Skins Analysis

Audience & Genre
The type of audience in which the programme is aimed at and may appeal to is young people as it is on at 10pm on a Thursday which is a time when this particular audience would be watching television. Skins has been described as being similar to soap opera; but it is better considered as a teen pic. There is the ‘exploitation’ picture which is specifically targeted at youth. There is also the ‘social problem’ which is aimed at an older audience which represents teen behaviour in a negative way. Skins features forbidden sex, wanton violence, drug use, nudity, freaks, gore, the bizarre, destruction, rebellion and mayhem. Skins has a ‘shocking’ representation of teenagers today to adults.
Skins does have high production values. It uses its ‘shocking’ content as a way of defining itself ideal for E4: aimed at a younger audience and more risqué than mainstream channels.

Narrative
Skins has an unusual narrative structure. It is a serial because episodes follow one another chronologically and it’s also a series as each programme is self contained. They are more self-contained series than serial as one incident arcs over three episodes. Skins officially debuted on Myspace before it was shown on E4. The narrative is clichéd, but it is highly likely that it is original to its jejune target audience.

Representation
The teenagers in Skins are neither children nor adults. They fall uncomfortably between the two oppositions of children and adults. The representations of teens often find themselves as a negative symbol in media representations because they are seen as a problem and do not fit in. Skins displays many issues such as relationships, parents, the demands of studying, peer pressure etc but it doesn’t suggest that teens are a problem.

Reception
The first series of Skins received positive reviews, although some critics complained that the series depicts teenagers unrealistically and stereotypically. Others criticised the excessive promoting of the show and having relatively mediocre writing in comparison to other similarly themed shows.
“…everyone’s teenage life…it is maybe heightened for entertainment but all of it is believable.” (Nicholas Hoult)

Production
Skins is filmed in Bristol and is filmed in high definition. It is edited at BBC studios and post production in Bristol. The show sticks to a pattern of college-age characters, moving them on into the next series and then letting them go. Each series is launched on MySpace, with previews of the first episodes a few days before they are aired on television. There is also an official Skins Internet bot for Windows Live Messenger, which allows users to receive automated messages throughout the airing of each episode with music credits, trivia, and behind-the-scenes gossip.