Case Study

Closing Time: Newcastle After Dark
http://www.channel5.com/shows/closing-time/episodes/episode-1-631

This programme shown on Channel 5 is useful for representing age, gender, regional identity and issues in the media today. In the opening scenes of the show we are shown close ups of the streets, showing us in detail the extent of the litter scattered around. Waste from McDonalds is seen along with some chips lying on the floor immediately suggesting that Newcastle isn't clean place and also that the people living there don't have a healthy diet. In the following shots, we see a series of younger people, probably aged 18 - 25, of both genders acting irresponsibly. Anyone watching the show may get the idea that everyone in the night life of this city acts in an unpleasant way because the people on the show have been selected by editors to convey this message. The frequent shots of paramedics and ambulances in the city makes out that violence is something that is common on a night out in this city, suggesting that it is a violent place. Mainly it is males involved, creating a negative representation of this gender in Newcastle. We are shown close-ups of a man in the back of an ambulance receiving treatment, giving detail into the injuries he has suffered. However this is not wholly negative as the man is released shortly later without any major injuries. Newcastle is represented as a busy and vibrant city through the mid shots of the main streets and the back of cabs that have been sped up to emphasise the amount of people going through it. This is backed up through the non diegetic sound of the narrator stating that the cab driver 'Mattie' will cover over 100 miles on his saturday night shift. A lot of people in the show make reference to the 'famous Geordie kebab' again representing the region as unhealthy or laid back about their diet. The scene in the kebab shop represents the older man who is running the shop positively as he is running a successful business from the night life of the city. In the scenes involving the work party, a wide range of age groups are shown to be drinking heavily. This represents people of all ages in reference to the issue of binge drinking explored in the programme.