“I called the cops, you were being
noisy, I tried to get you to stop, and you won’t stop partying”
[1]
To
what extent does the film ‘Neighbours’ represent teenagers in a negative way
and what is the impact of this?
For many years now, young people have been repeatedly
represented in a negative manner. Whether it is shown through books, documentaries
or films, there has often been a consistent negative perception of them. This
is evident and illustrated through Nicholas Stoller's American - comedy
film, ‘Neighbours’ (2014) produced by Point Grey
Pictures - Good Universe. In Stoller's film, youth are constantly
presented as out of control with no morals or ambitions. During most of the
film there is a negative representation shown of youth; they are seen partying,
drinking, taking drugs, and having sex, “Young people’ you hear about them a lot in the
media. Either portrayed as anti-social yobs that all drink, smoke and have
sexual intercourse on a daily basis. Or else they are portrayed as victimised
and the future of the world we live in.” [2] Furthermore, not
only are the audiences shown a negative representation of the younger generation,
but one may argue that younger audiences who view films such as ‘Neighbours’
may be impacted/influenced in a certain manner. Many teenagers have felt
that they are only presented in one way, negatively. There have been various
documentaries and interviews in which teenagers express their opinion about the
way the youth are presented in the media. Additionally, there is a strong
debate on whether or not the youth are presented negatively or not; "To be fair, the media are not misrepresenting
teenagers, they are merely reporting the bad side of them.”[3] This
essay will explore whether or not films like ‘Neighbours’ misrepresent or
represent teenagers in a negative way, and whether or not these films have a
negative impact on their audiences.
To begin with, Stoller’s Hollywood film ‘Neighbours’ would
mainly appeal to the youth of today’s society, throughout the movie the youth
are presented as out of control teenagers who have nothing better to do than
party and get drunk. The ‘Hot House’ scene in particular shows the negative
representation of the youth, this scene starts off with
various medium shots that
zoom into close-ups of
the props being used for the party. There are numerous fast paced cuts, which is
parallel to the speed of the scene as it's a party scene. Throughout the first
part of this scene there is parallel,
non-diegetic music playing, that fits in with the atmosphere. It then goes
into a scene with the main protagonists in what looks like a Delta Psi Meeting,
in this scene we see Ted ( Zac Efron ) lighting up what looks like a joint and
the scene is quite calm, in comparison to the previous scene. He further goes
on to talk about what has happened throughout the Delta Psi history, with
the non-diegetic music
playing in the background. The type of music that is played in certain
scenes in this film along with sounds, is key in this type of film, as there
are were a lot of parties shown the right kind of music had to be played to
create the right environment. Jenny McCartney from the telegraph states;
"The frat-house obsessions of sex, drugs and drunken excess while also
openly revelling in them – it’s more perceptive than it might first
appear." [4]
Moreover, as there are were a lot of parties throughout film, the right
kind of music had to be played to create the right environment. Also, the right
setting and props used helped to create a better narrative as it made
everything seem more realistic. After he speaks, we see the characters
dropping large amounts of marijuana into steel bins, which light up and the
scene picks up a faster pace once again. From this there are various shots of
joints, people lighting up bongs etc. and numerous people entering the frat
house. The camerawork throughout this scene is quite shaky, and hand held
to create more of a realistic feel. The green tone of lighting throughout
the scene creates more of an idealistic scene as it's a frat party. We can also
see numerous posters of marijuana signs posted on the walls around the house
reinforcing the idea of the youth’s interests. This could therefore, reinforce
Stanley Cohens theory of “moral panic” and during this scene all we see is teenagers taking drugs and consuming
alcohol. [2]
Additionally, throughout majority
of the scene we a dominant
representation of teenagers partying and doing silly things, such
as jumping down the stairs, smoking more than one substance at once, etc. We
also see girls shirtless, behaving recklessly and almost being objectified. We also see boys and
girls making out and behaving inappropriately in bedrooms. This reinforces
Mulvey’s theory of the ‘male gaze’ as they sexualise the girls in the movie.
Similarly, the idea of sexualising women would apply to Berger’s theory of ‘men
look, women appear’. It could also
create a moral panic for
the older generation, even though they wouldn't typically see a movie like
this, if they were to, it would create a moral panic as they don't agree with
the behaviour of teenagers these days and frown upon most of the things they
get up to; "Lifestyles, clothing and pastimes of youth of young people of
different classes and geographical origins come to life in his novels and
films, providing us with snapshots of changing youth culture" [5] Furthermore, there’s a dominant
ideology of the youth portrayed throughout the entire film, linking with Stuart
Hall’s theory of ideologies. In [3]addition,
Blumer and Katz’s, ‘Uses and Gratification’ theory can also be applied as
there’s the theory of Personal
Identity: teenagers seeing themselves reflected on screen, linking with Dyer’s
theory of stereotype’s being a projection of the real world.[4]Through these scenes
we can witness youth behaving in an almost disrespectful manner. Additionally,
through these scenes the youth of our society believe they are not being
presented in a fair manner; "It said four in five teens felt they were unfairly
represented in the media and, of these a vast majority - 85% - said this was
affecting their chances of getting a job.” [6]. Therefore, not only does
this support my hypothesis of teenagers being presented in a negative way, but
it also shows how today’s youth feel about the way they are represented,
especially in the media.+
In addition,
‘Neighbours’ is not the only film that has created a negative representation of
the youth in today’s society. There are many more films, such as Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s ’21 Jump
Street’. Similarly, this film also conveys a negative representation of the
youth, however, it is still yet appealing to the youth of today’s society;
“Teen films hold a special place in the hearts of almost all moviegoers since
we have fond and frustrating memories of the films that spoke to us in our
adolescence.” [7] Furthermore, ownership
and control portrays what the
media releases and allows audiences to view, and throughout the film it
only conveys a negative representation of teenagers creating a moral panic. One may argue
that the youth watch these films due to seeing themselves reflected on screen
or in fact for a diversion; and escape from reality. Additionally, by there
being more than one film out there in the film industry presenting a negative
stereotype of the youth may indeed create a moral panic for the older
generation, as all they see is teenagers behaving out of control and may
believe this will happen or does in fact happen in real life; "As a group, ‘youth’ have become a
‘matter of concern’ – the target of various policies, schemes, interventions
and strategic attention.” [8] Furthermore, there have
always been the dominant stereotypes of what teenagers are like; “Dumb guys,
deadly guys, bullies, buffoons, betrayers, predators, punks and thugs. Their
hooliganism is a stirring example of youthful high spirits, their stupidity excused
by naiveté” [9] This therefore, does convey that the youth of
society do have a negative stereotype constantly shadowing them.
Both these
films, ‘Neighbours’ and ’21 Jump Street’ are typical American high school
comedies that portray the
negative/dominant stereotype of the youth in today’s society. The major values in this film is to make
the audience believe that the younger generation are young reckless teenagers
who just want to party whilst doing illegal things, such as, smoking, underage
drinking, sex and so on. Moreover, one may argue that teenagers behave in a
manner such as this in order to fit in with their peers; “Adolescents are quite
likely to emulate the behaviour of popular peers. They have a strong investment
in social comparison and reflected appraisal and with meeting the demands of
those considered the most popular in their peer group.” By creating movies like this
does not only emphasis the negative portrayal of the youth, but it influences
teenagers to be like each other. Moreover, despite the fact that these films
may create a negative portrayal, some teenagers may argue that they aren’t
represented accurately or fairly in the media, “The social positions and
experiences associated with being a teenager in these films didn’t really
describe my life” [10]. Further creates the debate of whether or not
teenagers are accurately presented in a fair manner, “Teen film is generally
thought more interesting for what it says about youth than for any aesthetic
innovations, and is represented as closely tied to the historically changing
experience of adolescence” [11]. The
Additionally,
in today’s society the youth are extremely vulnerable and are the main target
in the media stated by Jon Lewis, “But while much of the recent work is compelling,
youth culture has proven yet to be an exclusive target.” [12] Due to the youth of today’s society being
vulnerable gives the media more of an opportunity to take advantage of them and
present them negatively, "For
youth who are vulnerable (or ‘at risk’, disadvantaged, marginalized or
disenfranchised – terminology varies) the interconnectedness of various
indicators of vulnerability are a phenomenon of life.” [13]. The youth are being
presented this way as it wants society to believe teenagers are reckless and
have no goals or ambition. Instead, all they do is get drunk and throw loud
parties. Furthermore, the younger generation are portrayed in this manner to
show the huge difference between both generations.
However, one may argue that the youth of
today are more out of control due to having more freedom than expected;
“Teenagers had more opportunities to have an active social life because they
had become more mobile” [14]. Therefore,
this connotes that people believe that teenagers are out of control due to the
amount of freedom they have. Not only this but as a society we are led to
believe that teenagers a reckless, misbehaved people. Additionally, ‘General
Multiplex’ represents the ongoing need to research both youth and youth culture
and believe that the youth of today’s society live in their own world, “Planet
youth” [15.] And do as they please. This once again reinforces the
point of the youth being completely out of control with no boundaries
whatsoever.
Additionally, there has been a continuous
debate regarding the issue of whether teenagers are influenced by what they see
on screen. Many researchers have in fact said that teenagers are easily swayed
by what the witness on screen; “When individuals see a behaviour portrayed in a
positive way, they have a tendency to imitate and adopt it.” It has also been
stated that the media as a whole, has a massive impact on teenagers behaviour
and influences; “These indirect media influences can suggest to teenagers that
these are ‘normal’ ways to look and behave.” [16] In result of this,
teenagers have the mind-set that what they view on screen over and over again
must be considered ‘normal’. Furthermore, Hall’s audience reception theory
could be applied as he stated that, audiences read/understand a particular text
due to their cultural upbringing. Therefore, if teenagers have been surrounded
by a certain type of environment, such as being around parties, consuming
alcohol, they would understand a movie such as Neighbours better. Moreover, one
may use the experiment of the ‘Bobo Doll’ as an example of influence. This
experiment consisted of children watching a video of a Bobo Doll being
violently attacked, the children were then taken into a room with Bobo Doll’s,
in which 88% of the children imitated the violent behaviour. This therefore,
adds to the debate that teenagers are influenced by what the witness.
For my historical text I decided to research Allan Carr’s
1978 film ‘Grease’ I've decided to
pick this film because it shows a clear representation of the youth and even
though there are some similar behaviours that can be seen in the society of
today's youth, there's still a large difference, and this film shows a clear
example of that. The purpose here is to be able to demonstrate the difference
in society regarding the youth in the 70's in comparison to the youth in
today's society. The film shows a completely different side to society in
comparison to the one today. Yes, the youth are seen having fun, and there are
characters who do smoke and drink; “The use of marijuana by youth at this point
had become more common, and the availability of other drugs was making youth
more eager to explore altered states of mind” [17]. However, it's to a much less extent and they aren't presented as out of
control; "Traditional teenage gender roles are become more
blurred as society changes and Ideology moves on." [18] Furthermore, the film doesn't just show a change in the behaviour of the youth, but
it shows the difference in the way teenagers dress, speak and act.
[7]Similarly, the youth in the film are still despised
by the older generation, just like today's youth and during the Zeitgeist this
has been reinforced. In terms of ‘Zeitgeist’ one may argue that the youth
in fact haven’t grown/aged: “the young become a social problem only when they
refuse to grow up” [19]. Despite there being a majority of
people who do believe the youth are menace to today’s society, there is the
minority that disagree with this; “most young people were traditional,
cleaning-living, hardworking kids unfairly maligned by the actions of a few
disturbed members of their generation”. [20] This is also reinforced again with the quote, “Teen film does not
accurately portray the lives of the adolescents despite its use of the
fabulously consuming trivia of everyday teen life (Martin 1994: 65) [21. In addition, there’s always the
question of why teenagers behave in the way they do; “The older generation
feared that it’s diminishing influence and lack of control over young people
was making it possible for a youth culture , which many believed promoted
immortality” [22]. Moreover, ‘Grease’ demonstrates clearly that the youth back then were
only slightly different to the youth today as there were similar
characteristics shown in society then as the ones today; “Of course children
and teenagers existed before the twentieth century began, but social perception
of the preadult population was considerably different before the early 1900s” [23]. Furthermore, teenagers then also felt as if the representation of youth
was incorrect as well; "They all admitted they were fans of The Breakfast Club, yet they
were also quick to point out some of the problems they have with the teen genre
in general: - kids always hate their
parents, female characters are limited to supporting roles, male characters are only interested in sex"
[24].
22) Shary,
T. (2002). Generation multiplex, pg 9
22) Bernstein, J. (1997).
23)
Tropiano, S. (2006), pg 14
24) Driscoll, C. (2011). Teen film, pg 6
To conclude, in my opinion, I strongly agree with
my hypothesis of the youth being presented in a negative manner. From 1978 and
early on decades the youth have constantly had a negative shadow following
them, however, it has become more evident in these early ages through
Zeitgeist. Many teenagers feel as if they are in fact presented unfairly and I
agree as in most of the media the negative side of the youth are shown in
comparison to the positive side. In my opinion, the youth of today’s society,
are only presented in one way and the other majority of teenagers who do in
fact, go to school and study hard aren’t shown in the media as much as
teenagers behaving poorly. Statistics do prove that 88% of teenagers do believe
they are presented in a unfair manner and believe the media over exaggerate the
stereotypes that are shown.
Word Count; 3796
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Works cited –
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Shary, T. (2002). Generation multiplex:
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Tropiano,
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media. Retrieved December 06, 2016
McCartney, J. (n.d.). Bad Neighbours: 'surprisingly
perceptive' Retrieved December 06, 2016
BBC News.
BBC, 19 Feb. 2014. Web. 09 Jan. 2017.
Brianair.wordpress.com.
N.p., 03 Oct. 2010. Web. 09 Jan. 2017.
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America. Oxford: Berg,
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Youth and Leisure-Style in Modern
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(1997). Pretty in pink: The golden age of teenage movies. New York: St.
Martin's Griffin.
Bondavalli, S.
(2015). Fictions of youth: Pier Paolo Pasolini, adolescence, fascisms. Toronto:
University of Toronto Press.
Cohen, Stanley (1973). Folk devils and moral panics the creation of the Mods and Rockers. Paladin
Driscoll, C. (2011). Teen film: A critical introduction. Oxford: Berg.
Dyer, Richard. The Matter of Images: Essays on Representations. London: Routledge, 1993. 245. Print.
Easthope, G. (1994). Book Reviews : REPRESENTATIONS OF YOUTH: THE STUDY OF YOUTH AND ADOLESCENCE IN BRITAIN AND AMERICA Christine Griffin, Cambridge, Polity Press.
Johnson, S. A., &
Ensslin, A. (2007). Language in the media: Representations, identities,
ideologies. London: Continuum.
King, G.
(2002). Film comedy. London: Wallflower Press.
Lewis, J. (1992). The road to romance & ruin: Teen films and youth culture. New York: Routledge.
Noguera, P., Ginwright,
S. A., & Cammarota, J. (2006). Beyond Resistance!: Youth activism and
community change: New democratic possibilities for practice and policy for
America's youth. New York: Routledge.
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Riele, K. T., &
Gorur, R. (2015). Interrogating conceptions of "vulnerable
youth" in theory, policy and practice. Rotterdam: Sense.
Shary, T. (2002). Generation multiplex: The image of youth in contemporary American cinema. Austin: University of Texas Press.
Shary, T. (2005). Teen movies: American youth on screen. London: Wallflower.
Smith, R.
(2010). Doing justice to young people: Youth crime and social justice.
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Tropiano, S.
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Young People in Secure Institutionin England. Youth Justice, 1
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Moving images:
Stoller, N. (2014).
[Neighbours]
Lord, P. (2012). [21 Jump Street]
Carr, A. (1978). [Grease]
Footnotes -
1)
Stoller, N. (2014). [Neighbours]
2)
H. (n.d) Teenagers in the Media
3)
H. (n.d) Teenagers in the Media
4)
McCartney, J. (n.d.). Dec 06.2014
5) Riele,
K. T., & Gorur, R. (2015), pg 12
6) Tropiano, S. (2006), pg 10
7) Shary, T. (2002). Generation
multiplex, pg 7
8) Negative Stereotypes. 2014. Feb
9) Brianair.wordpress.com. N.p., 03 Oct.
2010. Web. 09 Jan. 2017.
10) Lewis, J. (1992), pg 11
11) Lewis, J. (1992), pg 11
12) Tropiano, S. (2006), pg 11
13) Shary, T. (2002). Generation multiplex,
pg 8
14) Lewis, J. (1992), pg 12
15) Lewis, J. (1992), pg 11
16) Tropiano, S. (2006), pg 11
17) Shary, T. (2002). Generation multiplex,
pg 8
18) Riele, K. T., & Gorur, R. (2015), pg
10
19) Driscoll, C. (2011). Teen film, pg 6
20) Bernstein, J. (1997). Pretty in pink, pg
10
21) Shary, T. (2002). Generation multiplex,
pg 9
22) Tropiano, S. (2006), pg 14
23)
Tropiano, S. (2006), pg 14
24) Driscoll,
C. (2011). Teen film, pg 6
2)
H. (n.d) Teenagers in the Media
3) H. (n.d) Teenagers in the Media
7)Shary, T. (2002). Generation multiplex, pg 7
8) Negative
Stereotypes. 2014. Feb
9) Brianair.wordpress.com.
N.p., 03 Oct. 2010. Web. 09 Jan. 2017.
11) Lewis,
J. (1992), pg 11
12) Tropiano,
S. (2006), pg 11
13) Shary, T. (2002). Generation
multiplex, pg 8
14) Lewis,
J. (1992), pg 12
14) Lewis,
J. (1992), pg 12
15) Lewis, J. (1992), pg 11
16)
Media influence on teenagers.
(Feb 20. 2017)
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