Sound | Editing | Paragraphs: Skins

The dialogue between the father and the son shows a reversal in audeince expectations. We see the father shouting and swearing at the teenager, which is normally something we would expect to hear from the teenager. The father's aggressive reaction to the diegetic rock music plays to the stereotype that teenagers play loud music and are inconsiderate to older people. His reaction also plays to the stereotype that teenagers frustrate their parents.

The image of the protagonist's sister of being rebellious in contrast to her brother is reinforced by the diegetic sound which is magnified of her heels on the pavement. This emphasises the stereotype that she has been out all night and also suggests that she is trying to act more like an adult. This stereotype is used in effect to portray to the audience that all teenage girls behave in a more adult way and dress in a way to make themselves more desirable to the opposite sex. On the other hand, non-diegetic sound is used to represent the protagonist's routine, having a repitive beat alongside the montage.  This challenges to stereotype that teenagers are unorganised and cannot commit themselves to a regular routine.

Parallel editing is used to show that the boy and girl are related and have a strong relationship. We can see through the parallel editing that they lead very different teenage lives, showing binary opposite characters. She is coming home; rebelling against house rules and he has been in his own bed. This conforms to Levi Strauss' idea that all narratives have opposites. The two narrative threads come together as she reaches the window and the cut aways show that she relies on him to cover up for her.

Action editing is used when the protagonist begins to excercise in his bedroom, using short and fast cuts to emphasise that it is the character's regular routine and is dealt with effectively. Although this style of editing conforms to the stereotype view that teenagers have a hectic life it also challenges it as the protagonist clearly has an organised lifestyle. This is also represented in a montage so the audience can see the different exercise movements and see that the routine is fast and tiring; which conforms to the stereotype that teenagers take great care in their appearence. The linear narrative is continued when an eyeline match is used to view the protagonist's perspective when he is looking out of the window at his nude neighbour. This emphasises the stereotype that teenagers are sexually charged. Cut away is used to focus on the sister away from the protagonist which reinforces to the audience that both teenagers have different lifestyles, the boy being organised and responsible and the girl being rebellious and carless. This complies to Straus' theory that binary opposites are used in narrative to represent the seperate lives of both characters.