Textual Analysis of Eastenders

The class being represented in this sequence is working class. Both negative and positive responses as people are portrayed differently. The character working behind the bar (Joel) seems to be hopeless at his job and is being taken advantage of by the customers behind the bar. This presents them in a negative way as Joel seems not too bright and the customers are scamming him. Another scene shows friends and family happily looking at a baby scan and then Zaynab comes across as unhappy and accuses her husband of cheating on him. Another negative representation as a a married woman does not trust her husband. The scene with Charlie and Stacey is a positive representation as he seems to be looking out for her and this shows that he cares for his family. A long shot is used here to indicate that Charlie is the knowledgeable one as he is standing over her and she is kneeling down.

The different jobs being represented are food caterers and bartenders which portrays the characters living in the EastEnd as working class. This can be a negative representation for people living in the East end as these jobs may suggest that they are uneducated. This portrayal is realistic as many people from the EastEnd have working class jobs.

The different ethnicities presented are Asian and White. This is a positive representation as it shows a multi-cultural society and this creates realism in the programme. The races are presented positively as they seem to be friends and are working together.

As a whole the community are presented in a realistic way as it shows the different sides of the characters that we as an audience can identify with.

Verisimilitude is given by the costume and surroundings of the sequence. The characters costumes suggest that they are ordinary working class people. Most of them are wearing casual clothing which indicate that they don't have as much money as high class people. The character Peggy seems to be dressed smart and her clothes seem expensive making her stand out from all the other characters. This emphasizes her importance in the programme as she is the owner of the pub where many of the characters seem to go. The characters working in the kitchen are wearing typical kitchen uniform such as hair-net and aprons. The surrounding also seems to create realism as the places shown are identified with people everyday in life. As the scene begins the two characters are near a beauticians and sari shop. These places are familiar with working class people and also portray the EastEnd as a multi cultural society, and this gives more sense of realism.

The dialogue in this sequence reveals the issues being dealt within the characters lives are based on family. Charlie is making sure Stacey knows if she is making the right decision. This is a positive and negative representation as it shows Charlie taking care of his family but also a lack of trust in Stacey. Most of the characters have Cockney accents and use casual language. Sayings such as "tell 'em where to sling it!" and words such as "mate" portray the characters in different ways. It may be a negative representation as it shows EastEnd people are not well educated but it also shows realism. Zaynab's Asian accent represents a multi-cultural society which also gives a sense of realism.

The two-shot with Jane and Masood shows that they are on the same side in the argument. Another two-shot with Peggy and Joel shows unity and how she is trying to help him. A close up is used on the box Charlie is holding revealing a doll which belonged to Stacey. This is meant to show that he cares very much for Stacey and still see's her as the little girl that the doll belonged to. An over-the-shoulder shot is used when Masood is looking at Sayeed. This is to show that Masood is focusing on Sayeed's reaction and may also show conflict building between them.

Denotation/Connotation of Skins Poster

Characters
Costume: The characters in the posters are wearing hardly anything, mainly underwear or just naked. The first image makes nudity relevant as the character shown is in the bath, whereas in the other image the characters nudity may represent their lifestyle and behaviour. The girl in the centre of this image is wearing wrongly matched underwear with a loose fitted cardigan hanging off one shoulder. Her clothing shows us that she is in a mess and may be confused as her underwear don't match. The costume in this image shows that the characters are out of control and their amount of clothing shows their limits.

Additional Props: The first image shows a boy in the bath lying under the water. This makes it seem as if he is trying to drown himself which tells us that this boy may be depressed. The main prop in the second image is the bed. Apart from the girl in the centre and the boy on the far end, everyone else is lying on the floor. As the bed is positioned in the centre this shows that the characters on the bed are in the middle of the atmosphere. Another prop is the lamp next to the boy in the bed which is shining on him. This makes the character stand out more even though he is positioned at the back the lamp shining on him grabs our attention towards him. As he is at the back this creates a distance between him and the rest of the group which may show that he is not part of what they are doing, however he is still nude which shows that he might want to be.

Setting: The first image is set in an untidy bathroom. The room seems to have not been cleaned in ages, the walls are slightly cracked and the bath and sink are filthy. This may represent the boys life in the same way, a mess and this brings us back to him being suicidal and depressed. It shows that he may be lonely as he is the only one in the image and that there is no one to clean the bathroom. The second image is set in a bedroom which seems to have been trashed. The wall paper has been torn up and most of the people in the room seems to be squashed together. This may show that the characters in the image are falling apart just like the room. As it seems like the morning after a party it shows that these characters follow a typical teenage lifestyle and like partying.

Interior Design: For the first image the setting has been designed to look an ordinary bathroom but absolutely filthy. It is meant to look as if it hasn't been cleaned in a long while which suggests loneliness and neglect for the character in the image. Also that his life is just as messy as this bathroom, and the way he lies in the bath makes it seem as if he has adapted to this lifestyle. The second image's design is meant to connote a typical teenage lifestyle for the characters within the image. As everyone seems to be all crammed into this room, the wallpaper is torn and there a few feathers visible this suggest that they may also be falling apart just like the room.

Colour: The colour for the first image is quite dark and dull. Green is used to give the image a grimey effect. This connotes deppression which has relation to the way the character in the image may be feeling. The second image uses dark colours in some areas but on the two main characters who are in the light there are more vibrant colours . This creates a depressing and sad atmosphere for the image. The use of dark colours lets us know that this is a serious image and the vibrant colours suggest that the two main characters are surrounded by this atmosphere but not actually in it. From this we know that they may have a different role from the other characters in the show.

Lighting: The lighting for the first image is low key and has been made to seem natural in the image. The main source of light comes from above the bathroom. This has been done to make it seem like an ordinary bathroom which is creating realism for the image. The second image uses low key lighting which comes from different artificial sources. The lighting on the wall seems to be coming from outside a window to connote the time of day which is dawn and this makes the image seem more realistic. The light coming from the bedside lamp reflects mainly on the female character in the centre and the boy at the back. This makes them both stand out more which tells us about their importance. The use of low key lighting creates a non-happy and serious atmosphere for the image.

In these posters teenagers are being represented as party animals, messed up and confused. In many ways it shows how some teenagers are in reality. The partying and depression can be identified with other teenagers who would understand. However, some people may think this has been exaggerated in these posters. Some teenagers may find they can relate to some of these issues and view this kind of behaviour as growing up and having fun. Others may see this representation in a negative way as they might find it a bad influence on young people and a disgraceful way to behave.

Audience members will have many different responses to these images as some may have chosen to believe that this lifestyle is realistic and some may think it has been exaggerated. Teenagers of modern society are most likely to see this in a postitive way as they may find this lifestyle similar to theirs. Some of these teenagers may think the oppossite as they may find it disrespectful.

These posters are very controversial and may offend alot of audience members. Parents may find it most offensive as they do not want their own teenagers to look up to the characters in these posters and find the behaviour ordinary or acceptable.