Age Analysis

Initial thoughts:

From watching Criminal Justice my first thoughts where that the older characters in the clip have more experience about the prison and they seem more relaxed. This can suggest that they have been in prison for a long time and have got used to the conditions. It seems to me that the older characters have excepted that they are in prison. Whereas the younger boy seems lost and frightened.

Camera shots:




The first shot that stood out was the close up of the younger boys eye. This shot clearly showed that he was scared because you could see his eyes moving from side to side. It can be suggested that he is a new prisoner because of the way he is acting.


Another shot was the medium long of the younger boy and then the slightly older boy. From this shot you can see that the older characters in this prison have the control and power. This is because there is an eye-line match showing the older character looking down on the boy. This shot also shows both characters reaction, the younger boy is clearly frightened about was is going to happen to him. whereas the older character is enjoying making him scared.

There is a close up shot of the boy and then an elderly man that establishes the two characters have respect for each other even when they are of different ages. This is shown through the characters touching knuckles. As a viewer you know that this shot is important because it is a close up but its an enigma code because we do not know why yet.

The over the shoulder shot during the conversation between the boy and the elderly man showing both characters reactions to what both of them are saying to each other. From this shot you can see that the younger boy is very unsettled and confused so he is getting advice from the elderly man.

There is a extreme long shot showing the all lights going of. This shot shows the light at the end of the tunnel and can suggest that there is a way out of the prison for the younger boy but the light is very small which can also suggest that is is very unlikely to get out.

A number of close up of the younger boys face are shown while he is trying to get to sleep. This supports the idea that he is a new prisoner because he can not get to sleep which can mean that it is his first night in the prison.

After the close up shots there is a shot showing the electric gates and barbed wire around the prison. This shows that the prisoners of all ages are trapped and there is no way out.

Outside of the prison there is a long shot showing the walking conversation between a police man and what looks to be a higher up officer. You can see again that the older man have more power then the younger boy, just like the relationships with the prisoners.


Sound:

In this clip there are non-diegetic sounds, diegetic sounds, asynchronous sounds and synchronous sounds.
At the start of the clip there is an unknown sounds in the background that almost sounds like a time bomb waiting to explode. This shows that the younger boy is just waiting for something around the corner to happen. The beat of the sound getting faster and faster makes the audience also believe that something is going to happen because of the way the music is building up tension.
Another sound used is when the older character blows on the younger boys face. This is used to emphasis how the older characters in the prison behave. From this sounds we learn how the older characters react to the younger generation.
There are a number of key sounds used to establish where the setting of the clip is. This is also used to emphasis the power of the older generation because the police men have the keys that can free them or keep them locked up.
Another sound used is screaming in the background, shouting and laughing. This is when the younger boy s trying to get asleep. These sounds are used to make the viewer imagine that someone is getting beaten up. From the voices used when shouting it suggests that the character getting beaten up is younger and being punished by the older characters.

Mise-en-scene:

The setting of this clip includes plain and simple buildings. There is a police officer introduced after a few seconds which suggests that the setting is a prison.
In parts of the clip the lighting is very dark. For example: the close up of the younger boy when he is trying to sleep, this suggest that the younger generation in the prison can not cope with being in that situation.
The body language of the older characters is very strong and confident, this suggests that the older characters in the prison think they run the prison and are the ones in control. Whereas the younger boys body language is very weak which suggests the younger characters are vulnerable when in the prison. The costume of the characters are all the same, they are all wearing blue tracksuits which also supports the idea of the setting being a prison but also shows that there is no real difference between the younger and older generation and could suggest that they are equal because they are all shown in the same clothing, there is no one that stands out from the crowd.
When the elderly man and the younger boy was having a conversation, the elderly man was giving the young boy advice on how to cope with being in prison this could suggest a number of things. For example: he could have been in prison for a long time and know how to cope or he remembers what he was like when he first came to prison but mainly it suggest that he has respect for the younger generation and therefore shows why he is wearing the top with the word "listener" on it because he is respectful and caring of others no matter what there age is.

Editing:

There is an eye-line match between the younger boy and the older boy at the start of the clip. This edit shows that the older character has more control over the younger character because he is looking down on the boy.
During the conversation in the prison cell with the elderly man and the younger boy there is a shot reverse shot. This is used to keep the conversation following and show the reaction of the characters. You learn as a viewer that from the shot reverse shot that the younger generation are scared of the older generation but in this case the young boy seems shocked that the elderly man cares about other prisoners.
There is an action match of the elderly man walking through the prison cell door this can suggest that the elderly man wants to be away from the other prisoners and keep himself to his self.
There is also another eye-line match of the younger boy having to look up to the elderly man, this can show that you are more respected the older you are because the young boy is looking up to the elderly man.

Overall this clip shows the representation of age through the younger generation and the older generation. The older characters are shown to have more power and control over the younger characters.