The Inbetweeners Trailers- Deconstruction and Comparison

I have chosen to look at the trailer for series two of the highly acclaimed comedy drama series, ‘The Inbetweeners.’ I’ve chosen this one specifically because it is my favourite out of the three, for a number of reasons, which I am going to highlight in this post.

Firstly, I think the idea of categorising each of the character’s personality in a concise way, i.e ‘the Romantic, the Ladies Man, and the Hero’ is a good one as it gives a short insight into their temperament and endears the viewer to them even if they’ve never watched the show before. I also think the soundtrack plays a big part in making the show appeal to a teenage audience as ‘Teenage Kicks’ comes almost side-by-side with any teenage lifestyle. The trailer also has a certain degree of cheeky, almost childish, slapstick humour in it; such as the shot of Neil falling on his face in the mud and I think this helps in persuading a younger audience to tune in to the series. The trailer uses a variety of camera shots and none in particular is favoured, but a medium close-up is generally used when their written labels, as ‘The Romantic’ or ‘The Genius’ etc, are shown to introduce the characters to the audience.

In my view this trailer depicts young people as having a good sense of humour (shown by the prank played on Simon) and overall the representation of young people is quite a positive one. I think the trailer also tries to relate to the stereotypical teenage peer group by presenting the characters in a certain way, for example you immediately assume that Will is the nerd of the group and Neil is the more “mentally challenged” member of the group.

If you compare the trailers from all three series of ‘The Inbetweeners’, it is clear that the writers have chosen to use the trailers to show the how the characters progress socially as the show goes on. In the first trailer, the characters are actually presented in quite a negative and pessimistic way. This is mainly because the trailer is centered on Will- the main character and narrator of the show; who happens to be quite isolated after his parents split up and his mother moves him from private education into a state school. In addition, Will’s friends are also presented in a slightly negative light; we see Simon jumping on the bonnet of a car, and Neil exposing himself in front of his friends.

However, in the second and third trailers the characters are almost glorified- especially in the third trailer which combines the soundtrack and the use of slow motion shots of the characters walking, to give the impression that they are now iconic, popular members of the school. In particular, Will, who’s proud, smirking expression seems to indicate he has a new found popularity amongst his peers. But of course, in amusing circumstances, he is brought back to his nerdy reality by being hit on the head by a water balloon.

The representation of young people in E4's 'Skins'

There are many people who will have switched off during the first five minutes of Skins. The show is known by its reputation for an explicit and slightly exaggerated portrayal of teenage rebellion, and the first episode – which involves one character’s quest to lose his virginity and sell three ounces of cannabis at the same party – does little to distance the show from its notorious reputation.

Charismatic Tony Stonem is the leader of the group, idolised by his glamorous girlfriend Michelle and awkward best friend Sid. The more dreamy Cassie has fooled almost everyone into thinking that she’s recovered from her anorexia, but deep down she’s as troubled as ever. There is a great variety of characters, from Jal who practices her precious clarinet at all hours, to Chris who would rather be out wreaking havoc and popping pills. There is also a Muslim character, Anwar, who adds another dimension to the show as he likes to pick and choose from his Muslim faith, but finally clashes with sweet-natured Maxxie over his homosexuality. The show gets beneath their ‘skins’ as characters as we get to know each character and which figure they resemble in most modern peer groups.

It is clear from this first episode that the series as a whole does glamourise the wild lifestyle it portrays. The characters in Skins are undergoing a drastic change in their lives, as their experiences begin to shape them as people and their behaviour is a reaction to this. Tony, who understands the universe to be nothing but a series of collisions brought about by chaos and chance, manipulates people and enjoys his power over them. Sid and Michelle find their worth in his approval, Jal pressures herself to overachieve, and Chris turns to drugs to distance himself from reality. Childlike and vulnerable Cassie, wounded by life, retreats into her own fantasy world and tries to take control through her eating disorder.

The underachieving, but kind-hearted Chris, grieving for his dead brother and abandoned by both parents, consumes such excessive quantities of drugs that he is able to cover his entire bedroom wall in empty pill packets. Even when offered the chance of a fresh start, he sits on his bed in his bare new bedroom and carefully pins the latest empty pill packet to the wall: nothing has changed, and nothing seems likely to. He may seem to be a wild party animal, completely off the rails, but Chris is bleeding on the inside, both physically (series two) and emotionally.

The first ever episode of Skins epitimises the shows’ portrayal of young people as not only as wild and irresponsible, but also vulnerable and deeply emotional. Whilst not completely detracting the younger generation of blame for these forms of behaviour- mainly negative; Skins does voice the possibility that a major cause of their behaviour is the adults who have failed them in many ways.

TV Drama and Me

I wouldn't go as far as to describe myself as a 'fan' of T.V Drama but this isn't because i don't enjoy it; it's simply because I don't spend much time in front of the T.V in general. The majority of T.V I watch is made up of SitComs and satire comedy shows such as 'Mock the Week.' So I don't find much time for T.V Dramas but the ones i do watch; i follow with a degree of interest.

I watch 'Skins' whenever its out, and tend to dip in to shows like 'The Inbetweeners' and 'Heroes.' I also enjoy more action-based dramas like 'Spooks.' I can't say I enjoy typical American dramas like 'Ugly Betty' and 'Desperate Housewives' and prefer to stick to British made television dramas, preferably on the BBC.