How is youth represented in the extract? (skins)

How is age represented in the abstract?

Refer to:

Camera work

Mise-en-scene

Sound

Editing

In 1904 Stanley Hall argued that all youth propel are, “adolescence is inherently a time of storm and stress when all youth people go through some degree of emotional and behaviour upheaval.” The media language in the extract supports Hall’s theory in a number of ways, but also at times disrupts this and moves more towards the arguments concerning mixed metaphors of; “youth is fun and youth is trouble” that Hedbridge (1988) and Osgerby (1998) put forward concerning the media and youth stereotypes.

The extracts first of all starts with non-diegetic up beat music, with a series of short clips that reveal the modern day setting and the characters. The whole montage is link together with this non-diegetic up beat music. The non-diegetic music acts as a mixed metaphor when read alongside the images because the shots show the characters being trouble/rebellious while the sound makes the whole thing seem ‘fun’ which connotes that the extract links and supports Hedbridge and Osgebery’s idea of youth as a mixed metaphor.

In terms of the images themselves, there are a number of shots that tell the viewer a lot about the representation. One of the first shots in the extract was a series of clips; these shots were at a close up camera angle with a boy smoking drugs and teenagers kissing. This links in with Hall’s theory of youth being rebellious and shows that they don’t care about what they are doing. Also in these shot clips, there is a medium shot of teenagers on a trampoline, this connotes that they are having fun, which also links in with hall’s theory of youth. After these montages of short clips, it goes to an extreme close up of a boy in bed. Whilst in this camera shot there is a diegetic sound of bells, and an ambience sound of tweeting birds. This then connotes that it is the morning and this boy has just woken up. Then the camera zooms out to a high angle shot of the boy lying in bed, however the mise-en-scene of this is that on the duvet there is a naked man and women, which connotes that he is ‘sex mad’ which links in with Stanley Hall’s theory of youth being mad about sex. The scene around him lying in bed is that his room is very tidy. This breaks the stereotype of youth being lazy and messy because he has a very tidy room. After the high angle shot, it goes to a cut away shot of him getting out of bed, with R&B non-diegetic music, which connotes crime so again it goes in with hall’s theory. The next clip is another montage of him working out, the clips are at a medium close up, but the boy is in his boxers, so this links in with hall’s theory because he is not wearing much. After this there is an over the shoulder shot of the boy looking in the mirror after working out. This connotes that he is self absorbed and likes the way he looks, this links in with hall’s theory because he is impressed with him self; it also links in with Osgerby theory of youth stereotypes because most youth look at them self in the mirror. Next there is an ambient sound of his alarm on his watch, then he walks to the window, there is a 1-2 shot of his alarm clock to him walking to the window. Next there is an over the shoulder long shot of a middle aged women naked in the window opposite. This portrays the boy looking over to the women and taking an interest in her body which connotes that he is sex mad linking in with hall’s theory. However, she is breaking the stereotypes because she is teasing the boy and encouraging him to continue looking at her and is enjoying his attention. There then is a medium long shot of a young girl that is wearing a low cut top and a mini skirt, this shows that she has been out all night and has a hangover because she looks rough; with this it links in with hall’s theory because she is out late and drinking and this is the stereotype of youths. Also it links in with Hedbridge’s theory because she is out having fun and causing trouble. The editing during the shots of Tony, the girl and the neighbour is parallel editing. The next part of the extract is when the boy tony is turning up the music to max to annoy his dad; this is also done because he needs to make a distraction for his sister to come in. By turning up his music this connotes he is rebellious and most teens play loud music, so this is linking in with hall’s theory because he is being rebellious. Next the dad comes in shouting and swearing. This connotes that the dad is as bad as the son because he is acting like him. This links in with Richard Butsch (1992) theory because he says that working class males in the media are presented as “incompetent and ineffectual, often a buffoon, well-intentioned but dumb. In almost all working-class series, the male is flawed, some more than others”. So this quote represents the age because the older women in the house across the street is acting like the teens and so is the dad that comes in swearing. Also to link in with his dad, he comes in to the room naked so this also links in with Richard Butsch’s theory of male representation. The last bit to add is that the boy has all his clothes neatly folded in his draw. This breaks the stereotype of youth representation because youth are usually really scruffy and have messy rooms, whereas in this extract his room is very tidy and he has neatly folded clothes.