Denotation/Connotation of Skins



Skins

The image is set in a bathroom, which implies that he's hiding from someone or something, it also indicates that he's in seek of privacy. 

The background of the advert is very dull, damp and dirty which gives the audience the impression that this is the kind of conditions teenagers live in, it also describes the kind of lifestyle he's living.

The cracked tiles could represent the problems in his life, the stains on the wall could represent the memories he can’t remove and the bathroom itself could describe his life; secretive, dirty, small & dark. The bathroom setting directly indicates that he doesn’t like the life that he's living and that he's trying to hide away from his problems. 

The character is lying in a bath of dirty water which suggests that he's in content because what kind of person prefers to lie in dirty water than to be enjoying his freedom. The water could also represent the sorrow in his life, he could be lying in a bath full of tears; 'drowning his sorrows'. 

It also gives the audience the impression that he's suicidal which creates a stereotypical view on how the audience see teenagers. There isn't much light in this image, but we can there's a bit of light coming onto the right side of his body which we would think is light coming from a window however the window is cropped out. The fact that the window is cropped out suggests that he feels alone in the world and he refuses to have anything to do with the world.

The characters facial expression is very bland and emotionless so the audience directly knows he's in pain. His skin looks very pale which indicates that he must be in cold water, he also looks like a dead corpse. His cold skin tone could also imply the kind of person he is or has become. Maybe the world has turned him into a cold person so he doesn’t feel any pain as they say 'show no love, feel no pain'. This image creates a negative representation of teenagers because it makes us all look suicidal, depressed and attention seeking.



              
Skins

The characters costume in the advert makes her look like a 'slut'. She's wearing just a bra, knickers and a see-through lingerie top and skin coloured stockings. She looks depressed and troubled. She's wearing makeup, however the makeup looks like it’s been ruined by her tears and her hair looks messy. This could mean two things. One that she hides behind her make-up to make her seem fearless and untouchable and it could also mean that she likes to impress people and cares about her appearance but the tears represent the problems removing this shield of make-up and revealing her true colours. Her costume gives us the impression that she's upset about something and that she's a typical promiscuous teenager.

The image is set in what looks like an adult’s bedroom. We get this impression, because there's a double bed, an old fashioned lamp and old fashioned wallpaper. There's a boy sitting up in the bed sheets wearing a hat, which could imply that's insecure and feels like his hat is his shield of protection, he doesn’t look like someone who has the highest self-esteem so it seems like he's hiding behind his hat. Also the expression on his face tells us he feels afraid about something that's just happened.

The main character is sitting on the edge of the bed and around her are loads of young people taking part in sexual activity. This setting is quite abstract which suggests that this is just a shadow of her life however, this gives the audience the impression that teenagers live in a world where promiscuity is normal, sex is degraded and self-value doesn't exist. The lighting of the image is cleverly used.

There's what looks like sunlight coming from the window in the bedroom, shining on the character's torso and upwards so we can clearly see the characters face. The sunlight could imply that this is what she goes through on a daily basis or this is just the beginning of her day and as the day goes by. The light is quite harsh on him so we can’t see him clearly. In this poster makes represents teenagers is a very negative way, because this character looks very depressed and is half naked. It can be seen as a realistic portrayal; however this photo is conveying two different messages.

One being; teenagers think promiscuity is 'cool' and the 'norm' and two being; young people soon after have a conscious and feelings. Honestly I don’t think much people were offended by it, because it does happen, but not every teenager is the same.