SKINS - Episode 1

Numero Uno: 'Everyone'

The episode introduces all the characters (bar Thomas) who are all starting their first day at Roundview college. Basically, all the guys (Cook, JJ, and Freddie) all fancy Effy which causes muchos tension between the best friends, and she issues them a challenge to break all the rules set in assembly. Katie and Emily seem to have some kind of history with Naomi and there's tension with them - Katie claims that Naomi tried to kiss Emily. Pandora tags along with Effy.

Cook quickly goes about completing the challenge and so ends and so 'gets to know' Effy, i.e. they have sex in the medical room.

(Click Here for the E4 episode guide)

HAIR & MAKE-UP & COSTUME

Pandora

Hair

- blonde (ditzy stereotype)
- tied in two side ponytails high up with mismatched hairbands -> kooky, childish, naive

Make-up

- wears little make-up - green eyeshadow, unlike other hair & beauty class girls - separates her from clone-like girls

- not too absorbed with her appearance, counteracting ideas of vanity audience may have picked up from beauty class thing

Costume

- black beauty-school uniform

- [before we know more about her] impression of vanity, shallowness

- more than that, implies she is less intelligent than the others

Katie

Hair

- dyed reddy brown, straight, sleek, styled, fringe - cares about her appearance, makes an effort, wants to stand out

Make-up

- wears quite a lot but more subtle, not really over the top - again shows vanity

Costume

- low-cut grey top and long necklace -> drawing attention to cleavage, dressing provocatively, wants to be noticed and get reputation

- leopard print skirt - animal prints associated with sexiness - show-off, flaunts herself

Emily

Hair

- dyed reddy brown, straight, sleek, styled, 'wonky' fringe on other side to Katie's - distinction between them, wants to show she's different to her twin but scared to stray too far

Make-Up

- same as Katie

Costume

- bow in hair matches her skirt; patterned blouse - co-ordinated - likes order, organised, neat, and innocent

Effy

Hair

- long brown hair

- straightened

Make-up

- lots of eye make-up, lip gloss, little, if any, else - making a statement, individual, not conventional make-up

Costume

- very very shot dress, fishnet tights - dresses provocatively, seductive, sexy, not afraid of what people think - makes statement on individuality & doesn't conform to how girls are expected to be in society

- lots of necklaces & bracelets - individual style

- quite gothic

Naomi

Hair

- cut short, bleached blonde - rebellious or allowed to do what she wants by parents - interesting relationship with parent/s

- individual, does what she wants

Make-up

- not over the top, but visible; eye make-up

Costume

- slogan tshirt (something political?), wears shirt over it

- independent, unique, individual - not afraid what other people think; knows her own mind

- political

SKINS

The TV drama I'm going to be following week-by-week is Skins. The current series, which is the third, is now being shown on E4 on Thursday nights at 10PM.

It focuses on the lives of nine teenagers in their first year of college in Bristol. Other than being the same setting and setup, this series is also linked to the first and second by the fact that the "queen bee" of this series, Effy, is the sister of Tony Stonem, one of the characters in the first two seasons.

COOK

"Oozing charisma, Cook pulls off daring and dangerous stunts, knowing Freddie will always be there to bail him out."

Click here to see Cook's profile.

EFFY

"Enigmatic and elusive, Effy’s the queen bee - attractive to all around her, utterly in control of herself and totally independent."

Click here to see Effy's profile.


EMILY
"Emily Fitch likes being a twin, but she's crippled by her own shyness and depends on Katie to be the dynamic one."

Click here to see Emily's profile.
[also, she kissed a girl and she liked it]

KATIE

"Super smart Katie Fitch is shedding her identical twin skin, and establishing her individuality."

Click here to see Katie's profile.

FREDDIE

"Freddie Mclair's got bags of potential but no va va vooom."

Click here to see Freddie's profile.

JJ

"Master illusionist JJ's got a huge imagination, with child-like excitement, he dreams up entertaining schemes."

Click here to see JJ's profile.

NAOMI

"Passionate, political and principled, no one believes in anything anymore - except for Naomi Campbell that is."

Click here to see Naomi's profile.

PANDORA

"An adorable virgin, Pandora's found a best friend in Effy and a sweet tooth for naughtiness."

Click here to see Pandora's profile.

THOMAS

"Thomas is a good, honest, honourable soul. But finding your feet in a new country is hard and Thomas needs to support his family."

Click here to see Thomas' profile.

What is TV Drama?

Working Definition: Television Drama is a drama shown on television, which is scripted, and tends to be fictional. TV dramas are usually serialised and run for a certain number of weeks with a set number of episodes and an ongoing plot - though each episode will have its own plot. Sometimes episodes will end with a huge revelation, which means something in the next week's episode will have changed - the same equilibrium is not always restored as in other genres, such as sitcom. Sometimes episodes will end on a cliffhanger - this is also a good way of getting the viewers to watch the next episode. In order to really follow a TV drama, there is a greater necessity to keep watching throughout the series to really understand what's going on, and so as to not miss anything important.
Although each episode does usually have its own plot, sometimes they will run into the next week as a 2-part special.

Hovis Advert Readings

1) In the bread shop
- boy wearing old-fashioned clothes, dull colours - brown, grey, dull blue; cap; shorts -> Victorian
- man gives him bread, wears white baker's clothes
- another customer, man wearing smart black old-fashioned suit - very Victorian
- at a counter in a shop -loaves of bread on shelves behind counter
- baker: "Here you go love"
- starts on MCU of back of boy, he turns around with bread, starts walking and there is a reverse track
- no cuts
- upbeat piano music, quiet, evoking sense of anticipation?

2) Cart
- cuts to outside shop, then CU of boy, and reaction shot after hearing horse neigh
- MS of back of boy, horse and cart coming towards him, nearly run him over
- driver of cart shouts "oi"
- cobbled narrow Victorian street
- man in background wearing top hat, suit
- cuts to VLS; name of bakery = Hovis
- runs, ducks under door and his hat falls off, runs past to posters for the Titanic - around 1912
- music and mood established in baker's continues

3) Women's march
- wide street
- lots of women protesting, placards saying 'VOTES FOR WOMEN' etc. -> Suffragettes
- women all wearing long skirts and hats, but seem fairly upper-class
- old men looking indignant, top hats and suits - very Victorian gentleman
- boy continues running; cut to HA ELS of street - see all the women marching with banners etc.
- sound of shouting
- same music continues

4) Soldiers
- boy's clothes have changed - wearing brown pinstriped suit, long trousers
- still carrying bread under one arm
- starts marching next to soldiers - young men in army uniform -> WWI
- boy and soldier salute each other
- violins are added to piano music, giving it a more sad feel

5) Street with car
- boy is wearing shorts again
- pan as he runs across past some people standing by a car
- their costume is late 1930s/early 1940s
- motor car
- dog barking

6) War - bombs, people passing and plane
- VLS of bombed area -> WWII
- smoke, rubble, emptiness, destroyed buildings, old furniture
- MS of broken family, carrying things, old woman carrying portrait
- MS of boy, walks past broken windows; radio on in house, broadcasting Churchill's We Shall Fight on the Beaches speech - MS of it, also showing boy through window on outside
- boy carries on, climbs over rubble and looks to sky - fighter plane flies overhead
- all music cuts out for a second, and no other diegetic sounds; piano music returns, quietly, with violins again, very solemn, reflecting period and in respect for the loss of life from the war - starts to build up again with Churchill's speech, bringing sensations of defiance and a feeling of pride

7) Street Party
- boy runs into wide street, tarmac road, brightly lit
- Union Jack in window
- random boy dressed as a pirate - fun
- long table in middle of road, British flag banners from house to house
- children and adults around the table eating and drinking
- party hats, food, lemonade, flowers - 1950s -> Queen's coronation, 1953
- music is upbeat once more
- laughter, talking

8) Girls/Football players
- boy runs round corner - clothes change again -> trousers, blue jumper, brown jacket
- 2 girls at corner; very 60s costume, miniskirts, coloured leggings/tights, different hairstyles
- more modern car at corner
- street with mor Union Jacks in window, and on cars driving down street
- dialogue: "CHAMPIONS!" -> 1966, England won world cup
- also passes black man on pavement
- different angles and levels, faster-paced cutting
- car horns beeping, shouting, rowdy but in good spirit
- music changes to guitars -> demonstrates progression in music at the time -> pop music with guitars

9) Street with Asians and TV Shop
- boy's clothes change again - diagonally striped jumper - orange, green, blue - & shirt
- 1970s - Asian couple pass him on pavement
- TV shop
- music -> guitars continue

10) Cole not Dole strike/protest
- boy's jumper changes to bright blue, trousers change to brown, jacket changes - collarless brown with yellow stripe, trainers
- crowd with placards etc. shouting 'COLE NOT DOLE'
- riot police on other side of big road with plastic shields etc.
- someone shouting "'Ey lad, is it past your bedtime?"
- riotous crowd noises
- music quietens so we can hear what the man shouts

11) Fireworks
- London, night, fireworks everywhere - Millenium!
- sound of running, and of fireworks going off
- build up in music, more instruments, strings - anticipation

12) Home
- high key lighting
- 2 boys outside house with a football, modern dress, leaning on modern car
- boy's clothes updated to modern - blue tshirt, brown hoodie
- runs into kitchen and sits on chair, puts bread on table
- kitchen is natural, earthy colours; lots of wooden furniture -> echo 'natural'ness of bread?
- dialogue: "Is that you 'ome, love?" [presumably boy's mother]; "Yeah" [boy]
- music returns to piano music from start as he sits at the table, and it stops
- end of boy's journey

13) Narrative/Story development through whole advert
- boy is shown to travel through different periods, signified by costume, setting, and props
- shows significant events through history of Britain
- ends on slogan under brand name Hovis on side of bread, 'AS GOOD TODAY AS IT'S ALWAYS BEEN' -- boy's journey through time showing that Hovis has been making bread for a really long time and that it's lasted, and that it's 'as good today as it's always been'
- very British - appealing to pride of British people, especially with soldiers, war, street party for Queen's coronation, and England winning football world cup [woooh!] in 1966