Idea 1 – Formal Conventions.
In episode 2 – The Gig and the
Girlfriend, we get a lot of representation about it being a series,
this means that the characters within it live beyond the episode as
opposed to a film where we don't have such an emotional connection to
the characters because once it's over the character is over too. The
constant showing of the characters and actors together make us think
of them as the same person in real life, because they're playing the
role over and over again. For example the actor playing Simon also
appears in 'Fresh Meat', however, I still see him as Simon from The
Inbetweeners and I cant shake that identity from him.
The idea of camera shots showing
relationships from the characters positions is very strong in this
episode as we constantly see the four boys huddled together tightly
and fit into one frame often, this shows how close they are to each
other and almost makes them into one person.
Idea 2 – Audience relationship with
the text
Within both episodes we notice a
repetition of character, it's all about the same group of boys and
recurring extras who have a relationship to them, such as parents and
school mates. This creates a sense of 'real-time' and allows us as
the audience to follow the plot and the characters, which also makes
it seem like they're growing with us, this gives us a bond towards
them and makes us like them more and care about them. The idea of
past, present and future is very apparent in all episodes of the
show, this is evident when we get a character mentioning Will's
events in the first series of the show, in which he excretes himself
in an exam, this creates a past for the character which even the
audience can identify with because most likely they would've seen it.
This also makes us know the character more and have a bonding to
them. We are also invited to relate to them as the target audience
are teenagers the same age as the characters, this puts them in
situations the audience would be in and allows us to think about what
we would do in the same situation, it also lets us feel for the
characters because we know what they're going through and can laugh
at their horrible mistakes. The example of doing drugs, in The Gig
and the Girlfriend, at this age is very good, because it shows that
they are trying them for the first time which would be the same for
many teens their age therefore we can relate to them in the sense of
starting in the same place.
Idea 3 – Writers and Producers
Idea 4 – Polysemic Reading
With TV shows it's hard to target at
one person because the viewers are so diverse and have different
viewpoints, this is dealt with by having four very different
characters in terms of personality, but keeping them all neutrally
important within the show. This makes the viewers be able to relate
to at least one of them whether it being similar personal traits or
of that of a friends. It also allows us to imagine ourselves in the
same positions as the characters if we feel like we're the same as
them.
The audience for TV shows judge
characters by how real they seem because we want a connection to them
and we want to be a part of their world and story seeming as we're
following along it every week. This realism is very important to keep
the viewers engaged with the story and character development. In the
episode 'Thorpe Park' we get a good sense of realism because the
basic school trip or activity for teens is to go to a theme park and
go on roller coasters. As the viewers watch this and the characters
actions they create their own viewpoint of them and what’s going
on, therefore they aren’t being a subject to the dominant ideology
because they interpret the message in their own way.
