Clip analysis (skins)- Status and social class represntation

Skins- class and status representation

The use of camera is the main focus on how the characters have been represented throughout the clip but also through the use of mise-en-scene, sound and editing. Firstly is a mid shot of the main character, this gives the audience a first off impression of him, his costume and his general appearance, which is stereotypically middle class, he is wearing scruffy pyjamas and has long oily looking hair, generally not looking in great condition.

There is then a over the shoulder shot which enables the audience to see the other characters from his point of view, we can see their body language and facial expression to what he is saying, in this scene they look disgusted but we can also see in the background that there are lots of empty beer cans/bottles and other drinks containers scattered around the windows and other surfaces, this gives us the idea that the character is a heavy drinker, we can also tell this by the slur that has been added to his voice. In the background is also grey cold-looking breeze block walls, and that the characters have not decorated, or been able to afford to decorate, so it looks harsh and not warm or homely. This sound and mise-en-scene allows the audience to see a representation of these lower class characters, it gives the impression that lower class people are heavy drinkers, careless and that they typically cannot afford comforts in their homes that other families may have.

 The sound in the background at this point is very different to the overall atmosphere of the scene; it sounds oriental which could be seen as totally random or that it has a hallucinogenic feel to it, as the main character already seems to be fairly intoxicated because of his speech and behavior it gives the idea that he is in ‘another world’ to the rest of the characters.

A close up zoom is used on one of the male characters as his mood changes; it zooms sharply as if a sudden change in the atmosphere as he becomes more frustrated by the older character. This gives off the idea that lower class people are easily wound up, and that they can snap quickly when aggravated.

There is a lot of swearing throughout this first scene which also gives a representation that lower class people are bad mannered or even uneducated as they haven’t learnt the more formal way of talking to each other. It can again make them also look aggressive as a lot of the bad language is used to express their anger or frustration.

There is a use of fast jump cuts where the main male character is shouting random sounds and noises that don’t make a lot of sense to the audience apart from the idea that his behaviour is psychotic probably through the use of alcohol. The jump cuts make the scene feel manic, that he cannot control himself anymore and represent his thought patterns. This again gives the idea to the audience that lower class people who have less status than others are left to make wrong choices in regards to alcohol which ultimately turns them into people without any sense of control especially seen as his movements and speech is so loud and abrupt that they actually become fairly scary.

The editing throughout the entire clip is quite a bright effect to the lighting and camera filter; this gives a cold atmosphere, which fits the scene well as it look to be a wintery day in England. The area that the clip is filmed in also looks uninviting, it looks like a council estate which is stereotypically where lower class characters and people are seen to live.

There is ambient sound at the end of this scene before the cast go outside which is emotional and sounds sad, it shows the main characters realization that his children miss him- it acts as a sobering tone as he seems to suddenly react and grasp control over his previous erratic behavior. In the next scene we also see that the sound picks upbeat and becomes more cheerful because the main character has been able to take control of the situation for the better.

A long shot that pans shows the entire range of characters reaction to what they are seeing, they all look unimpressed and this also allows the audience to take into consideration their costume and body language at the time. The girl who only looks young herself is holding her baby which is a representation in itself that lower class people are careless so have children underage that they cannot afford to look after. We can also see that the young boys are wearing very informal tracksuits and all have short haircuts that are very similar in style. Their overall appearance seems to be plain as if they cannot afford higher quality clothing because of their status and social class.

Finally before the end of the clip is an areal shot which shows not only all of the characters, but the area which looks to be a lower-class area because of the look of the house and objects that are around it including a scruffy old sofa sitting outside, this gives the impression to the audience for the last time that they are poor because the whole area looks informal and tatty.