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.

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