Misfits Technical Analysis

Misfits technical analysis- Season 1, Episode 1.

How are the individual characters introduced in the sequence?

-Slow introduction of them getting dressed- how they chose to personalise  and wear overalls followed by them each doing something- one plays on phone, one has a cigarette, one plays with jewellery etc.

-When told “this is your chance to help other people” they all respond in a different way,

All talk in different way, one stands on mobile phone, one says about being portrayed as bad because they are, two start to fight, takes mickey out of girls accent, one stands quietly

-When painting bench their characters are portrayed- one angry/storms off, one quietly paints, one very confident and speaks to “that runner guy”, girl slaps paintbrush about like she can’t be bothered, cheeky/cocky boy tries to get out of painting and talks to girl, quiet guy suddenly ‘bites’ back and gets angry

The way the individual characters are introduced in this sequence tells the audience about how they will act throughout the TV drama but also gives the audience a snippet of their behavioural characteristics and personality before they see the programme. It also tells us what we (the audience) can expect from the characters through the programme.

How do the technical features combine to present the characters to the audience?

Camerawork-

-close up shots

-extreme close up shots

-establishing shot

-medium shot

-two shot

-reaction shot

-pan

Mise-en-scene

-lockers

-overalls- all characters choosing how to wear their overalls

-mobile phones

-natural, basic hair, make-up and clothing

-natural environment for filming

Actor’s performance

-extravagant

- clear & precise actions

-each act differently but all follow same ‘can’t be bothered’ mood

-use gestures

-use strong facial expressions

Editing

-jump cut

-cutaways

-credits at beginning

Sound

-diagetic sounds

-characters speech

-slow music as introduction

How do the technical features combine to present the characters to the audience?

The slow music during the introduction shows how the characters chose to act and what the audience can expect from the characters behaviour-wise throughout the episode. The use of the slow music, a diagetic sound encourages the audience to concentrate on the characters introduction.

By using a variety of shots such as close up shots and extreme close up shots the audience are able to see the side of the audience that the editors want to portray. The establishing shot at the beginning instantly tells us where the characters are, and so in effect the type of places the characters of this TV drama ‘hang out.’ A reaction shot has been used to show the audience how the characters respond to the action which gives the audience a view on how they are affected by different actions and their responses to these.

By using overalls and lockers we learn that the teenagers are obviously somewhere where they need to follow rules, hence why they have overalls that are all the same. The way the mise-en-scene is interpreted by the teenager’s shows us what their characters are like, for example the way they chose to wear their overalls, with one character choosing to wear them round their hips whilst others zip them right up to the top. The basic hair, make-up and clothing alongside the natural environment work well alongside the youths.

The main technical feature used to present the characters to the audience alongside the others is the actor’s performance. The actors use extravagant, clear and precise actions and all act different although follow the same ‘can’t be bothered mood’. The use of strong gestures and facial expressions presents the characters to the audience well.

By using all of these technical features, the editors have been able to, from the beginning to the end of the extract; present the characters to the target audience. The strong presentation of the characters works well and means other teenagers and viewers of misfits will be able to link and engage with these characters.

Do you think that there are any representational issues in the sequence?

I think teenagers are misrepresented in this sequence, because these teenagers are obviously how the media stereo-typically portray teenagers. Not all teenagers are the same, and therefore this sequence misrepresents the majority of teenagers.