AgeTV DRAMA

Background

The representation of people of different ages has changed massively over the years. Up until the 1950’s, there were really only two age groups shown in films and television (adult and child). This was because that most children left school at a young age and went straight to work and became adults. In the 1950’s more young people started staying in education and began leading very different lives from both children and adults and so developed the idea of the “teenager”

Stereotypes

Some stereotypes associated with different ages:

Children – often shown as being young, innocent, naive, pure, sweet, helpless, powerless Teenagers – Often shown as being aggressive, moody, lazy, criminals, hate school, 20’s-30’s – Often shown as the ideal age for love, parties, fun, making money, being

glamorous and attractive. In films the heroes are often this age group. Middle Aged – often shown as being past it, unattractive, not aware of popular culture,

uncool, boring lives, dominant over others, no real connection to their kids, grumpy. In films the villains are often from this age group.

Elderly – often shown as being unattractive, slow, weak, ill, confused, pathetic, powerless, not important, dependent on others.

Skins

Waterloo Road

Outnumbered

Shameless

Touch of FrostMiss Marple

Coronation Street

Some shows featuring characters of different ages

Questions to consider:

If you get “age” as an issue in the exam, you should be thinking about the following things when watching the clip: Can I identify what approximate age the characters are? Are people from different age groups shown as having different interests, personalities,

attitudes, behaviours? If so, how? Is their age represented as being important in their life? Are people from particular age groups portrayed as being better, more powerful, than

others? Are people from particular age groups portrayed as being abnormal /weaker/ more pathetic

than others? How do other characters in the clip treat the characters from different age groups? What is the message the clip is trying to portray about age?

The Clip

Discuss the ways in which the extract constructs the representation of age using the following:

• Camera shots, angle, movement and composition

• Editing• Sound• Mise-en-scene

AnalysisA low angle shot of tan leather shoes walking slowly but confidently across the floor suggests connotations of authority. This then cuts to a medium shot of an older teacher and two young pupils. The teacher conforms to stereotypes of older age by analysing elements of the mise-en-scene including his dress code, body language but also his tone of voice. He wears an old fashioned cardigan, is standing with his hands in his pockets and is talking in a sarcastic way to the pupils who wear school uniform (signifying binary oppositions of age), stutter and lack confidence when replying. The teacher is then framed centrally between the two pupils. The camera cuts to a two shot in medium close up of him standing next to a younger teacher again promoting his stereotypical age and wisdom by patronising her for not insuring the video camera in diegetic dialogue and using his body language.

AnalysisThis shot then cuts to a scene where we see an older male site manager (the camera shows a close up of his door plaque) and a young male pupil in conversation. The pupil’s body language is stereotypical as he leans against a wall while the non conformist way he wears his tie (not tied up properly, big knot) has stereotypical connotations of rebellious youth culture. The older site manager sounds verbally more confident and although not a teacher is smartly dressed for the work environment with a pencil behind his ear, itself having connotations of work. This, using Levi Strauss’s theory frames him in binary opposition to the boy who appears lazy and who is persuaded by the older wiser site manager to go away and write his essay. In a short period of time during these first two scenes clear stereotypes of older age signifying wisdom and youth signifying rebellion are established.

AnalysisA long shot front on shows two girls and a boy walking into medium shot along a school corridor. Again, the girls’ dress code suggests rebellion while all three are discussing their parents and a problem with a fellow pupil’s parents. This furthers the connotations of their young age and emphasises their vulnerability and reliance on older adults. However, the connotations of age and wisdom are disrupted in this scene as a close up reveals a girl who describes her parents as a “dad who never comes home” and a “mum who is a ho-bag”. This burst of diegetic dialogue is important in challenging age stereotypes representing older people as more responsible, as quirky upbeat non-diegetic music starts. This music reinforces stereotypes of youth culture and the school environment they are in.

AnalysisIn the following scene we see a male teacher positioned higher than his pupils behind a desk in a stereotypical classroom situation. He is framed in medium shot. The mise-en-scene anchors his age, authority and status with objects and props including school desks, books, wall displays and a white board projection representing the younger pupils. In terms of dress code there is also a clear difference between the older teacher and the students as his authority is revealed by his dress code, which includes a shirt and tie but also with sleeves rolled up suggesting he is ready for some serious work. The pupils wear their uniforms casually rejecting stereotypical conformity with one girl wearing larger hooped earrings.

AnalysisThe non-diegetic music changes to something more fast tempo as club music (more upbeat than before) and use of hand held camera introduce two students, Amy and Stuart, in confrontation. The moving hand held camera, increased tempo of the music and framing all add to reinforce the fact that this is a stereotypical school spat between two young pupils. As the teacher rushes in the pace of the editing increases as it appears that the boy is having an asthma attack. The older teacher uses his stereotypical calmness and authority to deal with the situation while diegetic dialogue parallels the anxiety that the editing represents with phrases uttered by the teacher like “where is his inhaler?” The club music is edited into a piece of music with more hip hop connotations and is used as a sound bridge to the next scene cutting to a low angle shot of a man in front of a set of doors.

AnalysisThe camera tilts up to reveal an older Maths teacher looking embarrassed wearing stereotypically young person’s clothing including low slung jeans with high visible underpants, trainers and a music t-shirt. This then intercuts with a shot of a bubbly young girl in high angle standing on the stair trying to reassure him that he looks OK. The camerawork challenges the traditional meaning of low angle and high angle by representing the subject shot in low angle (the teacher) as vulnerable; he is trying to appeal more to his pupils by dressing younger. His vulnerability is reinforced by a two shot of two schoolgirls laughing at him for trying to look more fashionable even though the girl on the stairs states: “what do kids know about fashion?” This dialogue could be understood using dominant or oppositional readings: young people really don’t know about fashion or they can humiliate older teachers because they do. In this respect the girl on the stairs challenges the stereotype of a younger person. Finally, a medium close up of two teachers reveals one trying to persuade the other to go back to his usual dress code while the presence for the first time of only adults in the frame signifies the end of the non-diegetic music. 

Moderator comments – Marks awarded 46

Explanation/analysis/argument: Excellent understanding of the way that technical aspects are used to construct a representation. Clear logical deconstruction of text linking directly to the question.

Use of examples: Good range of examples and appropriate sequences analysed to reveal a representation. The key focus has been on camera shots, angles, movement, composition, mise-en-scene and sound with some reference to editing, which perhaps could have been developed a little more.

Use of terminology: Sophisticated use of media language and technical terminology.

Complex issues expressed clearly and fluently, sentences and paragraphs consistently relevant and well structured with few, if any, errors of grammar, spelling and punctuation.