300 Word Analysis Of The Opening Title Sequence For Skins

In the opening title sequence of Skins, there are many quick shots of the teenagers kissing and showing affection towards one another. This could connote how the teenager’s live are quite sexually orientated, how they are familiar with things of a sexual nature and also how they are involved and experience in relationships. The various shots of the teenagers and their lives are also very fast and quick paced. This could reflect the teenager’s personalities and behaviour, how they are extremely lively, active and energetic. However it could also be used in a fast paced manner to display the different aspects of the different teenagers’ day to day lives.
Quick shots of street signs are also incorporated within the opening title sequence, for example it has two street signs back to back displaying two opposite directions. These signs could signify the teenager’s decisions and choices in life, whether they make the right decisions and follow good, positive paths, or whether they make the wrong choices and lead a dull and gloomy one. The teenagers are also shown in the sequence as relaxing, chilling out with each other and smoking. This could connote how the teenagers are quite care-free, untroubled and have no real responsibilities. The teenager’s smoking could represent the interests of the teenagers and indicate how the teenagers don’t really care for themselves and may also signify their rebellious type ways. The colour that is maintained throughout the sequence is mainly blues and pinks representing both a male and female cast. This gives the audience a deeper knowledge of the program as it will be focusing around both boy and girl situations.
Another aspect which is included in the title sequence is a clock which I feel is very significant. The clock could represent the teenager’s lives and how they don’t realise that there time is quickly running out. They seem to live their life with no real worries or responsibilities yet they don’t know that soon they will have to take on a whole lot more.
The shot of the ‘Skins’ title is also quite significant, the title of Skins is white on a black background. The fact that the colour of the title is white could represent the teenagers’ purity, innocent and childlike ways, the black could then therefore show maybe some of the struggles in growing up or puberty, and how they are caught in living their life as a child or an adult. The fact that it is on a black background can also represent there manners in which the teenagers put forward, i.e. their dark and rebellious ways. The fact that the title is transparent is also quite important; this could imply how maybe some of the teenagers are transparent and how they may put up a front in their lives.

Analysis Of Two Characters From 'Skins'

The two characters in which I chose to analyse was Tony, played by Nicholas Hoult and Sid, played by Mike Bailey. I will be discussing the ways these two characters have been presented, in terms of storylines, costume, body language, their settings and relationships with other characters.
We are first introduced to Sid in the opening scene; he is lying down, sleeping on the floor in a wreaked and dirty bedroom, the bedroom has been ruined and sabotaged and looks as though a house party has taken place the night before. A post it note has been teasingly placed on Sid’s forehead which reads ‘Virgin!’, not only does this note inform the audience about how Sid is a target among the other teenagers but it also informs us of his deep struggle to develop in puberty. Sid is also limitedly dressed in the scene, he is wearing no clothing but underwear and we can gather that maybe he wasn’t the one responsible.
We are then introduced to Tony as the non diegetic music from the soundtrack begins to build up. Tony is presented to the audience in a split second as a confident, up-ruling and rebellious type character. Tony and the other teenagers are also dressed in their underwear; this can connote how the teenagers are promiscuous, immoral and also how their lives are quite sexually orientated. We see Tony laughing as he fugitively runs out of the house in which he and other teenagers have selfishly ruined, he finds this amusing and humorous. The audience can immediately gather an immense contrast between Tony and Sid’s character representation.
In a separate scene involving another character Cassie, a man named Madison discusses why he feels angry and agitated. This storyline relates back to Sid as he discusses how he feels Sid has “cheated” him. The audience can gather that Madison may have Sid misunderstood and how Sid possibly didn’t mean to cause any trouble or stress by the situation that he was involved in as he is not that type of character. Again, this strengthens the fact how Sid has been presented, being a misunderstood, depressed and out casted character. The audience are then presented with a detailed view of Sid in a next scene. Sid has been displayed as a stereotypical geek; his hair is greasy, messy and untidy, his clothes are lifeless and drab and he is also wearing thick rimmed glasses. Sid then receives a tad of banter by the other teenagers in the cafeteria in which he then decides to sit alone away from them to eat his food. This strengthens the fact of Sid being a target among other teenagers and how he is acts as an outcast.
The audience are then introduced a second time to Tony, he is dressed in bright, striking and loud clothes. His electric pink t-shirt contrasts to the drab and lifeless colour of Sid’s. Tony’s choice of clothing connotes to the audience how he is a positive, self-assured and confident character. When Tony sits down and begins to speak to Sid, we can imagine that he will talk to him in an ordinary friendly type manner but instead Tony asks Sid “have you washed?” and tells him that he “smells”. Although Tony may be being honest and direct, it is still a nasty comment and seems to knock Sid’s confidence even more.
Tony is also presented to the audience as quite organized in both school and appearance. He brags about completing his English coursework and goes crazy when a drink is spilled down him onto his clean trousers. He retaliates and takes out his anger on a boy who mocks him, this displays Tony in a care-free, confident yet wild and destructive manner. Sid is also joined by another character in the cafeteria, Cassie. She talks to him about her problems and issues in which she is facing, Sid listens to her and he seems as though he is extremely interested in what what she has to say. He tells Cassie that he “cares” which shows the audience how Sid has feelings and is also quite emotionaly sensitive. The audience can gather a developing and genuine relationship between Sid and Cassie whether it will develop to be love or just friendship.
We next see Tony in the female staff toilets drying his trousers, the fact that he has entered the female toilets shows how his thoughts and life are extremely sexually orientated. He also doesn’t seem to feel anything wrong with what he has done and the fact that he has caught sight of one of his own teachers in the flesh, naked. This could also connote how he and other male teenagers are continuously thinking of women and the many other things which revolve around sex. Tony is also attempting to dry and clean his trousers, this also strengthens the outlook of Tony being an organized, clean and a well presented teenager. In contrast, we see Sid freaking out and worrying about Madison, his speech is mumbled and he is speaking at a very high and fast pace which presents Sid in a nervous, afraid and anxious manner. Sid is fiddling with his hands as he talks to one of his teachers, he is continuously moving them and twitching, this again shows how Sid is quite worried and frustrated.
The audience are then presented with Sid and Tony together in the same scene; they are sitting side by side in a classroom/lesson. There is a dramatic and vast dissimilarity between the body language of the two characters, Tony is extremely relaxed and acting quite happy-go-lucky, while Sid is uptight, tense and acting stressed out. The audience’s feeling for Sid deepens as we begin to feel even sorrier for him, Madison appears as a substitute teacher in their school and we can imagine the anxiety and worry which is going through Sid’s mind.

Analysis Of Two Skins Posters

Denotation & Connotation (Poster 1)

• Red nail varnish: The girls in poster are wearing red nail varnish, this symbolises lust which is quite convenient as they are displaying scenes of a sexual nature. It may also represent danger, showing their rebellious and hazardous ways in which they are capable of.


• Bedroom setting: The fact that the poster has been set in a bedroom, represents the ways in which the teenager think. It shows how they mostly think about sex and revolve their lives around it. It seems as though this is all they feel they can do with their time.


• Ripped wallpaper: Again, the fact that the wallpaper in the bedroom has been ripped off represents their disobedient and defiant ways. It displays the teenagers in a negative manner as they have no regard for property and the things around them.


• Rizla type title: The title on the poster reads ‘Skins…’ This has been presented to look as though it is a rizla (used to roll drugs). This shows the audience how the teenagers show a deep interest in drugs, although this is wrong, it seems as though it is made to look right or maybe “cool”.


• Little clothing: The teenagers are dressed in nothing but their underwear. This promotes their promiscuous and care-free ways. It also represents another aspect of their lives, again referring to sex.


• Lighting in the corner: The lighting in the right corner of the poster is quite significant. It shows the audience how a teenager has been excluded from the group. This is one of the first areas I noticed when analysing this poster. I feel it highlights this area because it wants to shows how inconsiderate and nasty these teenagers can be when it come to only caring for themselves and leaving others out.

Conclusion

The first ‘Skins’ poster that we are presented with displays the teenagers in a very promiscuous, careless and immoral manner. The majority characters (teenagers) in the poster are lying besides one another on the floor of a bedroom displaying scenes of sexual nature. The bedroom wallpaper has been pulled off and ruined; this displays their disobedient and rebellious personalities and how they have no regard for property and only care for themselves. The all seem to promote negative attitudes in the poster, appearing quite inconsiderate and not worrying about how they are presenting themselves. They are dressed in nothing but underwear, again displaying their promiscuous and care-free behaviour. The girls in the poster are wearing red nail varnish, I feel the colour red symbolises the lust in which they are displaying in the poster yet it can also represent the danger which is yet to come as a result of their immoral habits. In the right hand corner of the poster a lamp lights up one of the teenage characters. When analysing this poster this area especially captures your attention, it shows how the teenager has not been included and presents him in a friendless and lonely manner. This shows another cruel and wicked side to the teenagers as they feel it may be ‘funny’ to make fun of or exclude other people. The title on the poster, reading “Skins…” appears to look as though it has been made out of a rizla (used to roll drugs). This shows the teenagers interest and intake in drugs, even though this is not a positive habit or thing to do, they still continue to do it which again shows them in a disobedient and care-free manner. I don’t feel this is a realistic portrayal of teenagers. I feel it is quite disturbing to think that they are representing teenagers of today as not every teenager acts in this way. It may however represent a small minority of teenagers as many teenagers obviously do experiment with drugs, they do have sex and they have also, at one point in lives been destructive. However, this doesn’t mean that even these teenagers do nothing with their time, they may have jobs, constructive hobbies and an actually life that doesn’t revolve completely around sex and drugs. Therefore I don’t feel that this poster is believable, it seems as though they have created this poster based on the unconstructive and negative representation of teenagers caused by the media.
Many people observing this poster may build different responses and opinions. Some of the audience may feel that perhaps it is an accurate representation of teenagers today as again; the media have created a negative representation of teenagers. Other members of the audience may however feel that these representations that have been made are good as other teenager can see what is right and wrong, helping them build a positive life for themselves.
This Skins poster was banned as it was not thought to be appropriate or suitable for the people of the public to see. I’m sure many parents and guardians would want their children to watch this program as to the poster glorifies sex, drugs and destructive behaviour. I feel many people, both adults and other teenagers may find this poster offensive and distasteful as it is representing teenagers in a shocking and negative manner, other teenagers may feel quite angry as they know that they do not behave in this way and neither do many other teenagers in society. Many adults (parents) will also have not taken a liking to this poster as they would not want their children to be watching it as it is glorifying an immoral and negative lifestyle. They may not want their children to feel as though it is “cool” to do these things are feel as though they should act in the same way.

Denotation & Connotation (Poster 2)

• Paint splats: The colour splats of paint that have been included on the poster could represent the teenager’s personalities being quite fun, entertaining and happy. It could also possible represent an interest in something, not necessary art but maybe some creative and positive.


• Graffiti: On the poster there is graffiti on the walls behind the teenagers, however this doesn’t come across to the audience as something destructive or immoral like the behaviour in the first poster. It makes you realise they are still just teenagers and seems as though it was done in a harmless and undisruptive manner.


• Colourful clothes: All the teenagers, unlike the first poster are all dressed head to toe in clothing. This clothing stands-out and works well to catch the audiences’ attention. They are all dressed in different colours, again representing their personalities and how they are most probably extremely fun and out-going. The teenagers are also displaying positive attitudes as they are all happy, joyful and smiling!


• Polaroid images: The poster has also incorporated Polaroid images at the bottom of the poster. It is as like all of the teenagers share a very close friendship and it displays all of their times together. This represents the teenagers in a pleasant and friendly way as it seems they show a deep care and concern for one another.


• Title ‘Skins’: The title on this poster has been created to look very simple and basic, yet also quite bold. Unlike the other poster, it hasn’t been made to look as though it is a rizla! The colour purple has been used, this colour represent a unisex vibe to the program, as it possibly centres on both boys and girls.

Conclusion

The poster for Skins is extremely different to the first poster I analysed; it displays a broad variation of colour causing it to become very bright and attractive. The wide use of colour possible represents their cheerful, fun and positive personalities and attitudes. It also, in a weird way makes the graffiti on the walls look as though it is acceptable, when looking at the poster it is most probably the last thing the audience will identify as people will be paying more attention to the teenagers as the poster doesn’t really focus on the graffiti. Paint splats have also been used on the edges of the poster, this is a positive feature compared to the other aspects used on the first poster, for example the ripped wallpaper and the rizla paper. The paint splats could possibly again represent their fun and entertaining behaviour and maybe also a creative and imaginative side to them. I do feel that this is a positive representation of teenagers today as it presents them to the audience in a positive light. In some ways I do feel that the poster comes across as being believable. One of the reasons why I feel this is because I know there are teenagers in society who would not at all be considered ‘angels’ but they do have high expectations for their life ahead of them and are quite sensible with the actions. I don’t think any people of society could find this poster promoting the Skins program offensive. I, as a teenager feel that is displays and presents the teenagers in a cheerful, encouraging and positive light and prefer this poster to the first poster I analysed.