How Is Youth Represented In Skins?
[I chose to write this essay on the first 10 minutes of the first episode of skins
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=F_6EHGLtuVc&feature=related ]
In skins youth is represented in a number of different ways. Firstly through the mise en scene of Tony’s room. His room is quite modern, like you would expect of a 17 year old. He also has a speaker system with his iPod connected and he has a bed cover with a naked man and woman on it. This represents youth in a modern way, as tony is up to date with style and technology. Youth is also represented through mise en scene in Sid’s room. Sid’s room is a mess with cloths everywhere and a used plate on his bedside table. This is representing youth as lazy and untidy. Tony’s sister is represents the rebellious side of youth. She arrives back at the house in the morning with loads of dark makeup on and sneaks back into the house. This is representing the cliche of the youth sneaking out of the house without parents consent.
The editing also represents youth in the way that the editor has used cross cuts to show each character doing a different thing in the morning, e.g nips tanning her legs and Jal practicing her musical instrument. The editor uses underpinning to show the reactions of the characters, which represents the youths reaction to ‘popping’ Sid’s ‘cherry’ which is of irritation or distain. This shows youth as sex conscious and sex driven. The editing Is also used to show the rush of Tony’s sister getting changed in the morning. This represents youth because she is pushing her limits, or cutting it fine as she could be discovered but she is displaying the classic youth trait of being rather nonchalant about it.
During the opening Tony exercises when he gets up, which is representing youth as being self conscious and prepared to do something about it, it also breaks a stereotype of laziness. Yet, a the stereotype of the ‘war at home’ between the parents and youth. It is shown through the way in which Tony unnecessarily winds up his dad by jumping out of the toilet door and claiming the lock is broken. Tony’s dad swears the whole time, yet the youth do not, and are more selective with the language they use. The colorful language used by the dad and not tony represents the fact that youth can be mature and not a carbon copy of the “father figure”
Tony appears to get the “1up” on his father by infuriating him so much yet the dad often appears in positions of power. This shows that whilst it may appear that Tony has the control, really he doesn't. In the extract the youths are portrayed as very social, they all have there phone near them as they sleep and they are all up for going to the party. Also at one point Tony has 3 calls on the line.
Another portrayal of youth that I noticed was of alternate lives. This is shown in Tony’s sister as she returns from her nights escapade, also this is shown in the muslim boy who’s phone rings during the prayers, he drinks and wants to have sex that night, thus showing that he has a dual identity as he would not be able to do such things if he was a devout Muslim. This seems to be consistent with Sid as his dad does not know what he gets up to during the parties.
Skins also portrays youth as being open about their sexuality. This is shown when maxi talks about his “big gay night out” and when Tony is talking about getting Sid laid at the party that night. It is also shown when Tony is looking at the woman changing across the road
Digetic and non digetic sound is used. An example of this is when Tony gets up and is working out. Rap music is played to portray the style of his life and how it pumps up the youth to do more energetic things. Another example of this is when tony is o the phone you can hear the conversation, without all the cross cutting, this portrays a more relaxed attitude that the youth seems to have. Also digetic sound is used when Tony turns his stereo on max volume to aggravate his dad heavy rock / thrash metal is played in the cliche of loud teenage screamo music
In conclusion through the characters, the mise en scene, the cinematography, the sound and the editing youth in skins is portrayed as being comfortable with their sexuality, self conscious, mischievous, sex obsessed, rebellious, modern socialites.
