Class: Social classes can depend on where the citizens live and work, how much they earn and how they behave. 'Working class' and 'Middle class' contrast due to the type of jobs people in each 'class' hold. For example, Doctors are seen as 'Working class' whereas Factory workers are seen as 'Middle class'.
Status: Depending on how high up the social scale you are, depends on what status you hold. Higher ranks or social standing shows how well respected you are in the community and how important you are to the general public.
The Street:
The fact it's called 'The Street' shows that their house isn't posh or majorly expensive, due to the fact they probably can't afford it. This shows they're a middle class family and are probably not very high on the social scale.
At the beginning of the clip we are inside the family's house and we can see it is ordinary and not 'posh' at all. We can see the home belongs to a middle class family as there are simple furnishings and no elaborate decoration you might find in a wealthier home. The mum and dad characters are both wearing scruffy clothes, which shows they're not of a high social class either, as they're not bothered about their appearance. Throughout the house the colour blue can be found (on curtains etc) and the colour blue has connotations of sadness, which suggests they don't have an easy lifestyle where they live due to lack of money, or other problems.
When we are introduced into the programme, the initial shot is through a gap in the door, which shows we have stumbled upon it and aren't meant to be there. The argument is not shielded fully from the children as the little girl can see and hear what's happening. Action shots are used throughout the argument to show which character is speaking, and then what the response from the other character is. Fast paced editing is used to emphasize the argument and how chaotic their lives are.
Soft music is playing the background, and this is contrapuntal as it doesn't fit the argument that is taking place. Diegetic noises of shouting can be heard, which emphasizes the fact they are angry about something and are having a serious row.
This scene then cuts to a shot of the dad manually working with tools on a building site. He looks like a stereotypical builder, but he doesn't look like he enjoys his job due to his expression, and the fact he is using the tools in an angry way. The setting is grey in colour, and this could represent how he finds his job mundane and boring. Several jump cuts and action shots are used as we see him take his hammer down in one shot, and in the next we can see what he is hitting. His job shows he is middle class and not very well respected as a builder is a menial job, and not seen as a well paid profession.
When the tap bursts in the kitchen, the mother is alerted to this due to the diegetic water rushing sounds that add to the scene. We then see an angle/reverse angle shot when she goes to investigate, and then a high angle shot when she is on the floor trying to battle with the burst pipe. This high angle shot shows how vulnerable she is and how she struggles with life. Fast paced editing is used to show the chaos in their lives as well as the unpredictability and daily struggle.
The character of Peter is introduced when the kitchen tap bursts. We can see he is more professional than the husband due to the fact he is wearing a suit and tie. However, we soon find out they are lovers and she is having an affair. This tells us that they aren't of a high social class as having an affair isn't the type of thing we'd associate with posh, content marriages. They then begin to eat cake, and this adds to the idea of them being middle class and not very posh.
The opening titles begin with sped up filming of London roads, and this jump cuts to a higher angle camera shot of the same scene. The shot then fades into sped up filming of the London eye, with the opening title of 'Sherlock' displayed.
The sped up filming also continues throughout most of the opening titles to show the fast paced theme of the show itself, as well as the way Sherlock Holmes' mind works and the speed of his life.
Fast paced images are then overlapped, and clips fade into one other in a fast paced style, to show what the programme has to offer, as well as possible story lines within the series.
Writing is overlayed with several shots, and other shots are also overlayed. The shots on top are shaky, and this creates an edgy, unstable feel to the show, and hints at some of the characters dispositions.
Lots of jump cuts, overlapped images and fast paced editing is used in the opening titles, as well as some shots that zoom in quickly and action shots.
For example, there is a pipette with a droplet of water on the end. We see the droplet of water fall, and then it cuts to the droplet falling into a pool of blood. We then zoom in on the blood, and a magnified image is shown of the blood cells.
All of these cuts and shots are edited together to create a fast paced, edgy, urban feel to the opening credits. It sets the pace for the rest of the episode and gives viewers an idea of what the show is all about, what the characters are like; and what the pot lines within the series will contain.
How is Tony Stonem represented?
A normal teenager would be represented in a different way to how Tony Stonem is represented in Skins. A normal teenager would be viewed as being a partying delinquent, whereas we can see Tony is a tidy, neat and controlled person.
The establishing shot portrays a close up of Tony and we can see he has a hint of a smile because he has woken up before his alarm. The shot then pans out and we can see his duvet cover with the naked man and woman on the front. Tony is lying in the middle, on neither the man or woman side of the cover and this gives us the impression Tony is undecided about his sexuality, like everyone can be at some point in their life or teenager years.
We then see the rest of his room and we can see he is very organised as he has a daily routine of getting up, watching the woman across the street get dressed, working out and then covering for his sister.
When he is working out a series of jump cuts are used, to show his routine never falters, so they don't have to show the audience all of it. It condenses time and makes the scene more visually exciting for the viewer. The non-diegetic music used in this scene is pulsating and slow, but changes along with the scene.
When we meet Effy, we immediately see there is a large contrast between the pair - her behaving more like a stereotypical teenager - and him being the more controlling one. A high-angled shot is used to look out of the window at Effy and this makes her look more child-like and vulnerable, and less like a rebellious teenager.
Tony then pretends his CD player has broken, and distracts his dad whilst Effy sneaks in. The diegetic music is louder and faster than the music in the scene before, to show the havoc that he is causing. From the dialogue used, we can see this has happened before because the dad is shouting "not again" at him, as well as things like "you twat".
We are then taken to Effy's room and we can see the contrast between the two siblings even more. Effy's room is cluttered, dark and looks like a typical teenagers room; whereas Tony's room is light, mainly white, and looks quite clinical. This gives us the impression he may have OCD due to the fact he is portrayed very unlike a typical teenager.
Tony then winds his dad up by locking the bathroom door and not letting his dad in. This ties in with the typical teenage view, as teenagers like to pull pranks on their parents to annoy them. By displaying this typical behaviour the audience can see he is able to behave like a normal teenager when he needs to be, but this also contrasts with the past thoughts we've had of him.
As he is at the breakfast table his dad is shouting lots of swear words at and about him. As a viewer, i find the amount of swearing Tony's dad does to be quite worrying as it can't be a very nice environment to grow up in.
Revenge:
Charlotte Grayson in Revenge has to cope with finding out her real dad was hated by the country for being a "terrorist" even though the audience know he was wrongly accused. She doesn't cope well with the news as she gets addicted to prescription pills. She doesn't get on well with her mother at the beginning of the series as her mother is controlling and wouldn't let Charlotte do what she wanted, so she started rebelling.
Because the Grayson family is rich Charlotte is normally seen in dresses and ball gowns.
Declan Porter (boyfriend of Charlotte Grayson for several episodes) is protective of his brother and he cares about Charlotte even when they're together. He doesn't have a lot of money and him and his brother run a bar called the 'Stowaway'. Declan has been known to steal lobsters in order to gain more money, but realized he was doing wrong. He usually wears hoodies or t-shirt's with jeans as he works most of the time, although when he attends school he wears uniform.
Glee:
The whole show is based on a High School choir in America and the teenagers within it. It focuses on their lives and how they don't fit in at school, yet find friends and a school family in the Glee Club. The show contains comedy, drama, singing, dancing and teenagers having a good time.
For example, one of the main characters, Rachel grows up through all three seasons and changes they way she looks and behaves.
"Rachel somehow manages to dress like a grandmother and a toddler at the same time." - Kurt (about Rachel) - 01x11
Rachel lives at home with her two gay dads and she has to cope with finding out who her real mother is, battling though signing competitions, boyfriend troubles and her future career. She goes through a phase of wanting a nose job because of what one person said to her, and this shows she is insecure just like everyone else, even though she appears as confident. She is quite a bossy and demanding girl, but starts to accept the fact the world doesn't revolve around her. She becomes a well rounded, fashionable, nice person and gets accepted at NYADA and pursues her Broadway dream.
Ugly Betty:
The main teenage lead in Ugly Betty is the character of Justin Suarez. He has a keen interest in the fashion industry and often helps Betty with her work,as well as loving the performing arts. He is always wearing bold outfits because he wants to express himself through his fashion choices and he came out as gay in the fourth series.
He has to deal with the bullies at his school, the death of his biological dad, as well as other stresses concerning has family and life.
He is very close to his mum Hilda, aunt Betty and Granddad
Ignacio, and causes them little hassle as he is a well behaved person.
Narratives are provided with motivation to move from one point to another, by establishing conflict. Binary opposites.
For example in Merlin:
- Servants (Gwen &Merlin) / Royalty (Uther & Arthur)
- Magical folk (Morgana) / Non-magical folk (Arthur)
- Evil witches (Morgana & Morgause) / Good warlocks (Merlin & Gaius)
- Past (Uther banishing magic from Camelot) / Present (Merlin using magic to protect Arthur) / Future (Destiny's have been decided)
- Settings: Caves / The Castle / Servants chambers / Throne rooms
- Dark camera shots & lighting (shows evil characters) / Light shots (shows good characters)
- Evil creatures (Un-dead skeletons) / Good creatures (Kilgharrah the Great Dragon)
- Love (Arthur & Gwen) / Hate (Morgana towards Gwen for having the throne)
