Representation of Terrorism and Ethnicity in Spooks

Ahmed is represented in a negative way, Fiona and Danny positively. How are those binary opposites conveyed to audiences?

Ahmed has the power in the scene, he has the gun and he is controlling and dominant. He has a threatening and imposing stature over Fiona and Danny as he is standing over them and he paces the floor in a threatening way. We can tell by how he speaks and what he says that he has no pity or remorse left in him, that he has been driven to a point where he does not care what he does anymore, he is simply there to make a point - a harsh point. He seems like an incredibly unjust man to the audience. Fiona and Danny are smaller, powerless and vulnerable. They are shaking and it is hard to concentrate because they are so scared, so the audience have sympathy for them. Their conversations are longer and more meaningful, whereas the shots of Ahmed are short and sharp like his personality and what he is trying to achieve. It creates and effect of the characters being scared of Ahmed and trying not to look at him, because he is the evil one, whereas Danny and Fiona are the unlucky ones who have to try and stop him with their lives at risk.

What role do mise en scene, camerawork and editing play in underlining those representations?

The camerawork varies from character to character. We see lots of CU's and MCU's of Danny and Fiona to see their detailed expressions of terror. We see their real human emotions clearly. The shots of them are at HA to make them vulnerable and alot of Ahmed's shots are slightly LA to make him taller and imposing. We are also more distant from him often at MS or him being in the background of shots of Danny and Fiona. The shots are edited quickly of Ahmed, skipping past his CU shots as if we are trying to avoid him. It also devoids him of personality and human emotion. Instead we focus long and hard on shots of Danny and Fiona, even as Ahmed speaks, showing who the audience is focused on wanting to "win" - they are real humans. For mise-en-scene, Ahmed is wearing a black suit, which implies death and makes him inhumane and dark. In contrast, Danny wears a purple shirt and Fiona wears a white shirt, showing their much lighter and bouncier personalities. We can tell they have suffered with their messed up hair, running make up and scruffy collars. Also, the light streaming from the window silohettes Ahmed to make him seem a dark character with no emotions who we cannot understand.

What techniques are used to involve audiences emotionally? How does that position audiences?

The topics of conversation involve the audiences emotionally as people can relate to real-life issues such as talking about Fiona's husband and past references to Winnie the Poo - a child memory, or talking about Fiona's children. The thought of never seeing family again is a huge emotional trigger. The audience seemed attatched to Fiona and her husband as they were normal people living normal lives, as was Danny. Danny's speech at the end before he gets shot is highly emotionally-charged and opinionated, directing pure hatred at Ahmed - this allows the audience to release these emotions of hate they have for Ahmed and highly respect Danny (who has also saved Fiona's life). We then sympathy with Fiona who is made to look at Danny's dead body and we feel guilt.

What view of terrorism emerges from these scenes?

Because of these binary opposites, a bad view of terrorism is implied, as the audience imagine terrorists to be like Ahmed - heartless and inhumane, cold-hearted monsters. Ahmed has taken a life and disrupted the normal everyday lives of British people like the majority of the audience, and so has spoilt the mood for us. We learn to disrespect terrorists and we are against their thoughts and policies and how they act to make their points. This is because Ahmed was not a peaceful person and killed a hostage at the first sign of cracking. We hate him and dislike terrorists.

What do you understand by Arab, Islamic, Muslim, Middle-Eastern?

Islam is the main religion of the area of the world that is Arabia/Middle-East, so these people are Muslims. I do not know enough about the religion and have never visited the area, but I know a bit about them as there are many who have migrated to Britain who we have to live with every day. Most are peaceful people going about their day to day lives in concurance with their religion, but a minority are extremists who may have taken their religion the wrong way and are not peaceful. These people are terrorists and often are against the capatalist "west" world such as Britian and USA.

What are the equivalent categories for describing British people?

White-British, English, Protestant, Christian, Catholic, Western European.

Since Britain is an ethnically diverse society, are there equivalents? What does this suggest about using these categories, which are widespread in the mainstream media?

There can be equivalents such as British-Muslim or British-Arab. Two different ethnicities can be mixed together to create lots of different ethnic groups in Britain, which the media have to try and appeal to. The categories can become confusing and issues maybe created in the media. It will become easier to upset some ethnicities as there is more to think about, so it is probably a good idea to learn more about the different ethnicities before trying to represent them in the media, and then doing your best to convey this to the rest of the country through the media.

What do you know about Al Qaeda?

It is a general title for the main extremist Muslim group or community. They are a minority but are well-know in Britain for being associated with widespread terrorism in the Western World. I know them as evil, twisted people bent on revenge and destruction in the country I call home. I do not know too much about them in detail other than that they are behind many of the terrorist acts carried out on our world today.

Try to find three contrasting representations of Iraqi people from the internet, newspapers, magazines, films. What conclusions can you draw from these representations?

1) http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2008/12/iraqi-man-throw.html <> Web article about an Iraqi man throwing a shoe at George W Bush - the then president of America.

2) http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0925-02.htm <> Web article on the needless killing of Iraqi civilians by American soldiers.

3) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Narcicyst <> A Wikipedia entry on Iraqi hip-hop artist - The Narcicyist.

The first two are contrasting web articles on Iraqi people. The first represents Iraqis as uncontrollable animals with no manners and driven by hatred for the American government. The second article justifies this with an emotional article on how peaceful civilians are killed by Americans unnessecarily. It presents Iraqis as vulnerable and peaceful, lacking in a national leader, but far from monstrous animals. They are seen as civilised. The last link is a wikipedia entry on a fun-loving hip-hop artist from Basra, Iraq. This shows Iraqis as down to earth and warm people just like the rest of us. They too can have a sense of humour and a similar music taste to much of Britain.

Look back at the representation of Ahmed and Khatera in this episode of Spooks. How far does the drama position audiences to equate 'Muslim' with terrorism.

I do not think the episode associates Islam with terrorism as the actual Muslim faith is not mentioned much in what Ahmed says, he is more just making a political statement against capatilism and the "west". Danny does not make the association either when he calls Ahmed a "death-worshipping facist", as this singles out Ahmed as from a cult or a minority extremist party. It is quite clear that Ahmed is not an average Muslim as he is said to have no pity or mercy in his sole and is not seen as human - he is a monster. Islam is not associated with this personality at all in Spooks, which is clever of the producers as they do not want to create issues with normal Islamic communities in Britian.

Think of other characters from British ethnic minorities in the drama. What is their significance?

In the MI5 team there are other ethnicities present such as Danny who is British-black and another new young male character is British-asian. This shows these other ethnicities can be part of a civilised British culture and are normal people in our society who we can get on with and respect. These characters are significant in telling the audience not to make an association with a whole religion and terrorism, as it is only the minority who are like Ahmed, whereas the majority live and work with us in our every day lives without causing any trouble. They can be decent people.

So3 Eo10 - Everyone (finale)

Episode Overview

Cook and Effy are in self-imposed exile from the gang, having gone to stay with Cook’s father. Effy is running away from everything she’s ever known and Cook enables her escape. Problem is, Cook is slowly falling out of lust, and in love. Back in Bristol, JJ tries to snap Freddie out of his depressed stupour, down about the loss of both his best mate, and the girl he loves. Freddie and JJ find Effy and force her to confront who she is and what she really wants. She has to make amends for the damage she’s caused. She also has to decide whether to follow her heart and decide between the 3 boys who she wants. It seems that her heart wants Freddy and Cook runs away in anger and disapointment, only to be rejected by his own father. Freddie saves Cook from being harmed by his father and the two have a conversation to settle their differences. It appears this can only be done if Freddie does not get with Effy. The 4 steal the boat and are temporarily in a calm friendly equilibrium with one another, but no real solution is reached about the Effy situation, and so the half-series ends on uncertain terms with no real cliffhanger other than what Cook and Freddie will do about Effy and their uncontrollable love for her.

Location/Lighting

I will analyse two short clips from the episode, one establishing location and one with interesting lighting.

Location: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vB6bjZfe--8
The location in this scene is representative of Cook and Effy's story thus far. They have escaped from the gang to try and find a better life. This is summed up by Cook's quote, "It's not about the destination, it's about the journey." He is on a journey and this is what he needs, freedom and escapism from the problems of every day life, and with the girl he loves. The location here appears open and free, full of nature (trees, fields, a river and a beautiful sunrise), and the sounds of birds and trickling water are peaceful and relaxing. They could be anywhere, they are without a destination and are on a journey to nowhere (they are literally in the middle of nowhere) just like Cooks said. Although this appears quite nice, looking closely at the location it is easy to see that they have not escaped the problems of the grimey city in which they came from, and this can be seen in the polluted canal, littered with rubbish and waste products. They pollute the environment, and the problems and broken relationships are still at the back of the character's minds, polluting their sense of freedom, their taste of the outdoor world. We know they are uncertain by this because it is a typical grey British day - dull and wet - they have not escape their old lives yet.

Lighting: Here is the first scene of the episode at the beginning of Cook and Effy's "journey", where I will be analysing a contrasting scene (after the 'previously' introduction to the episode). This is a more exciting scene signalling the beginning of their journey, so is full of energy and freedom (living for the moment). This is shown in the lighting of the light-dominating location - a nightclub.

The release of energy is shown in the strobe lighting. Everything else is dark like any other nightclub, taking away the personal identities of people and congregating everyone in one big dancing mass, with everyone escaping from their problems (what Effy and Cook try to do). The strobes are disorientating and confusing as the character's get lost in the moment and lose themselves. The lighting represents the youthful and exciting qualities buried inside the depressed problem-filled characters of the teenagers, and this comes out as they begin to dance at the nightclub, with a strong, vibrant, neon-green colour being prominent and striking lightning-bolt shaped patterns immerging, showing their sharpness. The whole thing is energy-filled, in a unique atmosphere created by this very low-key lighting. It is an extraordinary scene, one which Skins is famous for producing a lot as it appeals to teenagers. This flash of teenage-ness marks the beginning of Cook and Effy's journey as they begin to forget the recent past and do the things they enjoy doing, once again, in an attempt to get away from present life.

So3 Eo9 - Katy

Episode Overview

Katie won’t leave the house because of her damaged face and reputation. Fortunately, Emily is able to disguise herself as her sister, and sits an exam for her. Emily and Naomi get closer, but when Emily asks Naomi to accompany her to the college ball, she says no – breaking Emily’s fragile heart. Against her better judgement Emily agrees to partner Katie to the ball, and they plan their outfits together. Out shopping, though, Katie sees a way of regaining her hard-sought status at college. When Freddie inadvertently drops the bombshell about Emily and JJ, Katie hatches a plan – making her sister the ultimate victim. Katie’s scheming results in the mother of all show-downs. But she’s the one who has to face her fears and accept some hard truths - that Emily is gay and loves Naomi.

Sound/Music

Here is a scene from the episode, where music and sound is used to create meaning to the audience, which I will analyse > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elpv_9UUTmw.

Diegetic Sounds:

• Throughout the scene we here background city noises to establish the scene and create realism. These noises include traffic, police sirens, pedestrian chatter and wind. It shows everyday life going on behind Emily and Thomas (the characters in the scene) creating the film world in which the audience imagine themselves in when watching the episode. The scene is made as real as possible and could be at any bus stop in any city in the world. However, the sounds are faily distant and this is because we are focused on the tight, personal world of the characters - their little bubble of problems and relationships. The quiteness of the real-life sounds the audience away from reality and into the minds of the characters and what they are feeling.
• The dialogue is also part of the real film world the audience has stepped into, but this is louder, clearer and alot closer to us - it is what we are focused on. We get every bit of detail of the sounds coming from the characters, such as Emily's upset sobbing and chitter-chatter of teeth due to the cold. When Thomas speaks his voice is suitably soothing as he consoles Emily. He sounds mysterious and philosophical as he speaks, which ultimately calms Emily down, making the scene a really nice warming scene despite the dark, dangrerous location, cold climate and deepening disruptions in the story plot. The background sounds are faded and the audience focus on the conversation between Emily and Thomas, which proves that nice deeds can be done amongst this group (enforcing Thomas' character as the nice guy as he gives Emily his shoes and coat), and proving significant in the scripted lines, such as towards the end of the scene where Thomas advises her to not carry on loving the person who has screwed her over, but admits how it is impossible to do so.

Non-diegetic sounds:

• There is only one type used, and that is the choice of music. The music is fairly calm and ambiguous, as well as being highly alternative - so the audience knows it has been picked for a reason. It is quiet and reserved but also highly emotionally charged in melody and in lyrics, which quite suits the situation of quiet lonliness for Emily in the middle of the city. The lyrics say, "run away, find a way", over and over again, which is meaningful. It suits Emily's situation as she does not know whether to run away or find a way (run away from her love of Naomi or find a way to make it work). The song represents this bridge of confusion and the choices Emily is facing, as well as presenting a theme of uncertainty to the audience (Emily is at a bus stop alone and could well be running away from home). The beautiful piano melodies are touching and emotionally all over the place as they move up and down (the keys on the piano) much like the character's emotions - and this effects the audience in a big way. The overall tone of the music is sad, uncertain and lonely, but yet it is comforting and consoling (you can imagine someone just breaking down and crying to the music, letting all their emotions out and not caring anymore). This suits the scene as Thomas does exactly that, consoling Emily and letting her know of the choices she can make (run away or find a way). The lyrics quieten as the character's speak to keep the focus on the conversation, but the music keeps going as an emotional buffer between the characters until Emily hits a turning point. This is where she abandons her emotions (represented by the music) and decides to get something off her chest. The music stops and Emily tells Thomas she is gay. He is fine with this and there is a silence as if something is off her chest. It is uncertain what decision she will make and she is still emotionally confused, which comes out after this brief, relaxing rest, but not through music. She begins to sob uncontrollably and Thomas comforts her in a moment of silence. The audience escapes into the background noise as we are brought back to reality after a fitting climax to the scene.

So3 Eo8 - Effy

Episode Overview

Effy is at the lowest point, but this time there’s no older brother at home to notice; and home life has deteriorated so much that it’s even harder than ever for her to communicate. Katie takes every opportunity to rub in her superiority and highlight the fact that Freddie is her man, and Effy is to keep her hands off. She invites Effy to a party in the woods, but Effy has to drive, and Cook is not welcome. As they all head off, the car strains with tension - as secrets and rivalries build. Their paranoid state increases when they have a frightening run in with some poachers. Freddie manages to lighten the mood, and as they arrive at the campsite, they recover themselves and start to have fun. Effy finds some magic mushrooms, and they experiment. Katie’s jealousy of Effy returns, as Effy becomes the centre of the action. The fun and excitement intensify, that is until it becomes clear someone has been tampering with their stuff. Hearing gun shots, they realise someone is charging towards them. The atmosphere darkens and any fun they were having disappears in an instant. It turns out to be Cook who gatecrashes the little party and reveals some more dark secrets within the group. Later, Effy encounters with Katy and knocks her out with a stone, letting her lie there bleeding. She is so high on drugs she cannot distinguish it from reality and instead takes advantage by getting with Freddie. She uses her heart and not her heard, a bad decision when she wakes up in the morning to find the consequences of her actions sinking her life to an even lower state than before.

Camerawork

I am going to analyse a short clip at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwhwNzcXq9c, talking about camerawork in this episode.

The scene starts off by establishing the location at MCU, showing a sign with Gobbler's End on it. This follows on from a previous scene, telling us they have arrived at their destination. The camera crabs slowly and cautiously to the right where Effy stands staring into space at MCU. This is so the audience can see her expression in detail, which is a confused and uncertain one. The camera keeps moving until Effy is on the screens left and we can see the other characters behind unloading the car. When Katy walks past we can clearly see Effy at MCU with a slightly irritated look, so we can see the tension between the two characters. Effy stays completely still as the other characters walk past her, but the camera stays still with Efyy, not daring to follow anyone else. This way the audience knows that the episodes focus is on Effy alone and the camera is following her actions and reactions.

We then cut to a VLS overlooking a slight open space in the forest. Behind a fallen tree we can see the characters walking across at a distance, from right to left. The camera begins to crab in the same direction as the characters, very slowly and cautiously. It is as if the camera is hidden behind the trees and is stalking the characters - the movement has a creeping feel about it. The camera begins to turn to the right as the characters begin to walk towards it, confirming this secretive approach to the camerawork. The audience is distanced from the characters, and get a sense of spying on them, invading on their tight little world of problems. There is also an impression that someone else could be lurking, watching the group from the cameras point of view, unsettling the audience and making the whole scene seem quite uneasy.

Next we cut to a two shot of Freddie and JJ at MS. They are walking towards the camera, which is backtracking at their pace as they speak to each other. This gives them power over the audience so the audience focus on what they are saying. The camera is handheld so it is slightly shaky and moves with the characters. This is up close and personal with the characters in contrast to the previous shot, so the audience get a sense of being right inside the group as well as being on the outskirts watching (this is significant as it turns out to be Cook who sneaks up on the group later on in the episode, and he is the outcast watching from outside the group). The audience is close enough to the characters to see their expressions in detail as they speak.

Then we cut to the same shot but of Thomas (a few paces in front of JJ and Freddie), using a handheld backtrack as he walks. He is at MCU so we see his reactions clearly as Freddie tries to talk to him. Freddie walks over to him but remains at MS despite the shot being a two-shot, so we are not as close to Freddie and focus more on Thomas, who is significant to this conversational scene. A slight short/reverse shot is used just as Thomas stops and turns towards Freddie, signifying conversation, as we cut to over Freddie's shoulder with Thomas at MCU. We then cut back to the same shot as before, the whole time maintaing the free-moving and slightly shaky feel to the scene for realism and to be able to personally interact with the characters. Having said that, there is not too much camera movement, and it is all quite still and dead, perhaps like the characters feelings (there is alot of tensions and broken relationships). The whole scene works to make the audience feel awkward and creates a hostile atmosphere within the group, where danger might be lurking on the outside.

Representation of Old People

Firstly, old people are often put in the role of nan or grandad, in which they generally hold a certain few qualities. For example, the popular well-known Catherine Tate character playing the role of 'nan'. The sketch always involves her grandson coming over to see her against his own will. He does not enjoy these times but he has to chat to his nan because she is lonely. The character of 'nan' is very insistive such as inisting on turning up the fire heating against her grandsons will before exclaiming how roasting she is. She is also very talkative and often interupts her grandson with stories, objections or opinions. The character is a great overall representation of the stereotypical old person as she is of the hard of hearing, asking questions like, "Wassat?" She is very opinionated and especially critical of people such as the home help woman and she does not care who hears her or what people think with her excessive swearing and limitless complaints about the world. Furthermore, she is forgetful, forgetting the name of the TV show 'You've Been Framed' and also these qualities make her an excellent comedy character.

I will focus on some more detailed aspects of old people who are represented in TV with some further examples of characters.

One type is the hypochondriac obsessive who always turns up to the doctors even if they are not really ill, simply because they have nothing else to do in the day. These can often be the moany or "demented" types. The character, 'Abe Simpson' (Homer's Grandad) in The Simpsons is a good example of this in a clip with 'Doctor Nick' whom he visits. Abe is portrayed as insane and dillusional listing a number of health problems such as being "itchy" and he insists on treatment. The clip is very brief but in the few seconds that Abe talks we see this eternally worried and paranoid side clearly.

Another type is the troubled "mentally ill" type, with which many of the above qualities can stem from. Different old characters deal with this in different ways, such as 'Father Jack' from Father Ted who is almost always asleep in a drunken state except for in the following clip where he is "sober". Without his drink he is portrayed as mentally ill by being outspoken and shouting words with little sense such as "drink!" when he sees a bottle of alchohol. The character has no purpose other than to make these random comments for comedic effect, so old people are often portrayed as useless but extremely funny to the surrounding world.

A further representation of an old person is 'Uncle Albert' from Only Fools and Horses who never does anything right. He is asked by Del to look horrified when Rodney mentions he is going out with a girl, but Albert keeps making his ridiculously obvious screaming act at the wrong time. This shows old people as unhelpful and unpredictable at times when you rely on them either because they are barmy or forgetful. This continues the theme of old people as comedic.

Other types of old people in the past have been represented as traditional, old-fashioned and often offensive or racist in order to stick with these traditions. Others have not had any comedic qualities at all and have been shown as the old-fashioned portrayal of the caring and generous old person who spoils their grandchildren with gifts and is always there for advise and wisdom. Unfortunately, this nicer portrayal is rare in present TV.

So3 Eo7 - JJ

Episode Overview

JJ feels lost and confused. The upset within the gang has taken its toll on him, and his fine balancing act has come unstuck. When he visits his psychiatric clinic, he just gets given more drugs and he begins to get angry, hitting random objects and locking on. At home, his mother is worn out with it all, and away from the home, JJ can see his friends drifting apart. With Effy at such a low ebb, and the chance discovery of Cook, Freddie and Pandora’s secrets, causes the burden to be overwhelming. But an unlikely member of the gang - Emily proves to be the true friend at his time of need, giving him a night to remember. With a gradual boost of self esteem, JJ begins to stand up to the over-ego of Cook, and feeds him some strong doses of his "truth-telling" pills. Cook gets smashed at the party and his secret sexual relationship with Pandora is revealed to Thomas, as well as Effy's love for Freddy. Life becomes very confusing and interesting for the group of friends, with JJ guiltily responcible for making the mess worse.

Themes

The following are the main themes tackled by this episode of 'Skins', all which are relevant to the target audience of teenagers and young adults.

Love

JJ claims that he loves Effy in this episode, but this is clearly lust and desire as it is obvious Effy is out of JJ's league and they are totally different. It is dillusional love, often with which young people are faced with, making bigger deals out of "love" situations. It is young love but often not real love, and the sense of rejection is also present in JJ's pursuit of Effy. On the other hand, the episode reveals Effy's love for Freddy at the end, which is more "real" love as Effy is a character who has never fallen for anyone before. We can see this is a stronger emotion and Freddy is confused by the fact that he feels it back even though he has a girlfriend. Further relationship problems include Pandora cheating on Thomas for Cook's love and passionate sex, as well as Cook's love for Effy and emotional feelings about being scared of her falling in love with Freddy and not him. There are many love triangles and their love lives are very messed up. The problems they face are extremely relevant to young people's "love" problems.

Friendship

JJ has particular emotional need for friends and is scared about their 3-strong relationship (JJ, Freddy and Cook) being disturbed by the "Effy" situation. The episode tackles the issue of strong boyhood friendships that have started from a young age and how they can break up. It also shows how hard it is to break loyalties and turn your back on your friends even in love situations where friends will get in the way. There is a moral of how dependant some people are on their close friends, and the unrealised love friends can have for one another, such as Cook really caring for JJ when he realises just how upset JJ is about everything. This group friendship and loyalty is strong in this episode and has a strong impact on the target audience of teenagers who have their own friendship groups that they care for and depend upon.

Honesty

A huge part of this episode is taken up by lies and secrets e.g. Pandora cheating her boyfriend, Cook's secret from Effy that he is sleeping with Pandora, Effy's unsaid feeling of love for Freddy, JJ's unsaid feeling of love for Effy, Freddy and JJ talking behind Cook's back with Freddy trying to convice JJ to stay with him, Cook doing visa versa later on in the episode, Emily's secret about being a lesbian, Emily and JJ's secret night together... the list goes on and on. This is all comes out at the end in a huge truthful outburst by the drugged Cook, which shows how these lies and secrets have completely messed up the friendships and bonds of the group. However, this was surely the only way that the problems could be fixed in the end.

Autism

This is an unusual film to encounter for teenagers, which is a more "real" subject as it is a disease that exists in some young people. JJ battles autism with a large portion of tablets and drugs, and he visits a councillor for pysciatric help and pill doses. The issues he faces are stress caused by the problems stemming from the themes above, but as an autism born child, he is more affected by these issues and gets anrgy easily. He is issued with more pills but is sick of it and just wants to be cured. It is a mental and physical battle, one that many autism born children have to deal with in real life. It is an illness that seems to cause social dysfunction in JJ's brain and limit his friendships, love and social life - things that he struggles with in this episode. However, by learning how to stand up to people and tell the truth, he gradually changes for the better in this episode, showing it is possible for children with autism to be worth something in society and be like any other normal person.

So3 E06 - Naomi

Episode Overview

Naomi thinks she has the world worked out, and puts people in their appropriate boxes. There's her hippy mum; the adoration from Emily; Cook's insulting manner; and her politics teacher, Kieran's flattery. She thinks she has them all sussed, and that it's only her who can see the truth. However, the upcoming student elections leave her at a loss, and her insecurities get the better of her. The trust and confidence inspired by Emily encourages her to stand up to her arch rival, the antithesis of everything she stands for, as her and Cook go head to head, and the clash allows her to realise a few things about herself and the others, that she may not be who she thought she once was. She realises she wants Emily and she is slowly turning into a lesbian, as well as the nice side of Cook after discovering her loss at the school election. She also finds out about Kieran's relationship with her mother. Emily tries to encourage Naomi to stand up for what she is, which is the only thing Naomi cannot work out how to do.

Body Language

I am going to analyse a short clip from this episode, showing Freddy and Naomi stumbling across a large crowd watching Cook and JJ's election bid on the school roof. I will focus on body language.

Due to the video owner's request on Youtube, I am unable to embed this video straight to my blog but you can view click by following this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuCryfirOZc.

This first shot shows Naomi riding a bike along a crowded path. Immediately we sense her independance and how she is not following the crowd, all of whom are walking - she has chosen to ride her bike. She slows down showing something has caught her attention and we are curious to know what this is. She stops next to Freddy with a look of disgust on her face and they are both staring up in the same direction, which suggests where the focus of the clip is. A motivated cut leads us to a shot of Cook and JJ on the roof. They both have their arms raised in the air and Cook punches the air shouting to encourage the crowd. We can tell all the attention is on Cook as he has both arms raised in the air, whilst JJ only has his nearest arm to Cook in the air as he gesticulates heavily towards Cook. He is possibly shyer and does not want the attention on him. However, both characters ooze confidence in the way they cheer and shout, with Cook in power holding the megaphone. Cook continues to dance and act to the crowd as he is an attention seeker, with his impulsive, cockey and vulgar humoured side coming out as he makes sexual actions on JJ's leg. JJ turns away in slight embaressment and surprise giving the audience a sense of reaction to Cook's actions - what he wants. We cut to Freddy's disaproving shake of the head, clearly indicating he is not on Cook's side. He maintains a blank expression as if he has lost something inside or just cannot believe Cook's ordasity and lack of dignity. We sense a broken relationship between the two characters or some sort of rivalry, which is not quite bordering hatred as the disaproving action is not strong enough. Naomi has raised eyebrows in a sarcastic manner showing her detest for Cook. She mentions JJ instead of Cook and Freddy pauses in thought. His face turns in startlement, which quickly turns into a sunken look and his eyes briefly close in sadness. There is a mixture of anger and sadness at his loss with JJ, showing he possibly cares more about this broken relationship than the one with Cook. It is a look of sudden realism that he has lost two friends, not just the one, and his heavy sighs here show he has been deeply effected by this. In the preceding conversation Freddy maintains a look of irritation, which does not change as if things have got so bad he does not care anymore what happens. Naomi mentions Effy and he does not react, more pausing in thought. He is lost for words but quickly turns around to speak when he has gathered his thoughts. We can tell he thinks hard about Effy, whom he possibly loves. His eyebrows shape downwards in the centre showing his anger, and he stares hard at Naomi showing how much he cares about the subject. His body more faces towards Naomi as he has found someone to confide in. Naomi carries a curious look shown by her squinted eyes, but she deeply cares for Freddy because she stares into his eyes. She can see a need Freddy has to let his emotions out so stands still to encourage Freddy's body movement and control in order to tell her what is wrong. She does not do the typical thing of showing affection by hugging or physical interacting with Freddy, but does the Naomi thing and assess the situation with thought and care, to try and work everything out. Freddy looks back up at Cook and JJ with a lost look and as he gears to walk away his head moves down sunken again in anger and frustration. He gives an uncertain look to Naomi as he does this, which is a confusing expression either showing anger at Naomi's curiosity or simple frustration at life, as if it is a knowing look and he knows Naomi knows what is going on. As he turns away Naomi briefly disengages eye contact, eyeing him quickly up and down to see his overall person - she is analysing him completely. As he walks away she stares thoughtfully after him but not in any sort of lustful or dreamy way. It is a knowing look and she looks worried about what will happen. She then looks up at Cook with uncertainty and we can tell she thinks he is the centre of Freddy's problems. She gathers her bike with force and strain in abrupt movements showing she is angry and slightly fazed, but she keeps her lips tightly together showing she is tough, strong and willing to fight Cook. It is a look of determination as she leaves and we cut back to Cook who has his back turned to the crowd in extreme arrogance, arms in the air. He is the man and he wants people to worship him, whilst JJ continues to gee up the crowd as Cook's little sheep and follower. His expression is simple glee as he does not know what else to do to interact with the crowd. They wave their arms to the beat of the crowd's chant, showing their control and power over the situation. It suggests they are winning the battle but Naomi's last look suggests she thinks otherwise. It makes an intriguing plotline and the audience is left with little choice but to continue watching to found out what Naomi does to confront Cook and help the confused Freddy.

Editing in Favour of a Character

Editing in favour of the boy:



Editing in favour of the girl:

So3 Eo5 - Freddy

Episode Overview

Freddie's big sister Karen has ambitions as she reaches the final of a TV talent show to find a new member of girl group 'Da Sexxbombz'. Freddie despises her lust for celebrity but is emotionally blackmailed into upholding the story Karen and their Dad, Leo, are spinning - involving Freddie's dead mum for the emotional vote of the show. On top of this, living in the shadow of the increasingly reckless Cook is becoming too much to bear. When Effy turns up at his shed, Freddie doesn’t know what to do with himself; there’s a always been a connection between them. Freddie feels torn between his family, his friends, and his heart, and the isolation is overwhelming. Freddie makes a decision to escape from his lonely retreat in his shed and from his skateboard, to support his family and in doing so lose Cook as a friend. He also lets Effy know that he loves her, but Cook aims to wreck everything in Freddy's life at the end of the episode including being with Effy directly in Freddy's face.

Narrative

This episode of Skins follows one character (as all the episodes do) focusing on Freddy and his personal story. The narrative structure is similar to the rest of the series, using parts of narrative theories but often twisting them for the overall Skins "messed up" style.

Todorov's theory: The idea of equilibrium-disruption-resolution-equlibrium is present in the episode. The episode starts in some kind of equilibrium for Freddy as he skates on his skateboard in his own calm state but we learn that is not really a calm equilibrium but more an equilibrium that already has problems. This is shown by interwining the shots of Freddy walking home from the skatepark with contrasting images of his sister in the talent show competition, which Freddy does not agree with and this causes an immediate disruption at home with Freddy seemingly the black sheep of his family and feeling alone and isolated as his dad "favours" his sister and argues with Freddy. There are many disruptions on this episode to form the overall narrative structure as they roll out of control:

• Effy turns up in Freddy's shed followed by JJ and Cook, causing awkwardness between Freddy and Cook. The tension causes Effy to refuse Cook sex so Cook tells her to leave the shed, creating more tension between Cook and Freddy.
• Freddy does not agree with using his dead mum as a 'sob story' in his sisters talent show and this causes him to argue with the production manager of the show when he is supposed to be interviewed in support of his sister.
• Freddy develops a shy, reserved side that is scared of going any further with Effy, and when he tries to rectify this Effy tells him she will not fall in love with him because she does not fall in love.
• Freddy finds out that Cook slept with his sister and this turns him against both of them. He hates Cook and shouts at his sister causing her to cry and disrupting her singing practise. This causes Freddy's dad to punch him in the face - thus creating Freddy's lowest point of the episode where he feels desperately alone.

At this point the disruptions seem to end momentarily as we go back to seemingly the same equlibrium as before, except it is full of more problems. Freddy reflects whilst at the skatepark. However, the difference here is that he drops his skateboard and walks off marking a turning point in the episode and we know things will get better as he seems to have left a part of him to try and make a change. From then on the episode begins to resolve some of Freddy's problems:

• He lets go of his reserved side and runs to the lake where he knows Effy is hanging out. He swims to the middle of the lake where Effy lies and kisses her, letting her know exactly how he feels. This is his part done and it is down to Effy about whether they get together.
• Freddy dresses up and joins his dad in the audience of his sister's talent show. He claps in support and is later found consolling his sister at her final loss by hugging her and kissing her cheek. His relationship with her is mended as is his relationship with his dad who thanks him for being there for his sister.

However, Skins is not so straight forward as the theory suggests. Not everything is ever resolved in an episode. We see certain developments and improvements in Freddy's character such as leaving his angst side and being more caring. However, in doing so he has chosen his family and personal life over his best friends, JJ and Cook, and this is the part of the story that is not resolved but made worse. We never reach another equilibrium as there are a series of disruptions in the final part of the episode:

• Cook admits he got people in the pub to vote against Freddy's sister, which ultimately had a bearing on the final result.
• Freddy headbutts Cook signalling the end of their friendship and Cook leaves angrily smashing the picture of Freddy's family including his dead mum.
• JJ leaves with Cook because he is scared of him, showing how Freddy is not part of this friendship anymore.
• Freddy goes to Effy's house to ask about her decision but this is made clear when he is turned away by Effy's mum and as he is walking away, looks up to see Cook topless with Effy in her bedroom. Cook closes the curtains and Freddy walks away with more problems.

This sets up a new problem-filled equilibrium for the next episode with Freddy having the support of his family but losing out on his friends and Effy in the process. This new equilibrium will be filled with more and more problems until some resolutions are made but some stories continue disrupted for the entire series.

Levi-Strauss' Theory: The episode uses binary opposites to cause the disruptions and these are mainly character based:

• Freddy and Cook (good vs evil, sensible vs non-sensible - we have to pick a side, as does JJ).
• Freddy and his sister (male vs female, brother vs sister - again we have to pick a side).
• Family vs friends (Freddy has to pick one on the night of his sisters final).
• Love vs lust (does Freddy really love Effy is Effy can never love him back).
• Father vs son (the differences between Freddy and his Dad in hard situations).

These cause the disruptions that have to be resolved so are vital to the narrative structure of the episode.

These are the only two narrative theories Skins follows properly. Overall, Skins uses the classic Todorov structure for the basis of its episodes but fills it with lots of problems, some of which are resolved in the episode, some which will be resolved later on in the series and some which are never resolved at all. Therefore only messed up equilibriums are ever reached - a kind of calm before the storm or a time of reflection. Disruptions are caused by binary opposites using Levi-Strauss' narrative theory and resolutions help develop the character of the episodes chosen character. Each episode follows one character to develop their story and personality but their disruptions maybe resolved in later episodes of other characters because of ongoing and underlying plots throughout the series, making the narrative structure complex and complicated. This suits the overall style of Skins, which focuses on teenagers with messed up problems and who live complex and complicated lives.

So3 Eo4 - Pandora

Episode Overview

With the first and only boy Pandora’s ever loved having been deported, Pandora is desperate to have some fun and decides to throw a party. Pandora's sense of fun does not seem to match that of the other girls but unbeknown to Pandora, Katie drops some drugs into the "brownie" ingrediants, which take the party to another level. Effy knows, but hasn’t warned Pandora or her Mum Angela who munches happily on them. Effy can only look on while her best friend’s Mum’s behaviour gets increasingly bizarre.An angry Pandora feels her party is ruined but later grabs the fun where she can thanks to Cook. This she later regrets in the morning when Thomas arrives back in England to Pandora and Effy's surpise making Pandora realise how vunerable she had been.

Hair & Make Up

The episode is quite girly so I thought it was a good time to focus on hair and make up TV drama. Here are the five main female characters in the series as they hav fun at Pandora's pyjama party.

The four girls behind Pandora (Effy, Emily, Katy and Naomi) all wear hair that reflects their general character in the series. Effy's hair is often messy in a stylish, iconic way, showing her rebellious nature and it is often quite striking drawing the attention to her. She is also a brunette showing her strong confident side. The twins both have dyed red hair which reflect quite bright, bubbly and rebellious characters who like to party. The red is quite a dark red/pink which is quite a passionate girly colour. They wear this hair differently though, with Emily the quieter twin having a nice, neat and straight hairstyle (not standing out much), whereas Katy does more with her hair, often styling it or curling it as in this episode. Katy draws more attention to her whereas Emily is more in the background. Naomi has a more independant haircut which is quite neat and stylish but is also different to the generic girl as it is quite short and reserved (tied back). It shows she is her own person. We also learn not to stereotype her for being "blond" like we do with Pandora who is more typical of this hair colour. Pandora wears a different kind of hairstyle in this episode to the previous episodes where she had very girly pigtails sticking out on either side of her head. This always showed her fun and ridiculously strange side while also showing she was not conforming to what other girls did as she was socially secluded. However, here she wears her hair straight down and this could be becuase she is sad about Thomas having been deported. Her emotions come out more and so she lets go of the hair to a more natural look. It makes her seem more vulnerable and deeper as a person, for the episode where we learn alot about her.

There is a distinct lack of make-up use in the episode for these girls who usually cake themselves in it (especially Effy and Katy). It is a girls party so they all look more natural and are not really trying to impress anyone. However, Emily does wear make up in this episode and we know this ie because she is trying to impress Naomi, who she fancies. Emily wears quite girly make up using pinks and reds. Naomi wears no more or less than usual as she is never out to impress anyone. She carries on her independant style with fancy patterns and alternative make up colours such as green and purple. It is also highly noticable that Pandora changes with her make up style during the episode. She begins with high hopes of a girly party wearing lots of girly red make up and blue eyeliner but then ditches this later on in the episode when she gets anrgy and cries. She seems very vunerable here as the make up disappears through tears. It signifies how we see a deeper emotional side to her behind her initial crazy cover.

Narrative in TV Drama (looking at the beginning of 'Spooks')

Conventions of a Complete Narrative

• A couple wake up and go downstairs to breakfast. They do not realise they are being watched by terrorists.
• The couple hug and kiss, eating breakfast, whilst the terrorists listen in as they have bugged their house.
• The man goes to work and walks past the terrorists car - they talk about moving in on the house.
• The woman cleans up after breakfast. There is a knock on the door and she opens the door.
• We cut back to the man walking down the street and he notices the same car speed off. He eyes it suspiciously. We assume the woman has been kidnapped.

In this narrative I used good and bad characters as binary opposites, a general beginning, middle and end, a disruption to a normal equilibrium and a cliffhanger at the end. I also set up two situations to cut between to and left an elipsis as an enigma code - whether the woman had been kidnapped or not.

Most stories end happily to meet audience expectations and wants. This also protects the main characters in the plot who are vital to the series and appealing to the target audience. A happy ending can also be continued easily with another disruption in a new episode or part of the story.

The 'Spooks' episode we watched begins in a similar way. We know the first scene is a narrative beginning because we start with a normal equilibrium situation, which is being disrupted. The characters do not know this yet which unsettles the audience and makes them continue watching to find out what happens to the characters. Also the main episode characters are established.

The disruption is effective as it upsets the equilibrium, the simple narrative pattern. This makes us tense and watch on. It leaves us with enigma codes we want to solve.

We pick the good characters over the bad because the good characters are normal innocent people and we see their feelings for eachother. We do not want this to be lost.

Other binary opposites could be the Asian terrorists against the white British couple, or males against females in both the terrorist's car and the household (the couple).

Single drama/film: Margaret

A single drama is simple and follows Todorov's theory. It would start in an equlibirium state and contain some disruptions before resolving into a happy ending.

Two-nighter: Trial & Retribution

This would also follow Todorov's theory consistent through a series, but would often end on cliffhangers rather than happy endings, leading into the next episode. The disruptions would continue throughout the series until resolved in the last episode. Many binary opposites would be used to cause the disruptions.

Soap: Eastenders

Soaps contain complex narratives made up of many simple narratives interwined, following Todorov and Levi-Strauss' simple narrative structures. These are fairly interchangeable in how many episodes each continues for as a soap takes an on-running format.

Serial: Bleak House

A serial is like a soap with many narratives going on which also follow Todorov and Levi-Strauss' theories. They are also interchangable and interwine but would be resolved at the end of a series, whereas a soap can be resolved at any time.

Anthology Series (self-contained episodes, each based on different characters): Skins

In Skins, each character is assigned an episode and each episode narrative takes a Todorov narrative structure with the conflicts caused by binary opposites. Each epsiode develops that characters stories and disruptions but they can be resolved at any time in any other episode in the series. Often, they are not resolved at all or are left hanging until the very last episode.

Long-form Series: Lost

This narrative generally follows a Todorov structure but resolvements are fairly rare, especially in Lost where as it gets close to a resolution another disruption is created. The different stories also often do not get resolved at the end of a series and continue into further series. They are hard to follow and hold very complex narratives that go extremely deep into the previous series.

Long-form Series with some narrative experimentation: 24

These simply use more complex narrative structures to the above by changing the rules. Often stories created are not resolved or are replaced by new disruptions which continue to twist the overall story. There is usually some sort of resolution at the end of an episode such as in 24 but these can often lead to newer disruptions or even start off the next episode with a disruption created by the previous resolution.

So3 Eo3 - Thomas

Episode Summary

Thomas arrives alone in the UK from the Congo. His family are due to join him in a few days, and he has to find somewhere for them to live. He finds an abandoned flat on an estate, but little does he know that local gangster Johnny White is his new landlord, and there’s no way Johnny’s going to let him live there for free. Thomas has to fend for himself, but a chance encounter at a bus stop, and a mutual love of donuts brings him together with Pandora and. Pandora and Thomas find a connection and she takes him to see her Aunt Elizabeth, who just might have the answer to money problem, with a rather unconventional money-making scheme - dealing weed. Thomas later challenged Johnny White to a face off involvin eating hot chillis, which Thomas wins resulting in him and his friends freedom from the grips of White.

Costume in Episode 3 - Thomas

This is Thomas at the beginning of the episode - a previously unseen and unknown character. Our first image of him is the one on the left (he is dancing). We note he is wearing alot of layers of clothing - the presence of two hats, gloves, trench coat and hoody jacket underneath suggest he is not used to the cold British climate. Nothing he wears is too bright - he wants to fit into his surroundings so wears neutral coulour such as blacks, blues and whites. The use of patterns on his hat and random hints of bright greens and purples on his jacket suggest there is a bright and exciting character inside dying to get out. There are hints of his native African background in the patterend hat and brown and green colouring. Lastly, it is interesting to note how his clothing has been assembled together in quite and odd fashion. The colours and style do not seem to match up as if he just put together some old clothes from a jumble sale, suggesting he does not have much money and may have come from a poorer area such as native Africa. To the British surroundings he could look like a bit of a tramp (see picture on the right), where he stands out to Effy and Pandora who are wearing decent clothing and lots of make up, suggesting wealth. Here however, Thomas has found a pair of jeans to try and fit in with British fashions.

This is later on the episode where Thomas is a bit more accustomed to British life. We can tell this by the picture on the left (he is in the middle) as he is wearing fairly normal looking jeans and a casual t-shirt. You would not think he had come from the Congo now as he looks more affluent. He is wearing a rapper-style cap, suggesting he has found the British style he likes - the gangster rapper look. However, he still does not wear bright colours (white and thin coloured stripes), showing he is still quite shy and does not want to stand out but be hidden in the crowd that he is in. There is a dramatic change when he is given a red t-shirt to wear when he goes on stage to rap (but to hide from Johnny White), seen in the right picture. The t-shirt is large on him giving him the baggy look that suit rappers, and it is bright red with some words and a logo that are trying to make a statement. Thomas is suddenly full of confidence and begins to rap. He fits in more with the people he is on stage with and is seen as more of an icon - his image and appearance is accepted now. He wears this top for the rest of the episode and is highly accepted by everyone around him.

So3 Eo2 - Cook

Episode Summary

Cook's 17th birthday - half the college are invited to his uncle's pub to witness a night Cook believes will go down in history. The girls are about to leave when Freddie gets a phone call from his sister Karen. She's at her best friend Kayleigh's engagement party. They want to get the party started. The gang head off uninvited. Cook attracts the attention of Kayleigh's dad, notorious local gangster Johnny White. The party is fairly boring, so - ignoring Freddie's warnings about Johnny White - Cook decides to up the tempo. The evening takes a turn for the worst when Cook is confronted by Johnny. The gang escape, but split up afterwards after Cook tries to come onto the girls. Freddie tells him he is tired of looking after him and leaves Cook and JJ to go to a local stripclub/prostitute agency, where JJ refuses to go further than kissing and Cook overhears Johnny White in the next room. He plans to blackmail him, and the gangster antagonises him until JJ has to forcibly restrain Cook from beating him (see below). Cook realises what he's done when Johhny tells him: "The next time I see you...you're dead." He leaves and ends up outside Freddie's house at six in the morning, and the two share an intense heart-to-heart about their friendship, while Freddie agrees to look after him again... just.

Representation

We have learnt about how different social groups are represented in television (see 'Hovis' advert analysis - how different times are represented to tell the story of time and sell the bread as a classic part of British life and progression). Skins represents the British youth (mainly teenagers of 17-18 years old). I will analyse how teenagers are represented in this short clip from episode 2.

LOCATION: An urban-looking subway suggests the characters are out in the city. The lights are on so it must be night time. The subway walls are covered in grafiti-art, which typifies youthful energy and mischief. There is bits of litter suggesting the area is badly looked after. It could be a bad, crime-filled part of the city. The grafiti suggests groups of teenagers hang out here a lot, whilst the fact it is night time could mean trouble for the gang. The subway seems like a hideout for the kids or somewhere to do forbidden acts such as drug-taking and smoking. The audience sense trouble-making amongst the characters, which immediately paints a bad image on behalf of teenagers. The fact the grafiti is not colourful suggests the teenagers hear do not bring vibrance and colour to the already dull/grey concrete-filled area of the city but mere inconvenience. Some of the audience (such as the teenagers themselves) would thrive upon this sense of trouble as they want to unleash their rebellious side.

COSTUME: Trendy, youthful clothing with lots of colour again suggesting energy and charisma. Despite the night cold they are not wearing many layers (t-shirts and short skirts) suggesting either they do not care about the cold (irresponcible) or have just come out of a hostile, humid environment such as a party or nightclub. The latter seems true shown by messy collars, undone buttons and general make up. The girls are wearing lots of make up and jewlerry, as well as smart-casual dresses. The boys are wearing jeans and t-shirts, but boys generally may not care as much about dressing up for a night out. Some of the character's hairs are messy and out of place and some appear to be sweating slightly, suggesting quite a mad night out. The clothing can be seen as stereotypical of an indie-rave culture amongst British youths, many of which make up the core target audience of Skins. Therefore, they can relate more to the characters.

PROPS: The only real prop of significance in the clip is the cigarette and lighter of Cook. He lights a cigarette suggesting he is stressed and wants to chill-out. To the youth, this is a sign of power and acting like an adult. It paints a cool image of the character and they want to be like Cook because he smokes and looks cool with it. However, this also paints another bad image of British youth who may carefree smoke. It is the sense of the forbidden that is provoked in the scene, especially in such a closed, hidden environment. The fact that the characters can almost get away with doing anythign they want creates an adventurous side to the episode - they have freedom. The trarget audience want this.

MUSIC/SOUND: None - the scene is in real-time and the lack of music has a realistic effect. No detail or focus on what is going on is lost. Instead we can hear some faint echoes but that is it. The characters are alone and can do whatever they want. The audience pick up a sense of fear, vulnerability and realism of the situation.

DIALOGUE: The main part of the dialogue is taken up by Cook, who is trying to have sex with any one of the girls - "I needed to get laid, man" and "any of you girls fancy it?". You can notice how little teeange quirks are found in the relevant slang here (e.g. "man"). The teenage audience will relate to this more than any other audience, making the drama personal to them. There are modern references such as "c'mon Amy Winehouse" said by Effy to her drunk friend, Pandora. People who know Amy Winehouse in the music industry would know that this is funny because it highlights how 'smashed' Pandora is - teenagers would get the reference instantly. The rebellious, explicit theme continues away from the sex talk, with at least one swear word in nearly every sentence. The scene seems to bring what is forbidden to the youth watching, and could portray how they act in real-life away from parents. It is generally an extreme bad image of teenagers, again.

ACTION: The characters enter the subway sprinting away from somewhere. They are out of breath so may have been chased. We assume they got into trouble somewhere either with a rival gang or with local authority. This gives the scene meaning in that they are hiding and taking a quick break from the lively going-ons of the evening. A sense of trouble arises. The action does provide us with some responcibility as all three girls refuse sex from Cook and set off home (it is late at night). Effy looks to take Pandora home becuase she is too drunk and drugged to look after herself, and this moment unites the characters. For the first time we get a sense of tightness and friendliness between 2 of the characters, showing how in real-life groups of friends can support each other. They do have a responcible grown-up side away from the smoking, grafiti, parties and sex. However, after this there is some hostility between two of the male characters when they are left alone, with Freddy wanting to go home. He is fed up of Cook's sex antics but Cook does not react kindly to this. It seems Cook is the trouble-maker and ring-leader, but each other individual character has some sense of responcibility. This represents teenagers who often give into pier pressure and act foolishly in big groups, when usually it comes down to the bad impressions one or two have on the whole group.

CAMERA WORK: We start with an establishing LS of the location and characters running in. This sets the scene and gives the audience a sense of the above (see location, costume etc). We then have some MCU's of the characters individually or in two's to get a better look at them. The camera is quite shaky - a handheld affect - to create the affect of running. The cutoff points are not always spot on but are quite spontaneous and random, giving the impression this is what teenagers are like. There is no sense of organisation or stillness - they are always on the move, as is the camera, which does not linger on one character too long. The camera never stays still and generally follows the movement of the characters in a stop-start kind of way. It provides an alternative style and the British youth generally like alternative styles (e.g. indie). They like to think they are different and this is sometimes their rebellious attitude to life, which Skins depicts well with the camera work.

EDITING: Generally, the shots alternate between a shot of Cook and a shot of another character, as Cook is the centre of attention. The editing usually picks out who is speaking (mostly Cook) and then gets a reaction shot such as Effy's. Other than this, like the camera work, there is no real sense of order or plan but is more random, but this random approach seems to summarise the scene well and depicts the weariness and tiredness of late night antics.

Overall, just in this one scene we can get a sense of what Skins is all about, painting an image of a sector of the youth where the main culture is indie-rave. Everything is very much underground, hidden and forbidden, and they seem to live a secret life of their own away from their parents ever knowing. They party through the night, get drunk, get stoned, have sex and generally have a good time and noone is going to stop them. This carefree, rebellious attitude is given by how the scene is constructed through the different sections I mentioned above, to paint an overall image and give it meaning. This is what representation does, and this social group of teenagers represents teenagers and general, giving them a bad image, but a "bad" image that the core audience of teenagers aspire to and want to unleash themselves.

So3 Eo1 - Everyone

Episode Summary

We start with the first day of term at Roundview College. Best friends Freddie, JJ, and Cook are en-route to college. They meet Effy in a series of events and Cook is as intrigued and excited. However, both Freddie and JJ are equally smitten. Identical twin sisters Katy and Emily prepare for their first day with Katie walking all over her sister Emily. Once at college, Effy and Katie clock one another immediately, whilst Effy’s best mate Pandora tells Effy she wants to lose her virginity. At college, Cook tries to charm the girl sitting next to him but instead winds her up. Naomi is not impressed and grasses Cook up. Effy issues smitten Freddie, JJ and Cook with a challenge to be completed by the end of the day. The winner will get to ‘know her’ better. Cook completes the list by being outragously rebellious and therefore wins the challenge - his reward, a trip to the empty nurses room with Effy...

Characterisation

This week we have learnt about characterisation in TV drama. This episode is particularly filled with characterisation as it is the first of the series and this series is introducing a whole set of new characters to the public. To show what I have learnt in this section, I will explain in detail how this episode of Skins introduced the character 'Cook' to the Skins audience. This is called characterisation.

Cook's first Scene:

COSTUME
• He wears a trendy red jumper and beige trousers, fairly plain and neutral so he can fit into almost any social surrounding.
• Red is a fairly bright colour to make a bit of a statement and red can often spell danger.
• His sleeves are pulled up showing he means business.
• He does not care too much about his appearance but more about the image he portrays – how he wears his clothes, how he sits etc.

IMAGE
• Position – he sits with his legs far apart and one hand on knee. The open body language suggests he is easy going and confident in himself and your line of vision is directed towards his chest and manhood.
• He holds a cigarette limply in his fingers giving him a cool ‘bad boy’ image and the beer on the table shows he is a typical lad who likes his booze, to boost his masculinity.

ACTIONS

First line out of shot "Fredster!", we hear his tone of voice as deep and masculine and it is bellowed out hooligan-like showing a lack of thought/tact - we know he is an extravert.

His dialogue is abrupt as he latches onto things people says or just simply says things how they are. He can often be crude and would easily offend people. He uses youthful slang and is a local lad because of his thick Bristol accent. We know he is quite rebellious by the amount of times he swears - "this stuff is f***in rubbish by the way!"

He dictates/dominates the other two boys with his actions and has some kind of influence on them (possibly a bad one here insisting Freddy has a beer). He also makes the most of every action, exagerating situations to gain the attention, such as slamming down the beer, or puffing out his smoke, showing he gets a 'kick' out if it, and life itself.

His hand on JJ's knee suggests he is totally comfortable with his sexuality and is a physical person.

When JJ is ranting we cut to Cook at MCU over Freddy's shoulder and Cook laughs before we cut to Freddy who laughs too. This is a motivated cut, which is used alot in scenes with Cook. Cook has provoked this reaction from Freddt and makes the audience laugh too even though the comedy is not directly from him, but from JJ. Alot of ours and the other characters reactions are provoked by Cook's facial expressions.

He is a smooth talker and has the 'gift of the gab', as he can get himself out of any situation and gets away with a lot, such as demanding more beers from the waitress. Calling her "darling" suggests he is a player with the ladies but is also rude and ignorant byt the way he points and gesticulates with his cigarette. As well as this he is oozing with confidence and cockeyness.

His masculine repulsive acts such as feeling his groin and chest and burping loudly provoke reactions from everyone around him, including a stranger who labels him a "pig."

He is a typical lad and spills his beer down his shirt before wiping it with his arm, showing he is carefree and does what he wants openly without caring what people think.

"This days get potential - its pregnant" shows Cook is an optimist and opputunist looking to make the most out of the day. It is HIS day and he is only looking to have a good time. He takes whatever comes his way and enjoys life - acting on instinct. He is VERY impulsive. "Its pregnant" gives us an insight into his unique wittiness, youthful way of thinking and often vulgar or straight-minded sense of humour.

He shows a lack of emotional/sensible side showing his immaturity when a car crashes near them - he is in hysterics at this moment. His laugh is distinctive and is the sort that makes us laugh, giving him more comedic value and likeable qualities.

Cook's Later Scenes:

Here, Cook is positioned in the middle of the boys and a step in front. This shows he controls the situation and is dominating the corridor space. He is the leader, the frontrunner of the show and sets the pace of the series. The camera backtracks as the gang walk towards it, and Cook has the power here over the audience too. He means business. He is important. The audience know what a big role he will play in the show.

This is Cook's reaction to women and we see a flaw. He falls easily at the feet of good-looking women showing his shallow side and large sex drive. He looks gormless and lost and we know his only mission is to get with these women. The camera stops still here to reflect how Cook has stopped dead in his tracks, giving it a dreamy feel.

Here, Cook is being filmed by JJ to impress Effy. The shot is amateur and handheld to show Cook's righteous and out of control side. The camera is always on the move, as is Cook. Being from the cameras point of view also shows how the focus of the show is on Cook - he is an attention seeker and wants to be noticed.

The music in this scene has an unsteady drum beat, and builds up to something lively. It is a punky, righteous anthem and is shouty and in your face - perfect for Cook. It is fun and has some sense of rhythm despite its improvisation and spontaneous bursts, and this reflects Cook's personality perfectly as well as setting the scene for this anti-school rule video shot.

Here, none of the title of the porn mag is blocked and we see it how it is in its explicit form. This gives the audience a warning of what is to come from Cook, and also shows how straight he is with people. With Cook you get what you see - and he is full on, the "real deal".

Cook constantly plays up to the camera showing how much of a show-off he is not only to Effy but to the audience. He holds the alcohol up to the camera and says "cheers" showing how he makes an extreme, rebellious situation seem light-hearted and normal. He is composed/relaxed yet we expect the extreme from him from now on after he sets this benchmark.

All of Cook's sequences are edited in a similar way. Every bit of action seems to cut back to Cook for a reaction shot, even when he is not speaking. His reactions are both suggestive and provokative showing the important part he plays in the flow of the narrative. This is seen in a scene with Naomi, where there is not much dialogue but only short bursts of speech. The action is strung together by the gestures and faces both characters pull - mostly from Cook's reactions. The reactions are often MCU but even at LS it is highly noticeable what Cook's reaction is as he dominates the screen with his posture and gesticulating actions.

Overall, Cook is a love-hate figure. You either love him for his sense of humour and rebellious outlook on life, or you hate him for his cockeyness, crude remarks and idiotic outbursts. He has a sex appeal with female audiences and a "lad" appeal with male audiences, but could put off women with his repulsiveness and men with his "in your face" swagger and style.