OCR specification

http://www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications/as-a-level-gce-media-studies-h140-h540/

micro features - monarch of the glen

Alana Querino-Busby

When watching the clip from ‘Monarch of the Glen’ we look at the divide between the age of the cast. It is clear that when discussing the youthful side of age we could look at Amy's character as she was the only young person in the clip, and although the whole cast played a role in the older generation it was easier to just take notice of the head teacher at Amy's schools. However the most interesting character would be Paul as he is wouldn't be classed as part of the younger generation nor would he be classed as a part of the older generation leaving him to be seen as a ‘mediator’.

The first thing I would like to take note from this clip would be the sound. The ambient sound being the traditional Scottish music at the beginning of the clip, however when Amy is introduced to the scene the music changes to a poor up-beat and modernised sound. This is the first time that the scene really emphasises Amy's importance in the clip and leads our attention to her. The use of diegetic and non-diegetic sound is also key to the representational issues. The non-diegetic sound of music playing when Amy is in the bedroom is sympathetic and slow, foreshadowing that Amy may be leaving. The music ties in with Amy's emotions almost as if it is telling us a story. However the diegetic sounds of the car crashing or the background noise of the workers really contrasts with environments that they surround themselves in being very tranquil and peaceful. Overall, I feel as though the non-diegetic and diegetic sounds help us to understand the differences in the representational issues of age when looking at all of the farmers and Paul then looking at Amy. When Paul is sees Amy after finding out that she isn't as old as she says she was he talks to her with a sound of aggression in his voice showing that he is the superior character of the two and that he is in charge, however when he talks to the adults about Amy he talks in a calmer tone. This could represent that they are equal and see each other more fairly than they would see Amy.

Moving on to mise-en-scene we look at the cast and what they're wearing and we can see straight away see a clear divide in the representational issues of age. Because they are in such a rural area the lights are dim and it looks very down and glum, so when we see Amy for the first time she is seen wearing very modern jeans with a bright yellow top, whereas all of the farmers are seen in dull clothing and wearing barber coats and wellies. Therefore our attention is straight away seen towards Amy as we get a hint that she is obviously much younger that the rest of the cast. Seeing Amy in such bright clothing makes her stand out from the rest and gives the audience a hint of what her personality may be like.