Role play representing age at a bus stop

My video won't upload! So I will just have to write the commentary without it :(


Within this task, our group wanted to concentrate on the stereotypical way in which the older generation perceive the younger generation, as well as showing the difference between the two.
We were given two props to aid our task: a walking stick and a hat; both of which were used for the character of the old lady. Typically, a walking stick represents the elderly, and the hat we were given was definately much more suited to the old lady ("Nan") than the character of the teenage boy ("Jeremy"). The use of mise en scene is also shown in the scene on the bus where we set up some chairs to try and make the scene look like the inside of a bus. A bus is stereotypically a means of transport for the elderly, but a lot of teenagers use it too, because they are yet to learn to drive. Bus transport almost misses out the entire middle aged generation and focuses on the two opposite ends of the population (old and young), who are completely different to each other. This is probably why they have such harsh opinions of each other.
Within our mini-film, the very first camera angle we decided to use was a low angle looking up towards Jeremy and Nan as they walked down the stairs towards the bus stop. We wanted to employ this type of angle to show that Jeremy and Nan are important and that they are the main characters, and so they are on a higher level to the audience. A close up shot is used on Nan's face to show her anger and disapproval of the "thugs" when they have taken her normal seat on the bus. The close up allows the audience to really focus on the features that make her look angry such as her pursed lips and frowning eyes. This facial expression portrays an older person's stereotypical opinion of a younger person. Whilst Jeremy and Nan are on the bus, point of view shots are used to show the close proximity between them. This makes it seem more realistic and the audience would feel as if they are on the bus with the characters. This type of shot also lets the audience see the difference between the way the two characters move, talk and behave within a few short frames of the film.
An editing technique we decided to use in our short film is the repetition of the close up of Nan's face. We edited this in at different points during the film to remind the audience of Nan's total disapproval and possibly even hatred for the younger generation. Another editing technique we employed several times throughout the extract was a fade out and then fade in between scenes. We did this because each scene didn't necessarily link with the other and so we needed a way to make the film run smoothly without the jerkiness and confusion of the constant swapping between scenes. The fade out/fade in allowed the transition to be much more fluid, making it easier for the audience to grasp and watch.
The use of diegetic sound is used throughout the film by the use of dialogue. In addition to this, we added a few simple sound effects such as the "ping!" when Nan presses the "STOP" button on the bus. This just made the bus scene a bit more realistic because these sounds would usually be heard on a bus, and the audience would probably be wondering what was going on if no sound at all had been made. Non-diegetic sound is used during the close up of Nan's face - we added in some incidental music that suggests suspense and tension. Nan's facial expression is supposed to be quite scary anyway, so the music directly correlates with this.
In conclusion to this commentary, we have used mise-en-scene, camera shots/angles, editing and sound to represent how the younger generation find the elderly fussy and boring, and how the older generation view all young people to be insensitive, careless thugs.