What I learnt (Narrative Theories and Representation)

Narrative
Narrative is concerned with the form or structure of the text itself, the way it tells the story, how it is shaped. Narrative refers to the story that is told or written. 
In the context of mass media the story is the media text and a whole team of people have been involved in creating and shaping it for the audience.
 Narrative is therefore A PROCESS OF ORGANISING AND STRUCTURING.

Difference between Story & Narrative “Story is the irreducible substance of a story (A meets B, something happens, order returns),
narrative is the way the story is related (Once upon a time there was a princess…)”

Narrative Theories

 

Field and 3 Act Structure, Syd Field
Syd Field  identified how conventional narrative feature length films share conventional characteristics in their construction/the way the story is told, and that successful scripts can be written by adhering to this theory. The narrative is split into three sections:

• Set up,
• confrontation,
•  resolution,

and has two significant plot points between the acts.

Example

“The film is structured in terms of Syd Fields ‘3 Act Structure’. In the set up, we get to know the characters of Somerset and Mills, and the nature of their relationship. At plot point 1 the ‘problematic’ (Problematic – something that needs solving) is established and the confrontation stage of Field’s theory features Mills and Somerset trying to catch the antagonist”

 

Propp and Character types (Russian formalist theory) 

  Propp analysed hundreds of folk tales and argued that there are 31 basic character functions. Through this he demonstrated the relationship between characters and the structure of the narrative. Fairytales are useful to analyse because they contain stock characters and structural ingredients. After studying 115 fairytales, Propp was able to identify seven main character ‘roles’:

1 the villain

2 the donor (or provider)

3 the helper

4 the princess (or sought-for person) and her father

5 the dispatcher

6 the hero

7 the false hero

.

These roles represent the building blocks of narratives, it is their actions, in what Propp calls ‘functions’, that construct the narrative Propp states that several roles may well be filled by the same character and that some may also be filled by more than one character.

 

Todorov and Narrative Structure, Tzvetan Todorov Russian Formalist theory

Todorov described the way in which the conventional narrative’s flow is divided into 3 sections – (an early antecedent of Field’s 3 act structure) A state of equilibrium is disrupted (by the problematic) to ceate a sense of ‘disequilibrium) before achieving a sense of ‘new equilibrium’ when the problem is resolved.

Example

“…although the problem has been resolved by the end of ‘21 grams’, the world will never be the same again. This is what Todorov termed a ‘new equilibrium’, normal life has been restored. But it is quite different to the life the characters lived before the accident happened and disequilibrium was caused.

 

Story & Plot associated with Tzvetan Todorov (Another Russian Formalist Theory)

The story (fabula) is all the events shown and implied by the film in chronological order. The plot (syuzhet) is just the events actually shown, in the order they are shown.

Example

“…the story and plot of Pulp Fiction are quite different, and part of the pleasure for the audience is ‘figuring out’ the story from the plot. The story ends with the road movie stock situation of Butch and Fabienne riding off into the sunset on a chopper. Conversely. The end of the plot finishes minutes after the opening of the plot, with Vince and Jules leaving the Hawthorne Grill.

 

Narrative Codes, Roland Barthes

Barthes suggested that narrative works with different codes which activate the reader to make sense of it.

• Enigma Code – little puzzles to be solved
• Action codes – looks, significant words, close ups which suggest an event such as ‘jealousy’, ‘falling in love’ accident waiting to happen etc
• Symbolic code – an object, event or action which refers to something outside itself – like the flower which represents ET’s life.

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Theories of Representation

 

Representation

"...all media texts are re-presentations of reality." Everything you see, hear or read in the media has been constructed.

 

Consider:
Who produced it?
What is being represented? How is it represented? Using what codes? Within what genre? How is the representation made to seem ‘true’, ‘commonsense’ or ‘natural’?
What is foregrounded and what is backgrounded? Are there any notable absences?
Whose representation is it? Whose interests does it reflect? How do you know?
At whom is this representation targeted? How do you know?
What does the representation mean to you? What does the representation mean to others? How do you account for the differences?
How do people make sense of it? According to what codes?
With what alternative representations could it be compared? How does it differ?

Reflectionist vs constructionist, Associated with Stuart Hall
There are three different approaches to understanding how representation works:
Reflective – The media simply reflects meanings which already exist in the ‘real’ world.
Intentional – The media simply reflects what the producer wants to say
Constructionist – Media is constructed in the active relationship between producer, text and audience.
Example;
“This ‘intentional’ approach to the meaning of representation is typical of the Hypodermic Syringe Theory, but it is generally accepted that audiences have greater media literacy than ever before making active meanings of the texts they consume..”

Constructions of Realism

Explores the relationship between the text, and aspects of the real world it represents. ‘Realism’ in contrast to ‘Reality’ is often highly constructed. Types of realism include:

- social realism,

- documentary realism

- emotional realism.

(Often contrasted with spectacular or melodramatic representations.)
Example:
The documentary and social realism of ‘Sweet Sixteen’ is convincing, carefully constructed by Loach’s approach to film-making. He uses non professional actors, and encourages them to improvise much of the script. Furthermore it is shot in natural light on grainy film stock.

Gramsci and Hegemony, associated with Antonio Gramsci
Gramsci suggested that power is achieved by dominant groups by persuading subordinate groups that social structures and dominant ideological values are in their interests, and convincing them to consent to their socio-economic position.
According to Gramsci, hegemony is political power that flows from intellectual and moral leadership, authority, or consensus as distinguished from armed force. A ruling class forms and maintains its hegemony in civil society by creating cultural and political consensus through unions, political parties, schools, media, the church, voluntary associations etc.
Example
Although the stereotypical target audience for Eastenders is female, the representation of gender roles in the show play the hegemonic function of reinforcing dominant patriarchal values.

Binary Oppositions –  de Saussure and Levi-Strauss
Structuralist (structuralism – societies and sociological or cultural practices can be analysed, along the lines of a language, as signifying systems) approach which suggests we may understand a representation in it’s contrast (opposition) to other representations in the same text.
Example
The audience gain greater understanding of the character Mills and Somerset in Se7en by their binary opposition to each other. Whilst Mills is young, white, at the beginning of his career, messy and married, Somerset is old, black, at the end of his career, organised and single. The audience therefore know the characters not only by what they are, but also by what they are not.


Moral Panics   – Stanley Cohen
Cohen identified the role of the media in generating (sometimes unfounded) public anxiety about issues such as law and order and public health.
Example
“…the dominant representation of homosexuality was affected negatively in the 1980s when a moral panic was created by the media linking homosexuality with AIDS, pacifying the concerns of the heterosexual mass audience.”

Essay

Discuss ways in which the extract constructs representations of ethnicity using the following:

·Camera shots/angles/movements 

·Lighting

·Sound

·Mise en scene

·Editing 

I will be focusing on how the clip from TV Drama 'Hotel Babylon' represents different ethnicities through techniques such as camerawork and mise en scene, lighting and sound.

   The scene starts with a conversation between two black men. One is portrayed as professional and fairly affluent, which is shown through his costume as he is wearing a dark suit and tie. The latter is stereotypically Jamaican, as he is shown to be wearing bright colours - green and red. This is a culturally significant sign, and are colours which relate to the Jamaican flag, and so this connotes (Roland Barthes, 1977) his ethnic background. 

   In addition, he talks about "booze, girls, ganja" which stereotypes the Jamaican ethnicity again. Mise-en-scene is also used to construct a representation of Jamaican people, such as the costume and props, as he is wearing plenty of jewellery and has dreadlocks - which is a well known appearance of this ethnic type. 

   However, the camera shots are also used to create a different representation of their ethnicity - one that goes against the stereotype. The first man (Benjamin) is shown to be less stereotypically involved in illegal activities/women, etc. Reaction shots show Benjamin looking uncomfortable in the other man's presence and sounding less interested in the women he is describing, but rather in the man himself, which is shown as he says - "You're looking good." Here, Hotel Babylon does not portray all Jamaican men as interested in "girls" or "ganja." 

      Two female maids enter during scene two. They are clearly foreign (as shown through their accents) - perhaps Eastern European. They are represented as quite exotic (Alvarado et al. 1987) as they perform a 'strip tease' for a customer at the hotel. The music played in the background sounds suspicious, but also sultry, hinting at the exoticness of their ethnicity. The camera also supports this idea, as when they first enter, the camera pans upwards to show their faces, but mostly focuses on their waist and above (medium mid shots) which accentuates their femininity. Non-diegetic sound is also used, as the song played in the background is quite suggestive and the words 'Girls! Girls!' are repeated as they perform for the client at the hotel. The lighting is also fairly dim, and suggests the shady atmosphere. One of the maids is shown to be more 'innocent.' The camera shots portray this as she looks disgusted at the thought of what she will have to do. Also, she is wearing a cross, which is a signifier and brings with it the connotations of religion and therefore morals. As she is presented as Eastern European, this is an effective use of representation, as that is an area of the world that is closely tied to religious activities.

   The client himself looks to have quite an oriental ethnic background, and so presented as a stereotypical 'Japanese tourist' as he appears not to speak a word of English, but lots of money to spend. Camera composition shows this as the most angles are close-ups of his face - wide eyes and open mouth suggest not fully grasping the English language. The camera then zooms in on two piles of cash lying on the table. He is also the one who turns on the sound system, which associates him with technology, again representing Japanese men as affluent, immoral but also very knowledgeable in areas such as technology.

   Later on, two white people are shown walking into a kitchen. They are professionally clothed (one male, one female.) They appear Aryan, and are in control over the foreigners, which is an example of mis en scene to represent the idea of white people being superior in their own country.

 The taller of the chefs is insulted as an 'English cretin' by the other. This man is heavily accented, and appears to be of a different ethnic background, such as Italian. This is shown by his actions, e.g. he touches his fingers to his mouth and blows a kiss, which is a culturally identifiable motion/ cultural signifier.

   They are also shown to be very proud of their heritage, as many of the insults they fling at each other are about race/culture. Also, the mis-en-scene used with their chef hats and uniform show that they are proud about their food (especially their countries food.) “...A more discerning pallet...” Diegetic sound is used when the first chef (Italian) picks up a large knife. The ‘slicing’ sound of the knife is added over the scene, and is very loud. This has the effect of representing men from certain areas of the world as proud, and therefore more likely to be violent. The music in this scene also adds tension as the tempo increases and so does the volume, during their fight.

   During the very last scene, eyeline matches are used between the maid who earlier performed the strip tease, and another woman who is shocked to find out what has been going on. As the latter also looks Oriental, this extract uses camera shots to portray conflicting representations of ethnicity. Earlier, people of Chinese/Japanese descent were shown to be rich, immoral tourists. However, in this scene, the woman looks shocked as she sees the maid doing up her buttons after leaving the hotel room. The costume she is wearing shows she is quite well off, however, the camera jumps from the maid walking away, to her extremely shocked and disgusted face, showing that she doesn’t approve of what has been going on. In this extract, not all Oriental people are shown in a negative light.

  

   

   

Representation of Ethnicity (Own Personal Notes)

How did Roots and The Cosby Show challenge previous sterotypical representations of black people in TV dramas?

•   'Roots'  (1984-92) was the first time (on US television) that the realities of slavery was brought to the screens. The audience were able to identify the protagonists of the show, through struggles such as violence/brutality and rape. 
•   'The Cosby Show'  (1984-92) featured a 'functional black family quietly confident in being black.' It was met with some scorn/criticism. Some critics claimed it fed the mirage that racial injustice could be overcome through individual economic advance. However, some recognised the show could be used to introduce further black television shows and to open the door for many black media artists. 
•    It could be described as 'assimilationist' - The process whereby a minority group gradually adopts the customs and attitudes of the prevailing culture. Social equity was not a raised issue in the show. 
• However, for the frst time, it showed how African Americans shared many values common across the United States. 

What does the article say about the representation of black policemen in programmes such as Miami Vice and Hawaii Five-O?

• Hawaii Five-O, and Miami Vice and NYPD Blue. The first was definitely still within the Tonto tradition insofar as the ethnic minority cops were concerned ("Yes boss" seemed to be the limit of their vocabulary). Miami Vice's tri-ethnic leads were less anchored in that tradition, although Edward James Olmos as the police captain often approximated Captain Dobey in Starsky and Hutch, apparently only nominally in charge. 
•  A central issue, however, raised once more the question of "modern" racism. A repetitive feature of the show was the skill of the police detectives in pressuring people they considered guilty to sign confessions and not to avail themselves of their legal rights.
• Within the paradigm of "modern" racism, co-opting ethnic minority individuals into police work made a great deal of sense (the security industry was living proof). Any TV reference was extremely rare to the fierce racial tensions often seething between police officers. How much had changed?

Second 'Title Clip' Analysis

This clip is taken from 'Dexter' which is TV drama with an ambiguous sub-genre.
  Although it cannot be neatly compartmentalised into a specific genre, it has been described as a 'Police Drama' as police investigation is a main theme of the show.
   However, the show focuses on the life of protagonist 'Dexter' who is a serial killer that the police in the show do not know the identity of.






Looking at the credits without sound, it is clear to see that the images have clear connotations of 'death' subtly contrasted with a normal life routine, which is what 'Dexter' is all about.
   For example, the credits start with Dexter swatting a mosquito on his arm, which could be a normal every day action, but given the genre of the show, has a more macabre feeling to it. This a constant theme throughout the credits (and is reflected in the show.) Normal actions such as shaving or throwing away the skin of an orange, are shown with a gruesome twist.
  No narrative is suggested, however, it is clear that the show will be revolving around one character.

(With soundtrack)

The music used is quite simple and jaunty, and completely contrasts with the gruesome images being presented to an audience. Strings and bells are used and this is significant as the show is set in Miami. The culture of Miami is often shown on the show and the music used collaborates with this.
   In a way, the soundtrack DOES contribute to the genre. As said before, the genre is very ambiguous, and so is the protagonist Dexter (he plays a detective, but is really a killer.) In the same way, the cheerful music accompanied by the blood shown in the credits is used to make the audience curious.

   The colour scheme has also been chosen to set a certain tone. Dark and bright reds, orange and browns are used. These all have connotations of danger, death and blood. This is also shown when Dexter puts on his t-shirt.
  Here, he is wearing white (ironic as white has connotations of life and purity.) However, this has been done for a specific purpose. The white shirt over his face symbolises a white sheet over a body at a morgue, and again, has connotations of death.


As a member of the audience, we never see his face until the very end. The camera carefully edits the shots to make sure of this. When Dexter looks in the mirror, an Over-the-Shoulder shot is used, and Dexter's reflection is blurred so that we do not see his identity (which again, reflects the theme of the show.)
   This then puts the audience in the position of unsurity and is used to make the audience curious.


Camera Angles/Shots/Editing

- Most of the camera shots used are close-ups. This is used so that Dexter's face is never really shown, but also to make the audience feel uncomfortable, even though all they are seeing is a 'normal' morning routine.
- The camera sometimes 'jump cuts' between different actions. For example, at 0:36 there is just one drop of blood in the sink, but by 0:38 there are suddenly many more. These jump cuts show the passing of time but also speed up the opening titles to keep the audience interested.
- In addition to this 'fade' and blurring an object is also used to show the passing of time. E.g. At 1:20 the focus is taken off the orange the image is blurred.
- At 1:29 the screen flashes bright white and then moves straight to a different scene.





- The camera focuses on different things. Here, it's the spray coming from the orange and into the air.







- When the morning routine is 'finished' a medium close-up is used to show his identity finally.

 Another close-up is used. The lock subtly reads 'Dexter.'

 Here, a medium long shot is used. This shows him strolling nochalantly, even though the credits have hinted at something not so innocent going on. Again, he's wearing white and this may leave the audience feeling uncertain about whether he is a 'good' or 'bad' character. (This is also a theme that runs through the show, as he is a 'likeable' killer and in the opening titles, has also been portrayed this way.)





The tone of the drama is quite confused; dark contrasted with light. I also think the audience are left to choose what to think rather than being told.

Analysis of Opening Title

This clip is taken from TV drama 'Primeval' Series 4.
It's subgenre is 'Sci-fi' and it is about a group of people from different backgrounds, who travel through time dimensions to save humankind from prehistoric creatures.

When I watched these opening titles in silence, I felt that the producers still managed to get across the general theme of the show.
   These titles show short clips of different animals (mostly prehistoric, e.g. a mammoth) and so the audience gets the idea that the show will have something to do with prehistoric times. However, some short clips show creatures that do not exist, e.g. at 0:17 and this implies the Science-Fiction genre of the show.

Techniques used in this opening title are...
- A song/tune
-  Stylistic camera editing
- Graphics
- Camera shots/angles

Use of song/sound
No voice over.
The music is used is quite fast-paced, which would allow the audience to expect a dramatic and action-packed TV show (which is one of the aims of the producers.) The plots are often highly action-packed, as the main characters travel through time, battle creatures and go on many adventures. In this way, the music used symbolises the action that is to come later on.
   If you listen closely, each animal that is shown has their own own distinctive 'noise' such as a roar or growl. Not only does this set the theme, but it adds to the authenticity of the programme.

Stylistic Camera Editing
The use of camera in these titles are really interesting. Each of the mini videos are flown in on an 'anomaly.' (The anomalies are the fast flying objects that resemble shards of glass and are present throughout the entire title.) The 'anomaly' is an important feature to the show. Primeval is considered to be a Doctor Who spin-off, and in this respect, the anomalies are what the Tardis is to Doctor Who. It allows the characters to travel through time. A regular viewer of this show would understand this, and therefore the anomalies would become iconic symbol and would identify with them.
   The different clips are flown in and out through these 'anomalies' very quickly, and this accompanid by the fast-paced music adds to the action of the titles.

Also, at the very end, there is a clever use of camera to make it look as if the word 'Primeval' has shattered, and this opens up into the first scene, (left) as opposed to a simple 'fade-out' or cutting straight to the first scene.

Graphics
The names of the actors and actresses are in white, bold and all in capital letters to make them stand out. They fly in with the 'anomaly' and then are faded out soon after.
The word 'PRIMEVAL' at the end is also in capital letters, but is shown on the screen as bright red. This red can be used to capture the audience's attention, also it could be used to symbolise danger and adventure. The word is also made by fragments of the 'anomaly' which obviously ties in with the whole theme of the TV drama.

Camera Shots/Angles

The shots of the animals are often close up or even extreme close-ups.
   On the left, an extreme close-up of an animal roaring is shown. This is used for maximised effect; it makes the creature seem a lot more scary and adds to the excitement in the credits.

However, these aren't the only angles the camera uses on the animals. On the dinosaur, the camera shows the full length of the animal, to show it's size, and at 0:33 seconds, the camera is placed underneath the mammoth. This is a Low Angle Shot and gives the impression of an audience member being below the creature, and about to be trampled by it. (Below) Again, this all adds to the tension and excitement that needs to be portrayed with this specific sub-genre.

Lastly, only the names of the actresses/actors are used in the opening credits, not the names of the characters. The names are also shown randomly (i.e. not accompanied by a picture of their character.) This is very different to the Primeval series 2 Opening Titles.
   This is because by the fourth series, regular viewers are now familiar with the characters, their names, and the actors that play them, so there is no need to show this before the show starts.
   The music, the use of animal sounds, and the swift way in which the anomaly flies in an out, sets of a tone of excitement and adventure, as well as a little 'taster' of what is to come.

Conventional vs Unconventional

Casualty/ER

Character Analysis
Casualty - First man starts off happy and smiling - 'How you doing?' He language/tone is quite colloquial and friendly.
The patient's attitude stays the same throughout the scene. He seems grumpy and is wearing a dark blue medical gown. It is clear that he has some sort of relationship with the doctor that precedes doctor-patient confidentiality, from the conversation they're having.
It's clear that the female doctor isn't welcome and wasn't expected from the men's facial expressions when she enters the room.
This scene shows a typically male-dominated working environment and the woma is only featured for a short time.
ER - The scene starts with an argument between two ladies. The taller blonde one is being really dismissive of the shorter lady who is complaining to her. The first woman eventually wins the 'argument' which could be representing racial stereotypes.
The third woman 'Samantha' is clearly a subordinate but she also has an 'attitude' as at first she blatantly ignores what the first woman is saying to her.
There is a clear difference between the medics that bring the patient in, and the doctor. Apart from costume, the doctor's stance is taller and bolder and shows the relationship between the characters - he is superior


Sound

Casualty - Digetic sound is used as you hear the door opening and closing shut again. When the doctor and the patient are having a conversation, you can hear the beeping of the machine in the background, which adds to the atmospere and makes the hospital scene much more authentic.
Diagetic sound of the door opening is also used when the nurse enters the scene. It is loud, sudden and unexpected and immediately breaks up the conversation.
ER - Digetic sound is also used to add to the hospital atmosphere. You can hear talking in the background, the rustling of papers (especially when the man falls over at (0:20) and a telephone consistenly rings which gives the impression of the hospital being busy.

Mise en-Scene
Costume
Casualty - The doctor is wearing  wearing a dark blue shirt and dark trousers. A stethescope is a simply prop that hangs around his neck and allows the audience to know that he is a doctor.
 The nurse is wearing a pink t-shirt, a plastic overall and plastic gloves, which shows she is a nurse and has a lower status than the doctor.

Lighting
The lighting is quite similiar on these two shows. It's not too bright, as neither of the scenes are particularly cheerful, however, it's not so dark and depressing that it would seem unappealing to an audience.


Camera Angles/Editing/Composition


Casualty
Scene starts with a long shot of the main doctor, which also establishing the surroundings - you can see clearly down the entire corridor, and also his costume, which lets you know his role.

The patient is always shown in a close-up head and shoulder shot, which makes him look more powerful and less vulnerable.
The camera shots alternate between simply following the  characters and swivelling round to capture the action and simply showing reaction shots.
ER
In this scene, the camera swivels round to catch the actresses/actors at different angles. However, this one is interesting, as instead of cutting from character to character (Reaction Shots) the camera moves with and follows the characters (Tracking)

Techniques used to engage target audience/s
-Costume, Sound, Lighting and Composition immediately establishing the setting and immediately lets the audience know what to expect, e.g. if you are someone who enjoys medical dramas, you would be much more likely to want to watch the show if you KNOW it's a medical drama.
-Shots are close and personal - let's audience feel like they are part of the show and feel more attached to the characters

Scrubs (unconventional)
CHARACTER ANALYSIS
The surgeons are all portrayed as being 'cool' and 'popular.' E.g. They all sit around a big table, are loud, and are all high-fiving each other, as J.D walks past on his own.
J.D. wants to fit in but can't.
The medical residents are being stereotypically 'geeky.' Spilling drinks, wearing goggles/being unfashionable, etc.

SOUND
- Knife/Forks scraping against plates
-Sound of the camera as Karla takes a picture
Different sound effects are also used to create a comic effect. This is a very different style
E.g. As the 'Surgeons' are being cool, rock guitar chords are played in the background which adds to this idea.
Soft, floaty music is also played when J.D. is having a flashback.
Sound effects are also used when Turk makes his comeback at 1:03, and to accompany Turk/JD as they are escorted down the hallway (in J.D's imagination)
The sound/music used in this scene often relates to what is actually going on WITHIN the scene and adds to the humour of the moment.
J.D. also uses voice-overs throughout the entire thing to create humour, but also just to narrate the storyline and let the audience see his personal emotions/feelings.

                                                COSTUME/LIGHTING (MISE-EN-SCENE)

Medium lighting is always used, apart from the freezeframe in which Turk and J.D. take a picture. At this point, the camera is edits the shot to make it look like a black and white photograph.

It's obvious that the show is a medical drama as the doctors/surgeons are all wearing Scrubs. However, it detracts from the usual image of a medical drama as the opening scene starts in the canteen.
In J.D's imagination, the contrast in costumes is really huge. E.g. Turk is wearing a red fedora, golden chain and red trousers, while J.D. has a huge fur coat, a suit and a white hat.



CAMERA ANGLES/EDITING/COMPOSITION

-Composition is used for comedic effect. E.g. J.D. is dismissing the rumour that all medical residents are geeks, and at this point you can only see him and Elliot. However, after he has made this statement, the camera shot switches to his 'friends' that he is sitting with, showing them do 'geeky' things and creating an element of comedy.
- The camera zooms into J.D just before he has a flashback and then cuts straight to the next scene.
-The camera uses the 'zoom' technique a lot (the flashback is started with zooming in onto J.D's face, and ends with zooming in on J.D's hat)
- A Track is used when J.D. and Turk approach the fellow surgeons. The camera follows them as they walk down the corridor

Techniques used to engage target audience/s
-Voice over (Straight from the beginning. Engaging as is talking straight to audience. Let's us know the show won't be 100% serious.)
-Costume (Establishes setting)
-Composition (Used to create comedic effect, as opposed to ER/Casualty where it's used simply to explain effectly what is happening.)
- Camera angles are very different and I think this would engage completely differnet types of audiences, e.g. teenagers that perhaps don't have much knowledge/interest in medicine, however, the exciting different camera angles/techniques create interest.
- Sound/Music - Very sudden, might seem random at first but appropriae to specific event in the scene, as opposed to the earlier medical dramas, where digetic sound was only used to create atmosphere and no music used whatsoever. The use of popular music may help to engage a younger, more modern audience.

Comparing TV dramas

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmIIEb1VPY4 - Skins

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48CcQl77D-E&list=WL31CD517C9E926A0F&index=4 - Inbetweeners

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcngcqA6zHw&list=WL31CD517C9E926A0F&index=2 - Misfits

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I have chosen to compare the teen dramas Skins, The Inbetweeners and Misfits.
All three of these are teen dramas, first introduced by Channel E4.
'Skins' and 'The Inbetweeners' are quite naturalistic dramas, whereas Misfits has a stylised approach to comedy and it's producers have decided to combine elements of sci-fi/fantasy with teen comedy.

Skins

Sound
- In the first few seconds, diagetic sound is used when Effy opens/shuts her locker. You can also hear people laughing, talking and walking around them, which builds up the atmosphere of a secondary school and helps the audience identify with the surroundings.

Mise-en-scene

Costume -  Effy is shown to be wearing quite a light top with light colours, which is misleading as she has a darker. manipulative character and usually darker colours would be used to symbolise this.
Freddie is wearing a light top and a hoodie, to show he is quite casual and relaxed. He is also holding a fedora hat, which might symbolise that he is slightly 'classier' than his friends, which corrobates with what he calls his friends at 1:00, showing that he thinks he is above them.

Ethnicity- Freddie is clearly not 100% British (part Italian) and has clearly just moved into the school - "I'm new." His appearance on the show could be used to promote/discard racial steeotypes.

Character Relationship

Effy is clearly the one in charge, which is ironic because both visually and physically, Freddie seems as though he would be in control of the relationship. However, he starts confident and steadily deterioates. By the end shot, he is left alone, almost stuttering.
This is done cleverly, as even though Freddie towers over her, his reaction shots make it seem as though he looking down because he's nervous/confused.

Two Shot
(Medium)

The shots are a mixture of Over-the-shoulder, Reaction Shots, and Two-Shots.
These Two Shots are helpful in this scene as they show the differences between Effy and Freddie, and also the distance between them, which makes him seem even more awkward when he's fumbling for a response.
  They also help to establish the scene, as you can see school lockers in the background.

Over the shoulder

The 2nd video is 'The Inbetweeners.' This is also a teen drama.
Like Skins, it also focuses on the lives of a group of teenagers.
In this clip, the scene is a Track Shot, which follows the 'gang' as they walk along.
At first, Simon is at the centre, as he is the centre of attention has he's the one his friends are trying to convince to go 'clubbing.'

Unlike in 'Skins' this scene focuses more on use of costume to convey the setting. The boys are all wearing school jumpers, blazers, and ties. In the background, also seen in 'Skins' other students are passing by and talking, and these students are used to introduce diagetic sound associated with schools and to identify with the primary target audience (teenagers/students.)


The camera shows medium shots of all four of the boys to show their facial expressions clearly.
E.g. Will trying to smooth over a situation, Simon glaring warningly at Will, Neil looking slightly perplexed in the background as usual, and Jay staring in awe at the two girls. This shot is used to show their personalities in just one second!

Reaction Shots are used later on between Will and Carly's friend. Like Skins, the reaction shots are used to monitor the conversation and especially when the subject topic is becoming more personal.

In both TV dramas, the camera angles have been positioned carefully, to control the Composition.
In Skins, the camera shot only includes Effy and Freddie until Freddie insults his friends. Immediately, the shot allows the audience to see his 'friends' standing not too far away. This is deliberately only revealed to the audience later on for comedic effect.

Similarly, Simon in The Inbetweeners is talking about how 'uncool' he and his friends are, and how they could never get into a nightclub, when the girl he is trying to impress suddenly appears. Again, the camera is angled closely at the boys, only allowing the audience to see Carly after he's made his comment. He then proceeds to talk about how he is going clubbing with his friends.
Again, composition is used here for comedic effect.





On the other hand, 'Misfits' is another teen drama, however, it has a separate sub-genre, in the sense that  it has combined teenage drama with fantasy, and so it's themes are a combination of naturalistic and non-naturalistic styles.

The shots have been edited to show all the different 'young offenders' as they sit down on the sofa.
The costume helps set the context of the show, as they are wearing bright orange uniform jumpsuits, which allows the audience to understand that these teenagers are doing their community service.
There is no clue in this particular clip that this show is comedy/fantasy, as no fantasy element is shown, however, the comedic elements come across quite clearly. For example, when kelly is talking, the camera cuts so that she is in a different place each time she says her statement: 'They graffiti and we clear it up.' This makes it funnier as it is obvious to the audience that a long time has passed since she first said it.

Music is played in the background until Simon (the quite one) enters, and that is where all music stops.

The camera zooms out when it reaches Simon to a Medium Shot.
His body language shows that he is feeling uncomfortable and the frame makes him look smaller as he is sitting in the middle of the sofa with lots of space around him.

Another important thing about this show is that is focuses on teenagers from all walks of life. I think this is done effectively.
Similarly to the clip from 'Inbetweeners' these clip uses mise-en-scene to present this.
For example, Kelly and Alisha are wearing lots of make-up. (Kelly is also wearing golden hoop earings)  which enforces the 'chavvy' stereotype.


Composition 


Before each of the teenagers starts talking, the camera zooms in/smudges their profile, to allow the audience to guess who is going to speak next. This is purposely done to hide the identity of the speaker.

E.g. Before Nathan speaks the camera shot shows only his shoe, but before Kurtis speaks, the shot just shows shows the lower half on his face, but blurs his body.
A cross necklace is shown which is symbolic for regular watchers and symbolises
a) Religion - Kurtis isn't religious but he has higher morals than the other characters.
b) The character themselves.