'Teenage Riot' - Youth, Media and Collective Identity Lecture: 2/02/2010

Who is your favourite young person in the media (fictional or real) and why?

Serena van der Woodsen, played by Blake Lively, from Gossip Girl; she wants to be successful in her own right and find herself and not have to rely on her parents influence to gain her high-end positions; this sense of independence is something that I am able to relate with, and I think it is what makes Serena relatable to audience members moreso than her rival Blair Waldorf. I am able to aspirational relate to Serena, however only in certain ways - mainly successwise, not careerwise. She wanted to be an actress, which was something that I could completely aspirationally relate to, however she gave up on that dream; this makes me want to work harder at it, so in a sense the producers have made me not want to be like her, because of what she failed to do makes me want to push myself harder; I am almost aspiring to be what she would've been had she not gave up.

Collective Identity:

Collective Identity is simply, groups of similar people; people that you are able to relate with through similarities.

Jacques Lacon is a psychoanalyst whose theory many media and film critics apply when attempting to create a character that they want audiences to relate to. Jacque studied child development and suggested a "mirror stage" in which a child begins to develop an identity; it is a point in their life when they can essentially look into a mirror and recognise themselves. It can be argued that audiences are able to form and reform their identity and change the way in which they see [or recognise] themselves; this is essentially how film and media critics relate Lacon's work to audiences.

The two main points that the media attempt to create relatable characters; characters that are "just like me" are Identification and Aspiration. As an audience member you can either identify literally with the character, physically or emotionally, or aspirationally relate to them; they do what you want to do. When there are accurate representations it is easier to see yourself in the character and this can reinforce your identity. However, when there are inaccurate and distorted portrayals, audiences can change themselves and their identity to fit in and belong.

Constructing the teenager:

19th century:

The young person started to emerge in New York. The "Bowery Boys" or "Soaplocks" as they were known; they had their own slang, that adults couldn't understand, dress code, musical taste etc. They had disposible income and it was the first time the entertainment industry and fashion houses targeted them as a consumer group.

1900-1940's:

There was a 400% rise in high school enrolment in the USA between 1900-1910. The peer culture truly began and it was a time of comparasion; teenagers were comparing themselves to their peers. The magazine industry started targeting the insecurities of adolescent girls. During World War II there was a demand for labour and therefore the teenagers had disposible income. Between 1945-1960, teenage consumers were known as the "jackpot market" and the "prosperous and liberated future", however it was also when negative stereotypes about teenagers were beginning; they were known as the "culture of moral decline." It was the first sign of the adult cultures dichotomous image.

1950's: Rock & Roll Culture

It was around this time that the teenage culture really began to begin, because they weren't trying to be adults; this created a generation gap which in turn created tension between adults and teenagers.

Adult Hegemony?

Hegemony - dominant social group keeps an oppressed group in their subservient position by making them feel their position is 'normal' or desirable.
A marxist view of teeangers is that the adults are encouraging the teeangers to be rebellious by creating the 'rebel teen' label in which teenagers can aspire to, however this in turn keeps the adults fearful of teenagers; this expands the generational gap.

James Dean: An Accurate Portrayal?
He was thought to be the first celebrity to capture the dissonance of youth. "Rebel without a Cause" confromed to adult fears of teenagers, supporting the marxist theory of adult hegemony. James Dean's character isn't a bad person; he's confused, sensitive, frustrated and handsome, this meant that both adults and teenagers could empathise and desire him. James Dean died in a motorcar accident at the age of 24; "live fast, die young" - adults began fetishising teenagers.

1960's-1970's:

Around this era the teenager subculture became a counter culture. The next generation of teenagers were cynical about the commercial exploitation of youth; this started social upheaval. Young people began to support Civil Rights, Feminism, Anti-Vietnam. They were resisting marketing and consumerism.

Punk & HipHop:

Punk: reaction against optimism of the 'Hippies', they were even more cynical than previous teenagers. They weren't just rebellious and anti-consumerist; they were anti-establishment, it was political.
HipHop: reality of poverty and racist oppression.

Adult Fetishism of Youth:

There is a recurring pattern of bright future vs society going to hell. Two different articles on teenage girls and teenage boys; "am I bovvered?" "hoodies or altar boys?" There are thoughts that the images of teenage boys and girls are sexualised and exploit insecurities of individuals creating paranoia about appearance.
4,374 out of 8,629 crimes reported were youth crimes. There are only positive representations of male teenagers if they're dead or victims of violent crimes that have been started by other teenagers.

Internalised Stereotypes:

'Kidulthood' - Links to media.
'Harry Brown' - revenge fantasy for adults.
These films could be considered as anti-youth films.

9-14year olds spend $300 billion per year in the USA.
There is a sense of nostalgia from the adult audience; they never appreciated their youth when they were that age. There is also a feeling of empathy, because adults don't want to have to do as they're told; they want to be rebellious. Finally there is a feeling of envy; teenagers don't have a careers or marriages to worry about, there is no financial burdens, and teenagers have a higher sexual drive.

Sometimes teenagers are represented in a way in such a way that the majority of the teenagers can't relate to them, for instance: Juno - do teenagers really talk like that? Skins - do teenagers really have those lifestyles?

CD Covers

Although this is a simple design, it impacts the audience because of the bold solid use of colour against a solid blackground, by using a bold red and cream against a black background makes the band's name stand out. Also, the use of perspective suggests to the audience that the female on the cover is shouting out "Franz Ferdinand" this is also strengthened by the use of strong block capital letters that are opposite to the colour they're against (cream "Franz" against a red background); by shouting out the name of the band, or at least appearing too, suggests that she is trying to capture the audiences attention. The use of dots to implicate shadows on the female create an more interesting image and also allow her to stand out against the black background because of the where there aren't any shadows her skin is white.

There are aspects of this CD cover that could be interesting to experiment with when designing Blighters CD cover, for instance the dots would make a plain image interesting because it looks as though the image has been printed, similar to images seen in a comic strip. The link to comic strips would also echo the 1980's, as comics were popular around this era. Using perspective also gives the image a twist because on this cover it is as though the female is speaking to the audience.

Similarily with "Franz Ferdinand", "Tears for Fears" album cover is basic, however the colour scheme is blander compared with the bold colours used above. However, "Tears for Fears" album cover is perfect as the image and blank empty space used reflects the title of the album, because people often feel empty and blank when they're hurting. The audience are attracted to the image because they want to help the "hurting" child, and can feel sympathy towards him. Although, pastel colours are used the child still stands out against the off-white background because there is a light illuminating him, from behind him. He also is dressed in dark colours that contrast with the off-white background. Despite on Franz Ferdinand's album cover they have used a bold strong font, "Tears for Fears" opted for a minimalistic font that is simply placed in the top right hand corner. However, "Tears for Fears" title is strategically placed directly above the image of the boy; this could work either way, the audience look from the title down to the image of the boy or from the image of the boy to the title, either way the audience will be informed who's album this is. The strong black colour used contrasts with the off-white background drawing attention to it, because apart from the boy it is the only difference in colour.

Although the CD cover is powerful, the blankness of the image isn't appropriate to the genre of "Blighters" who, compared with "Tears for Fears" are more flippant. The contrasting of colours is something that could be experimented with as it draws consumers attention to the cover, however I would probably experiment with bold strong colours as used by "Franz Ferdinand." The title is attention-catching because the colour is the inverse of the white background and the font is simplistic, which would work well with my idea for a CD cover, because of the busyness of my cover (multiple polaroids, one image); also by using a simplistic font on my front cover, it would be attention-catching as it wouldn't blend in with the polaroid image because the font would be clean cut.

Jack Penate's album 'Everything is new' uses a black and white scheme which suggests a traditional tone, because the black and white palette is reminiscent of old photo's. The font is also traditional and ties in well the nostaligic tone that the album is implying. The sense of nostalgia that 'Everything is new' is suggesting is a theme/tone that I have attempted to interweave throughout my music video and will imply through my print production. I chose to have the artist on the front cover of my CD cover as it promotes the artist and familiarises the audience with the artist, although my image isn't as obvious as Jack Penate's image, which perhaps makes it harder for the audience to relate to my artist but it creates a sense of mystery which lacks in this album cover because you are able to not only see the artists face, but also the style of clothing that he's wearing. Due to the fact that there isn't obvious connotations to the indie/alternative genre on 'Everything is new' the style of clothing is included to implicate the genre; for my design I decided to use polaroids which are related to the indie/alternative audience (I found this out from research on social network sites by seeing the types of photo's that consumers associated with this genre use).

'Silent Alarm' has been created in a similar way to Tears for Fears album cover; the lack of colour, the simplistic font, the dramatic image - although dramatic in different ways. The blur effect used on the tree line suggest reverbs from an alarm which has direct links to the name 'Silent Alarm' - all the audience can see is the effect of the alarm, they can't hear the sound. Similarly with the album cover idea I have decided on, my images will have direct ties to the name of the song 'The Exam'. Direct connotations assist the audience into imagining what the album is like and what the songs are about; this helps the consumer relate to the album and music better because they understand it. The blank white background makes the blurring stand out more on the black tree line because they contrast the white so obviously. The use of image connotes a sense of deathly silence, which again would link well to the name of the album; the vast open space and perspective allows the audience to imagine that the emptiness is neverending which in turn highlights the sense of loneliness and silent alarm as there is no one around to hear cries of help and therefore an individual's alarm would essentially be silent. The block font suggests cold hard reality and ties in well with the emptiness of the CD cover because it is simple and the steel grey colour complements the white and black palette; steel grey block lettering could symbolise industrialisation and the effect it's having on the modern world or on the human race, because the blank space could be the devastation it can potentially leave behind or the emptiness and loneliness that humanity experiences; this allows the audience members to engage with the music on a different level. Although the band themselves aren't shown on the album cover, the audience can possibly still relate to them on an emotional level because the individual consumer can assume that the performers felt a sense of this emptiness/loneliness when creating the music and instead of allowing the audience to relate to them on a physical level by having images of themselves they decided to let the consumer in on an emotional level, perhaps to create a deeper understanding.

Bloc Party also have a remixed version of 'Silent Alarm'; the album cover is the same, apart from it is in negative. Negative is an inverse of colour. The inverted colours could suggest an inverse emotions, changed emotions - different from the lonely, blank and empty feelings portrayed from the orginal 'Silent Alarm' album. The dark black background suggests a different time of the day compared with the original, whereas the brightness of the orginal suggests daytime, this suggests night; anything can happen in the dark (what you see isn't necessarily what you get) and Bloc Party are saying that anything could happen with this album, music connotes different things when remixed. Compared with the tone of industrialistation/factories implied in the font before, against the black background the font looks bright glowing, similar to city lights. As does the tree line, rather than trees as you see them naturally in the countryside, these trees seem as though they're lining a road or avenue, somewhere urban/suburban. The difference between these two 'Silent Alarm' albums suggest that there are two sides to every person, there are two different emotions you can have; sadness = the inverse is happiness, hatred = the inverse is love, anger = the inverse is calm; the audience are able to relate to the music with different emotions, because there are two different version of the same album; original and remixed.

2. How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

By combining both my music video and print productions effectively I have been able to strengthen the genre of music and strengthen my ideas.

I chose to build on the school theme that was running throughout the narrative of the video and was prominent within the lyrics and the name of the song ('The Exam'), so I used a wood effect to resemble a desk as this linked with the school theme because it had connotations of a desk and the use of paper on top of the "desk" [wood effect] strengthened the implication of education. By linking the theme of education between both the video and print production I was also able to create a sense of nostalgia which I have tried to interweave throughout both production by editing shots into black & white and using Polaroid images on the front of the CD cover.

As well as using the editing to link my main production and ancillary texts, I used visual links as well, in order to appeal to audiences members who engage better visually. By integrating part of the video into my print production, it not only creates a direct tie between the two productions, but also familiarises the audience with the band and the music; they are able to relate to the singer on an aspirational level because they can see what he has achieved. Although the image of the performer on the front cover allows the consumer to relate to him, the use of lyrics on the inside pane of the CD case familiarises the audience, again with the performer because they're able to aspire even more due to the fact they can learn the lyrics, but also with the video and the song; the audience can engage with the song and the visuals on a different level because they're able to sing along with the performer and can link the visuals with the lyrics in a more precise manner.

In order to keep the ancillary text appropriate to genre, I used an image of the artist in order to promote the band and because this ties in well with the indie/alternative genre. Other bands from similar genres use traditional images of the artist, such as Jack Penate 'Everything is New' (it is just an image of the artist in a medium shot), however I decided to create an image using multiple Polaroid’s and one image because I felt this tied in best with the artist and because of the nostalgic feel I have been attempting. Positing the image in the centre of the CD cover framed by the text, "Blighters The Exam", draws attention to the artist and, similarly to the use of the same image that is from the video, allows the audience to familiarise and relate to the artist and the music.

To keep a sense of continuity between all media texts I used similar textures and pastel shades; the use of old paper is sepia and reminiscent of older times, this ties in with the black & white shots in the video and links both together because of the similarity in darker, pastel tones. However, I decided on keeping the main image in colour, because this tied in well with the performance aspect of my music video because it was all in colour as well; the contrast between the colour and the sepia effect of the paper made the image the main focus of the CD cover and because of this it is promotion of the artist because the audience become accustomed to seeing him.

Influences from the American Media Industry

In our music video we decided on having the classroom set out as an exam, as this linked perfectly with the title of the song "The Exam". The layout of the classroom is similar to the layout used in american classrooms; the inspiration was taken from american style classroom that I had seen in american films and television programmes such as Hairspray and My So-Called Life and from how British exam halls are set out. The use of individuals desk would be relatable to audiences because of the exposure they have had to american films, tv dramas and artists and their music videos.

The separate desks could symbolise two things: individualism and separation. The separation between the students could foreshadow the separation between the male and female character and their relationship breakdown. Whereas the individualism reflects the idea of individulism in teenage culture especially in the indie genre, where individualism and being alternative is important.

Taylor Swift - Teardrops on my Guitar

Name of Music Video: “Teardrops on my Guitar”

Artist: Taylor Swift

Release Date: 2007



Throughout “Teardrops on my Guitar” there are two prominent locations: a school setting and a home setting. The audience are introduced to locations in which they are familiar with and therefore can relate with. Although both of these situations are familiar, they won’t necessarily create a comfortable tone to the video for certain audience members; however it could create a form of escapism as the audience member can replace the artist with themselves, because the story is common: girl loves boy, boy doesn’t realise and loves someone else; and the location is familiar but perhaps different to their previous experiences.

Building on ideas from "Teardrops on my Guitar" I used different locations some that would be familiar to a broad audience, but others that would only be familiar to the target audience for Blighters; for instance, a gig setting and a non-commercialised coffee shop. As Blighters have a specific target audience in the age range of 16-25 and that would, perhaps, prefer independent quirky music and independent arthouse films, such as "Once", I decided that using a non-commercialised coffee shop and a gig would best represent the genre. However, in order to not alienate a large proportion of the audience, I used a narrative that was relatable and similar to that of "Teardrops on my Guitar" and similar to Swift I cast actors that would were average and normal; that the audience could replace themselves with, so that the audience could engage with the video on a different level other than the music.

Using a mixture of narrative and performance places the artist in a storyteller position, especially in this video as the lyrics run parallel with the narrative and performance. When the artist is within the home setting, it is as though she is telling a personal story to the audience, making them her confidantes; this effect is constructed through a variety of close-ups and extreme close-ups because it is as though the audience are getting close to her and she is whispering the story to them. By looking at the camera, she is drawing the audience in and engaging them, because it is as she continues to tell her story when she does this, which suggests it is only you she is telling.

The mixture of narrative and performance was an influential factor when creating our music video, as I have strong narrative and performance within our video. The idea of having being able to have characters that connect with the audience was also important, which is another way that this video helped; I wanted our characters to have the same connection that Swift has with her audience. The predominant difference being that I didn't use the characters as the performers, however they were in the performance space, and this familiarised them with the audience. Also, I used close-ups of the band; because the audience weren't able to see their faces they weren't able to connect with them on the same level that they could with the characters.

The artist is not only there for the performance aspect of the video, she is also the prominent character within the narrative, this again strengthens the sense of storytelling, however also makes her appeal to the audience as she is linking herself to the troubles within the narrative and instantly this creates her as relatable as she is going through what the ordinary person goes through. Swift is strengthening herself by making herself a familiar face within her video as well, by being in both the narrative and performance, often with just one or no-one else in the mise-en-scene with her, she becomes recognisable and relateable as the audience can connect with her because by allowing someone else to be the main female character would infringe on her connection with the audience.

Aswell as the audience being able to connect with the artist, there is also a sense of voyeurism especially within the narrative scenes; this is shown through the different shot types. The voyeurism also adds to the sense that the audience are Swift's confidantes, because they're listening and watching on her conversation. This could, potentially, alienate the audience from the artist because by being voyeurs they're not being involved, however I believe it has the opposite effect because the way in which the voyeuristic shots are shown creates the sense that Swift has set them up purposely for the audience to watch in on; almost saying: look, this is what I mean, this is how our relationship is.

Analysis of The Women - 1939original and 2008remake

Name: The Women
Director: Diane English
Writers: Diane English (screenplay); Clare Boothe Luce (play)
Release Date: 12th September 2008 [UK]

Name: The Women
Director: George Cukor
Writers: Anita Loos (screenplay); Clare Boothe Luce (play)
Release Date: 1st September 1939 [USA]

Synopsis: THE WOMEN is a smart, sparkling comedy about contemporary womanhood and the power of female relationships. It whisks us into a busy pocket of Manhattan society, where the publishing, fashion and finance industries play. At the center of the tale is Ryan’s character, Mary Haines, a thoroughly modern woman suddenly confronted with an age-old dilemma: a cheating husband. The ladies in her life swiftly rally to Mary’s side, led by her best friend, Sylvie Fowler, a dynamic magazine editor played by Bening. But when Sylvie betrays Mary in a Faustian bargain, the entire group is shaken to the core – and two women face the most painful breakup of all - their friendship.


Both the remake and the original film are similar, however one stark difference is the directors. In the 2008 remake the director is Diane English and in the 1939 original the director is George Cukor, this would suggest that possibly the way in which women are portrayed would differ; as the male director would, perhaps, objectify women more in a way that would be appealing to the male sector of the audience, whereas English would focus more on the strength of women and portraying them in a better light to both the male and female sectors of the audience. However, if English is strengthening the women’s power within the film and is going against the male gaze theory, it has to be seen that she doesn’t discriminate against men in the way in which the film industry do so to females.

The 2008 remake, received critical reviews; these reviews weren’t only critical of the film but of English’s ability and that perhaps it was her lack of ability that made the remake “a major dud” [Peter Travers, Rolling Stone]. The critical response suggests that there isn’t many places in the film industry for a female director, also perhaps there isn’t any chance for a director of TV to become a film director “English knows how to get good performances out of her cast, but her pacing is languid and sloppy, so much so that one is tempted to believe that for all she knows about pacing a 30-minute sitcom, English isn't quite ready to tackle the longer form." [David Wiegand, San Francisco Chronicle]; Wiegand critical response almost reinforces the male gaze, and suggests that it isn’t only incorporated within films, but also happens outside of films and within the music industry.

However, this may not always be the case, because the screenwriter for the 1939 version of “the women” was in fact a woman, “It's a testament to the actresses' skill that The Women is in any way watchable. The script is as funny as a deeply misogynist revenge tragi-farce romp could be - […] Anita Loos furnished the wisecracks. I did laugh. At it. Helplessly, sometimes.” [Al Kennedy, The Guardian]; also Kennedy is stating that it is just as funny as something misogynistic which suggests that, although the male gaze is portrayed as amusing which is a negative thought, just because something isn’t misogynistic doesn’t mean that it can’t be funny. Whereas, in a review of the English’s remake [written in the same year, 2008] “Seth Rogen asserts that weed 'makes shitty movies better', and how I longed to test this out during The Women, a generally excruciating remake of George Cukor's 1939 catty classic” [Jason Solomons, The Observer]. Jason Solomon notes that it is “excruciating” to watch, however there is no indication this is because he feels that it is because a woman has done a bad job, though this could be implied as he doesn’t just mention that is a remake of the 1939 film, he mentions the directors name “remake of George Cukor’s 1939 catty classic” but there is no mention of the female director; he doesn’t say longed to test this out during Diane English’s version of The Women.

Many of the reviews for, both the remake and the original have been written by men hence the film is being viewed through male eyes. The critical reviews could therefore have been written because the male audiences were frustrated by the lack of male dominance and male characters and this made it hard for them to relate to this; also due to the characters all being female, when they have issues – for instance, a husband cheating on his wife – it is women sorting it out with no assistance from the men, this could potentially make a male audience feel inadequate. With the 1939 classic, the male audience had the director to relate to, although there wasn’t any cameo roles and they didn’t see him, George Cukor would have had control over the female cast and would’ve been able to tell them what to do, whereas with the remake, not only is the cast and the screenwriter all female – similar to the original – but the director is also female, and therefore there isn’t any definite male input into the film.

Ideas for CD Cover

Photo Montage

Blighters are a modern band, first formed in 2005, however are heavily influenced by the 1980's and the bands of this era, such as Japan. I want to create an album cover that reflects the 1980's, but also is relevent and appealing to a modern 21st century audience. The idea of using individual sections of an object to create the bigger picture, similar to how it's used in the image above, would be appropriate for a band like Blighters, as the polaroid images creates a sense of nostalgia because polaroids were one of the first instant cameras. The use of polaroid images also creates an artisitc, creative feel and suggest individualism which should be considered as the product should appeal to audiences and give them a sense of individuality and collectiveness.

Images of the band

Rilo Kiley's album "under the blacklight" has the members of Rilo Kiley on the cover, this familarises the audience with the band members rather than creating an elusive image; also the outfits used suggests the genre of the music. Using a spotlight to highlight the band draws the audiences attention to the band, making them the main focus of the album cover. The title above the band divides the attention between the band and the title, as it is directly above the band and the space between the band and the title is shared equally.


"Black Kids" introduce the band using an image as well, but the audience can only see the tops of the band member's heads as opposed to the whole band. This creates an interesting effect as it suggest mystery, however at the same time doesn't allow the audience to familairise themselves with the band members. The use of the bubble font suggests the pop genre, however it is given a quirky edge because it isn't brightly coloured and the font doesn't fit all the way across the cover.

I like the idea of using images of the band, and I would try and use the people that the audience see when watching our video in order to create consistency and a sense of familiarity. It could prove effective as Blighters influence Japan use band images on the front of their album cover so would not only link well to their influences but also the era in that has influenced them as well.