Representation of Age

Waterloo Road - Exam practise

 

Mise En Scene

 

The clip conveys how the students do not take education seriously and do not care about school rules and regulations. Most of the students are dressed in school uniform yet many of them have their shirts not tucked in, however one boy is dressed more smart than the fellow pupils. The boy who looks more smart than the other students is a character who seems very vulnerable and is confronted by a girl who becomes aggressive to him. As a result, the costume conveys that the students who look more articulate are vulnerable to bullying and feel uncomfortable in a school environment.

 

The setting of Waterloo Road shows a very chaotic school with misbehaving students causing the teachers stress. For example, the setting is constantly changing from different scenes which implies how there are always students causing trouble. The scene where the girl confronts the boy forces a teacher to leave his class and resolve the situation. This portrays the students as reckless individuals yet shows how the teachers are more mature and experienced to solve the issues cause by students.

 

The producer uses a camera as a prop to show the difference in the authority that some teachers have over others. When the boys break the camera the older teacher uses sarcasm to tell the boys off yet when a younger inexperienced teacher comes over she is embarrassed when asked if she has insurance on the camera. This shows that the older teacher has more authority simply because he is older and is therefore more powerful.

 

Camera

 

The producer uses different frames in the camera work to show the authority a teacher has over his students. When the teacher is giving orders to his class the frame is wide showing the entire class. As a result, the students are shown to be less important because of their age and are treated as a group rather than individuals.

There is a low angle in the scene where a teacher is wearing clothes that a stereotypical teenager would wear. However, when the camera is levelled out there are students who laugh at him. This suggests that there is a huge divide between students and teachers because he is represented as a powerful figure but once he returns to a level shot he is mocked by passing students.