Youth practice essay question

In the extract of 'Skins', I will discuss how the theories presented by Stanley Hall (1904), Bill Osgerby (1998) and Dick Hebdige (1998)are both supported and disrupted through the media language presented in the clip.

In the opening credits of 'Skins', non diegetic upbeat music is used to present the show and its characters in a fun, lively manner. This both disrupts and supports Stanley Halls theory because although the teenagers aren't presented as depressed characters, many of them are engaging in sexual and alcohol related activities. In the opening shot, an extreme close up of one of the main characters is used. You are able to infer that the character is important from the way that the show opens with his face. The lighting on his face is dark on one side and light on the other. This supports Bill Osgerbys' theory, because the character is being presented as both fun and a troublemaker. The camera then zooms out to show the audience that the character is in his bed. His bedcover shows a naked man and woman, which supports Halls theory of teenagers being addicted to sex. The character then gets out of bed to do a variety of different stretches and exercises, which shows that he is image conscious and wants to look attractive to other people. He switches his stereo on, which plays diegetic music. The music is quite sexualised, which shows support for Stanley Halls theory. Continuity editing is used to show the audience that everything flows smoothly. The next shot shows his sister walking up to their house. You can connote from her clothes, hair and make up that she out partying the previous night. A high angle is used to make the audience feel more inferior and powerful to her. The diegetic sound of the boys watch indicates that it is usual for him to let his sister into the house every morning. This gives the audience more information about their relationship and personalities. The next shot shows a low angle shot of the male main character looking at his naked female neighbour, which disrupts Halls theory because it shows that it isn't just teenagers addicted to sex - his middle - aged neighbour is knowingly leading him on.

Tonys' father is an example of a disruption of Stanley Halls theory, because Tony is presented as a smartly dressed teenager who is organised enough to fold his clothes (as evidenced by the cutaway shot shown earlier) and wake up before his alarm clock goes off, whereas his dad looks as though he doesn't care as much about his appearance, as you are able to infer from the way he presents himself. Also, every other word he says is a swear word, whereas Tonys dialogue doesn't involve any swearing. This disrupts Halls theory of teenagers being rebellious, as it is the dad who is acting like the typical teenager stereotype of being lazy, swearing and acting like a slob.

The next shot  shows Tony in the bathroom  reading a Penguin classic 'Nausea' which disrupts Stanley Halls theory because he is showing intelligence, and he is not engaging in any drug, alcohol or sex involved activities. Tony climbing out of his bathroom window supports Osgerby and Hebdiges theory, because he is presented as being fun and a troublemaker because he looks like he enjoys winding his dad up. The camera follows his every move, such as flushing the toilet and brushing his teeth to show that he is dragging time out to wind his dad up more. When his dad enters the kitchen and bends down to get the drill for the bathroom, a high angle shot is used to show the audience that his pants have fallen to reveal his bum. This also adds evidence to the point I made earlier about his dad disrupting Stanley Halls theory by not caring about his appearance. After Tony leaves the house and calls his friend, the next shot shows his phone ringing on a plate that also contains a cigarette butt and leftover food alongside cutlery. This supports Stanley Mills negative portrayal of teenagers.