Skins opening clip 1/3

SKINS (4.19-5.34)

Each of the characters that are shown highlight something that represents them, by doing this is gives a clear understanding and to some extent and expectation of what we have to expect from them as individuals.

• The scene starts with the character Tony walking to college. His surroundings are middle-class terrace houses which suggests that he and his family hold middle class norms and values.
• Tony makes a call and the camera cuts to a phone vibrating on a dirty plate with the butt of a used cigarette. Immediately this shows a different lifestyle to Tony’s and suggests that this character, Sid, has the norms and values from the working-class. Sid then uses language carelessly that would stereotypically be used less in the middle-class, for example, Tony and his family.
• He makes another call immediately, this suggests that he is organised and trying to get other people to help him and maybe manipulate them to some extent. The next call he makes is to Chris, from his answer phone message he seems quite immature so this suggests he has working-class values much like Sid.
• The third call he makes is to Jal, she is practising her clarinet when he calls and answers annoyed that he interrupted her. From purely the fact that she plays the clarinet suggests that she has middle/upper-class values, she is up early to practise her instrument and when he calls, it is still her main priority.
• The next call is from Michelle, who is in her towel applying moisturiser to her legs. Beauty and care are the things that represent Michelle. From the phone call it also establishes that she is willing to help out other people, this could be a middle-class value. From the look of her surroundings, they suggest her family is fairly well off and ultimately a middle-class family.