Skins: Episode One - Sound and Editing Practice

Sound

The dialogue between the father and the son shows a reversal in audeince expectations. We see the father shouting and swearing at the teenager, which is normally something we would expect to hear from the teenager. The father's aggressive reaction to the diegetic rock music plays to the stereotype that teenagers play loud music and are inconsiderate to older people. His reaction also plays to the stereotype that teenagers frustrate their parents.

As the younger sister walks down the road we hear the diegetic sound of her high heels clicking on the pavement, this sound gets louder as she draws nearer. This sound of her heels may suggest that she is trying to be an adult or trying to act as if she is old enough to behave the way she does. It also tells us that she may have been out all night at a party as she would want to look nice when she is out with friends, this suggests and conforms with the stereotype that teenagers dress up to go out and take great care in their appearance.

Editing

Parallel editing is used to show that the boy and girl are related and have a strong relationship. We can see through the parallel editing that they lead very different teenage lives, showing binary opposite characters. She is coming home; rebelling against house rules and he has been in his own bed. This conforms to Levi Strauss' idea that all narratives have opposites. The two narrative threads come together as she reaches the window and the cut aways show that she relies on him to cover up for her.

Action editing is used when the protagonist starts to work out in his bedroom, fast cuts are used to speed up his actions and create a sense of action. This sytle of editing conforms with the stereotype of teenagers as it shows he lives a fast and busy life. This is also backed up by the use of compressed time, as we dont see the whole of his work out we can tell that his routine is a fast and energetic one. It also agrees with another stereotype, that at that age, teenagers care about their physical appearance a lot so they will do all they can to make it appealing to their peers. We can see this happening and the end of this fast scene when he checks himself out in the mirror, making sure his body is how he desires it to look.