Representation of Age - Assessment Point

Exemplar Opening

Older teacher


This extract constructs representations of differing age groups.

At the very beginning of the extract a representation of middle-age is constructed through the character of the strict teacher. This representation is that of middle-age as possessing authority and power, with the character having control over other characters who are both teenaged and young adult.

A sense of enigma is created on this character's first appearance as we see a tracking shot of feet walking through tables from a low level. The absence of non-diegetic sound allows us to focus clearly on the noise of the character's footsteps. A cut to two teenage boys clearly shows them as behaving in a suspicious manner before we cut back to the feet steadily approaching. This juxtaposition constructs meaning for the audience as it becomes clear that the boys are keen to hide from the approaching adult, suggesting that he has authority over them. 

A series of quick cuts adds pace to the scene before we see the middle aged teacher's face for the first time in close-up. The use of a close-up allows us to see an expression that has connotations of enjoyment as he passes judgement over the boys. He puts the boys under pressure by asking where they were as everyone else was 'suffering the screening'. This dialogue, an aspect of diegetic sound, helps to further construct his character as being a somewhat disillusioned and cynical representation of middle age. The composition of the shot where he questions the boys gives him power as he is anchored in the centre of the shot with the boys either side of him. 

His character is developed through his use of sarcasm in the delivery of lines of dialogue such as when he finishes the first boy's sentence by saying 'holding his hair..' The actor's tone of voice, an element of mise en scene, is patronising and this character is developing into a very negative representation of his age group. His use of non-verbal commands, such as the clicking of fingers, and commands using the imperative tense, 'Give it!', ensure that the audience are aware of his authority, a fact supported through the character's costume with his suit, shirt and tie having connotations of power. Further interactions between the character and a young adult teacher reinforce his representation as middle aged authority.

Maths Teacher

A different representation of middle age can be seen at the end of the extract through the character of the maths teacher. 

The only time we see him in the whole clip is at the end. This character has a completely different  to the elderly character that i have spoke about before. This character is refered to as the maths teach. The first time we see him he is dressed in teenagers clothes to try and impress a woman. The dressing of the maths teacher is part of mise-en-scene. This doesnt work to his plan because he is getting fashion ideas from a younger woman. Also as she is walking away he trys to get noticed by the woman by walking in her vision. This is because he is trying to impress a younger woman. The first time we see the maths teacher is in a mid-shot. This is so that you can see the full top half of the character.

He then gets told by the older female teacher that he "looks ridiculous". This is said through the use of dialogue. This knocks his self asteam which then leads to him looking down at the floor and meeting the janitor. The janitor then starts laughing at the maths teacher and says to him "you cant teach wearing that". This also makes him feel worse.The maths teacher then says to the janitor "I just made a complete fool of myself". This shows that he has acknoledged that he looks stupid in the clothes that he is wearing. The janitor then says "bin that lot". This is the janitors way of agreeing. All the speaking done to the janitor is within a mid-shot or long-shot.

You can clearly tell that the maths teacher cares about what other people think about him. You can tell this because of what his reactions are when he gets called ridiculous. His tone of voice compared to the older teacher is a lot gentler. This is probably also due to him caring about others. The use of shots in the maths teachers scene are very slow as well. This will also be because of how the teacher acts compared to the older teacher.