Blackpool Analysis.

Throughout the clip I identified many different techniques used to portray the representation of age, family and relationships. The camera was used in a clever way to show the relationships in the family, with the opening shot of the husband and wife a crane one, introducing them to us as an obvious couple. The camera then changed to medium close ups of each partner, which could possibly foreshadow a difference in opinion. When they stand up, they're once again both in the medium long shot, showing a sort of front, smiling when they see their daughter, however when they see her new boyfriend, you can see over his shoulder, the drastic changes in the parents posture, in contrast to the next shot, also a over the shoulder one, where there is a close up of Steve, a happy guy. The over the shoulder shots continue from both Steve's and the fathers face, showing hostility between the two men. The camera shots of both the daughter and Steve differ from the parents, as there are more of them then there are of the parents, suggesting more of a strength in the relationship because it's more recent. The long shot of the 4 people shows a tense relationship, sort of like 2 sides of a battle field. The next scene is of the parents alone in the bedroom, and when the he gets into the bed, you see a shot of him, showing his distance from his wife at that moment, then a medium shot of him and his wife, who tries to seduce him, but he turns away.

Next the mise en scene. The costumes of each character gives an insight on each of their personalities, the couple wearing colour coordination outfits, which could represent how set they are in the past, in an 80's sort of way. It could suggest they're trying to act younger then their age, in contrast to the 19 year old daughter, who's dressed in dull, smart clothes suggesting she wants to be seen as older, however her hoop earrings suggest that she may still be in touch with her younger side, and is still seen as a vulnerable little girl in her parents eyes. Steve however had on a casual outfit, not one that would seem suitable for a meeting of the parents, however his persona suggests he is not as worried as a younger man would be of her parents approval. The setting in which the house is setting gives us the impression that they're well off, affording to buy luxuries, and the colour scheme is white and gold, which sort of contradicts what they're wearing, they seem a bit out of place. They're bedroom for example is a gold setting, which shows the age of the house, with the parents trying to show their wealth in society like the previous centuries where gold was seen as a luxury. The non verbal language suggests that the father is judging him, when they stand up the fathers hands are in his pocket, and the other pulls his arm out slightly, seeing this it returns to his side.

Next the sound. We hear the non diagenic music showing us it is the beginning of the episode. You hear conversation then a slamming of the door, the daughter has arrived. When Steve is introduced you can hear the ringing of bells, filling in an awkward silence. The next scene, when focused on Steve, you hear birds chirping, he's smiling and gives a sense of serenity, and the harsh tinkling of the fathers cup breaks that serenity. You can tell more about the characters by the way they speak, the father blunt, autotone and gives his harsh opinions. The mother speaks calmly to Steve, giving a more pleasant front, and has obvious authority over the dad, she's the bridge between the father and daughter. The daughter likes to protect her boyfriend against her fathers harshness, jumping to answer the questions with pride. She, like her mother seems to have a sense of authority, showing her father she isn't a little girl. Finally the boyfriend acts informal, cocky and sarcastic, he tries to undermine the father.