Skins Textual Analysis

Season 1 Episode 1

The first shot is a bird’s-eye view shot. This gives the male character power. Though there are church bells ringing, the character only wakes up for his alarm, which could show his disregard of traditional/old-fashioned values, which is a stereotype of teenagers. The camera then zooms out so the audience sees the character’s bed sheet, which has naked bodies on it. This plays into the stereotype that teenage boys are obsessed with sex. As there is a montage of the character exercising, rap music plays, which is a genre that is popular among young people. This signifies again that the character is more interested in young and modern culture than traditional one. The exercising also shows that he is concerned about his health and image, another stereotype of young people. When he is spying on his neighbor getting dressed, there is a full body shot of both characters, which implies that they have the same amount of power. It is also suggested that the woman knows the boy is watching, which not only reinforces the sex-obsessed stereotype, but also the stereotype that young boys are interested in older women and vice-versa. The camera then cuts to another female character walking along the street.  Her make-up is ruined and her skirt is short, suggesting that she has been out at night partying. This conforms to another stereotype of teenagers: that adolescents are rebellious and are only interested in drinking alcohol and partying. When she looks up at the male character, there is a point-of-view shot from his side and the camera is at a high-angle, so we are looking down on her. This connotes that the male character has power over her. The camera continuously cuts between them, implying that they have a close relationship and that they support each other. This is evident next when the male character plays loud music to distract their father and allow the female character to get in unnoticed. The loud music and short takes increase the tension and the pace. When the father comes into the male character’s room to chastise his son, the son maintains power throughout the scene, which subverts the authoritative stereotype of older people. His clothing also diminishes the father’s power; he is only wearing his underwear, making the scene more humourous. The loud music also diminishes his power, as it is difficult to hear him.