This is england and quadrophenia

Describe the representation of youth in the two posters. What are the connotations of the two texts?

There are many similarities in the both of the film posters. Both youths in each poster appear to be individuals but are in a group as they all share the same fashion sense. The colours of the posters are very similar; both use british flag colours such as blue and red, which connotates that this is a highly British film. Both the youths in these photos are represented as confrontational by the way they are standing in a line all looking in the same direction. This makes both posters gritty and hard hitting.

However there are also differences between the two posters. The poster for This is England is much brighter and colourful, giving connotations that it is more modern. Whereas the poster for Quadrophenia is duller and resembles an old fashioned photograph therefore conveys it is a different time period to This is England. Although This is England uses reviews and a lot of text on the poster making it more appealing to go and see it as they are all very positive, Quadrophenia just has a title and a saying, making it appear less appealing to a reader.

The youths in the ‘This is England’ poster are represented as stereotypical skinheads by their shaven heads and the way they dress (cropped bomber jackets with tight jeans and high boots). This gives connotations that they may be violent as this is a common association with this subculture. The fact that there is only one black person in the poster also conveys that they may be racist as this is often associated with skinheads as well. The environment in this poster conveys that they are working class as they are stood against a run down wall and a council estate can be seen just behind the wall. The girls are well integrated within the group however they all appear to be striking less aggressive poses conveying that they are weaker than the boys. The use of one girl resting her head on the male also gives connotations that the girls are dependent on the boys for safety.

The youths from the ‘Quadrophenia’ poster appear to be from a different subculture. They look as if they are mods from their style including long coats, thin ties and stylish suits. The environment also connotates that they are from working class as they are stood against what appears to be a wooden fence. This is not very glamourous and therefore conveys they are quite common.

How does contemporary representation compare to previous time periods?

What are the values of subculture?

Chavs

Brightly coloured sports clothing
Brands worn include Adidas Reebok Nike
Big dangly hooped earings
Low intelligence
Most are ill mannered
Think they're 'hard' but really not
Hang around in packs of 10 by fast food places
Teenage pregnancies
Go against society and cause anarchy


Values of subculture:

• Conformity and rebellion
• Capitalism and consumerism
• 'Tribal' rivalry
• Traditional or 'neophile' (a person who loves novelty, one who likes trends; person who can accept the future enthusiastically and enjoys changes and evolution)
• Ideology in 1950s and 1960s- peace, rebellion against parents, radicalism- reactions against the post war

Teens will often move between subcultures and older youths mix and match styles/ values from a mix of subcultures

Or that adults can appear to conform for most of the working week, but re-enter the subculture at specific time (weekend, festivals etc.)

In 21st century the 'dominant meaning systems' (that define the mainstream) are crumbling.

"There is no mainstream now. There are many streams" Mainstream is in perpetual flux, rapaciously absorbing alternative culture as such a fast rate that the notion of a mainstream becomes obsolete.

So if there is no mainstream then there is nothing for the teens to react against- instead they are driven by other motives; and these must be understood on their own terms, individual terms.

1950's Teddies (teds/ teddy boys)

Introduction of Rock n Roll (bill haley and the comets)

"Kids heard the sound of Bill haley and were blown away by it- it provided kids with the tools to set themselves apart from the older generation"

1960's Mods

Uniform continuous revolved.

Bands such as the who and small faces had changed musical style and no longer considered themselves as mods.

They were getting into marriage had no time for youthful past times.

1960's Skinheads

Among working class youths, named for shaven heads. Greatly influenced from other subcultures such as west indian and british mods.

Attitudes by race and politics- Many are apolitical - Range from clean cut to less strict punk and hardcore influences.

Early 70's Punks


Cenetered around listening to recordings or live concerts of a loud, aggressive genre to rock music called punk rock.

Ideologies concerned with individual freedom. Anti- authoritarianism, non-conformity, direct action.

The cultural revolution 1950's and 60's

The war had just ended. With this came freedom and old social cultural structures began to be challenged, especially by the young.

- Rationing was coming to an end
- American way of life- key aspiration - Commercial TV
- Cheap colour magazines- luxary commodities
- World wide economic boom
- Labour was defeated by conservatives. Election slogan 'Set the people free'
- Youth given more freedom through deregulation

America and hollywood influenced Britain.

To the average Briton it offered a rich and desirable future.

Cultural imperialism- Cultural imperialism is the practice of promoting, distinguishing, separating, or artificially injecting the culture of on society into another.

Before people didnt have televisions, refrigerators, now they were seen as basic requirement.

Car ownership rose by 250% between 1951 and 1961- average weekly earnings rose by 34%.

Status and comfort.

Identity was based around design or fashion.

Teenagers demanded goods which would seperate them from adult.

Manufactures were happy to meet this demand, they offerered them products reflecting interest in fashion and pop music.

Higher education - helped to create an increase in social mobility

Establishment values began to be questioned

Affluence, social mobility and mass media had transformed British society.

General feeling of optimism but also a sense of uncertainty- society had become more fragmented and less predictable.

How do the contemporary media represent British youth and youth culture in different ways?

Harry Brown 2009 Director: Daniel Barber

How does Harry Brown represent young people?

Iconography and Themes:
use of hoodies- creates ideas in our heads on what to expect
dogs
knifes, guns
activities
drugs
location- subway
objectifies women
female police officer challenges gender stereotype- however is ignored by fellow male co-workers
territory
revenge
friendship
diologue- colloquial language

Three way binary oppositions between Harry, the gangs and the police
Old vs young
 Social class - Gangs - lower class - Police- middle class

Low key lighting- dark characters, builds suspense, lots of shadows

Genre- crime thriller with some horror

Hoodies strike fear in British Cinema

It suggests young people are represented as dehuminsed thugs without emotions. Seen as monsters (zombies, vampires)

This links to the horror genre, the less you know about something the more you are scared of it. Teens are now the monsters however they are real, and this makes them very scary.

In terms of social class, Council estates like 'prison cells', very claustrophobic, can't escape from anyone. Dont have a future, survival is harder so they turn to aggression and drugs.

Refers to right wing politics
Hegemony- the power of the ruling class, they want us to believe a particular thing about a certain class such as lower class. Make clear distinctions between classes. Creating these distinctions through the media.
For example, ASBO's were introduced by the media.

Moral panic- make us fear stuff

Implications of the representations


Eden Lake Director: James Watkins

How are Jenny and Steve the main couple represented?
How is this contrasted with the representation of the other characters?
How important is the issue of social class?
How are young people represented?


At the beginning the dialogue from Jenny makes her appear quite ungrateful and spoilt as she mocks the fact that Steve is taking her on a trip to a 'rundown quary'. However Jenny and Steve are represented as a nice loving couple by the way they interact with eachother, such as laughing in the car together and kiss in the lake. They appear to be middle class by the car they drive and their nice clothes. The bright, warm lighting at the beginning of the trailer as it follows the couple, give connotations that they are kind happy people.
In contrast to this, the youths who they encounter on their holiday are represented as monsters. The first time Steve talks to the youths, he approaches them calmy and asks them to turn their music down, which represents him as reasonable. However, in response, they are aggressive and the female youth is rude as she trys to imply that Steve was looking at her breasts. The youths are also represented negatively as they are seen driving around in Jenny and Steve's car.
In the next part of the trailer, the representation of the youths turns extremly negative as there are shots of them torturing Jenny and Steve, making them seem like monsters. The lighting under the mise-en-scene becomes low key lighting conveying that there is a very dark side to the youths and expressing Jenny and Steve's vunerability as they are less likely to see the youths if its dark, giving the youths an advantage.
The clothing and dialogue of the youths make them seem lower class and therefore this trailer shows binary oppositions of lower class vs middle class.
As the couple are there on their holiday, this highlights the fact that the youths have nothing better to do and also shows that this is their territory and therefore gives them an advantage over the couple as they know the woods better.
The youths are conveyed as a pack of animals as they outnumber the couple, and the use of their rotweiller gives them more of an adavantage.
The use of nightime when the danger occurs in the trailer.
As steve is seen injured and Jenny left to find help, this trailer represents women as vuneralble and shows the men being violent rather then the women.

The location of the woods makes the couple seem isolated from the rest of the world and highlights their vunerability.

• Horror film is normality is threatened by the monster.
• Dominant ideologies- conformity to the dominant social norms
• Youths are not conforming to dominant ideologies, in the past this has been the skinheads, mods, rockers, hippies.

Todorov theory

Introduced to equilibrium- disruption to equilibrium- equilbrium is restored.


Attack the Block (2011) Director- Joe Cornish

At the beginning, the youths are represented as monsters as they are creeping around in the shadows, and attacking the women. The iconography represents them as typical youths withs hoods and bandanas to cover their identity when mugging someone. Oppotunistic crime as she is crossing into their territory.
Their colloquial language makes them appear as a pack and hard to understand therefore hard to predict.

Harry Brown (2009)

Director: Daniel Barber

- How are youths being represented?
- How are the audience being positioned? (to identify with the characters)
- What is the significance of social class?

Exam outline

Examination is two hours.

Section A: Theoretical evaluation of production (50 marks)

1a) Theoretical evaluation of skill development over the course of the two years (both AS and A2 c/w productions including preliminary and ancillary tasks) (30 mins)

Describe and evaluate skill development and the question will require them to adapt this to one or two specific production practises. The list of practices to which questions relate is as follows:
- Digital Technology
- Creativity
- Research and Planning
- Post- production
- Using conventions from real media texts

Examiners don't know what you've done so you can tell porky pies. But do not come up with huge lies eg. manipulating a photo more than you did.

1b) Theoretical evaluation of one production and evaluate it in relation to a media concept (30 mins)

This requires candidates to select one production and evaluate it in relation to a media concept. The list of concepts to which questions relate is as follows:

- Genre
- Narrative
- Representation
- Audience
- Media language

Section B: Contemporary Media Isssues (50 marks)

2) Contemporary Media Issues- Media and collective Identity- The representation of British youth and youth culture (1 hour)


2007 onwards as it is contemporary.

• How do the contemporary media represent British Youth and Youth culture in different ways?
• How does contemporary representation compare to previous time periods?
• What are the social implications of different media representations of British Youth and youth culture?
• To what extent is human identity increasingly 'mediated'?

In order to fully prepared for the specific requirements of the question, the material studied by candidates must cover these three elements:

• -Historical- dependent on the requirements of the topic, candidates must summarise the development of the media forms in question in theoretical contexts.
• Contemporary- examples from five years before the examination.
•  Future- Candidates must demonstrate personal engagement with debates about the future of the media forms/ issues that the topic relates to.

Identity

The collective aspect of the set of characteristics by which a thing is definitively recognizable or known: "If the broadcast group is the financial guts of the company, the news division is its public identity" (Bill Powell).

2. The set of behavioral or personal characteristics by which an individual is recognizable as a member of a group.

3. The quality or condition of being the same as something else.

4. The distinct personality of an individual regarded as a persisting entity; individuality.

5. Information, such as an identification number, used to establish or prove a person's individuality, as in providing access to a credit account


How is identity formed? Who influences your identity?

- environment
- friends
- family
- events
- social origin
- education
- music
- diet
- height
- age
- social class
- lifestyle
- religion
- morals of parents
- gender
- characteristics
- media consumption
- geography
- experiences
- stereotypes

Nature vs nurture