Monarch of the Glen - Age Identity mock exam

age stereotypes

beautiful/ alive

control/ authority

experienced/ traditional/ wise

impetuous/ reckless/ irresponsible/ spontaneous

rebellious

lonely

the clip is introduced with the male workers going about their everyday jobs in the fields dressed in jeans, jackets and caps which is a stereotypical dress of people working in the countryside- the pholi sounds of the clutter of the equipment, footsteps, the sheep and birds in the background and the hushed chatter give a realistic feel to the scene; there is a man in the centre of the shot, he is dressed in the same way as the workers but appears neater and is presented in a way that makes the audience pay attention to what his character is doing. the lighting is slightly dim, giving the realistic impression of the english countryside. his character is portrayed to have the control on the farm and the authority over everyone including family. the woman is introduced when she walks out of the house, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt with minimal makeup shows that she is not a 'beautiful' stereotype but more of an average woman- her accent is from up north and much different from the others on the farm which shows she does not belong there and is most likely new to the job. when the man passes the keys to the woman she looks almost shocked- when she is in the truck it is obvious she has not done this before and therefore does not know what she is doing, the sounds of the others working outside the truck makes the audience realise she might get caught which gives an edge to the scene, she talks under her breath wondering how to turn the engine on- when it eventually roars to life there is a visible relaxation which we unconsciously follow as the young man approaches the vehicle she is in suspiciously but then backs off when they hear the engine start up. Her character is beautiful and must be irresponsible as she is hiding behind a facade of someone she has obviously convinced them is much older and much more experienced than she actually is. the shot flips back to the people in the drive including the man that holds the authority and it is quiet other than the clatter of their shovels etc but when there is a loud audible crash in the distance it gives the obvious indication it is the woman that just left and they all react immediately running towards the sound. the man that gets out of the car the woman has crashed into is well dressed in a suit and has a beard which is a traditional stereotype of a 'real' man- the way he stands and the deep masculinity of his voice gives us the indication he has authority of his own which the camera portrays by the equal level shot between the middle aged man and the man on the farm. the medium shot shows that the young man and elder woman are checking over the woman like she is a small child which emphasises that she is vulnerable. the middle aged man introduces himself as the headmaster of the woman and that she is in fact 16 which reinforces all the indications of this earlier on. however the man from the farm looks outraged and the man is framed considerably larger than the woman in the shot. the office is first presented as a long shot revealing all the solid oak type features which is usually associated with farmhouse type buildings in the countryside but also that of a traditional man; the whiskey that the man pours from the crystal decanter reinforces the old english presentation of the man. the camera keeps them at the same level within the frame and eye level which shows they have equal power within their own rights. when the man storms out of the office a low angle shot is used on his to show that he has the power/ control within the scene, the camera pans with the man as he pulls the woman along with him- the shot is framed so that it fits to his height but then shows her as half his size presenting her vulnerability and irresponsible character. the shot reverse shot used shows there are two viewpoints to the same story; when it is showed from her perspective only the top of her head is framed within the shot and mainly frames the man but when form his perspective the shot frames her and only up to her shoulders- this presents how he is much older than her and therefore more experienced and wise within the situation and shows that she is reckless and spontaneous and therefore has made a stupid example of herself. their voices are the only sound within this scene connoting that this is an important discussion and is heated because of this. the man is the first to walk away which provides us with the fact that he is in charge of the conversation- when it ends -the close up on the woman throwing a strop and shouting at his turned back "i hate you" are two identifiers that are immediately associated with teenagers that are reckless and irresponsible - it is a trait that all adults associate with every single teenager and as TV dramas are made by adults this is bias representation but a representation all the same. the sad soundtrack that begins when the shot reveals the woman's bedroom gives the impression that she is about to do something that will upset someone; the point of view shot used when the woman looks in the mirror is a way of showing the audience her feelings- the shot zooms into the photographs on the mirror which could present how her family is the most important thing to her but as she turns her back on them it might show how she does not feel like she belongs- it could be a metaphor of her family the closest thing to her heart. when the elder woman enters the room, the medium/ long shot used shows how she is alone- the woman has left- she looks almost helpless- vulnerable as she does not know what to do- the damage is already done. when it goes back to the man in the fields with the male workers the quiet of the background but the clatter of their equipment and birds in the background give a realistic reflection of normal life- there is always something happening that we do not know about- when the elder woman runs/ staggers up to the man from behind she looks at a loss and looks to him for guidance, reinforcing his authority. the man with the authority on the farm has more prominence than the other characters but the young woman who is 16 also has prominence within the clip which shows they are the opposites within the episode- he is the authoritative traditional figure where she is a spontaneous and reckless teenager.