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Amy Brings Drugs To School from ellagreyx

Waterloo Road Essay – Representation of Age

In the sequence from “Waterloo Road” we are originally presented with the divisions between two separate worlds, divided by the representation of age. The representation of age is exemplified through the characters playing the high school students, and the older generation is clearly represented in this sequence through the characters of the teachers who clearly have a much higher authority than the students themselves.

Mise-en-scene is the initial aspect in which the representational issues are highlighted. The setting of the clip is in an uncontrollable school environment, busy with aspects of shadows and blur, which helps in making the setting initially seem like a chaotic place, immediately giving the audience some form of suspense as the setting has clear connotations of an environment where something bad would occur. At the beginning of the clip we are first introduced to two male students. They are both wearing their school uniform with dark bulky jackets over the top of their shirts almost in the hope to hide their school uniform to make them look of an older and more mature age, which they are not. Both of the characters we are originally introduced to, do not seem at ease with their surroundings, this is demonstrated by their worried facial expressions and the fact the both keep looking around and behind them to check that no body is watching them. Previously before meeting the two students, we are able to see a low angle of a male’s feet (shoes) walking in the same room in which the boys are trying to hide a broken belonging. As soon as we see these two aspects the audience will begin to question how these two sets of characters are linked and what is going to happen between the both of them.

Soon after the two male students are presented with the unwanted presence of an older, well-dressed teacher who engages in a short conversation with the two students starting of with a sarcastic question in which by his toe the audience can identify he already knows the answer to, however he just wants to boys to come forward with the truth. The boys both stutter and are unsure of what to answer looking for guidance from one another already displaying the representation of age to the audience as they are clearly able to see how the higher authority has a sudden effect on the confidence of both of them.

Mise-en-scene continues to be relevant to the representation when we see a class full of students talking to one another during the time of a lesson, where they are seem to be confident with one another in their surroundings as they are with all of those of the same age as them, until one authorative figure (the class teacher) tells them to all be quiet and immediately we see a change in all of their personalities becoming timid and unsure of how to react in front of the settings.

Moving back to the main initial scene of this sequence when the teacher catches the two boys trying to replace the broken camcorder that they had stolen the student’s body language makes a dramatic change from what it was before the teacher had spotted them. Before the incident the two boys, although looking around, making sure that no body was watching has a relaxed and confident body language leaning back on their feet whilst one of the boys tells the other to “just chill out.” However, once the teacher makes a presence with a hindering cough to let them know that he was aware of what they were doing the two students quickly became a lot younger, showing their insecurities. However, although they both immediately slipped back into their youthfulness they soon realised that they wanted to keep up the mature and confident act in front of the teacher and both answered back with cocky and sarcastic answers, whilst trying to gain their confidence back again. During this scene of the camcorder incident, is when the audience is first able to see the two boys acting their real age and are in fact still represented as children who need to be kept in line by an authority.

Further along in the sequence where the teacher receives possession of the broken camcorder provides further evidence that youth in represented, and may allow the audience to feel sympathy towards the two boys although it was their own wrongdoing. Whilst the male teacher is teasing them about how much trouble they are going to get in, the female teacher who owns the camera enters the scene. The representation of age quickly appears to be a lot more evident as now the two students have two teachers up against them.

The way the camera is used in the clip further highlights the representation of age. Initially a low angle of the teacher’s feet walking towards the boys is shown which then cuts to a high angled close up of his face and this can have connotation of teachers being able to sneak up on people slyly and then make a great entrance on catching out students. This gives the audience an automatic impression that they have a much higher authority due to them being adults, whereas the camera angles used when the students are in shot are just regular mid shots, implying that they are lower in the hierarchy.

During the clip there is a use of both diegetic and non-diegetic sounds. The non-diegetic sounds being the loud drone of the school bell during the scenes, which would typically be associated with a school setting, and also the sounds of many students passing through the corridors outside the hall to make the setting seem a lot more realistic for the audience.

In addition, the use of diegetic dialogue further allows the audience to understand the severity of the representation. When the teacher first sees the boys trying to hide the camera we hear him question “where were you two for this mornings scanning?” his voice displays both anger and sarcasm, however his next tone of voice when talking to a teacher differs and is a lot calmer. This highlights how when those of the same hierarchy as one another are together their tone of voice and actions begin to change to adapt to the situation.

To conclude through the use of Mise-en-scene, camera, editing and sound we are presented with a complete sequence, which is motivated by the younger characters of the students who are dealing with the representation of age.