LO1: Task Five - Analysis of a scene from 'Youth in revolt'

Task Five
Analysis of a scene from 'Youth in revolt'

The length of the scene is 1 minute 5 seconds. It is about a conversation-taking place during breakfast. The participants of the conversation are the son, the mother and the mother’s boyfriend. The son is making his mother aware that he does not like what his mother is doing in the house with her boyfriend. The tone of voice he uses indicates that the relationship between himself and his mother is not strong.

The scene is based in the kitchen of the main character. The actors are eating breakfast, we know this because we can visibly see the actors eating breakfast and there is food laid out on the table. The scene consists of mainly close up shots and bust shots. As the conversation is the main purpose of the scene close ups are used whenever one of the actors are speaking. Bust shots are used to show more detail for example what the actor is doing and what is required for the audience to see.

The scene starts of at a quiet family kitchen where the two parents are talking. The teenager looks as if he is ready to interrogate. The character is portraying this by the body language, he is sat up straight with his arm on the table and his hand next to his face and he is also smoking a cigarette.  This portrays the boy as if he is the detective in a dark room with a spotlight on a criminal trying to get a statement out and the adults are trying to avoid the question.  

There was silence at the table When the youth said ‘this is my home too all of a sudden a stranger comes and stays over.’ The pause is from 12 seconds to 20 seconds; this is portrayed to the audience that the adults know that they have been caught on what they were hiding. After the long pause the mood of the conversation changes.

The scene shots are all focused on a conversation.  At the beginning, most of the shots are over the shoulder but then when the conversation gets a bit aggressive the camera changed to mid shots from the waist onwards, this portrays that the conversation is becoming more serious. Finally when the male adult stands up it still is at a mid-shot but then it changes where the adults are standing side by side. In this scene there was no transition included it was just cut and then next clip.

Near the end of the scene the male adult loses his temper because he can’t take the questioning from the youth and stands up to show whom that he is the real man and that the youth has no right to interrogate him. Also the man is a police officer so he has a lot of power because of him job role. Also when the youth exits the scene he shows no respect for example he could of left with no words however he left with attitude, he first throws his cigarette in the bowl of cereal and then throws the bowl across the table, he then turns his face to a side to show that he is disgusted and then leaves. This portrays that the youth is showing no respect towards the adults and that he is sickened by their behaviour.