Age representation h/w

What is age?
Age is the length of time that someone/something has existed/lived for. Representation of age has categories that consist of different ages. These categories are babies, toddlers, infants, children, teenagers, young adults, adults and OAP's (old aged pensioners). 


Camera shots

Camera shots are the way in which the camera is positioned which gives a better insight into the characters and their positioning, feelings and behaviours that they portray within the media clip. Straight away, a close up is taken of the man in order to show his facial expression and reaction to being in the surrounding environment. His facial expression indicates that he is afraid of his peers who're in there with him. The majority of his peers are older than he is. This shows that he is fearing the older generation as he may be intimidated or threatened by their presence. His reaction (a reserved face/body) also indicates a sense of fear and uncertainty about his fellow older inmates. 

Another indication that he is afraid of his peers is a medium close up is taken of him and an older inmate. His behaviour shows that he is afraid of the man as the man is in his face. His body is still and his head has been pulled back and withdrawn because he is afraid of the man who has shoved his face in his. The facial expressions show how both characters are feeling. The younger man's face shows no emotion expect fear compared to the his older inmate's face which shows more of an aggressive and intimidating facial expression. This therefore shows that the difference in age is also the difference in how they present themselves. The young man is fearful of the older man which shows that the older man has more authority and power over the younger man.




As the man exits, a extreme close-up is taken of the young man and adult as the adult makes a 'fist pump' gesture to the young man. This gesture indicates that the adult is trying to act younger than he actually is and that he is trying to be 'hip' like his younger inmate. 'Fist pumping' is commonly associated with young people who are demonstrating coolness. This means that he is trying to be cool and younger than he actually is.



There are a lot of medium close ups that show the younger man's reaction towards his peers. The way the man comes across in the presence of his older peers tells the audience that he isn't confident enough to challenge them because of their age. He therefore just becomes reserved and allows for the older generation to question him and have authority over him. The older generation notice his lack of presence/confidence so take advantage of it by telling him what to do/say.

When we are introduced to his cellmate within the prison, it is easily identified his age by his appearance - an older looking face and wrinkles. Immediately he is intimidating the young man by asking him what the other man wanted. He then repeats the question in order for the young man to answer again. From the way he speaks, his seems to be knowledgeable and he likes to tell people about himself - which is a common trait of older people because they don't have many people to talk to so they therefore tell anyone who will listen. As an older man, he is also very wise because he doesn't fall for the young man's story. He tells the young man what to do as well which can give an hint of authority due to his older age.


Authority of age can also be shown between the police officer and detective at the end scene of the clip. The fact that the older man is in front of the younger man indicates that the younger man is ensuring he stays behind him because he is a higher authority. The fact that the older man has a higher job also indicates that he has authority and that because he is older, he has more experience and is more wise. This means that he is more capable than the younger man who is merely a police officer.



Editing
Editing is the way in which the media piece has been put together. An eyeline match is shown when the younger man is talking to the man who is blowing in his face. This eyeline match can show authority between the young man and the other man - this is because the other man is taller and broader and more intimidating than the younger man. Although, the facial expressions set the mood of this scene. The other man is seen smiling compared to the younger man who has a straight face. This shows that the younger man is more afraid of the other man than vise versa.

An action match can be seen of the older man. He is seen to be walking towards his cell with the door open and he enters it. The next shot is of the man in the entering the room from the other side. This action match indicates that the older man is the first to enter the room because he is the oldest so wants to get there first. Because he is older, he has a sense of authority compared to his cellmates so he is in the room before anyone else.

A shot reserve shot is taken when the older man is speaking to the younger man in the cell. This has mainly been done to show the younger man's reaction towards what the older man is saying. The fact that the older man comes down to his level indicates that because he is older, he may seem more intimidating so therefore makes the younger man feel more comfortable and less pressured - which is a trait of older people to consider how other people are feeling.

A shot is taken of the younger man as he is in bed and sleeping - doing the correct thing. Another shot is immediately followed of someone who appears to be older. He is holding a torch and doing something with his hands and an object. This shows a contrast between the ages because the younger man is trying to sleep and follow the rules whereas the older man is going against the rules and doing/messing about with something he shouldn't be. A shot is then immediately followed of the younger man sleeping again to show the contrast.

An action match is taken of the older man and younger police officer at the last scene. There is a shot of the two walking towards the car and then the next shot is a forward shot of them continuing to walk. This action match demonstrates age because while watching it, you are able to see that the older man is walking at a faster pace than the young police officer and is in front of him. This can show authority between the two ages.





Sound
In the beginning of the clip when the close-up of the younger man is taken, a intense piece of music is played in the background and the voices of the inmates around him can be heard. This has been done to match the feelings of the younger man. He is intimidated by his older fellow inmates and the music emphasises this because it is intense and threatening music. The voices of the inmates are heard because it is what he's afraid of. The link can be placed between the voices speaking and the fear.

When the other man comes along to the younger man. He blows in his face. This can be heard and is emphasised to show that because he is the older one out of the two, he is allowed to do that/has the authority over the younger one. He continues to do it until the older man intimidates him  - which also shows age authority because he stops doing it because the older man spoke to him. 

Laughing can be heard in the cell scene. The laughing is coming from the older man rather than the younger man. This shows that the older man is still able to joke about and have a laugh whereas the younger man is more serious and a small smile appears on his face because he seems intimidated by the older man. The older man therefore appears more relaxed and laid back compared to the younger man who is more stiff.

When the younger man is sleeping, noises and shouting can be heard. This shot has been taken to show the younger man's reaction to those noises. He is probably reacting differently to his older cellmate because his older cellmate is more wise and probably has been there longer than him so is therefore used to it. Whereas, the younger man seems intimidated by the noises and because he is younger, he is more frightened/scared by those noises.

Mise-en-scene

Although the cellmates are all different ages, they are required to wear the same colour on top of their clothes. They are all required to wear the light blue prisoner colour/outfit. This shows that all the inmates have the same authority and age doesn't change that. The older man though, is the only one whose underclothes are present and show the writing on it. This has been done on purpose to show that although he is older, he is willing to listen because he has 'listener' on. The other older man who speaks at the beginning is in the same colour but is wearing a jumper instead of the proper outfit. This shows that the older ones have probably been there for longer so are dressing more comfortable.

The settings can show/represent age within the prison. The room in which the men have the conversation in is basic and has beds in it. These items show that the two younger guys who are in this room have a bunk bed compared to the older man who just has a single bed. This therefore shows that because he is older, he has a better bed instead of having to sleep in a bunk bed like the two younger guys.

In the cell scene, the older man is seen to be pouring a drink and all his personal things can be seen. This shows that the older man has his own personal shelf and items which can show authority towards the other people in the cell because he has a certain area that is only 'his'. Whereas, you do not see the personal area of the younger people's so you cannot see if there area is bigger or if they even have one.

The clothing of the older and younger man at the end scene can show a difference in age. The older man is wearing a suit and rain coat compared to the younger man who is wearing a police officer's uniform. This also indicates that they do different jobs. The younger man is a police officer whereas the older man seems to be a higher authority and doesn't have to wear a specific uniform but instead just has to dress smartly. The difference in jobs can also indicate an age gap because the older man has had more time to do work and has now experience and therefore more power/authority.