Film Industry

Monarch Of The Glen Analysis
  - Age -

In the extract of Monarch Of The Glen, it is clear that the characters throughout the clip are viewed differently by the audience, they are divided by age. Throughout the clip the age difference is represented by two different characters. The younger generation is represented by the character ‘Amy’ and the older generation is represented by the head teacher. I think the reason why these two age groups have been divided is to highlight to the audience that with age becomes power. The older generation, the head teacher, seems to have more power over the younger generation, Amy. In the middle of the two generations seems to be the character called ‘Paul’ and he seems to be the ‘Mediator’ of the two characters signifying the two different ages.
Mise-en-Scene is the first scene in which confusion and mystery is portrayed to the audience. The first scene is setting the scene, a mid shot of the farm that the clip is set on. The clip illustrates the characters and how they are settled into the farm, this is clear to the audience because of the way they are dressed and the body movements, they look comfortable in their surroundings, getting on with work. However, the first time we see Amy is when she is dressed in a quirky top and fashionable jeans, this presents to the audience that Amy is not settled in to the setting she is surrounded by, perhaps displaying that the younger generation do not fit in this particular setting letting them become vulnerable and excluded.
The next scene is when Amy is about to drive the car, by this part of the clip the audience have already guessed that Amy cannot drive however she lied to Paul when he asked her if she could. Her facial expressions when being asked this question were looking scared and nervous as if she didn’t know what she was doing. As Amy gets in the Land Rover she is illustrated to be very fragile and overpowered, due to the size of the car she is in and the size of her.
In the next scene as Amy pulls away in the over sized Land Rover, the other male character watches Amy as she drives away and the facial expressions illustrates that he is confused.
After Amy has pulled off the audience hear a crash and the faces on all the characters drop and they look startled and worried. As the setting changes Amy’s secret is revealed when she crashes into her headmaster’s car and notices who the driver is. The headmaster reveals Amy’s secret of her being younger than she told people she was. As this news is heard by everyone Amy begins to present herself younger and more innocent in order to gain sympathy from the ones she has lied to. Her facial expressions and body movements explain that she doesn’t know what to do with herself and she is eager for some sympathetic attention from someone.
As the group are talking to one another the camera seems to be panning from one character to another, however facing down on Amy and facing upwards on the headmaster. When a shot is taken from below someone and facing up towards them it signifies that the person the camera is focused on has a lot of power and the opposite for when the camera is looking down on someone. The audience is being forced to look down on Amy simply because the camera is.
In the next scene, the setting effectively changes into a much more sophisticated room, possibly shadowing the sophisticated older generation. When the head teacher and Paul are talking the alcoholic drink brandy is offered. I think that the reason why the alcoholic drink is offered is to make a point to the audience that they are allowed to drink it because they are old enough whereas Amy isn’t. Proving that they are more grown up than her and reflecting on the age differences again. The difference of the accent in the two characters Amy and the head teacher is very different, the head teachers accent is very posh and complex, possibly illustrating wisdom. On the other hand Amy’s accent is very strong of where she is from, displaying she does not travel to many places and that she is a homey kind of girl. Also highlighting she does not fit in where she is.
Again in the next scene when Paul is questioning Amy the camera shots are placed in positions to convey the characters power, looking up towards Paul and looking down on Amy. When Amy storms out of the room away from Paul, this is new to the audience. The whole way through the clip we have seen Amy’s vulnerability and shyness. However in this scene she raises her voice and makes a lot of noise whilst running away from the situation, mirroring a child’s tantrum and perhaps comparing Amy to a child.
When people are working on the farm the way that the camera is used also highlighted division between the ages. Camera shots of the workers and different shots of different people doing different jobs and also long shots with many people in all are used to display hard working, friendly, persevering people. However, when the camera setting changes suddenly into a bedroom the emotions change. The non-diegetic music is very sympathetic and depressing, reflecting on Amy’s mood. In this scene we see another different side of Amy, usually throughout the clip she is unsettled yet quirky. In this scene she is very comfortable and seems to be showing a lot of compassion and love. This highlights to the audience that the bedroom she is in is hers. The way she is very careful with where she is placing her cards and clothes also emphasises her love and care of the room and how she is feeling. 

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