Age in EastEnders Clip

 


Initial thought

Firstly from the clip i can tell that the three types of generation are around the table. Patrick being the older generation, Denise and Lucas being being the middles aged and Libby and Chelsea being the younger generation. The representation of age in this clip is shown by the eldest character having the most knowledge from personal experience and it then sharing it with his family. Also amount of knowledge is showing the age of the youngest character as she is able to share information with the family which she has be taught at school. All of the characters in the clip are interested in the topic they are talking about despite them all being of different ages. I can see that the youngest and the oldest around the table are able to relate more as they both seem to have more knowledge than the middle aged characters which is representing middle aged people as not knowing as much as everyone else. This may be because the younger generation are still in education and are learning new things everyday and the older generation would have gained knowledge throughout their life whereas middles aged people haven't been around longer enough to gain there own knowledge and also it has been a while since they have been in education.


Representation of Age can be shown through camera shots, sound, mise-en-scene and editing.

Camera Shots
Several times in the clip the camera pans over all of the characters around the table. This allows you to establish the different ages around the table and what makes them different from each other.

At 11 seconds there is an medium shot which establishes what the older character is wearing(Patrick). You can see that he is wearing a shirt and waistcoat which represents the older generation to dress more smart and traditional. However you can see that his top button is underdone which represents his age to be relaxed as well as traditional.

At 16 seconds there is an establishing shot which almost makes Patrick appear to be a the top of the table even though it is round. This is therefor representing his age to have the most authority over everyone else around the table who are all consequently younger than him.

At 23 seconds there is a medium close up which establishes that the one the younger generation characters(Chelsea) is wearing make-up and has large loop earrings in. This is representing her age to care about their appearance and like to wear obvious jewelry. Also in this show you can see that she is wearing a bright blue top which represents her age to be outgoing and not afraid to wear bold clothing.

Lastly at 36 seconds there is a medium close up of Patrick which establishes that he has grey hair, wrinkles and a mustache which is representing his age to be not as worried about appearance as they he is not doing anything to try and hind the wrinkles or grey hair.Whereas the younger generation character(Chelsea) is wearing make up as she is being represented as a person who cares about their appearance.

Sound



At 23 seconds, Chelsea says 'fattening Tuesday' which is representing her age to care about there weight and figure. Also her mum(Denise) calls it 'fat Tuesday' which is also representing her age to care about their weight and figure. Even though both of these characters are of different age groups, they both care about the same thing.




Throughout the whole clip Patrick has a strong  accent which is different from everyone else in his family. This is representing his age to have more of a cultural background and to have had a different past compared to the younger aged people in his family.

When Chelsea becomes interested in what Patrick has to say here mum Denise questions her by saying 'Chelsea taking an interest in something, how much you had to drink?' This is representing Chelsea's age to usually not be interested in what the older generation have to say hence why her mum is so shocked. Also the fact the what Denise said was sarcastic may be representing her age to use sarcasm to try to be funny.

When Denise says 'I'm glad you asked, I want to know as well', this is representing age in a way in which different age groups can be interested in the same topic.




Mise-en-scene

The mise-en-scene in this clip can easily represent age through each of the characters clothing.

The youngest character( Libby) is wearing glasses but are rather large and could be classes as old fashioned and smart. This could be presenting her age to care less about being on trend but to look smart and well educated. Also she is wearing a dull grey top which is representing her age group to be afraid to show individuality with clothing and that they are not necessarily worried about looking on trend.

The middle aged character Lucas is wearing a dark black top which is representing his age to not be outgoing with clothing and also that they may not have the confidence to wear bright clothes and just want to blend it and get on with life.

On the table you can see that all the characters are drinking alcohol which is representing all the age groups around the table to be allowed to drink alcohol. Patrick is drinking Rum which is different from everyone else. This is representing his age in a way in which they may prefer to drink spirits rather than beer and wine like the younger generation characters are.

Lastly you can see that there are loads of collected ornaments and books which are on the selves in Patrick house. This is representing his age to have a desire to collect items from the passed. Overall this is showing his age as he is able to collect a large amount throughout his life so far.






Editing
All of the characters in the clip have the same eye line match. None of the characters look up or down at any other character. This is representing age to not affect a person authority or power over someone.There are short cuts to show the families reactions to what Patrick has said.

All of the family show the same reaction which is representing age to not effect they way you react about something hence why they all react the same.









Conclusion
Overall in this clip age is represented to have different aspects depending on what age they are however sometimes in the clip all the of the different ages are represented to have an interest in the same topic and react the same towards something they heard. Education and knowledge is a massive representation of age as well as clothing and appearance.