Locations in Skins

L O C A T I O N S

Episode 8: 'Effy'

This episode is a good example of how significant locations are, at reflecting mood and creating atmosphere in episodes.

The episode starts in Effy's house:

- Effy's bedroom - there is no establishing shot; we are taken right into the action.

- bathroom - Effy has a shower after sleeping with Cook again - apart from anything else, in the next scene, she tells her mum Anthea that she and Cook have broken up.

- kitchen - Effy walks into the kitchen as her mother is sitting at the table, flicking through magazines and angrily pointing and shouting "Bastard!" at random men, including Jamie Oliver and Stephen Fry; Effy stands behind her by the sink as she talks to her, but Anthea is not really paying attention, which we can tell from the dialogue - so Effy picks up a nearby vase and drops it on the floor with a loud smash, then walks out.

We then progress to Freddie's:

- Freddie's shed - as Effy comments, "the shed's changed" - their relationship has changed, Freddie has moved on, & Cook is no longer welcome there; also, an intimate & special place

The scene changes to Effy driving the rest of the gang, bar Cook, to Gobbler's End, after Katie asked her to in the previous scene:

- car - small space that shows their relationships and their moods - Thomas and Pandora are sitting apart - there is a widening gap in their relationship as Panda (repeatedly) cheated on Thomas with Cook, and doesn't know he knows; Freddie & Katie are not sitting together, & he and Effy catch eyes in the mirror often - they're all generally in really good spirits though, laughing, chatting, apart from Effy, who is hurt by Freddie & Katie's relationship, but tries to hide it; all the gang are together, and the only one not there is Cook - shows his ultimate separation from the group

- petrol station - it's in the middle of nowhere, the gang are lost, no one is behind the till; tension is easy to build, especially when creepy poachers arrive

- car

- Gobbler's End - they are in a forest, which is isolated (the isolation also reflecting that of some of the characters - Effy at first, Katie when they all start taking magic mushrooms, then later when Cook turns up and the stirs things up), very, very atmospheric, and gets dark quickly; a very conventional horror setting - after poachers, audience suspects something bad will happen and tension & suspense are built as we wait

The next change is the next morning after they've all slept there, and Effy remembers she hit Katie with a rock in self-defense, and they begin the journey home, having been unable to find her.

- car - difference from chatty, happy, laughing atmosphere beforehand - there is wary, tense, silence, & anxiety & sadness - Thomas left and Panda is upset, Effy found out about Cook & Panda, Emily worries about Katie, and Freddie feels especially guilty because he slept with Effy

- field, as Effy calls an ambulance - she goes there alone - isolated location and distancing from group - literally and metaphorically

Everyone gets home:

- Effy's bathroom - she breaks down completely and sits in the bath as Anthea washes her hair - she looks very very young all of a sudden, and her vulnerability is clear - last time she was in the bathroom she was having a shower after just having had sex with Cook - no innocence there

- Effy's room - we get to see her in her own room, where she is alone and in her own environment, in private - she seems to be herself in her room, as in JJ's episode when he walks in on her; she reflects and does the right thing, phoning round the gang one by one till Freddie phones her back and says Katie is in hospital and needed nine stitches...

- Hospital corridor - separation and attack, others ganged up - Freddie, Pandora, and Emily quite far down the corridor standing together, staring at Effy - distance between characters

- stolen car with Cook - just the two of them, as opposed to everyone in the car like before - big contrast; now Effy is on the outside with Cook.

End of episode.

Camerawork in Skins

C A M E R A W O R K
Episode 1.
Pandora - not in shot a lot of the time - off-screen or background to other characters, and camera never seems to linger on her that long - she is considered trivial and insignificant
MS track down corridor with Effy shows the two characters' expressions & interactions with each other, as well as all the other students in the corridor and their judgements.
In conversation with Effy at the start, the camera is on other people while Pandora is talking, showing instead what Effy is looking at - the twins. What she says is insignificant.
Effy - when she first enters, you can't see her in the car - she is unnoticeable as in her everyday life, and at home. However, she enters with a big scene that she is indifferent to - she causes a lot of things to happen but never seems to have a particular reaction to them.
At school, dominant in camerawork, lots of close-range shots as she is very expressive with her face and eyes.
Twins - Katie is always in the foreground, Emily in the background, watching. Cutaways to other characters are particularly significant with the twins and Naomi -Emily is always watching her, and whenever she says anything, there tends to be a cutaway to Katie rolling her eyes or looking annoyed. Also, often cutaways to Effy after Katie says something - she is not impressed by her. Longer range shots show positioning of both Emily and Katie when in the same shot, and also ELS near start shows Katie surrounded by the beauty-school clones, showing how she loves to be the centre of attention, whereas Emily is more reserved and shy.
JJ - similarly to Pandora, in background a lot, less important than Freddie and Cook. In positioning in frame, there are shots where the three boys are together and he is in half the shot with Cook whilst Freddie occupies the other half alone - Freddie is more independent, and Cook seems to have more sway over JJ.

Narrative Construction in TV

S P O O K S [s03e10]
A couple wake up and go downstairs to breakfast. They do not realise that they are being watched by terrorists. They leave for work together, and the woman (Fiona) and her MI5 partner (Danny) are sent on an operation to bug a house, but are kidnapped by the terrorists and taken hostage. The terrorists involve Fiona's wife (Adam) too, and their demand is that the Prime Minister announces withdrawal from Iraq during a speech that day (and it is actually done); the Government will not help as it is against their policy of not negotiating with terrorists, and the hostages are not civilians. Danny and Fiona attempt to escape, but are caught, and as a result one of them will be killed - it is up to Adam to decide between his wife and colleague, but Danny saves him making the choice by telling his captor what he thinks of him, and is shot in front of Fiona, and heard by the team who are listening. The team then realise that Fiona is just a decoy, and the terrorists plan to kill the PM and lots of other important people at a dinner event, and Khatera, the woman essentially holding Adam captive, is a suicide bomber, with explosives and poison stitched inside her body. However, she is doubting her decision and Adam takes the opportunity to save the day, alerting everyone to the treat, and finding out from Khatera where Fiona is, who is rescued by the SAS just before she is set on fire by the terrorist.

Standard narrative conventions used:
- Beginning, middle, end:
Beginning - happy couple, in love, going to work, routine operations.
Middle - two officers [including wife from beginning] get kidnapped and taken hostage by terrorists wanting revenge for lost family, friends etc. - generally for country; the team try to get their officers back and work out who the terrorists are, and the inter-character relationships are all very clear.
End - Danny is shot, Fiona is rescued, the terrorists are killed/apprehended.
Classic narrative pattern (Todorov) in equilibrium, disruption, [near] equilibrium.

- Binary oppositions:
Characters - good [MI5 officers], bad [terrorists]

The story does not end happily (in the Danny is shot), but it does return to equilibrium. Although the team lose Danny, Zaf (a character introduced in this episode) will take his place, and makes up the numbers. However, the team rescue Fiona, who is reunited with Adam, and they also manage to save the PM and lots of other people from death.

Most stories have happy endings because they are read or, as in the case of TV dramas, watched, as a means of escapism, where the viewer wants to leave reality behind for a while, and forget about how real life doesn't always work out. Audiences want to find enjoyment, and so most stories need to have happy endings. Viewers also establish their own relationships with and attachments to characters, and when good things happen to the good characters, audiences can empathise.

What starts as an ordinary, everyday morning is threatened at the beginning of the episode is a standard beginning to a narrative, as it follows the structure of equilibrium, disruption, equilibrium. It sets up what the ordinary lives of the characters are like, and shows us their relationships, so as to show what is going to be disrupted and from where the story comes. Here, we see that Fiona and Adam are very much in love, and even though they work for MI5, have ordinary homelives. The fact that they have a child is suggested by the child's drawing seen on the fridge in the background, and he is mentioned too - they are quite a young couple, in love, with a young child, and have everything going for them. The audience can probably relate to this, and regardless, will sympathise with them, as they are being portrayed as the good characters.
Adam and Fiona are in a bright, clean kitchen, in a white house, wearing light-coloured clothes, and seem to be lovely, caring, happy people. The terrorists watching them, on the other hand, are in a small black car, intruding on the couple's happiness by having bugged their house. The fact that they are not English, nor are they speaking it, is another factor that detaches them from the audience. The woman in the car says "they still love each other", to which the man replies "that is why we chose them" - they are picking on innocent people who are happy with their lives and don't seem to have done anything wrong, and they are doing it on purpose. The audience immediately takes sides, and sides with Adam and Fiona.


Different narrative structures in different TV drama forms:

Single drama/film: Margaret - classic narrative pattern (equilibrium, disruption, equilibrium) throughout episode/film.

Two-nighter: Trial & Retribution - follows classic narrative pattern, but over the course of two episodes - equilibrium is not returned until the conclusion in the second episode, and the disruption is usually spread over the two. The binary oppositions are established in the first episode.

Soap (continuing drama): Eastenders - non-linear; plots intertwined over a number of episodes - not classic narrative pattern, as episodes don't really have an equilibrium due to the multiple narratives, and work around the disruptions, though there are solutions (for a short time) within individual storylines. Binary oppositions are present, but more archetypal and stereotypical character roles.

Serial: Bleak House - Bleak House was shown twice weekly in 30-minute slots rather than once a week for an hour. Does not follow classic narrative pattern within episodes - tend to end on cliffhangers - equilibrium is not restored until the end.

Anthology series (self-contained episodes each based on different characters): Skins - classic narrative pattern within episodes, but overarching storylines are not resolved until the end of the series - and possibly even then there will be disruption, and the story will continue into another series.

Long-form series drama: Lost - equilibrium, disruption, equilibrium, disruption - episodes often end with disruption and a cliffhanger; they may also begin with a disruption and its resolution to a state of equilibrium. Again, over the series, there is generally an overarching plot that is not resolved until the last episode of the series, and may run into the next.

Long-form series drama with some narrative experimentation: 24 - different structure, follows classic narrative pattern within episodes and series, but story told differently. Strong binary oppositions.

Representations in Skins

R E P R E S E N T A T I O N S

'Skins' has a wide variety of characters and so there are lots of different representations put across.

COOK

- one of the lads, very confident - reflected in open body language

- impulsive

- thrill-seeking

- shows one half of a stereotypical male personality

- boyish

- spontaneous, irresponsible, up for a challenge

- reflected in music, camerawork, and actions

- also has nice moments - quite a complex character

EFFY

- seductive and sexy

- not girly

- daring

- individual, doesn't conform to society

- doesn't speak much - little dialogue is flirty, daring, enigmatic, and has lots of innuendo; she says more with her facial expressions and eyes

- never gives too much away

- when she enters for the first time, you can't see her in the car - she's unnoticable at first, as in her everyday life - she is quiet

- she enters with a big scene (car crash) that she is completely indifferent to

- Effy has superior knowledge and understands how things work

EMILY

- twin of Katie

- shy with her twin at school

- confident at home with brother - we see different sides to her

- she's always in the background, literally

- insecure

KATIE

- confident

- wants to appear seductive but just sounds slutty

e.g. Danny: Woah, where's your knickers girl??

Katie: That's for me to know, and you to find out!

- rumour-spreading

- smart but doesn't really show it; puts 'cool' reputation first

FREDDIE

- trendy, indie

- middle class background, perfect sister

- more independent than his two best friends Cook & JJ - shot at table, positionings in frame with him taking up left side on his own

- sensible

- no ambition

- skater

JJ

- background

- similar to Pandora

- very very good at maths (gives statistic)

- wears braces - stereotypical geek indicator

- JJ has closed body language - shy, not confident

PANDORA

- background

- ditzy, less intelligent

- speaks truth - role of 'fool', who is the entertainer in some way or another and no one takes seriously, and so is only one allowed to tell the truth

- naive

From episode 1, we can see there are going to be themes of sexuality, and there are certain representations here with Naomi and Emily, whose twin claims Naomi is a lesbian (calling her, amongst other things, a 'total lezzer bitch') and tried to kiss Emily. The audience may quickly think this is likely to be the case due to stereotypical views - Naomi's independence, fashion sense, and feminist views could be seen to connote that she is a lesbian - however, we find not too long after that Emily actually kissed Naomi, and there's a great big storyline to come out of that.

SOUND in Skins

S O U N D


MUSIC is veeery important in Skins, and they take pride in picking the right song for every moment, with each episode packed full of a diverse mix of sound. [Click Here for the music guide - all the tracks used in each episode are also listed!]

It's used for specific characters, at specific moments, and to signify some sort of change - of scene, of pace, of something happening...

Episode 1 - 'Everyone'

The characters have their own themes, composed by Fat Segal, that often play during their scenes, and in their episodes. Episode 1 features both Cook and Freddie's themes. There's a lot of non-diegetic sound.

In this episode, as Effy walks down the corridor, the Santogold track Shove It plays - cool, upbeat, and indifferent to everyone else, as Effy herself is, looking like she's walking a catwalk. However it also works with the lyrics, as Pandora joins her, and the lyrics of the chorus say 'we think you're a joke, shove your hope where it don't shine' - this can be directed at Pandora, who, next to Effy, does look like a bit of a joke.

In the hair and beauty class scene with Pandora, Mets Tons/Dominique by Soeur Sourire plays - quirky, quiet, relaxed, and reflective of Pandora's nature and how she is daydreaming in the class, wishing she were somewhere else - the song is French, and the foreign language reflects how in her mind she is far away.

In the 'challenge' scene where Effy gives the challenge to Freddie, the start of the music as Effy walks away indicates:

• that the challenge has begun
• the conversation is over
• the scene is changing

Using music to aid transitions from scene to scene is common in Skins, and can be found throughout the episode.

Sound in the form of dialogue is also very important - not just in what the characters may be saying, but in the pauses in between. This works in TV dramas, as we can see what's going on with the body language and facial expressions etc. of the characters, and television does not just rely on sound.

SKINS - Episode 2

Episode 2: 'Cook'

This is Cook's episode, and shows his 17th birthday - he invites people to the pub but everyone other than Cook is having a bit of a rubbish time. The girls are about to leave, but then Freddie's sister phones him and mentions she is at her friend Kayleigh's engagement party, so of course, they all go down uninvited. However, it's not quite as they expected it to be, and is a quiet, calm, respectable affair - until Cook decides to shake things up a bit. But it turns out that Kayleigh's dad is notorious local gangster Johnny White - and Cook makes a bit of an enemy of him. Needless to say, the evening does not go to plan and things get quite bad...

(Click Here for E4 episode guide)