Skins

Skins is a series that is broadcast on Channel 4 and E4, and has a mainly teenage audience. It is a comedy teenage drama, in which each episode focuses on one particular character and the problems and troubles they are facing. Despite being the subject of a lot of controversy due to its depiction of youth culture, with alcohol sex and drugs playing a major part, the series is currently airing its third series.

The extract I will analyse is from an episode focussing on the character Cassie and her problem of anorexia.

The extract begins inside a bus with realistic mise en scene, and typical looking people. The camera moves closer to the back of the bus where Cassie is sat by a window and we observe her finding a post-it note. We cut from a long shot of people on the bus eating, to Cassie’s expressions, to close ups of the post-it note which reads “EAT!!” This emphasizes to the audience Cassie’s illness. We then view a small child who is sat in front of Cassie reaching out to offer her a biscuit. The child’s hand looks like a silhouette, and the slowness of the hand reaching out contrasts with the fast moving bleached colours we see of the outside through the window. The image this creates is reminiscent of part of Michelangelo’s painting at the Sistine Chapel where God is reaching down to man. Throughout this sequence non diegetic music is playing, which makes the sequence less realistic, but more dramatic and stylish to the audience and of the representation of Cassie.

The entire beginning of the extract focuses on the representation of Cassie and her anorexia, and is full of contrast. The images of adults, children and teenagers eating both healthy and junk food are juxtaposed with Cassie, who suffers from anorexia. Cassie is shown in a pretty white dress, which, with her long flowing blonde hair, makes her appear like an angel which again is contrasted with the other passengers on the bus. She appears much more innocent and beautiful than the other people on the bus, which perhaps helps the audience understand her illness – she seems more attractive than everyone else, and is the only person not eating. Although this concept of ‘not eating makes us more attractive’ is not one to encourage, it helps us understand Cassie’s way of thinking.

Next we cut to an external shot of Cassie arriving at her house, and then follow her entering her house. The first thing we notice is the diegetic sound of her mum and dad kissing, and see a baby looking on. We follow Cassie through to where the baby is looking and switch between Cassie’s unimpressed blank expression to her mother and father. The audience is shown Cassie’s father asking Cassie if she ate breakfast. Cassie clearly lies, but it is obvious her father is far more concerned with having sex with his wife rather than listening to his daughter. We then see a repeat of this attitude from her mother, as Cassie has to remind her that it is her last day at the clinic. Cassie then is left the duty of feeding her baby sibling and changing its nappy. Whilst she is doing this, the camera cuts to a portrait by her father of her mother giving birth which indicates that Cassie’s parents are ‘hippies’. This idea is also hinted at in the sequence of Cassie arriving at her home, as we see a ‘hippy van’ (a Volkswagen Transporter) parked in the drive. As Cassie sits with her baby sibling in the bright childish nursery, there are diagetic noises of her parents having sex. We follow Cassie as she receives a text from an anonymous number, and then close up to the message: “EAT!!” After this we see Cassie take a pill and drink out of a child’s bottle, and then cover up the sound of her parents having sex with music from a child’s mobile toy. The extract finishes with a point of view shot watching the mobile spin round.

This part of the extract focuses more upon representation of adults and the family, and also again on Cassie’s illness. Although the meanings of the piece are all polysemic, it is clear that the target audience will view Cassie’s parents in a similar way. They are shown to be overactive, which will make the audience cringe, and also typically patronising ; calling Cassie ‘Kiddums’ and acting as if she was a child, despite giving her responsibilities of looking after the baby. We can see from their ‘hippy’ nature that these parents are highly embarrassing for a teenager, and the majority of the audience will be able to relate to Cassie’s situation. The audience can also grasp some ideas of reasons for Cassie’s anorexia by looking at her environment - her family are shown dressed all in white and acting childishly. We see her parents caring more about sex than important issues (such as going to the clinic and their daughter lying), which some would argue is behaviour more acceptable for teenagers. Cassie’s illness is hinted at is a way for her to take control in an area of life, and is a kind of hobby which enables her to block out her embarrassing parents.

The two scenes here are used to represent anorexia and reasons behind it, as well as family life. By using unobtrusive editing, neutral lighting and familiar mise en scene, these representations are highly believable and help the audience to engage and understand the ideas and images that are being portrayed by the director. The ideas shown throughout the piece, (family life, parents, problems with eating and weight etc) are very common within the target audience, and the director is successful in exposing these problems through realist drama conventions.