Wednesday 17 September 2014

Representation

SKINS

Series 1 Episode 1



Tony

In the first scene of Skins we are introduced to Tony, a British teenager, who is represented in a variety of different ways. The scene starts with a zoom shot of Tony lying dead centre in the middle of his bed with the non diegetic sound of church bells playing in the background. From this mise en scène clear observations about his character and their connotations can be made. For example, the colour palate of the mise en scène consists of generally pale, monotone colours which make his room appear dull and empty; this could reflect the way his character is feeling. Another thing I noticed from the mise en scène is that his room is laid out in a very practical and functional manner. Due to the clean/sterile format of his room I get the impression that Tony is represented as having obsessive tendencies. The fact that he is obsessive is further bolstered by the fact that he is awake before his alarm goes off and that he hasn't creased his bed sheets even though he's slept in them.

Other interesting aspects of the mise en scène include Tony's duvet cover and the way he is positioned within it. Tony's duvet cover is a picture of a man lying on his front and a women lying on her back, in which he his positioned between the two. This could depict/represent a possible confusion that Tony has with his own sexuality or could connote that he is bisexual.

Within just a minute or two into the first scene it becomes apparent that he is represented as being narcissistic and self obsessed. This is made evident from the way he flexes in the mirror to the way he obsessively works out, which connotes that he takes a lot of interest in his own appearance. The narcissistic manner in which he gazes at his own reflection indicates that he is vain and is possibly in love with himself. 

As well as being represented as just a stereotypical teenager (Rebellious, selfish etc) he is also represented as being very intelligent for someone of his age. For example the posters in his room and  the book he was reading in the bathroom give the impression that he's unconventionally intellectual compared to the typical teenager. His intelligence further becomes apparent from the way he runs circles around his Dad all morning and is able to wind him up but in a passive aggressive way.
The way Tony treats his Farther suggests that Tony is keen to display his superiority and that his Dad is no longer 'The Man of the House'; so to speak.







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