TV

In this extract of The Inbetweeners I will look at the representation of youths. The mise en scene adds verisimilitude as it is set in a house and an off license. This makes it clear that the boys are having a day off school and illegally buying alcohol. Also as Simons mother asks 'Why aren't you in uniform?' makes it even more obvious they are bunking off as they stutter before lying their way through answering. This type of behaviour uses the delinquent youth theory as they are skipping education to bunk off and get drunk.

Sound is also used to back up the stereotype that youths behave badly. 'They'll never serve you' says Simon as Will is getting dressed in order to look older than he is to buy some alcohol. By Simon saying this, some youths may emphasis with this as many as many do try to get served without ID. Again using the delinquent youths theory as they are rebelling against the law.

Camera shots and movements are used throughout the extract to emphasise that what the boys are doing are wrong. For example as Will walks into the off license an over the shoulder shot is used to show the shop owner standing at the till in front of all the bottles of alcohol. In a way this suggests to the audience the only thing that stands between Will and the alcohol is the shop owner. A wide shot is also used to show the graffiti that Simon paints onto Carly's drive way. This was used to stereotype that young youths go out and vandalise other peoples property.

Lastly editing is used in The Inbetweeners to represent youths. Shot reverse shot is used in the scene when Will is buying the alcohol. It is used to show the conversation between himself and the shop owner. He is trying to act confident just as an adult would, whilst the shop owner is just trying to do his job. This shows that Will, only being 17, has convinced him that he is 18.

Overall this extract uses the theory of delinquent youths as it focuses on four boys who bunk off school, illegally buy alcohol and get drunk. This obviously means they have quite poor behaviour, not like a respectable youth would do. 

Doc Martin Essay

In media, regional identity is the location in which the programme or character is set/ from. In the Doc Martin clip we see the fictional seaside village which is set in Cornwall. This part of England upholds the stereotype that the people live in a rural area and are often farmers for a living. The representation of the regional identities of the characters uses and goes against conventional ideas of this area.

In the first part of the clip there is a low angle shot of the sink, it is unusual to get a shot of below the knee this shows the darkness around the room and we also see the pencil behind the plumber’s ear which is typical for a plumber to have or any male with a heavy duty job.

The camera then follows the action where on the one hand Doc Martin is shown to have authority because he is towering over the two plumbers and looking down on them and the distance between Doc Martin and the plumbers makes the plumbers seem a lot more familiar and friendly, on the other hand because Doc Martin is very formally dressed, and his dialogue is formal, he is well spoken in standard English with no accent indicating he is high class, this contrasts against the plumbers dialogue which is very informal and chavy indicating he isn't very intelligent, particularly the fatter plumber, this indicating a lazy lifestyle.

When the fatter plumber breaks the sink the audience knows for certain that he is not very good at his job and possibly lazy because he just sits there and watches the other boy fix it. Doc Martin's dialogue then becomes stuttered and panicky indicating that he is losing it, this is the first example we see of Doc Martin to be short tempered, showing he may be from an area which is a lot more calm and organised. The scene then gradually becomes more chaotic by the phone ringing and the new character, indicating to the audience that the characters are getting stressed; this also makes the audience feel stressed as there is a lot more to focus on.

The lack of non-diegetic sound connotes characters are not equal from the start also it makes the scene more tense, there is only non-diegetic sound when the scene becomes more chaotic. When the fatter man is talking and when Doc Martin starts to lose it, it starts again. Lack of non-diegetic sound makes the audience focus on his dialogue.

The old woman is firstly introduced when the camera is tracking Doc Martin when he's walking the dog up the street, the music in the background seems unusual and childlike reflecting the way he is being immature and using some trousers as a dog lead. The old woman then watches as he walks away until there is a swipe and a bell noise going into the next scene. After this a close up of her looking at Doc Martin approaching connotes her curiosity showing the audience that he is not from this area.

Overall I feel the Doc Martin clip use and go against conventional ideas of regional identity. Some characters appear just like the representative of common stereotypes of rural communities, such as the fatter plumber, the woman at the start and the old lady near the end. However the younger plumber and the more upper class woman do not agree with what an audience may expect in a character from a small seaside town.

Alvardo's racial stereotypes (1978)

 

Humorous

Ethnicity in Skins

  In the scene where Maxxie tells MR Khan he is gay, representation of ethnicity is shown. The scene begins with Maxxie, a white, gay male, sitting outside his best friend Anwar’s birthday party. Maxxie is refusing to enter the party because he feels he won’t be accepted because Anwar’s family are Muslims and homosexuality goes against their religion. Anwar is the only one who knows that Maxxie is gay and he hasn’t told his father, a strict, Muslim who also has a very high opinion of Maxxie, because he is worried that he won’t allow them to be friends.

Anwar phones Maxxie asking where he is, telling him to come inside. Maxxie is just about to leave when Anwar walks outside to try and persuade him into joining the party. Mr Kharral, wearing traditional Asian clothing, follows and spots Maxxie. Pleased to see him, he gives Maxxie a welcoming hug, explaining that his wife has made a lamb bhuna because he knows how much Maxxie likes it. Anwar tries to interrupt him by revealing that Maxxie is gay, but he doesn’t pay attention. Maxxie finally cuts him off by simply saying that he is gay and always has been. There is a pause, where Mr Kharral stops smiling for a moment leading the audience to believe he is going to be angry.  But then his friendly nature returns as he explains that even though he doesn't understand or agree with homosexuality, he doesn’t mind because he believes that one day his god will help him understand it. He then once again invites Maxxie to join the party.

In the UK, where this TV drama is made white British people tend to be the dominant group in society. I do not think this is the case for this clip as the white British person is feeling worried about displaying his true self to the Muslim families due to the fear of being rejected. This means that in this clip the white British male (Maxxie) is part of the subordinate character group and the Muslim family is the dominant group as they have the power in this clip.

This scene from Skins overall represents Muslims in a positive way as it shows them, especially Mr Kharral, being non-judgemental. It also goes against some of the negative stereotypes that are in the media about Muslims.

Misfits

I think this clip both challenges and uses each stereotype. For example the black British character in the extract is being reinforced as the typical black British person, getting involved with trouble and not caring about consequences as he is facing community service. However, his stereotype is also challenged using mise-en-scene in the extract. This is because he is wearing a cross and chain around his neck, implying that he is aware that his actions are wrong and may feel guilty about it. The Irish stereotype is reinforced in the extract as he is charming and humorous. He is also quite a laid back character which is typical for the Irish ethnicity. The white character I feel the stereotype is being challenged. This is because not all white people are stereotypically chavvy. However the stereotype of being a chav is being reinforced as she is aggressive and also talks quite loudly. Finally the mixed race character is represented quite glamorously by being well presented and wearing make up, she is represented to be quite confident which reinforces the mixed race stereotype.

Each of the ethnicities show they are dominant. However, the socialworker character who is a white British women may be partof the subordinate group as she is simply going along withthe silly responses each of the characters are giving her.

I think that hegemony is challenged in the extract because one of the white British characters is stereotypically chavvy, however not all white people fit into that stereotype.