Unit 1: coursework
How far do the TV programmes ‘Gossip Girl’ and ‘Skins’appeal to the teenage audience?
Present in the media today are many stereotypes and counter stereotypes of teenagers. Some are used to represent most teenegers nevertheless; some are used to highlight negative stereotypes that teenagers make during adolescence. During our first unit of media coursework we were given the opening for both ‘Skins’ and ‘Gossip Girl’. I was instantly drawn to the representation of teenagers in both dramas as it was specifically designed to appeal to my demographic – which is teenagers of the 21st century.
‘Gossip Girl’ is an american teen drama set between the middle and high class social groups of New york. ‘Gossip Girl’ is about a gossip blogger who is the narrator for the drama which follows the protagonists and their separate stories which intertwine to construct this drama.
In the opening scene of ‘Gossip Girl’ the audience is introduced to ten different characters, each character encapsulating a stereotype that the audience can familiarize with although the setting and the way of life is completely different. The first protagonist we see is Serena. She is blonde, stylish, pretty and a stereotypical ‘it girl’. This is shown by the low angle used to introduce her, which elevates her, making her seem significant to the “popular”.
Secondly, we meet the humphrey family consisting of Rufus (the father) and his son and daughter. Both of whom are shy, well-mannered, casually dressed which shows that they too are significant to the teen drama as they are next after the protagonist. They are a counter-stereotype to the current anti-social version that claims most teenagers are rude and ill-mannered.
Thirdly, the audience is introduced to blair also another ‘popular girl’. She is elegantly dressed and we later learn she is the daughter of a designer. Blair is also an ‘it girl’ yet by the exchange of dialoghue between her and her mother it seems as if she is living in her mothers shadow. This is shown when over the shoulder- shots are used to capture the facial expressions on Blair’s face at her mothers sneer about her dress. Just after Blair we meet Nate, the handsome respectable, wealthy, polite guy. He represents the upper- middle class stereotype that is also very popular. The cut between Blair and Nate allows the audience to assume that they are together because of the switches in shots to capture their facial expressions to eachother. Nate however, was stood with his snobbish, powerful controlling parent who was demonstrating his authority over him, when the topic of what college he would attend to came up. Nate’s father continued to insist that he is to attend Dartmouth. The audience is able to feel the friction between father and son due to the change in camera shot as if in the midst of a tennis match.
Last but not least the audience is introduced to Chuck Bass. He is seen lounging on a sofa with a girl on each arm with his top button undone. Just from the body language it is instantly noticeable that he fits into the womanizing stereotype. The camera is at eye level which enables the audience to familiarize with Chuck quickly.
The music used in ‘Gossip Girl’ is very significant to the character build-up. ‘Gossip Girl’ uses a music supervisor who selects music which actors themselves would listen to. A few examples are, Rufus’ is New york bands (sonic youth) which reflects his persona in ‘Gossip Girl’ as he is a member of a New york band also; Lily has had a complex life so her musical taste reflects her experience as she listens to seminal bands and Chuck’s is a mixture between hip hop and R ‘n’ B which reflects the way he sees women due to the depiction of females in hip hop. This shows that music is crucial to the portrayal of the characters as it reinforces the connotations of the stereotypes used. However, it does not cease at this, the music appeals to the audience as it is current and it also enables the audience to understand the characters.
‘Gossip Girl’ uses a female voice over which narrates the story. This enables the audience to always have knowledge of the goings on. The voice is mysterious as the audience has no image of her; this creates an appeal to teenagers as it adds a sense of mystery to the drama. The theme tune is also very significant to the drama as it is condensed with all the dennotations for ‘Gossip Girl’. The music is a mix between hip hop and classical which symbolizes the balance between the upper class and its teenagers. The theme tune is set at night and shows skyscrapers, taxis and neon lights which capture New york night life. Lastly, the voice over ends with “x o x o” which compliments the blog theme throughout ‘Gossip Girl’.
After the introduction of the characters, the audience is continuously updated of the story lineby the voice over who is ‘Gossip Girl’ herself. The audience understands that the return of Serena disturbs the peace because as soon as she arrives every character is notified of this. The themes used in ‘Gossip Girl’ can mostly be familiarized with as they are pragmatic. Like for example the feuds between best friends, the rivalry in popularity, virginity and relationships in general can be related to by teenagers due to the fact they are frequently occurant at this stage of life. Conversely, I doubt that teenagers would be obsessed with gossip to the level that ‘Gossip Girl’ illustrates. Also if this the case then i should think it would be more frequent with females than with the males as shown in ‘Gossip Girl’. Nevertheless they all appeal to teenagers as one myself, i feel that no one can fully integrate with the drama itself unless living in similar situations; consequently, making the target audience feel as if the drama only applies to their genre of lifestyle.
Additionally, ‘Gossip Girl’ is set in New york. We see sky scrapers, yellow taxis, luxurious hotels, art galleries all accumalting to contruct an elaborate model of the mise-en-scene of the big apple. This draws a contrast between British and American life that we cannot familiarize with. Conversely, British teenagers also have their own alternative to this which is the parties they also attend and the nightlife they also live. On the other hand, a link is drawn through the technology used like mobile phones. We all know that one of the most significant materialistic items to a teenager is their phone. ‘Gossip Girl’ effectively highlights this and also the mass use of the internet through out the episode. However, it could also be argued that teenagers are not dominated by technology to the extent that ‘Gossip Girl’ shows.
Speaking of technology, the website for ‘Gossip Girl’ reflects its capabilities as it stylish, sophistocated and current so matches the standards of the drama itself.Also it is clearly presented and bright green so it lures viewers in. It is easy to use and compact with behind the scence information which enabled me to gather some facts about the compilation of ‘Gossip Girl’.However, a major set-back is that it limited to a US audience, as i had difficulties in watching some videos because i was from out of the US.
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