Monday 16 April 2012

Hustle (age)

In the extract of Hustle age is represented by the director in the way he/she feels is necessary. This can be stereotypical and bias as it is coming from an individuals opinion on how age should be represented to the target audience. In the extract the older male is shown to be dominant while the mid-aged generation seem to be subordinate as they are shown to take orders from him. This represents the dominance within the older generation as he can give out orders that will be fulfilled by subordinates.

Within the extract a long shot is used during the conversation between the two older men and the dinner table comes into frame. There is birthday cards and wrapped up gifts on the table; giving the impression that it is one of the two males birthday. This can be looked at as a positive representation of the older generation as it shows their fun side to the audience. The importance of the characters are shown through a birds eye view shot. It is used while all characters are sitting down apart from one (the old man). This again shows the audience his dominance above the younger characters as they are all seated apart from him.

Mise-en-scene is also used to represent age in a positive way. The two older men are dressed up in smart clothing, including ties and a suit. This shows the audience their class and worth as in the modern day the older generation are normally looked down on. Their value are again shown as the two characters are seen to be having dinner in a nice looking / expensive restaurant. This represents the older generation as classy; a stereotypical view of younger individuals would locate them in a less costly looking restaurant.

In the beginning of the extract a shot reverse shot is used while two older men are having a conversation. This makes it easy for the audience to observe their facial expressions. They both seem to be having a friendly chat as they smile and laugh with each other. This represents the older generation positively to the audience watching as they come across as friendly and joyful. I feel this is against the stereotypical view of the older generation as they are normally made to look grumpy and boring.

Diegetic dialog is used between the old character and the younger characters showing the audience dominance and sub-ordinance. A younger character asks 'How do we get our hands on him?'. This shows that the younger characters in the scene are subordinate to the older character as he is shown to be the character with the most knowledge. Within our society we are brought up to listen and respect people older than us as they are known to be wiser through experience. This is a realistic yet stereotypical representation of the older generation in this extract as they are made to look the boss. In the scene with the two older men talking mellow diegetic soundtrack is used as it comes from inside the world of the story. The melody is very calming and quiet as the two characters have a conversation. This shows the audience the importance of the diegetic dialog as the volume levels are way above the background soundtrack.

Monday 26 March 2012

Skins (representation on age)

Throughout the extract stereotypical representations are made of teenagers as they are show cased through a directors perspective. The teenage brother and sister seem to be at war with their father as they seem to be too much for their father to handle; giving a stereotypical view of the behavior within a middle class household.

Representations of age have clearly been illustrated throughout camera work. Tony's character is suggested to the audience in a stereotypical view of the director through the first camera shot. A birds eye view is used in the beginning of the extract which tracks backwards while Tony looks up towards the ceiling. His bed sheets then come into frame showing a naked male and a naked female on them. I feel the director has done this to represent Tony as a young minded and lusting teenage boy. Mature adults would not have bed sheets like these as it would be looked as as inappropriate. Tony's age is again expressed through an over the shoulder shot as he watches a female adult get dressed from across the street. Eye line match takes place between these two characters with a shot reverse shot as Tony gets led on by the mature women. I feel this once again shows the audience Tony's teenage characteristics as he is represented as a lusting and daring teenage male.

The director involves good use of mise-en-scene to represent Tony's age within the extract. Tony wakes up in the morning with weights on his wooden floor. I feel the director has done this to show that health can be a main priority for the younger generation as Tony trains before taking a shower or brushing his teeth. Adults on the other hand may have started their day differently by maybe getting ready for work. Tony's age is showcased in a stereotypical way by the way he is dressed when he wakes up, he is in nothing but his pants. I feel this represents the younger generation to be care free as he sleeps in his underwear. This gives the audience the impression that he is careless as he isn't sleeping in pajamas; while the older generation may dress more appropriately for bed.

Editing is used to show the audience the energy Tony contains within the sequence while he exercises. Fast paced edits take place while he goes from one exercise to another. This represents Tony as an energetic and fast paced individual who focuses on getting the job done. This can be looked at as a realistic representation as it is known that the younger generation have more energy then the older generation. If an adult was shown working out slower edits may of been used. This could show their concentration of getting the exercise correct as adults are known to be less reckless. Communication between Tony and his sister are shown through edits as straight cuts are used back and fourth between these two characters. This may of been done to show the audience the type of relationship a middle class brother and sister would have. This again can be looked at as stereotypical as it cant be generalized to every middle class household. Some teenagers may not have the same form of relationship with their siblings.

Monday 19 March 2012

Tv Drama 1 (Eastenders)



Within this TV drama representations of age are made through four main elements, these include sound; edits; mise-en-scene and camera work. Representations can be looked at as bias and opinionated as they come directly from the director/producer of the T.V drama. They are not always necessarily correct as scenarios can be over exaggerated.

The first scene shows a younger female character aggressively shouting at two adults, who maybe her parents. Great use of camera work is used within this scene to represent her status within the house hold as she sits on the couch. Firstly a high angle shot is used which may be representing her current power in her current situation. A straight cut is then used as she stands up to storm out of the house. Once standing up the camera angle changes to a medium shot, this may show the audience that she now has the same power as the two adults within the frame as she is now eye level with them. The teenage girl is dressed up in clothing that shows her skin, this can be looked at as a bias representation of teenage girls within our century as they are being represented in a unfair way. It is unfair as not every teenage girl dresses the same way shown in this T.V drama though the director or producer decided that this is how he/she wants them to be shown. Dialog is used as the young girl shouts at the two adults very aggressively 'You treat me like a kid and I'm old enough to do what i want'. This can also be looked at as another unfair representation as it gives the impression that teenage girls of today's world are aggressive and misbehaved. Despite me not knowing the entire story behind the situation, as a viewer i would instantly become shallow minded and generalize today's teenage girls as aggressive and unmannerd.