Mise-en-scene | Camera Angle | Paragraphs: Skins

The mise en scene of the protagonists bedroom challenges and conforms to stereotypical views about youth culture. The establishing shot suggests that the series targets a teenage audience and it will follow the life and experiences of a teenager. The duvet cover shown is of a double bed with a naked man and woman, suggesting that this age group is sexually charged. The protagonist is positioned in the middle of the two bodies suggesting that he is sexually inexperienced. It could also be suggesting that he is alone and confused about his sexuality, which conforms to teenage sterotypes. In this shot natural lighting is used to give a sense of realism so the teenage audience identifies with the life of the protagonist.

The personality of the protagonist is displayed further to the audience as him being neat and organised, when the clothes in his draws are neatly tidied and through the montage we see a neat room. This challenges the stereotypical view that teenagers are messy so the teenage audience can assume that this character is very different to what they expect. This contrasts to the representation of his sister as we see that she has been out all night and her make-up and hair are not well groomed; with her clothing also being skimpy and provocative. Therefore the brother and sister are binary opposites as they have seperate lifestyles, the brother's being responsible whereas the sister is rebellious by going out when she is clearly not of an mature age (when we see her change into her school uniform).

The idea that teenagers are curious about sex is reinforced through the over the sholder shot used when he is looking at the older woman getting dressed through the window over the road. The shot is hand held so that the audience can have the same experience as the teenage main character. The following close up shot shows a lack of expression suggesting that this is routine and he has become disaffected by the image. This conforms to the stereotype that teenagers' lives are surrounded by sex and it plays a big part of their life.

The camera angle of the protagonist's sister is a track shot starting from the bushes and working outwards into an eyeline shot of her walking along the street. This creates a sense of secrecy as the camera angle suggests that she has something to hide and by being out in the open she is vulnerable. The audience can then assume that she has been out all night which conforms with the stereotype that teenagers are rebellious and hide secrets from their parents. The protagonist's perspective is shown via a low angle, hand held shot, looking down at her sister; which suggests that he has power over her. Transferring to a high-angle of the sister's point of view of the brother at the window to show her vulnerability; conforming to the stereotype that sister's rely on their brothers for safety.