s and 1920s. These films required elaborate visual effects that were important to displaying menacing or fantastic worlds. These films often took narratives from novels, such as films like 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1916) and The Lost World (1925). Beyond being adaptations of famous books, Tasker said that the appeal of these films was also in their effects laden scene, finding The Lost World

1495-412: The 1990s. Writing for Elle in 2014, Elissa Strauss contended the film's sympathy for its young protagonists, its refusal "to reduce the characters and setting down to a punch line", and an "unrestrained celebration of girliness, glorious girliness" are precisely what has helped the film endure as a classic. In a retrospective piece for Birth.Movies.Death , Ashlee Blackwell wrote: In the end, it's

1560-579: The Jamboree. At a party for the Troop, Velda takes her anger out on Annie by threatening her with a job at Kmart ; Annie snaps back, standing up to her superior for the first time. Meanwhile, Phyllis reconnects with Freddy, who tells her he is proud she has accomplished something. However, Phyllis soon learns that Freddy still wants to proceed with the divorce, including seeking joint custody of Hannah, which devastates Phyllis. Velda demoralizes Phyllis further by claiming that her previous fun-loving attitude with

1625-473: The Light Brigade (1936) and The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938). The historical adventure film continued to be a popular Hollywood genre into the mid-1950s featuring various male stars such as Tyrone Power , Douglas Fairbanks Jr. , Burt Lancaster , and Stewart Granger . Imperialism -themed adventure films continued in the 1950s with a greater emphasis on location shooting . Examples include

1690-576: The Lost Ark (1981), The Mummy (1999), and Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003). Few other films embarked on more serious tones, such as Ridley Scott 's Gladiator and Kingdom of Heaven (2005). Since the late 1970s, both action and adventure films have become synonymous with the high-budgeted and profitable Hollywood films and franchises. While both genres took on challenging material, towards

1755-537: The Movies (1973) stated that adventure "is not confined to a particular genre [...] it is a quality which turns up in almost every sort of story film; indeed the most obvious adventures movies, the sword-and-bosom epics, are usually among the least interesting." American historian Brian Taves wrote in 1993 that having such wide-ranging application of the genre would render it meaningless. Despite their different definitions, both Taves and Cameron stated that genre required

1820-417: The Troop will only endanger them at the Jamboree. She decides to disband the troop, but Hannah and the other girls change her mind, telling Phyllis she has given them a new sense of self-esteem. During the Jamboree, the Red Feathers trick Troop Beverly Hills during the competition by misdirecting them into a snake-infested swamp. Luckily, a skunk scares them into running through a shortcut, making them first in

1885-501: The adventure film was defined from a fictional narrative and excluded films based on historical events and people such as Zulu (1964) and Lawrence of Arabia (1962), finding they belonged to other types of narratives such as the historical film and the war film . Chapman summarized the complicated nature of the genre, stating that the "Adventure film is a less clearly defined than most: indeed, this might be one reason why film historians have left it pretty much alone." He described

1950-415: The area with signs and diversions. A filming permit within an urban area usually requires a fee, which depends on the complexity and scope of the filming as well as the attractiveness of the location. Once the locations have been set, the screenplay is summarized in a script breakdown with all information relevant to the shooting. Under the supervision of the producer, the unit production manager prepares

2015-415: The art director, costume designer, fencing master, stunt arranger, cinematographer and actor just much as the writer and director. For the swashbuckler is truly the sum of all their work." Both action and adventure are often used together as film genres, and are even used interchangeably. For Taves, he compared the styles saying that adventure films were "something beyond action" and were elevated "beyond

Troop Beverly Hills - Misplaced Pages Continue

2080-779: The best of yourself for people or things…Even with its blemishes, Troop Beverly Hills ' heart was always in the right place. What a thrill. In the music video for her 2015 song "She's Not Me", Jenny Lewis , who played Hannah in the film, reference the film as part of her roles as a child actor. In the video, Lewis and actors Zosia Mamet , Vanessa Bayer , and Leo Fitzpatrick wear the Troop Beverly Hills uniforms. Adventure film Adventure films boast their setting and visuals as key elements. This ranged from early technical showcases such as The Lost World (1925) and King Kong (1933). These films set up exotic locations as both beautiful and dangerous. This would be

2145-593: The box office hit King Solomon's Mines (1950) which was shot in Africa. 1960s fantasy films such as Jason and the Argonauts (1963) combined the set-pieces and fantastic locations of historical adventures with renewed emphasis on special effects. By the 1970s, The Three Musketeers (1973) marked a point where the historical adventure has been firmly associated with what Tasker described as "comic - even camp - tone" that would inform later films such as Raiders of

2210-445: The broadest sense of the term." Tasker noted this specifically, that even when disregarding its historical setting, the film concerned a quest, with travel and developing moral sense of the hero's place in the world. Tasker wrote that these films films have no consistent iconography, their set design and special effects, ranging from stop-motion, to digital imagery and 3D are given a privileged place in these genres. Chapman also noted

2275-403: The camera with the clapperboard , calls "marker!" and slaps it shut. If the take involves extras or background action, the AD will cue them ("action background!"), and last is the director, telling the actors "action!". The AD may echo "action" louder on large sets. A take is over when the director calls "Cut!" and the camera and sound stop recording. The ritual helps the general concentration at

2340-442: The cast and crew wait for filming to resume—equals thousands of dollars which will need to come out of some other portion of the film's budget. As of 2012, the average "day cost" for an American film ranged from as low as $ 25,000 for low-budget films, to $ 35,000-$ 60,000 for midlevel budget films, to as high as $ 100,000-$ 250,000 for blockbuster films. The first assistant director is paid very well to keep filming on schedule and within

2405-400: The choice of location depends on artistic and economic aspects. While shooting in a sound stage offers more accurate planning, constructing sets may be expensive. Costs and artistic reasons (see French New Wave and Dogma 95 ) are the main drives behind filming on location. However, outdoor shooting requires more effort because equipment and personnel must be transported to the location. In

2470-473: The decade. Erb found that the jungle imagery of these films of the 1930s frequently showcased the jungle world as frequently alternating between "demonic and edenic " images, while Tasker said the jungle films and other adventure films of the period would establish a travelogue allure of these settings as romantic spaces. Within the Classical Hollywood cinema , one of the major other styles

2535-506: The director of the overall project and is responsible for city and landscape shots, establishing shots and intermediate images as well as for mass, action and stunt scenes. The length of the filming depends not only on the length of the film, but also on the number and type of locations. The shooting time for a 90-minute film in Europe is 12 to 100 days. In the USA, depending on the film project,

2600-486: The early days of cinema, filmmakers tried to film outdoors as much as possible, as sunlight was needed to ensure adequate exposure of poor-quality early film stock ; nowadays, due to the increased use of CGI , more shooting is done in a studio. Depending on the laws of the respective country, the producer must obtain filming permits from private individuals, authorities or companies for the selected locations before filming begins. An extensive production may require closing

2665-417: The exposed photographic film from a day of shooting is rushed to a photographic processing lab for development overnight, and then the developed raw footage is viewed by the director, cinematographer and producer the next day to determine whether reshooting is needed. With digital cameras, the so-called dailies can be viewed immediately after they are recorded. If the material proves to be inadequate or faulty,

Troop Beverly Hills - Misplaced Pages Continue

2730-431: The film was not a financial success during its release with negative critical reception, it has since acquired a cult following as a 1980s children's film with a feminist message. Phyllis Nefler is a socialite recently separated from her husband Freddy, whom she supported through law school but who never actually became a lawyer, instead becoming the wealthy owner of a chain of auto shops. In an attempt to maintain

2795-617: The film, including Rodeo Drive , the Beverly Hills Hotel , Wolfgang Puck 's Spago , Jane Fonda's Workout , and Cartier . Filming also took place on Sunset Boulevard . Various celebrities, including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Cheech Marin , make cameo appearances in the film. Troop Beverly Hills was poorly received by critics during its release. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 14% of 28 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.3/10. The website's consensus reads: " Troop Beverly Hills

2860-431: The genre in context with the historical adventure, and said explicitly excluding films with fantasy settings such as Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) as they involved the supernatural over human agency. Taves wrote that "unlike adventure, fantasy presents a netherworld where events violate physical reality and the bounds of human possibility." Comparatively, in his overview of British adventure cinema, James Chapman said

2925-776: The genre that would continue into the 21st century with film series like The Lord of the Rings , Harry Potter , and Pirates of the Caribbean . In their analysis of the genre in 2018, Johan Höglund and Agnieszka Soltysik Monnet found that the contemporary adventure form often appears in trans-genre work where the adventure component is perceived as secondary. They exemplified that in films such ranging from Top Gun (1986), Godzilla (2014), to Lone Survivor (2013), which range from fantasy film to science fiction film to war film genres, all adhere to traditional adventure narratives. Adventure films are generally perceived with

2990-455: The girls of the badges they've earned for facials and pricing jewelry. She further derides them for holding their camp-out at the Beverly Hills Hotel, where they tell horror stories about bad haircuts." Some critics called attention to Long's comedic performance as one of the film's strengths. Janet Maslin of The New York Times wrote, " Troop Beverly Hills is a one-idea movie, and the idea isn't new. But it isn't threadbare either, thanks to

3055-404: The girls' well-being and becomes a surrogate mother to the troop. She resolves to teach the girls how to survive in "the wilds of Beverly Hills", even customizing new merit badges for her troop. Phyllis' unorthodox methods run afoul of another scout leader, Velda Plendor, a strict, mean-spirited, retired army nurse who runs the militant Culver City "Red Feathers", of which her own daughter Cleo

3120-544: The indefatigable pluck of Shelley Long, who plays a spiritual sister to Private Benjamin ". However, Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune called the film "a limp copy of Private Benjamin " and said that "Long is no [Goldie] Hawn when it comes to comedy." In the years since its release, the film has become a cult classic for its subtle feminist message and being illustrative of the 1980s, having gained newer audiences through repeat airings on Disney Channel in

3185-521: The late 1970s of an adventure style geared towards more family-oriented audiences with films like Star Wars (1977) and Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981). Star Wars exemplifies a resurgent adventure strand of the 1970s cinema with characters like the Jedi Knights who swing from ropes and wield light sabers recall sword-fighting and swashbuckling films. Tasker commented that this led to a commercially lucrative and culturally conservative version of

3250-407: The leader of a local troop of Wilderness Girls to help maintain a relationship with her daughter during a divorce. Phyllis becomes an unlikely den mother to the girls, who are not taken seriously by other troops. When Phyllis falls afoul of a rival troop leader, the girls face the possibility of having their group dissolved—unless they can prove their wilderness skills at the annual Jamboree . Though

3315-449: The lifestyles of the rich" that he expected, but instead more of a morality story arc for Shelley Long's character. Some reviews lambasted the script for its formulaic underdog story, with The Washington Post ' s Rita Kempley chiding the film for its attempt to cast Beverly Hills youth in the underdog role. "Pity the poor little Beverlies: Children from lower income groups laugh at their Giorgio boutique backpacks. Then Velda strips

SECTION 50

#1732794269023

3380-462: The location and allows saving costs by only recording the scene rather than the preparation for the scene. Each shot is repeated until the director is satisfied with it. In addition to the actual film crew that does the principal photography (unit), there may be a second team ( second unit ), which in turn comprises a full film crew with its own director, especially for more complex productions. The second unit works independently but in coordination with

3445-461: The main film personnel, such as actors , director , cinematographer or sound engineer and their respective assistants ( assistant director , camera assistant , boom operator ), the unit production manager plays a decisive role in principal photography. They are responsible for the daily implementation of the shoot, managing the daily call sheet , the location barriers, transportation, and catering. Additional typical roles during filming include

3510-536: The market towards the late 1970s, with films such as Star Wars (1977) and Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981). This trend continued into the 21st century. Adventure is a broad film genre. Early writing on the genre had wide categorizations. Critic André Bazin went as far to say in the 1950s that "there is not difference between Hopalong Cassidy and Tarzan except for their costumes and the arena in which they demonstrate their prowess." Ian Cameron in Adventure in

3575-407: The original budget, and may be replaced (that is, fired) if the production strays too far from its original schedule and budget. Principal photography is typically the most expensive phase of film production, due to actor, director, and set crew salaries, as well as the costs of certain shots, props, and on-set special effects. When filming begins, the preparation time is over: the final version of

3640-1126: The physical challenge" and by "its moral and intellectual flavour." Forms of filmmaking that would become film genres were mostly defined in other media before Thomas Edison devised the Kinetograph in the late 1890s. Genres, such as adventure fiction were developed as written fiction. In the early Hollywood cinema, early adventure cinema were both original stories as well as adaptations of popular media such as adventure stories, magazines, and folk tales. Films were adapted from adventure stories such as King Solomon's Mines (1885), She (1887), and Treasure Island (1883). Tasker described both action and adventure cinema are resistant to any historical evolutionary chronology. Both genres are self-reflexive and draw from conventions of other genres ranging from horror to historical imperial adventure. Taves found that that films that were swashbucklers or pirate-themed adventures were often humorous, and that they retained viability even when parodied. Many silent films with action and adventure scenarios flourished in

3705-469: The qualifying event. The next day, Velda cheats again by cutting a rope bridge after her troop crosses and by leading them into a restricted area used only for hunting. However, Velda falls and breaks her ankle. The Red Feathers, now led by Cleo, abandon Velda for the sake of winning. Troop Beverly Hills repairs the bridge and finds Velda. The girls reluctantly carry her to the finish line after Phyllis reminds them of being considerate to those in need—especially

3770-425: The relationship with her daughter Hannah during the contentious divorce, Phyllis becomes the den mother of Hannah's unruly, leaderless local girl scout troop of Wilderness Girls. Their first campout results in the troop getting caught in a rain squall, prompting Phyllis to take the girls to "camp out" at the Beverly Hills Hotel . Despite her lack of wilderness skills, Phyllis demonstrates an unwavering commitment to

3835-525: The script is done, the cast has been selected, and the buildings and structures on set have largely been completed. The start of filming generally marks a point of no return for the financiers, because until it is complete, there is unlikely to be enough material filmed to release a final product needed to recoup costs. While it is common for a film to lose its greenlight status during the pre-production phase – for example, when an essential cast member drops out or unexpectedly dies, or some scandal engulfs

3900-432: The similarly effects driven sound film King Kong (1933). In her study of King Kong , Cynthia Erb noted a conventions of both travel documentary and jungle adventure traditions. Tasker wrote that the best known displays of these films were those that focused on the character of Tarzan which found more significantly commercial success with the success of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films featuring Johnny Weissmuller during

3965-406: The studio or an actor – it is rare for a film to lose financing once principal photography has begun. Immediately before a take is shot, the scene is rehearsed with camera, light and sound. Most American productions follow a specific procedure: The assistant director (AD) calls "picture is up!" to inform everyone that a take is about to be recorded, and then "quiet, everyone!" Once everyone

SECTION 60

#1732794269023

4030-505: The style as being commonly applied to narratives where action and visual spectacle were foregrounded. He included styles like the swashbuckler , the British empire film, the sensationalized spy thriller, and mythological fantasy films as part of adventure cinema genre. Writing about the adventure genre in the 1970s, Jeffrey Richards said that "since the way a swashbuckler moves and looks is just as important as what it says, we must look at

4095-401: The style as not being a discrete genre in its own, but a flexible, overarching category that encompasses a range of different related narrative forms. British author and academic Yvonne Tasker wrote in her 2015 book The Hollywood Action and Adventure Film (2015) that adventure films imply a story that is located within a fantasy of exoticized setting. She found that these films often apply

4160-504: The troop's persistence and support of each other, even in moments of doubt, that carries them to a win at the climatic Wilderness Jamboree competition… Troop Beverly Hills thoughtfully exposes the complexities of divorce, social/class culture and personal growth in a light comedy very much loyal to its time. The film tampers with audience expectations of people with money, blurring the lines of good/bad, rich/not rich. Troop Beverly Hills dared to tell young girls (and women) to never compromise

4225-662: Was the historical adventure film. These films were typically set in the past and drew from the Fairbanks films such as The Black Pirate (1926) and The Mark of Zorro (1920). They feature violence in a less intense manner than other contemporary genres such as the Western or war film . While not specifically associated with one Hollywood studio, Warner Bros. released a series of popular historical adventures featuring Errol Flynn such as Captain Blood (1935), The Charge of

#22977