Unit Overview:

Youth, Youth Culture, Britain and Identity

Discussion. What is it like being young and British? What films focus
on this subject? 'Collective Identity' def.

Historical representations of youth- Film

Early representations of the Teenager, and the so-called "Birth of the
Teenager"
Key Texts: Rebel Without a Cause (USA), Brighton Rock (UK),
The Young Americans (UK), Boyz in the Hood (US)

Contemporary representations - Film

Positive and negative representations of youth culture through genre
films vs complex/realism films
Key Texts: Perks of Being a Wallflower, My Brother The Devil,
Selfish Giant, Dope

Television!
Another medium. How does TV represent identity differently to film?
Key Texts: The 100, Top Boy, Some Girls

Social Implications - Media and society

"Life imitates art" - Hyperdermic needle teens!?
"Art imitates life"- social anxieties reflected by film-makers?

Future Representations?
Over to you! Where does the future lie for youth representation?

Exam prep!
Questions/Answers/Past-Papers/Exemplar Answers/Techniques/
Advice
from OCR

We will be studying "Media & Collective

Identity" (usually questions 6 & 7)

What is
COLLECTIVE IDENTITY?
The concept of a collective identity refers to a set of individuals' sense of belonging to the
group or collective. It is possible, at times, that this sense of belonging to a particular
group will be so strong that it will eclipse other aspects of the person's personal identity.
Collective Identity.net

A collective identity may have been first constructed by outsiders who may still enforce
it, but depends on some acceptance by those to whom it is applied. Collective identities
are expressed in cultural materials names, symbols, verbal styles, habits, clothing.
Francesca Poletta, James M Jasper, Collective Identity and Social Movements

January 2010

June 2010

January 2011

June 2014

 What does youth culture mean?

Youth culture is specific to adolescents, and differs at least partially
from the culture of older/younger generations.
Elements of youth culture include:
beliefs,
behaviours,
styles,
interests.

All dramas thrive on conflict, and the process of maturing is

a natural conflict familiar to everyone by their teenage years.
While many filmgoers freely participate in screen fantasies
about the possibilities of life as a secret agent or of saving a
loved one from the clutches of death, most of our lives are
filled with less spectacular phenomena, such as how we
come to be accepted by society, discover romance, have sex,
gain employment, make moral decisions, and learn about the
world and who we are in it. Timothy Shary

Issues/Anxieties that young

people face in 2016

Watch this documentary making notes on the

journey and rise of youth culture

Social Context Research Task : Anxieties

What

concerns do teenagers have in Britain today? And what could

the concerns there have been following WWII. Either personal or
socially.
Then do the same but for the whole public. What concerns did the
nations have?
Where there are similarities or duplicates write them in where the
circles join.

UK Post-war
Teenage
anxieties

US Post-war
Teenage
anxieties

UK Post-war
General public
anxieties

US Post-war
General public
anxieties

Social Group = Teenagers (intro?)

A teenager growing up prior to the end of WW II was forced to take life fairly seriously. Males were expected to join the
services or to go out get a job, help support his family or a new bride. Women were expected to meet a man, marry and have
children. College was for a select few. Teens had limited freedom, not much economic power and little influence in decisions
made by the older generation. They acted responsibly without demanding freedom as payment.
In the 50's expectations for teenagers changed. With a booming economy, parents could now help their children achieve more
then they themselves had. More parents insisted they finish high school and paid for them to go to college.The parents
generation had gone through both a depression and a world war that made them acutely aware of the most important things in
their lives; the people they loved most and their happiness. Parents began to not want their children joining the armed forces and
were more indulgent of their whims.
As a result youngsters began receiving allowances and had free time after school.They had more time to themselves to be
social and form peer bonds. They began to have more fun and became less serious then prior generations.The new liberalized
culture allowed teenagers to make decisions for themselves which were often at odds with their parents.

Research 1950s Media representations

of teenagers. Have they changed much
from today's Media representations?

 Use the posters and blurbs below to determine the genre of the
two texts.
What differences are there between these two genres? (intent,
codes/conventions, audience pleasures)
Can you predict how each of these films will represent teenagers?

Pinkie is a 17-year-old smalltown hoodlum whose gang runs

a protection racket based at
Brighton race course. When
Pinkie orders the murder of a
rival, the police believe it to be
suicide. But when his gang
begin to doubt his ability, and
his rivals attempt to take over
his business, Pinkie starts to
become more desperate and
violent.

After moving to a new town,

troublemaking teen Jim Stark is
supposed to have a clean slate, although
being the new kid in town brings its own
problems. While searching for some
stability, Stark forms a bond with a
disturbed classmate, Plato, and falls for
local girl Judy. However, Judy is the
girlfriend of neighborhood tough, Buzz.
When Buzz violently confronts Jim and
challenges him to a drag race, the new
kid's real troubles begin.

Watch the following clips and

discuss how Youth are portrayed.

Rebel Without a
Cause
(Nicholas Ray,
1955)

Brighton Rock
(John Boulting,
1947)

Think about if the representations are positive

or negative? Sympathetic? Stereotypical?
Realistic? Biased?

Rebel Without a Cause (1955)

Reflected anxieties in American society about

teenage delinquency in the post-war era
related to the birth of youth culture.
Whilst the representation of youth is quite negative and
can clearly be linked to contemporary representations
(young people are shown to be violent, engage in
criminal activity, knife fight, car theft ) the
representations are not as extreme. This can partly be
explained in relation to what was acceptable to 1950's
audiences, and much stricter censorship.
The representation is also more sympathetic to young
people, who are shown to be troubled. The film ends
with the main character entering adulthood/accepting
hegemonic values signified by him putting on his
fathers grey jacket. The film shows young people to be
in need of care and attention reinforces hegemonic
values.

Rebel showcased the high school outcast who

couldnt fit in, while also considering alcoholism,
family dynamics, juvenile crime and in more concealed
terms, homosexuality."

How has the representation of youth from the films of the 1950s and
1960s influenced the TV and films of today?
40s/50s Rebels
Cooly challenge authority for effect

These films were all reacting to the swell of teenagers in the

population as a result of the post-war baby boom, teenagers who
were breaking with past customs of conformity to the norm. Most
50s delinquents found their motivations in troubled childhoods
and social expectatons, until later 60s films found youth rebelling
against the establishment, often under the influence of drugs.

Social Context Research Task : Anxieties

What

concerns do teenagers have in Britain today? And what could

the concerns there have been in the late 80s/90s. Either personal or
socially.
Then do the same but for the whole public. What concerns did the
nations have?
Where there are similarities or duplicates write them in where the
circles join.

UK 90s
Teenage
anxieties

US 90s
Teenage
anxieties

UK 90s
General public
anxieties

US 90s
General public
anxieties

 Use the posters and blurbs below to determine the genre of the
two texts.
What differences are there between these two genres? (intent,
codes/conventions, audience pleasures)
Can you predict how each of these films will represent teenagers?

The London police is having

trouble with organized crime
commited by juvenile
delinquents. Their leader is an
American who is an expert at
turning young men into ruthless
gangsters. American cop John
Harris is asked to help the
London police to break up the
organization.

Tre is sent to live with his father,

Furious Styles, in tough South
Central Los Angeles. Although his
hard-nosed father instills proper
values and respect in him, and his
devout girlfriend Brandi teaches him
about faith, Tre's friends Doughboy
and Ricky don't have the same kind
of support and are drawn into the
neighborhood's booming drug and
gang culture, with increasingly tragic
results.

The 1980s became a time of distinct change in youth studies as

the trajectories of sociology, history, and cultural studies merged
over concerns about refreshed conservative attitudes that were
broadly vilifying youth. Most hollywood films of the 80s relied on
formulas that exploited youth issues, specifically sexual
development, while gradually revealing an increasing tension and
confusion about the roles of contemporary youth. By the early 90s
in the wake of Reagan and Thatcher, teens in films had been
entirely reconfigured, if not often extinguished, as increasing
emphasis fell on portraits of the post-teen generation in movies.

Watch the following clips and

discuss how Youth are portrayed.

Boyz n the hood

(John Singleton,
1991)
The Young
Americans
(Danny Cannon,
1993)

"The more unsettling and direct representations of youth

conditions presented in these films have had and will continue to
have a lasting effect on the cinematic depiction of youth, if only in
terms of questioning their cultural context, specifically issues of
race, class, and morality."
As much as these films addressed violence among youth, they
always condemned it within their narratives, and seemed to spur a
cross-generic incentive to raise critical issues about youth conditions
in other films too.

"Director John Singleton deals with a lot of issues here (in Boyz):
the permeance of psychological damage on children living with
unchecked violence; the degrading attitude of many black males
towards women; the economic opportunism of people from outside
the neighbourhood; and the frustration of many blacks towards
black cops in the community. But the point he drives home hardest
is the need for more african american men to take responsibility for
raising their sons, to give them more direction and make them
accountable for their lives. - Jack Matthews

What themes do
you think are most
common in the
youth film/TV?

"A film genre is 'static' because it is a familiar formula of

interrelated narrative and cinematic components" Thomas Schatz

 Isolation/Alienation
Loneliness/Outcast
Coming-of-age inc. Loss of virginity
Peer pressure inc. crime and drugs
Hating life/Wanting to escape/Depression
Family Dynamics
All dramas thrive on conflict, and the process of maturing is a
natural conflict familiar to everyone by their teenage years. While
many filmgoers freely participate in screen fantasies about the
possibilities of life as a secret agent or of saving a loved one from
the clutches of death, most of our lives are filled with less
spectacular phenomena, such as how we come to be accepted by
society, discover romance, have sex, gain employment, make
moral decisions, and learn about the world and who we are in it.

How do representations in Top Boy compare

to the historical texts you have looked at?
1

2011-2013, Channel 4, Ronan Bennett

The series follows the plight of Ra'nell as he navigates the pitfalls of living in a
crime filled area after his mother, Lisa, is committed to a mental hospital. The
story also follows the rise of a local drug dealer, Dushane, and the tough
decisions he must make to stay alive and in business.

"Ephebiphobia"
The irrational fear of youth is called ephebiphobia. First coined as the
"fear and loathing of teenagers,"
Today the phenomenon is recognized as the "inaccurate, exaggerated
and sensational characterisation of young people".

Theorist:

Giroux (1997)
Giroux argues that in the media, representations of youth become an
empty category. This is because most media representations of
young people are constructed by adults. Because of this they reflect
adults concerns, anxieties, and needs. As a result these 'adult'
media representations of young people do not necessarily reflect the
reality of youth identity.

Theorist:

Giroux (1997)

empty category
representations are constructed by adults.
reflect adults concerns, anxieties
do not necessarily reflect the reality of youth

Do the texts you have watched support Giroux's theory

on youth representation?
***When applying Giroux to media texts you need to think; does the representation reflect adult
anxieties or reflect the reality of youth identity?

Discuss the texts individually, and support your opinion with evidence!

Theorist:

Angela McRobbie

Angela McRobbie suggests that contemporary British TV often

contains symbolic violence against the working class
She states that Television constructs representations which
emphasise middle class dominance and depict the working class
in very negative ways. This is done by displaying them committing
crimes, not attending school, claiming benefits and not positively
contributing to society.
This can be seen in a number of texts that you encounter in on
TV, can you think of any?

Parents aren't always around to help socialize their

children or even just to show them affection.
Compared to other cultures, British kids are less
integrated into the adult world and spend more time with
peers. - Britain's Mean Streets, Time Magazine

How relevant is this quote with

regards to Top Boy and the texts you
have seen so far?

Media view of Teenagers has altered - how?

One argument = YES, lots of change

eg., 1 Youth-As-Trouble to Youth-As-Fun - why?

Or 2 Media repres = more negative? (proof!) - why?

Second argument = No or little change

Media view of Teenagers has always=threatening, aggressive etc - why?

50s

90s

60s

70s

00s

80s

10s

Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)

Director: Stephen Chbosky

Writer: Stephen Chbosky
Production Company: Mr. Mudd
Budget: 13 mil
Lifetime Gross: 33mil
"Adolescence is primarily a state of transition,
a matter of becoming rather than being."

Stephen Chbosky, the author of the book who also directed the
film, has described one of the life-lessons of the film in the
following way. What do you think about this statement and what
tone might the film have?
"If you just reach out and you present yourself exactly as your are,
the right people are going to say yes to you and the right people
are going to befriend you and the right people are going to accept
you and you can make great friends forever."

How are these 3 characters used to represent youth

differently?

Charlie Sam Patrick

How is teenage life and its problems

presented?

What are the problems that the young

characters have? How are they presented?
How do they deal with their situations?
What kind of environment do they live in?
How is the environment and problems
different from other texts?

There is one night shown in this story that changed Charlie's life
forever. Which night was it? Why did you pick this night as being
the turning point?

There are many answers to this question. The justifications for the
choice should refer to themes of the story. The author/director
chose the night at the football game when Charlie went to sit near
Patrick in the hopes of striking up a conversation. This night
changed Charlie's life because he took a risk and reached out to
another person.

Stephen Chbosky, the author/director, said that he wanted to

present a story in which none of the characters was a bad person.
Was he successful? Is this really a story without a bad person?
Explain the reasons for your answer.
He was successful in terms of the students. Brad is not a bad
person, he's just scared of his father and of being ridiculed as gay
by the other students. He acted badly in the fight with Patrick, but
regretted it. Remember when Brad thanked Charlie for stopping
his friends from beating up Patrick? Mary Elizabeth isn't bad, she's
just the wrong girl for Charlie. The girl who sits next to Charlie in
English class is pretty mean, but she is tangential to the story.
Brad's friends, who beat up Patrick, are typical high school jocks.
While their behaviour was not exemplary, they are also not
important characters in the story. They are more a part of the
background in which the major characters operate. The one
character who could be said to be a bad person was Charlie's Aunt
Helen. This isn't immediately apparent because we see her
through the eyes of Charlie, who loved her, and because she, too,
was injured by others. However, there is never an excuse for an
adult to abuse a child, either sexually, physically or emotionally.
That is a line that simply should not be crossed. Sexual child
abuse is extremely damaging to a child, sometimes for the child's
entire life. There is a reason why child-abuse is classified as a
major crime. In that way, Aunt Helen was a pretty bad person.

Aunt Helen tells Charlie that, "It's our little secret". This is often
said by abusers to their victims. Why would this instruction
resonate with a child?

It communicates the idea that the child shares a special bond

with the perpetrator; they share a secret that no one else knows
about and feeds into their need for belonging and connection. In
addition, many children are fearful of being hurt by the abuser or
of getting the abuser, whom the child cares about, into trouble.
Children also fear that no one would believe him or her. Or, it
may be a mixture of all of these emotions.

Until the very end of the movie, Charlie thought his aunt
Helen was one of his favourite people in the world. Why
would he feel something like that and why didn't he
remember what she had done to him?
Victims of childhood sexual abuse are torn by the following
conflicting and powerful emotions:
1) an important adult has chosen the child for a special
relationship and special favors, which means that the child is
special and favored; this is more than flattering; all children would
like to think of themselves as special and favored;
2) there is often pleasure felt in the act because the adult often
manipulates erogenous zones of the child's body;
3) the perpetrator will often try to convince the child that the child
seduced the perpetrator or that somehow the child is responsible
for the relationship;
4) the child knows at some level that his or her boundaries have
been violated and that what is happening is wrong;
5) the child feels powerless;

6) often the perpetrators threaten the child or tell the child that
terrible things will happen to a parent or to the perpetrator if "our
little secret" is found out. Thus, children will not tell anyone about
the abuse, they may even repress their memories of the abuse and
all that is left in the conscious mind are feelings of closeness to the
perpetrator, while full knowledge of what occurred is tearing the
child apart in the subconscious. This is what was happening to
Charlie. In addition, Charlie thought he was responsible for his
Aunt's death because she was on her way to get his birthday
present when she had the accident. When he had his sexual
encounter with Sam the day before she left for college, the similarity
between what they did as a loving couple and what was done to him
by his Aunt Helen brought the memories close to the surface. They
were too painful to face directly and Charlie suffered a crisis.

Flashback is a device that is usually used to fill in a backstory, that

is, to tell the audience what has happened before the story told by
the book or movie begins. Flashback is used in The Perks of Being
a Wallflower for that purpose but also for an additional purpose
which relates to the description of Charlie's character. What was
that?

Suggested Response: At the beginning of the film Charlie recalls

the past in disconnected fragments he can't put the past
together. He has no cohesive view of the past. The snippets of
memory from the past, the flashbacks, come to Charlie as he
remembers more and more about what happened with his Aunt
Helen. The way the book and the movie is structured Charlie and
the audience discover these memories together.

MIGRAIN
The 7 Key Media Studies Concepts

I n s t i t u t i o n
Producers and Director

I d e o l o g y

T
E
X
T

a collection, or "atmosphere" of ideas,

coming from the text and institution

Narrative

story/plot/characters

Media Language
mise-en-scene
camera
editing sound

Representation
The perceptions media texts create of
people and places

Audience
a collective body experiencing different media

Genre

is the text easily

categorised?

Apply the MIGRAIN table

to 'Perks of Being A Wallflower'

MIGRAIN
learn this

Institutions

Film industry is part of the

entertainment industry but does it only have to entertain?
can't be
labelled as a

Media Language
complex

Narratives

original and challenging. How?

mise-en-scene
camera
editing
sound

Genre

but a documentary
style of social
realism

Representations

Counter, archetypes or stereotypes?

Audience

Give them less pleasures, thoughts?

what does this film make you think about?

Ideology of inequality?

teenagers are not just "bad", society and the lack of

opportunities around them, raises awareness

Apply the MIGRAIN table

to 'Perks of Being A Wallflower'

MIGRAIN

The 7 Key Media Studies Concepts

a collection, or "atmosphere" of ideas, coming from the text and institution

Institution

Producers and Director

Media Language

Narrative

story/plot/characters

mise-en-scene
camera
editing sound

Genre

is the text easily

categorised?

Representation
The perceptions media texts
create of people and places

Audience

a collective body experiencing different media

Socially awkward teen Charlie is a wallflower, always

watching life from the sidelines, until two charismatic
students become his mentors. Free-spirited Sam and
her stepbrother Patrick help Charlie discover the joys
of friendship, first love, music and more. However, as
his new friends prepare to leave for college, Charlie's
inner sadness threatens to shatter his newfound
confidence.

Mr Mudd Productions - Films centered on

teen issues (Juno, GW) 2012, 13m
budget
Writer of Novel/Director Stephen Chbosky
Independent Film Awards & Teen Choice etc
Box Office gross= 33mil

Middle america
Personal/Sexuality issues
Young people, troubled but aspirational
Liberal minded equality promoting agenda
Family values and responsibilities for young
Youth being themselves to gain acceptance
No bad people. Take risks
The mise-en-scene and camera work
are used heavily to present the notion
of freedom and connection that is
desired by characters.
Music plays a very important role in
the film, symbolising expression and
escape, and togetherness.
Teen drama though unconventional to
the Hollywood's usual take on genre
Causes behind behaviour/feelings of
young people given tangible reasons
besides social environment.
Young represented to be trouble
towards themselves, with crime at a
minimum.
Adults shown to be present yet absent
in feelings and guidance process.

The audience clearly young people who can

identify and older audiences seeking film
after strong reviews?
Why did it win Film prizes from young and
independent audiences and not more mature
Hollywood ones? Content? Representations?

"The progress that has been made in depicting queer youth

in diverse and realistic ways is perhaps the most promising
development in youth cinema since the turn of the century.
Dominant American cinema has been coming to terms with
non heterosexual people.
Perks exemplifies wholesome means by which
heterosexual youth have integrated with and come to
appreciate peers with other gender identities, a model of
understanding and tolerance for youth in terms of all
differences."

Social realism
Watch the documentary on Social Realist film - make notes

Social realism is a type of lm genre which values substance over style appearing low-budget
in terms of produc:on value. It usually details the daily life of workers and poor people. Social
realism tries to show people and their lives in a realis:c way. This means that they o?en show
things which are not beau:ful or a@rac:ve. They may show people who are elderly, sick, sad
disaected or have a disability

Mise-en-scene: O#en shot on loca-on. Se0ngs made to seem truer through clu6er, grime, low level ligh-ng. Colours: dull and
neutral. Characters less made-up and some-mes dressed-down
Cinematography: may seem real by the use of hand-held camera shots, unsteady shots (shaky shots) Fixed camera posi=ons.
Edi$ng: Long takes, and a lack of cu1ng to and from dierent angles. Straight cuts used over more elaborate transi;ons. Visual
eects kept to a minimum (with the possible excep;on of desatura;on)
Sound: Non-diege*c soundtrack kept to a minimal (if used at all). Dialogue made to be less scripted and more spontaneous.

'The Selfish Giant' can be argued to be a social realist film before you watch it, what are you expectations of it?

The Selfish Giant (2013)

Director: Clio Barnard

Writer: Clio Barnard
Production Company: Protagonist Films
Budget: 1.4mil
Lifetime Gross: 882k

'The Selfish
Giant' (2013)
Clio Barnard
Deconstruct the film
posters.
What do you think the
film's narrative will be
about?
How do you think it will
approach representation
of youth?

Character & Narrative in 'Selfish Giant'

In what ways is the character of Arbor different to other
teenage characters we have watched so far?
Start to create a full character profile:

Describe his personality - how does he act, talk, behave, dress

What is happening in his life as we join him at the start of the film?
Where is he from? Describe her home, family, area.
How do we feel towards him? Is he a sympathetic character? Why?
Is he represented differently to Swifty? If so, how?

Delinquency covers such a broad spectrum of behaviours: what in

one cultural setting or period is considered transgressive (say
skipping school) may be more acceptable in other settings, in which
teens would have to commit rather dramatic offences (such as
violent crimes) in order to demonstrate their deviance from the norm.
Not all teens become deviant simply as a means of testing their
social acceptability - the etiology of delinquency runs to class and
race issues, family dynamics, genetics and psychology and political
conditions. Yet all teens find themselves accounting for their
delinquent behaviours through the very systems that determine
exactly what is delinquent: the family, school, society and the law.

Describe Arbour's home life focus on his relationship with his

mother.
Why is their relationship
fragmented? How does this
make us feel towards Arbour?
How does it differ from the
homelife/mother relationship of
Swifty?
Is this typical of what we have
studied so far in other texts?

Who is The Selfish Giant in the film?

What is the world like in Selfish Giant?

Bradford's textile industry has been in decline for many years and the city has suffered from de-industrialisation.
Some areas of Bradford are among the worst levels of social deprivation in the UK, with widespread pockets of
exclusion, and rates of unemployment in some wards exceeding 25%.

What role does the setting play in the film?

Think in terms of social class, poverty, employment,
education, leisure, crime.

Scrapping
Why does Arbour scrap?
What is the director saying about
teenage aspirations?
What is stopping Arbour from
having higher ambitions?
Are there any aspects of the film that
could symbolise Abour's situation?

Arbour & Swifty

1) Describe Arbour and Swifty's
relationship.
2) To what extent is Swifty a more
complex character than Arbour?
3) Explain how their final
scenes together are
constructed to make the
audience feel?
4) What do you think is the
director's agenda in the
portrayal of their relationship
and the final scenes?

A Complex Representation of Youth?

Can it be said that some aspects of 'Selfish
Giant' are more complex than the other media
texts we have looked at so far?
Think in terms of;
-Narrative
-Genre
-Audience
-Media Language (micro to macro)
-Institutions - what are the makers trying to do?
-Ideology - Media/Film Theories
-Representation

What would you say is the ideology of

'Selfish Giant'?

A world where community and family has lost meaning and has disintegrated. The
protagonist is in an environment where there are few ways ahead in life. Either he
gets an education in a school that clearly cannot accommodate him and his needs,
or he enters the world of scrapping and crime in an attempt to make money to
support his family. Arbour is not unique to this struggle and we see the same
despair in other characters.
Ultimately the film presents the belief that working-class life is in crisis in the UK,
with severe inequality and a lack of opportunities in many areas across the country.

Key Theorist
Antonio Gramsci
Marxist theorist Gramsci developed the concept of cultural hegemony.
This is the idea that one social class (usually the middle class) is able to
dominate a society by making their way of life and values appear
normal, natural, and common sense. As such all other ways of life are
seen as deviant and do not conform with the norms and values of
middle-class society.
As a result other social classes accept these values as the normal way of life. Gramsci
sees hegemony as a site of constant struggle societies are constantly debating what is
and isnt acceptable.
You could relate this to the more positive and sympathetic representations of working
class youth in The Selfish Giant and Top Boy' as representations which challenge the
perception of working class as thugs. Though the latter both challenges and conforms
across the characters.

What is the the world of Selfish Giant

like in relation to British society's
hegemony?

Hegemony: Selfish Giant presents a bleak message. As such, it is pushed aside and
intended for a 'niche' audience. This is not England presenting itself to the world as
a green and pleasant land. This film is exposing elements of our society that most
people would prefer were not a version of England. The Selfish Giant presents
something which feels much more real, it looks at what happens when community,
jobs and purpose go away.
As such it is evident that these characters do not fit in with the "norms" of society
and as a result are marginalised and deprived of opportunities to get ahead in life
in a way that conforms to hegemonic values.

NARRATIVE/STORY
Denotations

Character

Description:
E

Stating the obvious, retelling the story, lacking in

detail and opinion.

D
C

Analysis:

Ideas/Ideologies

Looking beyond the obvious,

making links to other texts,
finding symbolism and codes,
linking to theory and stating your
opinion in detail.

Integrating Theories

Connotations

Symbolism/Metaphors/ A*
Analogies

How is youth represented in Selfish Giant?

NARRATIVE/STORY
Denotations

Character

Connotations

E
D
C

Ideas/Ideologies

Integrating Theories

Symbolism/Metaphors/ A*
Analogies

Using your notes

on SG, write a
paragraph that
would fit the A/B
criteria.
Then share with
your group to
combine and
construct a
paragraph that
meets the A*
criteria.

BBC Radio 5, October 2013

How is youth represented in Selfish Giant?

NARRATIVE/STORY
Denotations

Character

Connotations

E
D
C

Ideas/Ideologies

Integrating Theories

Symbolism/Metaphors/ A*
Analogies

Using your notes

on SG, write a
paragraph that
would fit the A/B
criteria.
Then share with
your group to
combine and
construct a
paragraph that
meets the A*
criteria.

MIGRAIN
The 7 Key Media Studies Concepts

I n s t i t u t i o n
Producers and Director

I d e o l o g y

T
E
X
T

a collection, or "atmosphere" of ideas,

coming from the text and institution

Narrative

story/plot/characters

Media Language
mise-en-scene
camera
editing sound

Representation
The perceptions media texts create of
people and places

Audience
a collective body experiencing different media

Genre

is the text easily

categorised?

Apply the MIGRAIN table

to 'Selfish Giant'

Protagonist Films, UK Film Council,

2009, 1.4m budget
Clio Barnard director
Won Best European Film at Cannes
Nominated best film at Baftas
Box Office gross= 882k

MIGRAIN

Working-class life is in crisis in the UK?

Inequality and lack of opportunities
Under-represented lives
Liberal minded agenda (equal opps belief)

The 7 Key Media Studies Concepts

a collection, or "atmosphere" of ideas, coming from the text and institution

Institution

Producers and Director

The mise-en-scene and camera work

is dominated by the shots of the
location and the protagonist Arbour .
Both are somewhat downtrodden.

Media Language

Narrative

story/plot/characters

mise-en-scene
camera
editing sound

Genre

is the text easily

categorised?

Representation
The perceptions media texts
create of people and places

Audience

a collective body experiencing different media

Excluded from school and outsiders in their own neighborhood, 13 year

old Arbor and his best friend Swifty meet Kitten, a local scrap dealer.
Wandering their town with just a horse and a cart, they begin collecting
scrap metal for him. Swifty has a natural gift with horses while Arbor
emulates Kitten - keen to impress him and make some money. However,
Kitten favors Swifty, leaving Arbor feeling hurt and excluded, driving a
wedge between the boys. As Arbor becomes increasingly greedy and
exploitative, tensions build, leading to a tragic event that transforms them
all.

Too narrative driven to be of a genre but

it has a social realist/documentary style
Working-class teenagers are shown to
have minimal opportunities to follow
their dreams or even conform to social
norms, and are highly vulnerable.
Arbour's behaviour is socially
unacceptable, but stereotypical of young
boys in similar areas, but we are given
more reasons to understand why he is
the way he is.
The "pleasures" of this text are dubious, so
what is the appeal to an audience? Who
would like to see this film? Working-class or
middle-clss audiences?
Why did it win Film prizes from two middleclass audience of critics?

The 100 (2014-)

Produced by: Warner Bros.TV for The CW

Showrunner: Jason Rothenberg
Based on the books of Kass Morgan

What is life like for youth characters in the world

of 'The 100'?
Different from in other texts?

How is mise-en-scene used to reflect life for youth here?

How is the contrast between life on the Ark and Earth
shown?
To what extent is dominance shown from the adults/youth?
What relevance is the setting in how life for youth is
portrayed?

How are youth represented in 'The 100'?

Positively or negatively? Sympathetically or Harshly?

Collectively or individually?
What is their role in the text's narrative?
How are the characters' actions motivated?
Which theories best fit the representation of youth here?

To what extent does The 100 conform

to youth stereotypes?

To what extent are the stereotypes a result of

the particular audience/institution?
Is the genre relevant to the representations
made?
How realistic is The 100 in its representation of
youth?

Parental Relationships

What are the relationships like between the

parents and their children?
How is the behaviour of the youth characters
impacted by their relationships with parents?
How do the parental relationships differ to the
other texts you have looked at?

Recent research has pointed to the dangers of romanticising

youthful resistance and the tendency to overstate the the political
dimensions of youth culture
David Buckingham,
The Youth are prohibited from speaking as moral and political
agents, youth become an empty category inhabited by the desires,
fantasies and interest of the adult world.
Jonathan Epstein

What does these quotes mean and how

can they apply to the texts you have
studied?

Dope (2015)

Director: Rick Famuyiwa

Writer: Rick Famuyiwa
Production Companies: Significant Productions
i am OTHER
Revolt Films
Budget: 7mil
Lifetime Gross: 17.9mil

In what ways is the character of Malcolm different/similar to

other teenage characters we have watched so far?

1) Describe the world (mise-en-scene) in which the young characters inhabit

2) To what extent is Malcolm a more complex representation of youth
than we seen in other narratives/genres?
3) How is Malcolm in relation to his environment?
4) What are the similarities and differences between this film and 'Selfish Giant'?

A few minutes into Dope, you realize that the rules are slightly different for this
particular entry into the high-school movies tradition. Yes, like so many other films, its
about uncool kids falling in with the cool kids and then having their values tested. Yes,
Malcolm and his best friends Diggy and Jib worry about bullies, prom dates, and getting
into college. At first, it might seem like the movies novelty is merely because of racial
transpositionmaybe its a black Breakfast Club, where the geeks geekdom mostly
comes from their love of 90s hip hop and white shit.
But the locker-lined hallways depicted in the film are fundamentally different from the
ones populating John Hughes films, Superbad, and Mean Girls, less because of the
color shift than because of what this particular color shift means in the real world. Being
a geek here isnt just about being obsessed with unpopular stuff; its about opting out
from cultural expectations as a way to try and survive.

Early in the film, its established that in the low-income neighborhood of the
Bottoms in Inglewood, the drug trade is an inescapable part of the social scene,
and anyone can be killed for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. This isnt
presented as a big, dramatic stakes-raiser, but rather as a simple fact, as it is for
so many Americans. And as with so many simple, horrible facts, it becomes a
source of grim humor. A student gets shot during a robbery at a burger shack, and
the real tragedy, the narrator says, is that he was seconds away from defeating a
level on his Game Boy.

Theorist:

Hebdige (1979)
Hebdige argues that youth subcultures are a way for young people to
express their opposition to society, and to challenge hegemony. This
is primarily expressed through style.
How does this apply to Dope?
In this context you may consider how the youths behaviour is a
response to their position in society (e.g. although Malcolm is from an
environment where deviance is the norm, he opposes and resists
these expectations with higher aspirations and an eclectic style/
personality).
Hebidge also argues that representations of young people are quite
limited showing them as either fun or trouble. Again this suggests
media representations of young people do not really relate to reality.

 Acts of Juvenile delinquency are born from origins more

desperate than the need to rebel against norms or stand up to
oppression, and tend to find their root causes in poverty, parental
misguidance (or absence), abuse by elders, and on occasion
mental illness. - Tim Shary

How true is this quote for Dope?

How realistic is the crime in 'Dope'?

Does it reflect society? Or is it present to
simply serve the genre?

When watching the remainder of the film

observe the way the representation of
youth and Malcolm transforms.

Also think about how these representations

are shown through particular micro elements.

Select and discuss 2 examples for each of

MES and cinematography, where they have
been used to convey meaning for young
characters

Read the article on stereotypes in

Dope and discuss how the film reflects
them

How is music used to represent the

youth in Dope ?

How is music used to reflect the individuals in

Dope?
How is music used here to challenge
stereotypes?
What might the director be trying to say
through the use of music here?
Is music in 'Dope' used differently than in the
other texts you have seen?

Yeah, first day of school

(hey)
Good grades are cool
(uh huh)
Tryna find a new way to rule
And land a new major boo
My mind
Is like a ride
Bumping Young Jeezy inside
(yeah)
I march to the beat of my own drum
And tomorrow don't care about the outcome
[Hook]
I won't act like a gansta would
But naw
You can't fuck with my hood
It seems that lately
Your homeboys try to play me
Stay acting shady
My ego might just make me

What the filmmakers said...

"These three kids have ambition, its what drives the movie. That
optimism, Malcolms ambition, is the lense by which the audience
connects. Whatever success the film has had, its because people relate
to the honesty of this kid even if theyre not from that environment. Its the
same way that I connected to The Breakfast Club or Ferris Buellers Day
Off even though I wasnt a white kid from suburban Chicago."
"The point was not only to immerse the actors in a wide variety of oldschool obsessions but also to get them in mindset of disaffected youths
with something to prove, as there are so many instances where kids who
have talent and intellect have to navigate the world of low expectations
and resources" - Famuwiya
How does race politics and art promoting social justice relate
to Dope?
"I think that now with social media we are seeing things that have been
latently living under the surface for a long time, and so this just happened
to come at that time. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't thinking about that as an
influence. I was thinking about Malcolm and what black masculinity
means and how that would be. How if you were a kid from this part of the
world, you could be looked upon as a menace and a geek at the same
time. [I wanted to explore] what that means." - Famuwiya
I guess I see it as a universal film, because the themes in the movie are
so strong. Its about trying to feel a sense of self, trying to get out of
circumstances and get a life that you choose. Its hard for me to imagine
hardly any culture not relating to the internal messages of the movie.
And then you have at the center a character whos a little lost, trying to
find himself, trying to say something. He meets a girl, he wants her to
like him, hes a little off. And then he goes on a journey to find himself. If
I told you it was a Latin story youd say, Oh, okay. If I said it was a
White story, if I said it was a Filipino story, it fits all those things. So I
think theyll love it. - Forest Whitaker (Producer)

What the critics said...

"The movie comes down to a series of us vs. them situations. Malcolm
felt completely disconnected from every aspect of his neighbourhood,
with the exception of his love interest, Nakia, played by Zoe Kravitz.
Because of Malcolms isolation from his environment, and because the
movie is told from his POV, the audience sees everyone that isnt a part
of Malcolms crew, as less than. There were such great side characters
who could have lent a hand in breaking down the stereotypes in the
movie, like the school security guard who defends Malcolm from bullies.
He is young, tatted up and very dominantyou get the impression that
he walked away from a much harder life to pursue a more stable one. But
I can only imagine his back story because his character receives screen
time only when its necessary for the street-dumb Malcolm to take
advantage of him so he can cut Molly in the schools science lab."
"Mr. Famuyiwa may be interested in mocking and subverting stereotypes,
but hes unwilling to go beyond them entirely, to populate his sunny
Southern California mean streets with fully rounded human beings. He
also leans too heavily on the audiences presumed prejudices, or maybe
on prejudices that some members of the audience will be eager to
attribute to somebody else."
"Does 'Dope' treat Malcolm an ambitious, intelligent, nonviolent black
adolescent like a freak, or does it depict a world in which hes viewed
that way? Does the film engage its precursors (movies like Boyz N the
Hood and Menace II Society) as update, pastiche or critique, or as some
combination?"
"In addition to revitalizing a genre, Dope has a social message about
being true to yourself and about transcending ones circumstances without
leaving them behind or condemning them. And it joyfully humanizes a
group of people too often left to grim stereotyping in pop culture." - The
Atlantic Magazine

Apply the MIGRAIN table

to 'Dope'

Significant Productions (Whitaker)

i am OTHER (Pharrell)
Revolt Films (Puffy)
2015, $7m budget
Rick Fumayiwa director
Nominated for Best Drama at
Sundance
Box Office gross= $18mil

MIGRAIN

Social expectations of young black males

Inequality and lack of opportunities in hood.
Under-represented lives.
Barriers to aspirations for youth.

The 7 Key Media Studies Concepts

a collection, or "atmosphere" of ideas, coming from the text and institution

Institution

Producers and Director

Media Language

Narrative

story/plot/characters

mise-en-scene
camera
editing sound

The soundtrack is important in reflecting

the mentality and personality of Malcolm
Cinematography and Mise-en-scene is
used to establish the location and
environment that Malcolm resides and
uses costume and performance to
juxtapose the stereotypes associated
with Inglewood, Los Angeles.

Genre

is the text easily

categorised?

Representation
The perceptions media texts
create of people and places

Audience

a collective body experiencing different media

High-school senior Malcolm and his friends Jib and

Diggy bond over '90s hip-hop culture, their studies
and playing music in their own punk band. A chance
encounter with a drug dealer named Dom lands
Malcolm and company at the dealer's nightclub
birthday party; when the scene turns violent, they
flee -- with the Ecstasy that Dom secretly hid in
Malcolm's backpack. A wild adventure ensues as the
youths try to evade armed thugs who want the stash.

Comedy, Drama and Crime

Stereotypes are broken and reinforced
across cast with Malcolm being a young
black male focused on education and
with aspirations. However he is
juxtaposed against the stereotypical
black males in the hood that are involved
in crime. The expected character types of
the black gang members are present in
Dom etc, but even they are layered with
an unconventional personality. Young
females very conventional of black youth
films, bar Diggy - lesbian tomboy.
15-30 male/female.
Black or white audiences? Why?
Older nostalgic generation?
Cinemascore A- Rating
Queer Palm Nominee at Cannes. Why?

GENRE VS REALISM

Genre Films

Social Realism - what is it?

Promise, Expectation, Escapism

What has it got to do with documentaries?

Profit

Dope, Kidulthood, Eden Lake

Understand the world

importance of representing
social issues and groups

Ken Loach/Shane
Meadows films
eg., 'This is England'

So, what has this got to do with Youth identity? Look at the mise-en-scene in the poster above.
How does this film represent teenagers? What do you think the director's primary aims were?

Realistic

Top Boy
Boyz N The Hood
Palo Alto
Skins
Spring Breakers
The 100
Dope
Perks
The Selfish Giant

Mediated

My Brother The Devil (2012)

Director: Sally El Hosaini

Writer: Sally El Hosaini
Production Company: Rooks Nest
Entertainment/Wild Horses Film Co.
Budget: Low
Lifetime Gross: 1.2mil

How is family and the home presented in the film?

Think environmentally, financially,

culturally, socially, politically...

How is criminality and violence

presented in My Brother The Devil?

How are the young characters who commit crime and violence
presented?
What are the causes of crime and violence from the youth?
What are the relationships like with adults and youth?
Is crime and violence presented differently in the other texts you
have studied?

"The progress that has been made in

depicting queer youth in diverse and
realistic ways is perhaps the most
promising development in youth cinema
since the turn of the century. Dominant
cinema has been coming to terms with non
heterosexual people.
Perks exemplifies wholesome means by
which heterosexual youth have integrated
with and come to appreciate peers with
other gender identities, a model of
understanding and tolerance for youth in
terms of all differences." - Timothy Shary

Sally El Hosaini's Guardian Interview 2012

I wanted to explore the importance of masculinity. I'd been living in
Hackney for 10 years. I could see teenage boys hanging around
my neighbourhood and they fascinated me, especially the Arab
boys who had a cultural upbringing to which I could relate.
At first I was interested in the gang as a surrogate family. But the
more I got to know the boys, I was drawn to their struggles. My
background is in documentary. I spent a lot of time in their
company listening to their stories. I witnessed their attempts to
achieve happiness and their struggles to gain employment.
I'm interested in people on the margins of society; outsiders and
outcasts.
There was the excitement of setting out to have a gay Arab
gangster as your lead character. I was also determined that the
film would end on a message of hope. I think as a film-maker you
have a responsibility about what you're putting out into the world.

MIGRAIN
The 7 Key Media Studies Concepts

a collection, or "atmosphere" of ideas, coming from the text and institution

Institution
Producers and Director
Media Language
Narrative

story/plot/characters

mise-en-scene
camera
editing sound

Representation
The perceptions media texts create of
people and places

Audience

a collective body experiencing different media

Genre

is the text easily

categorised?

Apply a
MIGRAIN
reading to
the film.

Bob Franklin

Write down the key points about Moral Panics

Stanley Cohen - Folk Devils & Moral Panics (1972)

Cohen studied the media response to the mods and rockers riots
in the 1960s. He argued that from time to time folk devils
emerge in a society which reflect the anxieties of society at that
time (e.g. mods and rockers reflect social anxiety about the
emergence of youth culture, rock and roll, etc.). A moral panic
occurs when the media reports on these folk devils in a
sensationalised way which leads to intervention by politicians,
and the police. The effect of a moral panic is to reassert
hegemony by allowing a society to make clear what values it
does not accept.
The representation of working class youths suggest they have
become a contemporary folk devil, perhaps tapping into
economic anxieties, concern about a benefits culture, and long
term unemployment.
Which representations of Youth do you think have been
sensationalised? And what could the effects of this be on
contemporary society?

 Latest available arrests data relate to the 2012/13 financial

year. In 2012/13 there were 1.07 million arrests for
notifiable offences in England and Wales, of which 126,809
were of people aged 10-17 years. These 10-17 year olds
arrested accounted for 11.8 per cent of all the arrests.
The number of arrests of young people has fallen by 24 per
cent between 2011/12 and 2012/13. This continues the
downward trend seen since the peak in arrests in 2006/07.
In 2013/14 there were 33,902 young people sentenced in
England and Wales. This has fallen by 23 per cent in the
last year. The number of young people sentenced to
immediate custody fell by 21 per cent from 2,815 in 2012/13
to 2,226 in 2013/14. This number has fallen by 65 per cent
since 2003/04, when there were 6,288 young people
sentenced to immediate custody.
This is a decrease of 17 per cent on the 30,739 given in
2012/13, and a decrease of 73 per cent on the 96,381 given
in 2003/04.
In 2013/14, 25,625 youth cautions were issued by the
Police.

Charles Acland (1995)

Acland argues that media representations of delinquent youths
actually reinforce hegemony. They do this by constructing an
idea of normal adult and youth behaviour, and contrasting it
with deviant youth behaviour which is shown to be
unacceptable.
Acland also claims that media representations of young people
out of control allows the state to have more control of them (e.g.
media reports about delinquent youths led to ASBOs). This is
something Acland calls the ideology of protection the idea that
young people need constant surveillance and monitoring. This
happens because youth is the time when young people learn
about social roles and values, and allows the state to make sure
they conform to hegemonic values.
Question: Do the representations you have seen show young
people as behaving in an unacceptable way? If so does this
identify what behaviour society thinks is acceptable (i.e.
hegemonic)?
You may want to focus particularly on how the representations we
looked at show working class youths to be deviant, thus
reinforcing middle class hegemony. Reference at least two texts
and scenes within to back up your answer

What different representations relating to

youth can you find across these texts?

How are these represented?

Positively or negatively?
Sympathetic or not?

What different representations relating to

youth can you find across these texts?

n
o
i
t
Ethnicity
a
h
c
t
l
Adult/Youth Age EduG
a
e
e
S
n
exu nde W
o
i
Relationships
t
a
Loc
alit r Class
y
n
How are these represented?
o
i
h
s
a
F
Positively or negatively?
Drugs
Crime
Sympathetic or not?

What different representations relating to

youth can you find across these texts?

lth
a
We

Class
Adult/Youth
Relationships

Ethnicity

Ge
y
t
n
i
l
n
o
a
d
i
Crime
u
t
e
x
r
a
e
n
o
c
S
i
t
o
a
c
L
Edu
Ethnicity
n
o
i
t
a
c
Lo
Fashion
Drugs

Age
How are these represented?
Positively or negatively?
Sympathetic or not?

Linking the Representations

On your own discuss at least one of the same
representations that are made about these
characters. (Minimum of two characters)

Sexuality is clearly an issue that reoccurs in the youth film, as

characters struggle to interact with socially "normal" peers and
adapt to the newly found feelings and development they are
encountering. This can be seen in Perks where Patrick although
confident in expressing his sexuality and personality is quite
clearly depressed and upset with how his peers interact with him,
even if at times he seems particularly happy. We can see this in
the scene where Patrick and Charlie go out and are drinking at
the 'make-out point'. In this low key lit scene we gain an insight
into Patrick's true feelings and a prolonged shot reverse shot
technique is used to show this gradual breakdown until the point
where his confusion leads to him kissing Charlie. In some ways
this contrasts to Rashid in MBTD as he represses his sexuality
due to his family beliefs and enviromental norms, yet at the same
time his peers are not accepting of his way of being and once
again we see the characters struggling to not only deal with their
new found feelings but also the need to be accepted by their
peers and/or family regardless of their differences. By the end of
both films we see what Tim Shary describes as an example of
'heterosexual youth integrating and coming to appreciate peers
with other gender identities". Shary also states that cinema has
made significant progress in depicting 'queer youth' in diverse
and realistic ways, which can be seen as reflecting societies
gradual acceptance of different sexualities.

Could be seen as media reflecting reality

Media positively influencing society and a
significant change in youth representation

This need for acceptance and belonging, a recurring theme and

convention of the youth film is not only evident in Rashid's
character in MBTD, but also in his younger brother Mo's
character. In Mo we see a young person who idolises his older
brother and his friends and longs to part of their gang 'DGM'.
There are a number of scenes that exemplify this need to belong
for Mo, but the one that shows it more than any is in the opening
part of the film where Mo has just received his excellent GCSE
results and wants to go with his brother and his friends in their
car. This scene is set on a bright summers day that depicts the
opportunities one has after a successful results day, yet he is
drawn to the dark confines of a low key lit car containing his
brother and his gang. Mo's performance is one of nervousness
and awkwardness as he looks around at them win awe and
amazement. Fast paced editing and handheld camera are used
to reflect how overwhelmed he felt and to some degree star
struck by this gang. The bright pink t shirt he wears also
highlights his immaturity and innocence as he attempts to
assimilate with the older more experienced gang.
Cinematography is also utilised to emphasise the feeling of
inferiority for Mo as he is shot through a high angle over the
shoulder shot when Rashid is talking to him and giving him a
menial task to perform for the gang in an attempt to make him
feel included.

Could be seen as media reflecting reality

Recap
On your own list the themes we have
encountered so far in youth film

 Isolation/Alienation
Loneliness/Outcast
Coming-of-age inc. Loss of virginity
Peer pressure inc. crime and drugs
Hating life/Wanting to escape/Depression
Family Dynamics
Belonging
Education

Mo
Scene Evident
Representation Made
Charlie
Alienation

Theme/Issue

Question 2: Collective Identity

The collective group we choose to study here is The Youth so
all your case studies will involve young people in some way.
Students MUST discuss case studies from TWO different types of
media. Here we study Film AND Television examples. Students
who only refer to one of these cannot get higher than an E grade.
The focus is on contemporary media texts from the last 5 years
which means students must have lots of modern case studies to
refer from although they can refer to older texts to make points
about changes in identity. Students must also be prepared to
discuss the history and future of identity in any answer they give
and will be unable to obtain higher than a B grade if they do not
mention these in any answer.

On your tables, write an essay plan for

the following question.
Analyse the ways in which at least one
group of people is 'mediated' (50 marks)
The "group of people" you will discuss are
'Youths'.

Analyse the ways in which at least one

group of people is 'mediated' (50 marks)
If the word MEDIATED comes up heres a few ideas about it to
include in an introduction which then allows you go on to talk
about your case studies.
"Mediation is the process of the representation of events/people
through the media." Gurevitch & Roberts
Mediated experiences make us reflect upon and rethink our own
self-narrative in relation to others - Gary Giddens (1991)
Almost everything we see comes to us through the media prism
which in turn colours not just our view of this life but our own
self-definition.
Thomas de Zengotita, Mediated: The Hidden Effect of the Media
on You and Your World (2005)
The word mediated is another way of talking how the media
represents things, but a word that emphasises the idea that
representation is a CONSTRUCTION of reality fore-grounding,
selecting, filtering reality.

Analyse the ways in which at least one

group of people is 'mediated' (50 marks)
Intro - Explain who your chosen group is
Define the term "mediated" and how your
chosen group of people are "mediated" represented in the media
Historic & present media representations w/
examples
Media Institutions & their possible agendas
How youth are represented in your key
texts
The relevent themes/issues across your
texts
How your key texts enforce or subvert
stereotypes and media representations
Micro elements and how they are used for
representations in your key texts
Appropriate theories
Possible future representations

NARRATIVE/STORY
Denotations

Character

Connotations

Ideas

Theories

Description:
E

Stating the obvious, retelling the story, lacking in

detail and opinion.

D
C

Analysis:

Looking beyond the obvious,

making links to other texts,
finding symbolism and codes,
linking to theory and stating your
opinion in detail.

Symbolism/Metaphors/ A*
Analogies

How realistic are the youth representations in the films

you have looked at?

Think about to what extent...

The representations are imagined media representations
The representation of youth in society is actually constructed
by the media
The impact of these representations on the youth in society
Youth (personalities, behaviours & habits) in society has been
formed by the media

Teen Trouble Documentary

(Channel 4, 2007)

Youth Culture &Film....

Using your research and lesson materials complete a timeline like the
one below adding your own research:

Title (year)
Director
Summary of narrative
Representation of youth?

1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s?

**Include all of our key film texts!

Teenagers on Film - 26 December 2013

Section B:
This part of the exam asks you to do three specific things,
whatever
topic you answer on:
1. You MUST refer to at least TWO different media (Film & TV)
2. You MUST refer to past, present and future (with the
emphasis on the
present - contemporary examples from the past five years)
3. Refer to critical/theoretical thoughts on the subject.

For 1. you will compare and contrast examples from film and TV.
For 2. the main thing is to ensure you have a majority of material
from the past five years.
There were a number of answers last year which were dominated
by older films, so beware of this! 2x historical text, 3-4x
contemporary texts. And don't forget to offer your thoughts on
future representations.
For 3. you need some critics/writers who have developed ideas
about representation and identity.
You can't cover everything in this exam, as you only have an hour,
so you need to be selective in your answer. Have case study
examples which really illustrate the kinds of points you want to
make.

You must refer to at least two types of media (e.g. Film and
television). If you only refer to one type of media you wont
be able to achieve above a Level 1 (E).
You must refer to both the past and give a prediction future.
If you dont you will not be able to achieve above a Level 2
(D).
The majority of your essay must be about the contemporary
texts. Limit your discussion of historical texts to one
paragraph
When applying theory remember that the theorists are not
discussing the texts you are talking about. You are applying
their ideas to your chosen texts

"Media simply represent collective identity, they don't

create it" How far do you agree with this statement?
(50 Marks)

Answers on youth dominated the collective identity responses.

These worked well when the complexity of youth representation
was addressed and were less accomplished when the negative,
hegemonic portrayal of youth was itself asserted as common
sense and only supported by a description of Fish Tank or Harry
Brown and the tabloid reporting of the recent riots as part of a
straightforward linear modality. Whilst texts that provide historical
context are valuable, the weighting must be on analysis of
contemporary representations and too often, the older example
was given too much prominence, to the extent that, overall,
Quadrophenia was one of the most studied texts this session.
Candidates achieving higher levels used a range of examples
and theorists from across the spectrum of the debate in
question to support their argument and directly answered the
question set. As there is a choice offered for each topic, this is
very important, as is deploying a range of contemporary
examples from different media, with some historical context and
future projection. Weaker answers failed to make connections
between theorists ideas and the candidates chosen examples.

In 'The Selfish Giant' one can find an alternative

representation of youth, compared to the ones
found in 'Perks of Being a Wallflower'. Although
both films present a rather sympathetic
representation of youth, Selfish Giant, a British
Social realist film presents them in a realistic and
less optimistic way. In this case, Arbor and Swifty
by presenting them as young boys, making poor
decisions, while needing to grow up faster than
they should for the sake of their families.
The boys are positioned in an environment of
deprevation, and prolonged establishing shots
are used frequently to convey the impoverished
neighbourhood where they live. These images
are followed by harsh scenes depicting the
hopeless and bleak life they live. The costuming
of the boys enforces this image of poverty with
Arbor wearing clothes too small for him and full
of holes. There are a number of scenes in the
film where the extent to which the children are
shown to be impoverished is evident, such as
the scene where Swifty pays for his fathers
debts with money obtained through scrapping. In
this scene we see Swifty, not for the first time,
act as a father figure in his family, by paying the
debt collectors the money owed.

Earlier in the film while his father sells their sofa,

we see Swifty holding his baby sibling as his
father acts irresponsibly selling furniture, this
juxtaposes Swifty as the responsible man of the
house, while making the father look pitiful. The
lighting and set design reinforce the
dysfunctional family unit through the use of low
key lighting in the living room presenting a
depressing and bleak living environment. There
is also a noticeable lack of furniture for the large
family to use, which is only heightened when the
father sells the sofa. The use of mise-en-scene
here emphasises the harsh life that Swifty has to
live, as a young boy who wants to take care of
his family, as his parents cannot.

This portrayal of incapable parenting can also be

seen in 'Top Boy' where Ra'nell has to care for
himself and his mother due to her inadequacies.
Both of these texts present a world where the
nuclear family has disintegrated leaving children
to fend for themselves and needing to provide
for the others around them. The environment in
which these characters inhabit offers few ways
ahead in life with neither child able to engage
fully in education and seeing opportunities to
make money illeagally become an enticing
option. Another scene that depicts the youth as
disengaged is when Arbor is sitting in the
corridor at school. He is shown here through a
long shot to be bored and disengaged in
education as he fidgits and messes around while
waiting for his teacher. This use of a long shot
here makes Arbor look small and irrelevent in
this educational setting and combined with his
agitated performance emphasise the themes of
belonging and Arbor struggling to fit into society's
norms of pursuing education. Again his dirty
appearence and costuming contrasts the newly
built school he attends, emphasising the this lack
of belonging in the school and marginalisation in
society.

The school with its wealth and facilities cannot

accomodate or engage Arbor and as such he
acts out seeks belonging and acceptance in a
different place. This mirrors a similar scene in
Top Boy where Ra'nell is walking through the
corridors of school discussing his family's
financial issues, when a woman asks him to
come out to help her grow drugs. Ra'nell sees
this as an opportunity to help his mother and
costume is used here to emphasise him being
out of place in the drugworld by him wearing
his school uniform while doing something no
school child should be involved in or feel they
have to do to provide for their family. Ra'nell
Not only do these characters seek belonging
but they also seek to, though not consciously,
challenge the hedgemonic norms and values
through delinquency.
This need for acceptance and belonging is a
recurring theme in the youth film genre, being
one that drives narratives and is the source of
much conflict, both in US media texts and UK
ones, however the way is this need for belonging
and acceptance is presented is different and as
such has different outcomes and consequences.
In 'Perks' we can see a number of characters
seeking approval and belonging in social circles

Revision Flashcards

'Discuss the social implications of media in

relation to collective identity.' (50 Marks)

'Discuss the social implications of media in relation

to collective identity.' (50 Marks)

Intro - Explain what is meant by social

implications, and introduce the effects the
media can have on society - Identify your
examples
Historic & present media representations w/
examples
Media Institutions & their possible agendas
How young people represented in your key
texts
How your key texts enforce or subvert
stereotypes and media representations
Micro elements and how they are used for
representations in your key texts
Discuss how society can be affected by the
media
Appropriate theories - Gerbner, Achland,
Cohen, Gramsci & Giroux
Possible future representations and effects

Media and collective identity; how does one

affect the other? (50 Marks)

How has the representation of youth from historic texts influenced

the TV and films of today?
Hollywood Rebels

Cooly challenge authority for effect

Social Realism

Trapped by society/lack of opportunities

Select a key scene from two of your

chosen texts - one film and one TV.
Compare and contrast them discussing
the following.
Identify how the scenes play a key part in
the texts' representing of the youth.
Remember to describe the role of
particular micro elements in the
representation.
Are the young people represented
positively/negatively? Stereotypically?
Realistically? Generically?
Identify at least one theory that can be
applied to your argument (for or against).
Prepare to share your paragraph with
the class.

NARRATIVE/STORY

Description:

Denotations

Character

Connotations

Stating the obvious, retelling the story, lacking in

detail and opinion.

Analysis:

Ideas

Looking beyond the obvious,

making links to other texts,
finding symbolism and codes,
linking to theory and stating your
opinion in detail.

Theories

Symbolism/Metaphors/
Analogies

A*

Education

Think about how education and students

in the school environment are portrayed.

In the texts you have seen, how has the

youth been represented with regards to
education and their relationship with it?

What purpose does education/school serve?

What environment is presented?

Top Boy

Dope

Think about who/

what is to blame for
the way the young
characters behave.

Plenary:

In twos/threes, make a statement about the relationship

between genre and the representation of teenagers
You should include one of the words described as a link
between the characters in the last lesson.
Think about how the genre dictates how teenagers are
represented.

Theorist:

Gerbner (1986)
Gerbner studied the effect of television on peoples perception of
crime. He found that people who watched a lot of television tended
to overestimate the levels of crime.
Because the news, TV dramas, films, contain lots of
representations of crime over time this influenced peoples
perceptions of the world. This is called cultivation theory.
How could you apply this to media representations of youth?
The large numbers of representations of young people as
delinquents could, over time, influence how they are perceived by
society.

Theorist:

Theorist:

Giroux (1997)
Giroux argues that in the media,
representations of youth become an
empty category.
This is because most media
representations of young people
are constructed by adults. Because
of this they reflect adults' concerns,
anxieties, and needs.
As a result these 'adult' media
representations, perceptions of
young people do not necessarily
reflect the reality of youth identity.

Claude LeviStrauss - Binary

oppositions:

A film narrative's meaning and

understanding comes from
placing things in
complete and direct
opposition to one another.
Opposites can be visual
(light/darkness, young/old) or
conceptual (love/hate, good/
evil).

Theorist:

Hebdige (1979)
Hebdige argues that youth subcultures are a way for young people to
express their opposition to society, and to challenge hegemony. This
is primarily expressed through style.
In this context you may consider how the youths behaviour is a
response to their position in society (e.g. although Malcolm is from
an environment where deviance is the norm, he opposes and resists
these expectations with higher aspirations and an eclectic style/
personality).

Hebidge also argues that representations of young people are quite

limited showing them as either fun or trouble. Again this suggests
media representations of young people do not really relate to reality.

Theorist:

Angela McRobbie

Angela McRobbie suggests that contemporary British TV often

contains symbolic violence against the working class
She states that Television constructs representations which
emphasise middle class dominance and depict the working class
in very negative ways. This is done by displaying them committing
crimes, not attending school, claiming benefits and not positively
contributing to society.

Stanley Cohen - Folk Devils & Moral Panics (1972)

Cohen studied the media response to the mods and rockers riots
in the 1960s. He argued that from time to time folk devils
emerge in a society which reflect the anxieties of society at that
time (e.g. mods and rockers reflect social anxiety about the
emergence of youth culture, rock and roll, etc.). A moral panic
occurs when the media reports on these folk devils in a
sensationalised way which leads to intervention by politicians,
and the police. The effect of a moral panic is to reassert
hegemony by allowing a society to make clear what values it
does not accept.
The representation of working class youths suggest they have
become a contemporary folk devil, perhaps tapping into
economic anxieties, concern about a benefits culture, and long
term unemployment.

Charles Acland (1995)

Acland argues that media representations of delinquent youths
actually reinforce hegemony. They do this by constructing an
idea of normal adult and youth behaviour, and contrasting it
with deviant youth behaviour which is shown to be
unacceptable.
Acland also claims that media representations of young people
out of control allows the state to have more control of them (e.g.
media reports about delinquent youths led to ASBOs). This is
something Acland calls the ideology of protection the idea that
young people need constant surveillance and monitoring. This
happens because youth is the time when young people learn
about social roles and values, and allows the state to make sure
they conform to hegemonic values.

Using the essay structure sheets, begin

drafting paragraphs using your own texts for
the following question.
"Media representations are complex,
not simple and straightforward". How
far do you agree with this statement in
relation to the collective group you
have studied?
Remember to use two texts for both film and
TV, preferably ones that offer good points of
comparison.

6. The Future!
Over to you! Where does the future lie for youth
representation?

Think about webseries like these...

Kids today are tomorrow's adults!

Future Representations.......?
Points to consider in your conclusion:
Has the representation of youth change from past to present? If yes, can you predict where it is heading
in the future?
Are we still going to have the same representations as we had before e.g. Demonisation,
Sensationalism, 'Popular notions of adolesence' etc? Will audiences become 'bored' of this? Will society
change and affect the media?
Do you really think representations of youth will change? (N.B. remember our class' attitude to Year 7s rude, arrogant, thinking that they own the place - are you just going to become typical adults in terms how
you treat the younger generation? The norm, both in the past and currently, is for older creators to
construct representations of youth: Eden Lake, Harry Brown etc. Inbetweeners is written by guys in their
thirties. Creator of Misfits, Howard Overman, is 36. Skins, however, uses experienced writers and writers
of the age group they are trying to depict. So is this the future - younger writers/directors getting involved to
create more truthful, relevant representations? At what age though do you stop being 'young'!?
Or will truthful realistic representations be found on the internet where UK youth are already in control (to
a degree) of how they are represented through Youtube and Facebook - Social Networking? Consumers
become producers!!!
There's no right or wrong answer - just don't say that in the future kids will be on hoverboards and
live under the sea

media and everyday life

Theorist:

Research David Gauntlett's theory

internet
allows us to connect and create
'Connecting & Creating' Media 2.0

- consumers becoming producers!!

How can this possibly be linked to future

representations of teenagers in the Media?

Theorist:

The most visible shift in the delinquent subgenre has

been in its moral addresses towards its characters:
many early to mid-80s deliquency films made deviance
look fun and harmless, but by the early 90s the
dominant image of delinquency was the dangerous
african american hold, and in the later 90s delinquent
roles incorporated both moral poles to neutralise the
potency of youth rebellion accordingly, until the
columbine killings in 1999 made the industry abandon
blatant images of delinquency altogether.

An argument can be made that adult filmmakers are only

producing such images of youth to appeal to young audiences who
patronise films and that these images are based on the social
realities and fantasies of most youth, or else the films would not
find an audience.
The access youth have to technology will not only change their
senses of identity, but it should provide them with the means to
take greater control over the production of their images, which will
be a radical development indeed.

Question 2:
The collective group we choose to study here is The Youth so all your case studies will
involve young people in some way. Students MUST discuss case studies from TWO different
types of media. Here we study Film AND Television examples. Students who only refer to one
of these cannot get higher than a D grade.
The focus is on contemporary media texts from the last 5 years which means students must
have lots of modern case studies to refer from although they can refer to older texts to
make points about changes in identity. Students must also be prepared to discuss the history
and future of identity in any answer they give and will be unable to obtain higher than a B
grade if they do not mention these in any answer.

8. Exam prep!

Questions/Answers/Past-Papers/Exemplar
Answers/Techniques/Advice from OCR

Section B:
This part of the exam asks you to do three specific things, whatever
topic you answer on:
1. You MUST refer to at least TWO different media (Film & TV)
2. You MUST refer to past, present and future (with the emphasis on the
present - contemporary examples from the past five years)
3. Refer to critical/theoretical thoughts on the subject.

For 1. you will compare and contrast examples from film and TV.
For 2. the main thing is to ensure you have a majority of material from the past five years.
There were a number of answers last year which were dominated by older films, so beware
of this! 1x historical text, 3x contemporary texts. And don't forget to offer your thoughts
on future representations.
For 3. you need some critics/writers who have developed ideas about representation and
identity.
You can't cover everything in this exam, asyou only have an hour, so you need to be
selective in your answer. Have case study examples which really illustrate the kinds of
points you want to make.

 You must refer to at least two types of media (e.g. Film and
television). If you only refer to one type of media you wont
be able to achieve above a Level 1 (U).
You must refer to both the past and give a prediction future.
If you dont you will not be able to achieve above a Level 3
(C/B).
The majority of your essay must be about the contemporary
texts. Limit your discussion of historical texts to one
paragraph
When applying theory remember that the theorists are not
discussing the texts you are talking about. You are applying
their ideas to your chosen texts

mark scheme

Section A
Key Reminders for 1a...
You must discuss your progression across the
AS & A2 course
No matter what the question is you should
discuss how you were creative, either through
RMT, R&P, PP, DT
No matter what the question is you should
discuss your use of digital technology
Ensure you make reference to your move from
paper based R&P to online and the effects of
that on your creativity, R&P, RMT
Ensure you make specific reference to sources
of influence e.g. the pacing of Skyfall trailer
Ensure you actually say what R&P methods
you did
Spend only 30 minutes on this question

Section A
Key Reminders for 1b...
Discuss only one of your productions
Discuss how you used Mise-en-scene,
cinematography, sound and editing in relation
to whatever topic you are being questioned on
i.e. editing - narrative, MES - Genre
Structure your essay to fully explain your
Points and Examples, detailing the effect of the
theory/technique on the audience
Use two theories, they do not have to agree
with your production, if it contradicts your
production then explain why you did this and
how it effected the understanding of Narrative/
Audience/Genre/Representation
You must provide specific examples from your
production of decisions you made/tecniques
used that meet/contradict the theory
For Media Language you can discuss any of
the other topics, as long as you do it through
MECS
Spend no more than 30mins on this question

Section B
Key Reminders...
You have a choice of two questions, answer
one
You must refer to both Film & TV
You must discuss the history and future of
youth representations
You must relate theories to your texts, though
remember they do not have to agree with them
However you structure your essay it is
essential that you explain your Points and
Examples fully, detailing how they are a
conventional representation/different
representation from historical texts/have social
implications etc.
Ensure you link your paragraphs back to the
question at the end of your PEE.
Spend one hour on this question. 50 marks!

In 'An Education' one can find an alternative representation of youth,

compared to the ones in 'Eden Lake'. The film presents a rather
sympathetic representation of youth, in this case, Jenny by presenting her
as a young schoolgirl, making poor decisions, while trying to grow up faster
than she should. For much of the film Jenny is dressed in her school
uniform to remind the audience that while what may be taking place on
screen could be seen as adult, she is still a young girl. This mise-en-scene
technique of costuming the youth in school uniform, is also utilised in 'Top
Boy' where throughout the majority of the film Ra'nell, even when
committing acts a child should not, is still dressed in school uniform. There
are a number of scenes in 'An Education' that reflect this struggle towards
maturity, but one that particularly stands out is the scene where Jenny
goes to David's house to see his wife. In this scene Jenny's costume is in
clear contrast to that of David's wife, which reminds the audience of her
difference in age and maturity. Jenny is also shot from a high angle during
the encounter to reinforce this notion of difference and age difference while
also weakening Jenny's position in the film. The shot-reverse-shot editing
between the high angle shot looking at Jenny and the low angle at David's
wife, make Jenny seem smaller and more emotionally fragile each time she
is on the screen. The location of the encounter with David's family's big
house behind the wife as she speaks to Jenny also gives the impression
that Jenny is insignificant to the bigger context of the familiy's life, she is
dwarfed by the environment and is inferior to David's wife. The mise-enscene and cinematography in this sequence demonstrate clear binary
opposites (Claude Levi-Strauss) of age, Jenny being the silly 'young' girl,
and David's wife being the hardened wiser 'older' woman, and make the
audience feel sympathetic towards Jenny, while also acknowledging the
naivety of her actions.
This sympathetic approach to the representation of the youth can also be
found in Top Boy/Waterloo Road/Fish Tank...