Skins

I have just watched the first episode of series 4 of the British TV teenage drama skins and I am now going to talk about some of the representation of Cook that is featured.
One of the characters we come across is a 17 year old male, stereotypically pursued as a "Chav". His name is Cook and comes across as a very loud mouthed, arrogant person. The clothes he dresses in play a part in representing his character. For instance he is dressed in a Burberry jacket which usually connotes thoughts of being a Chav. He also has a diamond stud in his ear which also indicates parts of his Chavvy character.
The way he speaks and his attitude towards other people also play a part in representing his character. He is often seen to be bouncing along the screen, suggesting that he has a very bubbly and fun character. The first we see of him is when he hugs Tom, but shortly after, Tom throws Cook off and tells him to go away. This suggests that some other characters find him annoying and don't like his "in your face attitude". The first dialogue we here from him consists of " Tomo, How the f*ck didley are you!". Straight away we get the impression that his character is very full on and doesn't really have high morals. It also suggests that he doesn't really care about what people think of him or about getting in trouble, which later on unravels to become more blatant.

Waterloo Road

Character Profile - Bolten Smilie
Bolton Smilie plays a disruptive character in waterloo road. He has the reputation of a bit of a trouble maker who comes across as a Chav. We get this impression mainly due to his attitude he portrays throughout the series. He comes across as quite arrogant and seems to think of himself as a ladies man. As you can see from the picture, Bolton dresses in a leather jacket, which suggests that he is quite a cool person. His tie appears to be lose, with his top buttons undone, which could suggest that he has a quite laid back attitude. It could also suggest that he is not respecting the schools dress code and wants to make his outfit seem a bit rebellious and individual. He is also wearing a hoodie, and youths who wear hoodies often get stereotyped as trouble makers. His name could be a Pun, due to the fact the it looks like the word "smile", which would suggest a friendly and caring character, yet his character is quite the opposite, portraying the agressive Chav.
The actor who plays Bolton is called Tachia Newall. According to various resources including wikipedia, Tachia Newall has not appeared in any other TV programs of films. However he has featured in Waterloo Road since series 3.


Character Profile - Tom Clarkson

Tom Clarkson is the head of English at Waterloo Road. He is mid 30's man who has faced a lot of relationship problems throughout the series, including divorce and his partner having a miscarriage. His appearance seems quite casual, with his sleeves rolled up, and him slouching on the desk. He also appears to be grasping his hair which could suggest that he is very stressed, possibly due to work or relationships. He doesn't look particularly happy to be there as he is looking very stern. This could mean that he does not enjoy his job and would rather be somewhere else.
The actor that plays him is called Jason Done who has had other acting roles including a BBC program "Merlin". It is also known that he "co-wrote comedy sketches inspired by Monty Python".

Hollyoaks Title Sequence

The first image we see whilst watching the opening/title sequence of hollyoaks is the glamorous eye of a female character opening in time with the music. The iris of the eye is a really magnificent blue that stands out and, along with the eye makeup, helps bring out this characters glamorous look. The title of Hollyoaks appears in the centre of the eye. This could suggest that the main themes encountered in Hollyoaks is glamour and youth.
The theme of youth and glamour is also reinforced throughout the title sequence as each character is introduced. All of the characters appear to be trendy and quite young, mainly early 20’s, with the few exceptions of characters that appear to be in the 30’s. As well as reinforcing the theme of youth and glamour, the characters would appeal to the programs target audience. I think the target audience for Hollyoaks would be teenagers, so by including late teenagers, young adults in the title sequence, the target audience might be attracted to the program as they are of a similar age. The female characters appear to be quite classy and good-looking. This would appeal to the programs target audience as people may aspire to look like them, or to have a partner like them
The representation of a few characters stand out, and could act as a way to draw in a wider audience. For instance there is a wider variety of characters including sport fanatics, Goths, good-looking characters and geeky looking characters. The Goth who is dressed in black, has dyed black hair and has a lip piercing. The black colours connote darkness and depression, which could reflect on his character. The sports characters, both a boxer and rugby player, again reinforce the theme of youth and energy.
The sound track is very upbeat and rocky. This would appeal to the teenage target audience as it is in a similar genre of music most like. The upbeat song also could represent the programs action packed episodes that is quick paced and interesting.
The final image we see is of the title hollyoaks. The title has been amended to have symbols of male and females in both of the letter “O”’s. The semiotics of the title connote males and females. As this is at the end of the sequence, it could represent the main theme of the program, about friendships and relationships between males and females.

Cutting It

Cutting It follows the traumatic life of hairdresser Allie Henshall, alongside her lovers, her rivals and her dysfunctional family. Allie Henshall and Gavin Ferraday run a successful hairdressing salon called Henshall Ferraday. Their plans to expand the business are dashed when a rival company called Blade Runner opens a salon right across the road from their premises. Blade Runner is owned by Mia and her husband Finn, and to complicate matters Finn used to be the love of Allie's life. It was a popular BBC television programme set in Manchester, England, which ran for four series between 2002 and 2005.