Representation of Teenagers - Skins Promo Trailer

Having watched the trailer of the hit E4 show ‘Skins’, which over the past 3 series has proved to be a sensation amongst the nation’s teenagers, you can see that there are a number of different views about the representation of today’s youth which can be taken by the viewing audience. The trailer represents the teenager’s of the program as being quite neurotic or anxious, destructive, and also energetic.

One view which can be taken about today’s controversial youth from watching the trailer is that they are neurotic and crazy, this opinion being much generalised of course, assuming that all teenagers are likened to the cast of Skins! Examples of this occur in the trailer by the use of lighting by the producers, when during the majority of the clip there is a heavy use of strobe lighting. Its fast pace and large light intensity creates a sense of confusion and intensity in itself, possibly used to connote insanity amongst the corrupt minds of the teenagers. The use of darkened corners in the room in a number of shots is used well to connote claustrophobia and a general feeling of nervousness and anxiousness. This can be shown by the look of nervousness and confusion on the faces of some of the characters during the scene. A large spotlight is also used in the trailer to pick out some of the more important characters within the scene, and works extremely well in creating a feeling of confusion upon the face of its target. This effect can be much likened to the phrase of ‘a rabbit caught in headlights’, highly associated with confusion and shock. Another technique used to cause confusion within the characters in the production is the use of high saturation in terms of colours, as if to seem over stimulated and in a constant rush. The editing of the clip is important in the whole neurotic feel, by the clever use of cross-cutting and fast-paced transitions between shots. This does not give the audience much time at all to focus on the shots, thus creating a sense of neurosis and confusion due to the quick editing.

The destructive side of teenagers is also portrayed in this short film. Other words that could be used to describe their behaviour are reckless, shambolic, rebellious and hedonistic. The use of non-diagetic sound in the form of cymbals during the clip can connote destruction, as the noise has been used to do so in so many other cases throughout film and other media in general. Their loud, ‘clashing’ sound is very sharp and alerting, as if it is representing the crashing of objects, i.e. destruction. Once again like in the sense of neurosis, the fast-paced cross-cutting and editing from one clip to another creates a sense of recklessness about the attitudes of the teenagers, as if to connote the fast-paced reality of today’s modern lifestyle, no time to wait, everything must be done as quickly as possible to have fun regardless of the consequences! Amongst this very quick editing of shots, there is one shot which is slowed down considerably. A shot of Effie’s face prior to her drug taking clearly shows the vacant look in her eyes, as if to slow down the world for a short moment, letting time pass her by. The simple fact that the use of drugs is taking place on camera by the teenagers presents them as being rebellious, and this one shot of Effie’s vacancy in particular presents the real rebalance, in the sense that she does not care about the consequences of her actions, a reckless attitude to have to her life (yet not necessarily a bad one!), doing as she pleases, having fun despite the outcome!

On a more positive note, the dynamic and energetic sides of the teenagers are also shown within the trailer. For example, the high saturation of colour used in the clip really brings out bright, intense colours as opposed to the less saturated, darker tones often used in the actual series itself. These bright colours represent the high energy being let out by the characters. Once again, the fast-paced editing and cross-cutting creates a sense of energy about the trailer. Because each of the shots is only on screen for a very short amount of time, the audience cannot take in huge amounts of visual information, really drawing their attention as they strain to catch a glimpse of everything that is quickly appearing on the screen. This speed itself gives a high, energetic feel, successfully manipulated in connoting the teenagers’ attitudes to life in the program. Lots of point-of-view shots and close-ups are used throughout the clip, providing a large variety for the viewer to take in, giving the trailer a very dynamic feel. Rather than only one type of shot being used throughout, a very limited selection, there is a large variety of fast-paced action shots, which really represent the dynamic and explosive attitudes and actions of the characters themselves. One example of this is when there is a low-angle shot of a group of the teenagers jumping up and down, making them appear as though they are jumping much higher than they actually are, as if they are explosive. The very quickly-paced non-diagetic music in the background of the trailer plays an extremely large role in the whole energetic ambience. Due to the fact the music is loud and fast, this connotes well the attitudes of the characters and gets the viewing audience themselves, also in a rush when watching, successfully creating a feel of great energy!