The surroundings in the woods where the scene is being shot, is very dull and quite washed out, almost as if the colour is fading. In the scenes we see, we notice how the woods and lake are not a place were you would want to be seen in or found in. also notice how symbolic the lake water is, especially as we see Max in the water and we hear both the incidental and non diegetic music being played. The water could mean either life of death in all of the characters lives.
The first character we see is Max. His physical appearance tells us that he is quite ill in his complexion. We also notice that in the scene when he starts to drown, we see his face turn purple, the same as Claire’s shirt. This could be a link between them. We see Max as the want to be hero only to learn that there is no one to save.
Next we see the evil monstrous Claire. She wears a bleak black suit which I think indicates the grim reaper. This is because she is trying to kill Max. The black suit could also suggest the femme fatal image about her; cold and evil.
We also see Max’s younger brother, Tom, who is locked inside the car. Of what we see of him, we can gather that he is very scared and looks very fragile.
Finally we see OB. We can represent him as the savior because of his actions towards Max and attire of clothing. His clothing is quite light but basic which we, the audience, immediately see as an angel in disguise.
We see power with Claire. This is because she lures max to believe that his little brother, tom, is dying in the lake. However to make the lie more convincing she puts his jacket, which happens to be red; an immediate symbol for stop or danger, into the lake, whilst Tom is safe locked inside a car. She is using her beauty and charm to convince her husband, Max, that his beloved brother Tom is dying in the water. After he realizes that Tom is not in any immediate danger she shows her true colour’s and cruelly watches and waits till Max drowns. To make the power Claire has over Tom and Max clearer, the producers have used high and low angled shots, which show the power Claire has over them both.
The audience is positioned all around the characters. They have used a range of shots including high and low angle to represent the power in Claire, establishing shots at the lake for the audience to see it in full view, underwater shots when max is in the water and an aerial shot for the ending. However we see the significance for these camera shots like for example the aerial shot. I think that this shot was to represent the audience looking down on Max which makes him look vulnerable. However this scene is almost like Max is rising out from his body and in to the sky and is looking down on everything. This shot can also resemble the death of a character. This shot is usually used for scenes in which a character tragically dies in any television soap opera or drama.
The atmosphere that has been created shows us that death is all around the lake and the woods and not to trust them. This is because of the washed out scenes and the non diegetic and incidental music which accompanies the death look a-like characters. We also notice that the music played has a lot to do with the making of the atmosphere. For example when we see OB running after the suddenly drowning max, the music played suggests the fading of a life. This pop music soundtrack is quite calm and pushes overwhelming sadness for the characters of Max and OB. The music and aerial shot suggest life fading away into the sky whilst the audience is watching a vulnerable and weak Max slowly but surly passing in to the next life.
Monday, 9 March 2009
Thursday, 19 February 2009
How has the representation of youth changed over time?
Teenagers have changed dramatically over time. I have looked at four different shows about teenagers from the last 60 years and have noticed the similarities and differences between teenagers then and now, and how adults like to portray them.
In Portrait of a School; made in 1957, I noticed the young teenage boy’s manners. They were very polite, quite cheeky to the teachers and tried to use correct pronunciation. However behind this we see that the young boys have a lot of respect for their elders and take pride in the fact that even thought they are still quite young, the teachers try to treat them like adults. Notice the student’s attire; they were uniforms that are very neat and clean. In those time students were expected to look and act presentable so as not to show the school and the headmaster up. We also find out that they will leave school with the little qualifications that they have earned and will go strait to work. This was the norm in those days and the boys didn’t mind anything of it.
When we look at today’s teenagers in such dramas as Skins, we see the major difference. In the first episode we see a sort of role reversal, with the teacher crying over a man and a student trying to console her. This shows us that teenagers are no longer shown as almost-adults, but a true adult. When we look at the clothing the student wear we see that they are not wearing uniforms like the boys in Portrait of a School does. The students wear a verity o clothes such as shorts, shirts, hoodies and hats. In the 50’s, hats were not to be worn in school as it shows a lack of respect for the institution. We also notice that they have not got very much respect for other teachers as the main character, Tony, cheekily argues with a teacher and walks swiftly away from him whilst he is still shouting at Tony. This shows us that there is not a lot of respect for teachers now unlike the in the 1950’s.
When we looked at Student Power, made in 1968, I noticed the similarities between the 60’s youth and now. This show talks about how teenagers are standing up for what they believe in and will do practically anything to get it. However, the punishments were severe but they took it all in their stride and carried on protesting.
When we look at Skins we can see that when they go to parties and clubs, we see that they are doing exactly what parents teachers and the law forbids them to do, which is to take illegal drugs, stealing cars and throwing all night parties with lots of noise. They don’t care about the consequences and carry on doing it until they grow tied of their tradition.
To look at the differences in profiles, I looked at Blooming Youth; made in 1973, a television drama about a group of friends at college/university. We see the main head of the gang, Geoffrey, a lazy, tactical but very rude bored teenager who takes no pride in his learning; whereas his friend is rather smart, very clueless and quit child like compared to his leader of the pack.
We see the same thing but with reversed personalities in Skins with Tony and his best friend Sid. Sid is the typical representation of a useless, untidy, lazy, teenage boy who happens to be Tony’s side kick. Whereas Tony is very tidy, intellectual and takes pride in his healthy lifestyle; he is very leader like and sees this as a gift as he thinks he can get anyone to do what he wants.
The difference between the character in Skins and Blooming Youth is that in the 1970’s people were not too fussed with their lifestyle and were quite happy and content with what they had. But if you look in the new millennia era, you would see that people are happier with gaining more than what they had before. For example, in Blooming Youth, the house the two boys lived in was a complete mess but they liked it that way; however in skins we see that even though Tony is miraculously spotless and very sexually active, he frowns down upon his untidy and dirty best friend as he has not yet had sex like every one else in their social group. It is all about gain with today’s youth.
I have also watched Three Minute Hero’s to get a better look at the way teenagers in the 1980’s spoke to their friends and what they talked about mostly. From the information I have gathered it is quite clear that they focus their time talking about having sex and how they plan on getting it from their basic and blunt speeches. However there is a note of self consciousness with both the boys and girls in this drama.
When we see skins we don’t really acknowledge that they have much to be self conscious about. However they too discuss their options about how they plan to get on e of their friends to loose his virginity. However they are not very blunt with their discussions as they say certain things in codes so that others can’t understand them.
Over time we have seen the similarities and the major differences of teenagers from the different clothes they wear to the bold statements they made. But what we see the most is the way teenagers have been represented through the years and the names given to them such as cheeky, Trotskyite anarchists, vulgar mouthed and irresponsible hoodlums with no sense of decency or common sense. Teenagers were also shown as followers of each other and that they have had no mind of their own. But if truth be told, how else will teenagers learn to grow up and try to teach their children the ways of right and wrong?
In Portrait of a School; made in 1957, I noticed the young teenage boy’s manners. They were very polite, quite cheeky to the teachers and tried to use correct pronunciation. However behind this we see that the young boys have a lot of respect for their elders and take pride in the fact that even thought they are still quite young, the teachers try to treat them like adults. Notice the student’s attire; they were uniforms that are very neat and clean. In those time students were expected to look and act presentable so as not to show the school and the headmaster up. We also find out that they will leave school with the little qualifications that they have earned and will go strait to work. This was the norm in those days and the boys didn’t mind anything of it.
When we look at today’s teenagers in such dramas as Skins, we see the major difference. In the first episode we see a sort of role reversal, with the teacher crying over a man and a student trying to console her. This shows us that teenagers are no longer shown as almost-adults, but a true adult. When we look at the clothing the student wear we see that they are not wearing uniforms like the boys in Portrait of a School does. The students wear a verity o clothes such as shorts, shirts, hoodies and hats. In the 50’s, hats were not to be worn in school as it shows a lack of respect for the institution. We also notice that they have not got very much respect for other teachers as the main character, Tony, cheekily argues with a teacher and walks swiftly away from him whilst he is still shouting at Tony. This shows us that there is not a lot of respect for teachers now unlike the in the 1950’s.
When we looked at Student Power, made in 1968, I noticed the similarities between the 60’s youth and now. This show talks about how teenagers are standing up for what they believe in and will do practically anything to get it. However, the punishments were severe but they took it all in their stride and carried on protesting.
When we look at Skins we can see that when they go to parties and clubs, we see that they are doing exactly what parents teachers and the law forbids them to do, which is to take illegal drugs, stealing cars and throwing all night parties with lots of noise. They don’t care about the consequences and carry on doing it until they grow tied of their tradition.
To look at the differences in profiles, I looked at Blooming Youth; made in 1973, a television drama about a group of friends at college/university. We see the main head of the gang, Geoffrey, a lazy, tactical but very rude bored teenager who takes no pride in his learning; whereas his friend is rather smart, very clueless and quit child like compared to his leader of the pack.
We see the same thing but with reversed personalities in Skins with Tony and his best friend Sid. Sid is the typical representation of a useless, untidy, lazy, teenage boy who happens to be Tony’s side kick. Whereas Tony is very tidy, intellectual and takes pride in his healthy lifestyle; he is very leader like and sees this as a gift as he thinks he can get anyone to do what he wants.
The difference between the character in Skins and Blooming Youth is that in the 1970’s people were not too fussed with their lifestyle and were quite happy and content with what they had. But if you look in the new millennia era, you would see that people are happier with gaining more than what they had before. For example, in Blooming Youth, the house the two boys lived in was a complete mess but they liked it that way; however in skins we see that even though Tony is miraculously spotless and very sexually active, he frowns down upon his untidy and dirty best friend as he has not yet had sex like every one else in their social group. It is all about gain with today’s youth.
I have also watched Three Minute Hero’s to get a better look at the way teenagers in the 1980’s spoke to their friends and what they talked about mostly. From the information I have gathered it is quite clear that they focus their time talking about having sex and how they plan on getting it from their basic and blunt speeches. However there is a note of self consciousness with both the boys and girls in this drama.
When we see skins we don’t really acknowledge that they have much to be self conscious about. However they too discuss their options about how they plan to get on e of their friends to loose his virginity. However they are not very blunt with their discussions as they say certain things in codes so that others can’t understand them.
Over time we have seen the similarities and the major differences of teenagers from the different clothes they wear to the bold statements they made. But what we see the most is the way teenagers have been represented through the years and the names given to them such as cheeky, Trotskyite anarchists, vulgar mouthed and irresponsible hoodlums with no sense of decency or common sense. Teenagers were also shown as followers of each other and that they have had no mind of their own. But if truth be told, how else will teenagers learn to grow up and try to teach their children the ways of right and wrong?
Monday, 9 February 2009
How are Teenagers Represented in this Episode of Skins?
In this fist episode of skins we see the two main story lines plotted out before us, buying drugs for a party and losing their virginity.
Immediately we see the typical stereotyped features of a normal teenager, like the laziness, sloppiness and vulgar language, however we also see the true side of them and what they do in their day to day lives like going to school and generally helping each other out of bad situations.
The first story line tells us that the lead character, Tony, is helping his best friend, Sid, lose his virginity. This is representing teenagers as sex crazed children who have absolutely no idea what they are doing, which is what we see Sid as.
The second story line is about them buying drugs so they can have a wild and chaotic night at a party. This tells us that they feel they need to take something to enjoy the night better. This shows that these certain types of teenagers are nothing but trouble and are very foolish when really all they want to do is stay young and have fun.
The settings that we seen the Skins cast varies, first we encounter them starting the day at normally just waking up, in a shower, praying or practice their vocations in life. It is quite ironic that the media represents teenagers as scandalous fiends that do nothing but come home late from parties or don’t bother coming home at all as they are almost certainly sleeping around having orgies, when really they are at home in their beds being innocent until night time arrives.
We then see them in school where they are being normal and taking an interest in their education. However, when we see them in a park in their group they act like some of the teenagers that being stereotyped by the media. They talk openly about drugs and sex like it is a common topic in which they always naturally discuss. Their attitudes really change when we see them in the party in which other members crash in during the early hours of the morning. This shows that all they want to do in their free time is have fun and to not give a moments thought about how they will do it.
The relationships with the other characters show us that they are quite close. They talk openly about each other, however; this shows us that even though they are a group of close friends, they are quite separate with what they do like their habits such as tap dancing and other various activities.
The leader in this group of stereotyped teenagers, Tony, is in an intimate relationship with another member of the group who discuss openly with each other about their sex lives as if they are adults.
Whereas, Sid, Tony’s best friend, has no intimate relationships with any member of the group or outside of it.
The two characters of my focus are quite opposite in what they wear. Tony wears normal black jeans, a clean shirt and a jacket this suggests that he knows how to dress nicely and likes to be presentable; whereas Sid wears oversized jogging bottoms and a jumper including a beanie hat. To me this suggests that he is quite sloppy and is quite self-conscious of himself.
Their behaviour is also very different from each other as well. Tony acts almost like a gentle man in his manner. He also sees himself as the leader of the group. Furthermore Sid carries about like a nervous wreck half of the time and follows Tony around like a sheep dog. This defiantly suggests that he is not a leader in any way.
They are also very different in what they say even though they are best friends and have almost certainly grown up together. If notice carefully at best friends, they usually look or act like each other. This is different case entirely for Sid and Tony.
Tony is very well spoken and carries himself like a proper English gentleman with the way he speaks. He has no need for vulgar language and uses sensible dialogue that you would find in dictionaries. However, when we look at Sid we can see that he is neither well spoken or has a gentlemanly manner, he talks like he constantly sleepy and uses common words and phrases as if he does not know any other type of vocabulary.
Immediately we see the typical stereotyped features of a normal teenager, like the laziness, sloppiness and vulgar language, however we also see the true side of them and what they do in their day to day lives like going to school and generally helping each other out of bad situations.
The first story line tells us that the lead character, Tony, is helping his best friend, Sid, lose his virginity. This is representing teenagers as sex crazed children who have absolutely no idea what they are doing, which is what we see Sid as.
The second story line is about them buying drugs so they can have a wild and chaotic night at a party. This tells us that they feel they need to take something to enjoy the night better. This shows that these certain types of teenagers are nothing but trouble and are very foolish when really all they want to do is stay young and have fun.
The settings that we seen the Skins cast varies, first we encounter them starting the day at normally just waking up, in a shower, praying or practice their vocations in life. It is quite ironic that the media represents teenagers as scandalous fiends that do nothing but come home late from parties or don’t bother coming home at all as they are almost certainly sleeping around having orgies, when really they are at home in their beds being innocent until night time arrives.
We then see them in school where they are being normal and taking an interest in their education. However, when we see them in a park in their group they act like some of the teenagers that being stereotyped by the media. They talk openly about drugs and sex like it is a common topic in which they always naturally discuss. Their attitudes really change when we see them in the party in which other members crash in during the early hours of the morning. This shows that all they want to do in their free time is have fun and to not give a moments thought about how they will do it.
The relationships with the other characters show us that they are quite close. They talk openly about each other, however; this shows us that even though they are a group of close friends, they are quite separate with what they do like their habits such as tap dancing and other various activities.
The leader in this group of stereotyped teenagers, Tony, is in an intimate relationship with another member of the group who discuss openly with each other about their sex lives as if they are adults.
Whereas, Sid, Tony’s best friend, has no intimate relationships with any member of the group or outside of it.
The two characters of my focus are quite opposite in what they wear. Tony wears normal black jeans, a clean shirt and a jacket this suggests that he knows how to dress nicely and likes to be presentable; whereas Sid wears oversized jogging bottoms and a jumper including a beanie hat. To me this suggests that he is quite sloppy and is quite self-conscious of himself.
Their behaviour is also very different from each other as well. Tony acts almost like a gentle man in his manner. He also sees himself as the leader of the group. Furthermore Sid carries about like a nervous wreck half of the time and follows Tony around like a sheep dog. This defiantly suggests that he is not a leader in any way.
They are also very different in what they say even though they are best friends and have almost certainly grown up together. If notice carefully at best friends, they usually look or act like each other. This is different case entirely for Sid and Tony.
Tony is very well spoken and carries himself like a proper English gentleman with the way he speaks. He has no need for vulgar language and uses sensible dialogue that you would find in dictionaries. However, when we look at Sid we can see that he is neither well spoken or has a gentlemanly manner, he talks like he constantly sleepy and uses common words and phrases as if he does not know any other type of vocabulary.
Friday, 6 February 2009
Skins Analysis (Tony)
*Bath room
old 1970’s bathroom. The fact that this poster has been shot in a bathroom is quite weird especially that the bath room looks like it should be demolished. Decay and destruction.
*Surroundings
there are a mass of props in this almost permanently deserted bathroom such as an old razor, soap bottles and lime scale covering the entire bathroom. This is almost certainly to show that the character, Tony, life is falling to pieces and is practically submerged in his problems. This is an entrancing image as even though there is not a lot going on in the actual image it, it is an unusual place.
*Costume
the character, Tony, is submerged in water and is wearing no clothes that we can see of. This is significant as I feel that this shows the truth and innocents of the human body.
*Colours
The colours that have been used are plain and dull. The scene, in which Tony is submerged in water, looks dead.
*Lighting
The lighting is coming from overhead so you can see the whole image. The lighting over Tony’s body makes him look pale and ghostly as if he is dead.
*Camera shot
The camera shot that has been used is a medium shot as you can only see half of the characters body. I think that this is to shows us how they are trying to entrance us in to thinking that he is dead or trying to commit suicide.
Skins Poster Analysis (Michelle)
*Ripped/faded wall paper
Mature, older people must have lived there. Notice the wall paper has a sort of paisley print. This tells us that only adults would have used this for their bed room whereas teenagers would use plain simple colours and most probably use posters to decorate. Almost like they are rebelling against anyone older than them. Falling in to ruin. Decay and destruction.
*colours
There is a mixture of colours on the poster like green, black and white. I think that this is to show the youthfulness of all the characters even though the things that they are doing are things that not even most adults do i.e. sleeping with a mass of people and destroying room.
*Feathers
Ripped apart and falling from the pillows, like all the characters life. They are all tearing each other apart. I think that this shows the damage that they are causing to each other.
*Costume
The main character, Michelle, wearing nothing but black knickers, lacy green bra and a black lingerie bolero. It sort of implies that she has just has meaningless and possibly drunken sex with another character who is sitting nest to an old fashioned lampshade. But notice how on her bra, there is a little bow. I think this suggests that she is trying to retain her innocents even though her surroundings are of those who have been up all night partying.
*Surroundings
All night orgies gathering. One of the male characters, which are Asian, has a tattoo on his arm. It like they are going against everything. Every character in this image is doing what they want.
*Lightings
Natural and artificial lighting. The natural lighting is strewn across the back of the wall and Michelle. The light is shown on the main character so that she is your main focus in the image. It also shows you that they have been up all night and are still going on through to the day.
The source of the artificial light comes from the lampshade from across the room where another male character, Sid, is looking to the Michelle. I think he must have been the one to sleep with the main character as he is sitting alone on the bed whereas every one else is with somebody doing something they shouldn’t.
*camera shots
The camera shot for this poster is all over the main characters body. This is quite effective as you get to see the whole language her body is expressing.
Teenagers all over the world are being represented as rebellious and irresponsible, who march to their own drum. I think that in some ways this is realistic however not all teenagers are like this. It is very easy to believe that some teenagers do have all night parties and raves but I seriously doubt that they would try to demolish a house in the same night like it is shown in the poster. I feel that this image is mixture of both a negative and positive representation. This is because teenagers do some things like what the poster represents but at the same time I have never see any thing like this where they totally destroy an entire bed room and hold an orgy.
Most teenage audiences viewing the drama would think that it is an unfair representation. They are showing teenagers at their worst moments and casting them like this is what they always look like. I personally feel that the media has stereotyped teenagers like this so that they can get a reaction out of them. And the reaction that they get is usually like poster, unruly and rebellious.
I think that the main audience for viewing Skin’s is around the 16-21 age groups. This is because that is around the time when teenagers and young adults like to have fun and experience things while people would not normally do in their late 20’s or early teens. Also, if adults around their late 30’s saw this sort of poster they would immediately jump in to the wrong conclusion.
Parents find this kind of poster offensive as the media are representing that all teenagers, their sweet little angels, are in to raving, loud music, sex and drugs; which is not strictly true. The natural reaction from teens is rage; rage that they feel their parents do not understand the kind of life that they lead and the fact that they are practically calling them whore and drug addicts, thus causing controversy and an immediate rebellion against the parents.
Thursday, 5 February 2009
How are Teenagers Represented in the Title Sequence if Skins?
The symbolic codes that have been used such as the objects, colour and soundtrack all represent older teenagers in Britain.
The objects that have been used represent the youth in teenagers and how they are trying to live in the moment. In one part of the opening sequence, one of the characters is jumping on a children’s sized trampoline. This definitely suggests that they are trying to have fun even though they have outgrown this type of prop by the age they are. Another object of notice is the huge clock. I think that this clock has been fused into the sequence because of the lack of time that the characters all have left. It also shows how fast time goes by when they are having fun and doing things that they should not be doing like taking drugs and possibly holding orgies in decaying and desolate buildings.
The place settings of the title sequence, has been shot in many places at different times of the day. However notice that in a lot of the camera shots, have been taken outside in fields and parks where there are big suburban semi detached houses. This is not very city like. But in other shots, you will see lots of signs, buses, trains and flashing lights. This suggests that even though the characters are middle class, they are trying to bring the big city into the little suburbs.
Bright colours have been used to wash out some of the camera shots as well as other images of objects like beer cans and smokers that represent their path to adult hood.
The music that is used for the title sequence is quite unusual; almost fantasy and hazy. I personally feel that this has something to do with the drugs you see them smoking in one part of the sequence and the effect it has on them. This probably explains the kaleidoscope-like effect the title sequence shows us.
The title of skins is not very small and not very big either. The size of the text is medium. I think that this means that even though the characters are young they are still growing in to adults.
The text used is quite simple but very bold. This immediately attracts the attention of the audience from the kaleidoscope of moving images and characters. It is very effectively done.
The objects that have been used represent the youth in teenagers and how they are trying to live in the moment. In one part of the opening sequence, one of the characters is jumping on a children’s sized trampoline. This definitely suggests that they are trying to have fun even though they have outgrown this type of prop by the age they are. Another object of notice is the huge clock. I think that this clock has been fused into the sequence because of the lack of time that the characters all have left. It also shows how fast time goes by when they are having fun and doing things that they should not be doing like taking drugs and possibly holding orgies in decaying and desolate buildings.
The place settings of the title sequence, has been shot in many places at different times of the day. However notice that in a lot of the camera shots, have been taken outside in fields and parks where there are big suburban semi detached houses. This is not very city like. But in other shots, you will see lots of signs, buses, trains and flashing lights. This suggests that even though the characters are middle class, they are trying to bring the big city into the little suburbs.
Bright colours have been used to wash out some of the camera shots as well as other images of objects like beer cans and smokers that represent their path to adult hood.
The music that is used for the title sequence is quite unusual; almost fantasy and hazy. I personally feel that this has something to do with the drugs you see them smoking in one part of the sequence and the effect it has on them. This probably explains the kaleidoscope-like effect the title sequence shows us.
The title of skins is not very small and not very big either. The size of the text is medium. I think that this means that even though the characters are young they are still growing in to adults.
The text used is quite simple but very bold. This immediately attracts the attention of the audience from the kaleidoscope of moving images and characters. It is very effectively done.
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