skins

We are shown a boy on a skate board. The tracking shot reveals his trainers which have a cannabis leaf on it, we could assume that this is a stereotypical representation of a teenager as his chosen footwear is rebellious in itself  this additionally has a stereotypical view of a skateboarder attached to it a swell . the skate board is shown before the characters whole physique this could suggest  that the skateboard is a defining aspect of his life. As he approaches the hill the character receives a crude text message , that contains the suggestive use of drugs , this could present the  character in a negative light as it is revealed that he uses drugs . We are then shown a reaction close up shot which reveals the character's face for the first time , the Digetic sound shows the character swearing we could attach a rebellious label to him.Because of his choice of words this is emphasised by his decision to voyage down the road in moving traffic . 


Through cross-cutting we are shown the road which depicts  a long- shot of the road through a point of view shot(p.o.v)  and to the close up of his face ;by his expression we can see that he is considering his next move whether to pursue this dangerous route . We then see the boy moving through the p.o.v shot which tells us that he has decided to take the risk. this cliché representation emphasising the fact  that teenagers are young and reckless and risk takers this also shows that  the character is a daredevil . As he treks down the road the soundtrack picks up and heavy rock music begins to play emphasising the rebellion or rebellious nature in addition the editing begins to speed up accentuating his snap decision and emphasises the danger of his decision  in addition you could say that he is presented. In a negative light because he is inconsiderate of others. As he is comfortable causing an accident this is highlighted by the close up shot of his face which matches his smile at the beginning he has conquered the task but does not check the damage that he may have caused . to the target audience he could be presented in a positive light they may not see this representation as generalising but may be realistic they may perceive him as cool, however  to the wider audience he may be seen as careless and immature and may feel that this maybe patronising and the teenager is presented in a negative light .


The Binary opposition is presented between the adult police  man and the teenage skater this emphasizes the rebellious nature of the teenager  as he swerves making sure he hits the policeman the  lack of respect for authority  is highlighted by the compromising position of the ice cream cone . the policeman is portrayed in an atypical way as he is shown as incompetent as he is unaware of dangers around him and is fascinated by the ice cream cone . the lack of respect is shown through the editing as when the policeman was taken off his bike the camera waited for the skater boy leaves the frame then pans slightly to see the fate of the police which suggests that he is not as important  as the teenager  this additionally plants the audience on the teenagers side .

How is representation of age constructed in this extract? (from about 3:02 to 5:55)

 The extract shows two age generations  the elderly and the middle aged  some would present that they are presented in a positive light  and this representation  of the characters shown is realistic 

We are presented with an establishing shot  which reveals that they are in a bar celebrating a birthday we can see this through the props that have  chosen to use l the birthday cake and the champagne  which usually indicates celebration of some sort ; through shot reverse shot the conversation between the elderly pair is filmed  there is a binary opposition between the two of them  one appears to be wealthy whilst the other not as much this is emphasized through their clothing one male though it's his birthday is wearing casual clothing whilst the other is wearing a suit this is highlighted through the dialogue as one of the men has contributed to the other's funding so that he could move away; he additionally talks about his  pension you could say this is a stereotypical representation of the elderly , as you usually attach a pension and or  retirement  with someone who is elderly ;however you can say that this is an atypical representation of elderly people as one refuses to go into retirement but continues to work in a underground risky job  

though they are in a bar they are drinking champagne you could say that they are presented in a positive light  as they are not throwing back beers but are taking part in a glass of champagne which is usually associated with class  this could also suggest that they are content with their age  and accept the fact that they are getting older . however from another perspective you could say  one is trying to hold onto his youth by him staying at work and working with people half his age . through the mise-en scene there is a separation between the older generation and the younger generation in the bar as they a dining quietly away from them .

the next scene shows a group of people in  their working environment they are younger than the elderly man  they are presented with a more laid back attitude drinking tea/ coffee and making jokes with each other they unknowingly exclude the older man from their conversation in addition unlike the previous scene the conversation is more lively and engaging which could attach the label that the elderly are boring  ; it is revealed later that one of the members has been previously wounded in action this this could be stereotypical as it goes with the stereotype that the younger generation is reckless  . Unlike the previous scene the editing is more fast paced which could mirror the age difference the close ups of the central characters also show that physically they are younger than their boss .

though these portrayals of the different generations appears to be positive one could argue that the representation is generalising as not all elderly people maybe boring and or dull. the audience may identify with the younger social group  as they are presented as witty and clever more fascinating to listen to  

skins

At first we see a  high angle shot which shows a boy in bed ; he appears to be the central character as we are mainly focused on him the depiction of his room is very stereotypical  as his bed sheet covers are provocative which could suggest that he is   a typical teenage boy fascinated by sex this is emphasized by his alarm that alerts him to when his neighbour will appear naked  ; we  see the character working out which could suggest to the viewers that he is conscious of his appearance or he takes pride in looking good . later his sister appears  she has stayed out all night this is representing her in a negative stereotypical light as she has stayed out without permission  fulfilling the party hard stereotype that is often associated with teenagers . her brother seems to have her back as they have a routine which could also suggest that her staying out late is not a first occurrence

The father is represented in a negative light the close up shots show him yelling and shouting and cursing the children seem to outsmart him which is emphasized by the long shot which shows the daughter sneaking past him  and the son smirking as he is loosing his mind ;his lack of intuitive  is highlighted by the son locking him out of the toilet .

When we are shown the sister again the lighting of the room is dark and mysterious which could highlight that what she is doing is secretive and she does not want to be found out the shots used show quite a lot of flesh which could suggest that this character does not have an issue with revealing herself in an  UN- lady like way
the lighting could also emphasize how her parents are in the blue they are unaware of their daughters true actions . as we later meet her on the dining table in her uniform without her make-up or hairstyle

'How does the extract construct representations of social class?'

 'How does the extract construct representations of social class?' 
Throughout this extract this particular social class is represented through various micro elements such as editing and sound  this extract is a representation of the working class .
At first we watched the extract without sound ; without the audio we made various  assumptions about the characters who were  presented  for example in the opening scene the children attack their father we assume that  the father is the victim as the camera uses a high angled shot to show that his status is low and to highlight his lack of authority in addition a low angled shot of the children shows them towering over the father  ; as the children attacked him we could assume that the relationship between the father and children is not stable this is additionally emphasized by their immediate departure the camera movement is frantic which mimics their actions and state of mind at that moment we could additionally assume that the family is not tight nit as they scatter or separate in different directions  ; on their departure we are given a short glimpse of their front yard  in it we can see broken down washing machines  this could show the audience that  they do not have the money to repair the machine or that they are too lazy to move the machine to a scrap yard when we are shown short snippets of the children we can also see how run down the area that they live in is  . Already the working class has been depicted in an unflattering light this is accentuated in their gathering below the tower blocks; the tower blocks is a stereotypical area/ place of living  that is usually associated with the working class . Without sound we assume that they are up to no good as the camera pans around we are shown their expressions they seem happy and content destroying somebody's or someone's car committing a criminal offence when you see a big crowd like this it easy to feel intimidated  ;when the police approaches they show a lack of respect for authority by running around and even taunting the officers .


When we were shown the extract with sound our views on the characters were influenced and changed by the voice over we hear that the father has a cockney accent which could usually be associated with the working class . our first assumptions before hand was that the family was not tight nit  and the father does not have a good relationship with the children however the voice over counteracts this argument as he father expresses his approval of his children he even narrates that he is proud of them "because every single one of them reminds me of me " whether that is a good thing or not is left for the viewers to decide whilst watching the series . we are shown clips of his children as he telling the viewers some information about them ; we later find out that his is a lone parent as the mother has"disappeared into thin air " this  challenges basic representations of gender as the father is the lone parent, usually we would associate a lone parent family with a female character ; our first assumptions of the family is that they are not tight knit  however when they are towering over their father in the opening scene a sense of unity is displayed as their mother has left their father may not be in the right state of mind or condition to perform his fatherly functions which could mean that the children may have to stick together or look after one another in the mean while this is emphasized by one of the children coming to the aid of their brother when the father seems to want to attack him . the audio works well as it is comical as the audio does not match the visual in particular the scenes when he is talking about his children the voice over shows that he is happy in his present condition  .


When we are shown the community; even though the act they are performing  is illegal the voice over does not make the crime as  heinous  as it was perceived beforehand  the comunity seems unified and happy the camera pans round showing various expressions that they are enjoying themselves  the man describes them as fantastic neighbours  they do not seem as intimidating as beforehand this could show that they are not depressed in their situation though it may not be great . when the police arrive the non digetic sound changes it becomes more frantic and playful which makes the viewers less worried that something may happen to the characters this is also emphasized by the way they are running carefree and having a laugh about it .

How do the 2 extracts construct representations of social class? Refer to the micro-elements.

The first shot is an establishing shot it shows the viewers where the scenes shown are located it additionally shows the viewers what standard of living that they are acquiring . when we are shown the inside of the house we are introduced to 3 characters playing a family game console (Wii) one appears to be the father and the other two his sons the wii indicates to the viewers that they are well off  maybe from the middle class as they are able to afford the game console in the living room where they are playing the walls are littered with paintings which could also suggest that they are from / of the middle-class. in addition this family appears to be traditional as the boys are sticking with the father whilst the daughter is associating with the mother they are also together in the home and not in separate locations which could suggest that they may be portrayed as a tight knit family  . 


The mother and daughter are shown through cross cutting between the two scenes. the conversation between the mother and daughter reveals to us that the father is no longer working for some unknown reason .;and the mother is having to support the family for the mean while . this shows the audience that though they are from a privileged background problems still occur in their class like juggling work and time spent with children. on observing the kitchen it does not align with the décor or structure of the house you can tell that the kitchen has been renovated which could suggest to the audience that they have enough money to renovate the kitchen but  perhaps not enough to move into a bigger house .

The scene opens with Whitney coming across or interrupting an intimate occasion with the boy and girl we  can assume that there is some connection between the three of them from her emotional response of jealousy and disgust and from the fact that she is sad . this is further proved as the two pursue her once she has vacated the renovated garage and her saddened expression as she leaves  . from whitney's appearance you could assume that she is not from a middle-class background as her fashion sense is what you would usually associate with the stereotypical appearance of a chav . Whitney is not at home with her family like the teenager in out - numbered which could suggest to the viewers that her family is not as tight nit . another give away of their social background is their dialect and the way that they communicate .


when we meet the  married Asian couple  as viewers we immediately notice the difference in their speech which could suggest that they are living there but are from a different class background and may be struggling to fit in . like out - numbered the husband is not allowed to return to work for an unknown reason . the condition of their house shows that they are supported financially within reason . the wife is performing the stereotypical gender role of a woman by doing the laundry as her husband watches TV.