Outnumbered

Outnumbered: S05E01 - Jake Get's a Tattoo.

This text I think overall represents a teen in a negative way.
This text follows the form of identity, and what it means to be individual. Gauntlett and Buckingham have many theories about subculture and the reinforcement of collective identity.
In this sequence we see Jake admit to having a tattoo to his parents, who are disguested and disappointed in him, he backs himself up by saying his friends were there too and it was an impulse thing, he also said that he did it as a 'fashion choice', this suggests that he did it to fit in with his friends and a teenage subculture, so he is conforming to the stereotype that adults have about teens. This is also backed up by the dad, Pete, who talks about how he sees so many tattoo's and that when they all grow up he'll be surrounded by people with tattoo's and how thats a negative thing, calling people 'human billboards' and talking about being the most 'unattractive nation on the planet' this shows a negative towards tattoo's from the dominant ideology, because Pete is a middle aged white man.
Another representation of identity, is his need to be older and do that he wants, which is a common teen rebellion trait, he shows this by saying he is 17 and he can do what he wants, this shows us how he actually isnt an adult and still has to follow his parents rules but he wants to be older and feels like he doesnt need his parents permission, this is negative in the eyes of the dominant ideology because it means that the teens are being independent instead of conforming to their rules.

At the end of the sequence we see Jake storm off which is a stereotypical teenage action, and behaviour therefore he is doing the same as every other teenager is and creating that collective identity of unruly teenagers who get tattoo's and rebel.



Fiske also applies to this media text, the idea of polysemic reading is quite apparent, this is because as a teenager watching this you admire Jake's tattoo and don't necesarilly see it as a bad thing, all teenagers have a different opinion about the tattoo and they relate it back to themselves and what they would do in the same situation or what tattoo they would get. However, the dominant ideology see's it as a negative thing and really stands with this viewpoint, both the mum and dad see it as a horrible thing and they dont like it. But, when Jake's brother enters the room he isnt phased by the tattoo and actually praises it and compliments it, this suggests that for teenagers this kind of sight or behaviour is normal, but for the dominant ideology it isnt. This helps the audience to interpret and rebel against the dominant ideology because they view this form of identification in different ways.

Fiske and The Inbetweeners:

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.

Harry Brown: Adorno and Cohen

In the film Harry Brown, we see many areas which apply to different theories.
Firstly, Adorno's theory about realism and sameness uses real things in order to make the audience believe that what they are seeing is true and really happens to that extent. The use of the Aylesbury Estate is really important as it is a place known for being violent and quite dodgy, therefore the setting of it there makes the actions a lot more realistic and believable, almost as if it's based on real events. Also, Regents Canal in Islington played a big part for the exact same reason, it also becomes something that the viewers can identify with because they know the place therefore they create this connection with it, it's placed there so that when they pass the area they remember the film and feel scared or shaken by the area because they subconsciously believe that what happened in the film is what happens in real life. This creates a view about teenagers by the people who watch this, which are adult males statistically, this also gets carried on into other forms of media by the dominant ideology because they think of it to be true. This reflects negatively on the young people of today.

Secondly, Cohen's theories about Moral Panic and Folk Devils.
In the ending sequences we see a lot of rioting by the young people, it is very violent and dangerous, we also see the police squad struggling to keep control, this creates a sense fo moral panic to the viewers as they think that teenagers are out of control criminals who can attack them at any moment, and the police will be too weak to protect them, this is really bad as it suggests that the teens need to be stopped and controlled. however, this behaviour was set up from the beginning scene of the film in which a group of teens go out and shoot an innocent mother as a fun joke. This sets the teens up in the film as Folk Devils, it also creates a normal behaviour for the youths which we then expect to see from them throughout the film, this also allows Harry Brown's character to look humane and like a hero even though he is doing violent things, because he's doing them for a reason and the teens were not.

Emo Youth Sub-Culture