What teens want
Secret rap genius: Lina Larissa Strahl as Ella
Source: Neue Bioskop/Weltkino/Marc Reimann
TikTok and Instagram not only determine what kind of pop culture is trending, but also how pop culture is made. This is particularly evident in teen films: the makers of the film “Alle für Ella” tell what was important to them for the film.
In teen movies someone has to fall in love. It should also be about friendships and fears and an adventure to be mastered. It’s the same today as it has always been. Apart from these rough guidelines, however, the demands on filmmakers have changed radically. Especially for a younger audience. It’s new themes, a different cast and casting style that count. Teens have become more political and spoiled by aesthetics through apps like Instagram and Pinterest. Overall, they have an infinite amount of entertainment at their fingertips that they can control with just one finger. TikTok in particular is popular with young people. One video follows the other in the app. What is boring is wiped away. It also changes how films are made.
The teen comedy “Alle für Ella” has just started in German cinemas. A coming of age, school, friendship and love story. In it, a group of four girls takes part in a music competition with their band. Lina Larissa Strahl plays the leading role of Ella. The 24-year-old is known from the Bibi Blocksberg films, but has mainly worked as a singer in recent years. In the film she also sings and plays guitar as Ella in the band “Virginia Woolfpack” – the name is inspired by the writer. The four teenagers have been friends since they were little kids. But now the high school and the future threaten to separate their ways. There’s also rapper Leon, who Ella falls in love with, and a white lie that gets out of hand.
“I didn’t just want to talk about young people, I wanted to address issues that concern young people: being queer, feminism and this whole rap cosmos, for example. What perspective do young people have today when women are insulted in rap lyrics?” says director Teresa Hoerl. Rap and music are central themes in the film. The four friends play rock music and are feminists. They get upset about the misogynistic lyrics of the beautiful and rich rapper Leon. But then they find the music somehow good, which puts them in a moral dilemma.
The triumph of rap
Rap music is also very successful on TikTok. For the music producer Nick Sylvester, the reason is simple: in the app, which also grew with lip-sync videos, everything that is rhythmic and easily repeatable is an advantage. In addition, the music is quite simple and sounds good from cell phone speakers, says Sylvester on Deutschlandfunk.
When shooting, director Hoerl didn’t aim for a TikTok aesthetic, as she says. However, the tempo and the cut frequency in the film are very high: “You could say that there are parallels to TikTok. But the lively editing rhythm also simply fits the story,” says Hoerl.
Social networks are also having a growing influence in the casting process. Influencers are increasingly being booked as actors in hopes of luring their followers to the cinemas. The model Stephanie Giesinger, known from “Germany’s Next Topmodel”, got a role in Detlev Buck’s gangster film “Asphalt Gorillas”. Charli d’Amelio, the most successful TikToker in the world, will soon be seen as the main actress in the horror film “Home School” – for which an eight-part franchise is already planned. The 18-year-old dancer is followed by more than 146 million people on the app.
Influencers are also cast in “Alle für Ella”. Fashion blogger Caro Daur has a guest appearance of a few seconds. Previously, she had already played a role in the TV series “Traumschiff”. According to casting director Marion Haack, however, Daur’s appearance has nothing to do with her followers. She came to the casting and proved herself.
According to her experience, the tendency to cast roles according to the following of the actors has decreased again in recent years. At that time, as a caster, she was asked to keep lists of actors who had many followers. Right down to influencers that you wanted to use and then invited to the casting. But according to Haack, that has decreased again. “Liking is done quickly, but actually going to the cinema afterwards is a completely different step.”
First the followers, then the success
Nevertheless, Caro Daur has a short guest appearance, which is irrelevant for the plot. Successful YouTuber Emir Bayrak also has a small role in the film. According to the director Hoerl, this also serves to give people from the social media cosmos a moment of recognition. It’s nice when young viewers feel safe and at home, says Hoerl.
The importance of social networks is also addressed in the film itself. “Virginia Woolfpack” didn’t have any followers at the beginning, which is why Ella’s brother raises the alarm and starts posting photos and videos of the friends on Instagram: “You have to be famous to become famous,” was his golden logic for the song contest.
Instagram is still bigger than TikTok. But the app of the Chinese parent company ByteDance collects followers faster than any other social network before it. The number of users has shot up to more than a billion in just four years – and is constantly growing. Anyone who makes films for young people must keep an eye on TikTok as a trend machine. That can be fun, as “All for Ella” shows. The film pulls you into the action with its pace. At the end you leave the cinema in a good mood and with a rap catchy tune.