Essay Plan

Representation of British teenagers in TV programmes 

1. Establish the typical representations of teenagers in TV programmes.
    Reflected differently in programmes
    Deviate away from the 'norm'

2. Explain how teenagers are represented in these programmes and do they reinforce the stereotypes or refute it.
    Skins
    This Is England 86,88,90
    The Inbetweeners
   
3. Explore the programmes and look to see if the representations are shown within them.

4. Discuss the programmes and what stereotypes are represented in each one and how they are represented.
    Skins - A British teen comedy drama that follows the lives of a group of teenagers in Bristol, through the two years of sixth form. Its controversial storylines have explored issues such as dysfunctional families, mental illness (such as depression, eating disorders and bipolar disorder), adolescent sexuality, gender, substance abuse, death and bullying.  Each episode generally focuses on a particular character and the struggles they face in their life. The episodes are named after the featured character.


    This is England 86,88,90 - Focuses on a group of friends trying to make their own way in life, looking for employment, love and entertainment.

    The Inbetweeners - Focuses on 4 social outcasts during their time at sixth form while they try to fit in and try to find love.


 
5. Link what was found in programmes to secondary research.
   The Telegraph - "From hoodies to goodies: today's teenagers have the makings of model citizens" - Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett - 16th February 2014
   
  The Telegraph - " 'Hoodies, louts, scum': how media demonises teenagers" - Richard Garner - 13th March 2009 

6. Evaluate all the sources i used.
    Discuss differences between the representations in the programmes and actual teenagers

Introduction Redraft

This essay will examine the way in which British teenagers are represented in these TV programmes The Inbetweeners (2008), Skins (2007), My Mad Fat Diary (2013) and This Is England 86, 88, 90 (2010-15). Representation is the description or portrayal of someone or something in a particular way. Representations as they can change a persons opinion on a certain subject due to the way the media portrays something, this shows that representations are very powerful in shaping the thoughts of people. Furthermore representations in the media allow people to gain a better understanding of the specific topic that they are looking at.

Introduction

This essay will examine the way in which British teenagers are represented in these TV programmes The Inbetweeners (2008), Skins (2007), My Mad Fat Diary (2013) and This Is England 86, 88, 90 (2010-15). These TV programmes all represent teenagers in different ways and my essay will examine the way in which they do this and if these representations are fair. Representation is the description or portrayal of someone or something in a particular way. The Inbetweeners follows 4 teenagers who go to sixth form and are social outkasts whom spend their time trying to impress girls, Skins is about a group of friends who party, drink and take drugs and the programme follows a different character during each episode, My Mad Fat Diary follows the story of a teen girl who has mental health issues it is set in 1996 so the representations of teens may be a bit outdate, This Is England 86,88,90 follows a group of friends over 4 years and looks at the different times and struggles that they go through.

Representation of British teenagers in TV programmes

TV Programmes

The Inbetweeners (2008)
Skins (2007)
My Mad Fat Diary (2013)
This Is England (2006-2015)

In Skins represented as drug taking, badly behaved yobs. - Chris' House Party Series 1, Episode 4
This Is England represents teens in the 80's and 90's as being violent
The Inbetweeners represents teens in a positive way who

Genre

Horror

Horror is a genre that aims to create a sense of fear, panic, alarm, and dread for the audience. These films are often unsettling and rely on scaring the audience through a portrayal of their worst fears and nightmares. Horror films usually center on the arrival of an evil force, person, or event. Many Horror films include mythical creatures such as ghosts, vampires, and zombies. Traditionally, Horror films include a large amount of violence and gore into the plot. 

Deviations

Sub Genres

Comedy-Horror combines comedy with traditional horror movie themes and characters. This sub genre aims to scare the audience whilst also making them laugh.

Slasher film is a sub-genre of Horror film that revolves around a psychopathic killer. This killer stalks and murders his victims in extremely violent and memorable ways. Though it centers on a specific killer, the violence is what sets Slasher films apart from other horror films. A Slasher film will devote more screen time to portray murder and mayhem than a traditional Horror film.

Crossover 

Horror film often overlaps into Fantasy, Thriller, and Science-Fiction genres.

Examples of Horror

Nightmare On Elm Street 

Saw

Friday The 13th 

The Conjuring 

Coursework Initial Ideas

  Representation of British teenagers in TV programmes, e.g. - Skins, The Inbetweeners