Textual Analysis - Youth

Film: Youth

Writer/ Director: Jane Linefoot

UK Film Council Lottery Funded
Film4

Awards: Yorkshire Short Film Award at Leeds International Film Festival (Won - 2005)

Youth Part 1

The from/shape/structure starts off slow and dull with the protagonist waking up and then continues to be slow as he gets up, puts on his jeans and drinks his tea, although the colors have brightened with the increase in light. The short begins with very languorous shots and not very many cuts. Suddenly, the music changes and increases in volume and tempo which creates a quick burst of energy and more quick paced cuts are used. This creates a slope in the shape of the film and then the ending damping the mood as the dad disapproves of his son. Micro elements from the technical category of mise-en-scene - costume are being deployed as the costume of the boy with black jeans and no top shows he is at a point in his life where he is exploring himself sexually and also with his black hair, black clothing and contrasting pale complexion represents him as the stereotype of a 'goth' which is a minority group and therefore shows he could possibly be dealing with issues of non acceptance and at his age, especially at school. The mood created is slow, boring and very still, until the volume and tempo of the sound increases and creates stimulation towards the boys movement, the hand-held camera movement and the increased speed of cutting as it changes from languorous paced shots to fast-paced. The message that Youth Part 1 is trying to create it to show the generational gap as the boy's dad doesn't understand the boy's eagerness to explore as in the way he dresses, his loud music which is probably a lot different to his dad's generation of music and the way he is exploring sexually as being openly gay in his dad's generation would probably be seen as a strange minority. Also, the fickleness of the youth is being explored as you never see adults that look like this teenage boy with dark black hair and dark black clothes and so it shows that this could easily be just a phase that he is going through and that he is constantly changing. Instability of the youth is also being represented as he seems very insecure when his dad sees him although when he is by himself in a closed environment he is very happy towards the kind of person he is. Finally, the ignorance of the youth is being represented when he turns up his music and blocks out any care towards anyone else in the house and how they may feel about how loud his music is.

Youth part 2

The form/shape/structure throughout the film is long takes that represent the timelessness in youth and belittle problems that youth find important compared to other problems. Micro elements from the technical category of mise-en-scene - costume, hair and make-up shows the character's class and status. The older girl is dressed quite inappropriate for her age and show quite a lot of skin compared to the younger girl. During their interaction it is clear they are friends from the same background, however the older girl expresses herself as more confident due to how she looks. Therefore this also tells us about the way the dynamics of their age work and being sexual provocative is a part of a culture that is often linked to r&b and other pop cultures that chavs associate with. From this, we can tell that they're of a low economic class and also with the use of their accents , we can gather a sense of their regional identity. There is a theme involved in this piece of work, which is age as they're shown as young and being timid and weak, this is shown throughout the actions of the youngest girl character, but more subtly through inappropriate intimate close-ups of her body that she is uncomfortable with in front of people and therefore this gives the audience an uncomfortable perspective in which we assume to judge her. The colors used in this extract are bright, meaning that it should be a happy environment, especially when associate with the childhood fun of a swimming pool but for some reason it doesn't seem it. This is through the use of subtle technical elements such as slow sound and languorous editing as it makes the mood quite boring and dull, which makes it seem strange as it isn't what you expect in a stereotypically fun environment. Micro elements from the technical category of sound is being used in the showers as it begins to get very loud after a quiet scene and this shows the rapid increase in discomfort of the young girl. In this same scene, costume is also being used as the young girl is showering in full costume including goggles and swim cap, therefore shows she is very insecure. Micro elements from the technical category of editing - slow motion, shows to young 'beautiful' teens in love and floating in a swimming pool, this has been edited into slow motion to show the bliss that is seen from a youths perspective because in youthful thoughts, beauty equals happiness. This theory is also represented with the micro elements of mise-en-scene - color design, as they are dull and lifeless around the ‘unattractive’ girl. The message that Youth Part 2 is trying to create is to show the strange thought process that may be distorted by the culture they have been brought up on and believe that beauty equals happiness. Also they're trying to relate to the audience in creating an issue of insecurity about self-image and how it seems so ridiculous that a young girl who is most probably prepubescent could be so insecure as it is obvious she has a lot of developing to do. 

Youth Part 3

The form/shape/structure starts off quick with people running up the stairs, but throughout shows a lot of ups and downs in terms of shape through languorous takes and fast takes. The panning on the micro element from the technical category - camera work is to show they are confused on who to pick and to question who is the dominant character, who is the alpha and who has the power in the group. The mood throughout is quite aggressive as all the character are fighting for the power of alpha male in the group and proving who is the strongest, this then distorts into exploitation with the misuse of power and so one of the boys begins to act on the aggression and become violent.

Micro elements from the technical category of sound - dialogue and mise-en-scene - costume create a representation of a chav stereotype, as they're dressed in puffa jackets and other Nike Sportswear, they're seated at the back of the bus, one of them has a skin head and they all talk in slang with an accent that is one of a chavs. Furthermore, mise-en-scene - costume is used as they wear big jeweled jewelry and earrings, which is a representation of the kind of culture they're a part of as the rap culture is notorious for wearing big jewelry as symbolism for riches, which tells us their desires to aim to be the alpha. One of them is also carrying an illegal weapon and is just playing with it, rather than using it and telling us that he must carry this with him everywhere (as another symbol of dominance) and so this tells us that this is part of his identity and costume and that he is rebellious and violent. The group also vandalize and litter, which shows the little respect that they have for their community however they see it as an act of dominance; for example, when animals urinate in certain places to mark their territory. Superiority is a constant theme in this extract as all three boys strive to be the dominant figure and any weakness is hidden, this is shown when one of the boys goes through extra precautions to make sure he has hidden his inhaler from the rest of the boys, therefore their costume and identity is only exhibitionism when they feel it is 'cool'. Therefore their whole presentation of costume could be seen as a 'shield' or 'barrier' to protect them from weakness and is made apparent when one of the boys exhibits extreme vulnerability when someone puts a bag on his head.

The meaning behind this is the peer pressure expressed in the youth and they're showing it from the perspective of the 'dominant' and 'popular' kids as this juxtaposes Strong vs. Weak and Appearance vs. Reality. It is also to show the youth's perspective of importance in being the dominant character and the 'star of the show' which really aims at a bigger message of how circumstances of today like the introduction and rapid growth of media and technology and how it has affected the youth of today. To show the repercussions of how the media create a huge facade around 'celebrities' and 'stars' and therefore the problems with this is that the youth then believe that they will then strive to that same position and become the 'star of the show' therefore ultimately meaning how the youth are becoming more selfish and narcissistic.