How is age represented in the clip

Definition of age

"the length of time that a person has lived or a thing has existed"

Initial thoughts
My initial thoughts of the clip are that a young man with no previous experience in prison is finding it difficult to decide who he can trust. The people who he appears not to be able to trust are middle age and the man who it appears can be trusted seems a lot older. This is representing those of the youngest age to be inexperienced and naive. The oldest man seems to be calm, more down to earth and trustworthy compared to the middle aged men who come across as violent liars. It also suggests that maybe the older man has been there the most time and has mellowed out during his time their. The oldest man also has been assigned a job as the 'listener' showing his kinder, calmer qualities.

Camera shots

Firstly I will discuss how camera shots, angles, movement and composition help to represent age in the clip.   The first shot is very shaky and un steady, this could be to emphasise the nervousness of the young man (main character) in this place he is clearly not comfortable in.
There is close ups of the mans face showing his facial expression showing the fear and uneasiness in his eyes and the young facial features. The camera then changes to show a view of the prison through the CCTV emphasising the location. The camera then shows the man walk up to the prison officer. This shows him to be nervous and anxious such as a child would be on their first day of school. He is walking up to the person with authority looking for reassurance. The camera then tracks him close up to the side of his face showing his action as he rubs his face. The camera then shows an extreme close up of the middle of his face, where you can see the fear in his face again.
The shot then changes to a medium shot showing the height as the other prisoner approaches him. This man is taller and looks older than him so the height shows the authority between the characters due to age and experience. A third man then comes into the shot and this man looks even older, this mans actions then mean the second man leaves showing how the older the characters are the more authority they seem to have. As the eldest man is in the youngest mans face telling him what to do the camera continues a slow zoom into the characters emphasising how the old man is in his face.
A extreme close up then shows the action of the men as the bump there fits together as a sign of respect. This makes the youngest man believe he can trust this man showing that he is gullible and naïve. The shots then changes between showing the new character, who we assume is the oldest in the clip due to the stereotypes of old age and the young man as they have a conversation.
The camera shows a long shot of the prison wall showing the barbed wire and spikes on the top showing the audience the situation that the man has got him self into. Next the camera is above the youngest prisoner just as he wakes up. This shot is the sort of angle that would be used with a mother looking down at a baby in a crib so this is showing his innocence. The camera then shows the two police men as they walk to the car, this shows the younger man looking for acceptance and reassurance from the older man.

Sound

Next I will discuss how different types of sound can be used in order to represent age in the clip. For the beginning of the clip a loud hum of people talking and slamming doors showing the location. Quite fast rhythmic non diegetic music is being played over the clip creating tension that is being reflected in the young prisoners situation. When the second prisoner blows in the young ones face the sound synchronous sound can be heard quite loudly emphasising the action. The third prisoner has a deeper voice and the oldest prisoner has the deepest voice, showing the maturity that comes with age.

Mise-en-scene

Next I will look at how the use of mise-en-scene is used to represent age. Firstly the setting is clearly made to look like a prison. This is shown in the long corridors pale undecorated walls, open space and prison gate doors. This setting can represent the main mans age as the clip shows his reaction and difficulty in the setting. It also emphasis his naivety and inexperience as he is in a prison. The lighting is quite dim and dull representing the location of the clip.

The youngest man has longish black hair and a very young looking face, This fits with the stereotypes of a young man. The older the prisoners get they have less hair and more wrinkles showing there age, this also fits with the level of authority each character has.

Editing

Lastly I will discuss how editing can be used to represent age. The clip shows eyeline matches between the characters. With the two characters the youngest character speaks to first the young character has to look up to the men showing the level of authority between the characters. When the character is speaking to the oldest man there eyeline is level, this shows how this man is more likely to be trusted and has no authority over the young man.


Over all the clip shows that the older you get the more authority you obtain. The middle aged men cannot be trusted. When the characters reach the oldest mans aged they have mellowed more, they still have authority shown in the fact this man actually has an allocated job in the prison. When the characters reach this mans age their priorities change from being violent and aggressive to caring and listening to people and generally helping. The young man is shown to be very naïve, easily lead and completely out of his depth with his situation. He also searches for acceptance and reassurance wherever he can find it as he seems to believe anything he is told in order to get on with people and get on with his time there.