Task 7

UK Based Drama:Top Boy

Top Boy is a UK based drama about young lives lived on the edge in east London. Channel 4 describes it as 'an honest and gripping rendition of inner-city drug and gang culture.'

Top Boy represents young people as troubled, bad tempered, violent and stuck in gang life, it uses a number of techniques to portray this. Costume is used effectively throughout the programme. Characters wear baggy trousers/jeans worn quite low with their boxers showing. This shows the audience that they think they look 'cool' with their clothes worn like that. This suggests that young people don't care what they look like or how their represented. They also wear trainers and often have their hoods up. Having their hoods up has connotations of being quite 'chavy' and meets the stereotypical convention of being a 'hoodie.' This suggests that young people are anti social and intimidating. The fact that they're always in trainers shows that they never go anywhere that would require wearing smart clothing. This shows their quite lower class and stuck in inner city gang life which suggests that young people that grow up in a similar area will experience the same problem.The young girls all tend to wear short skirts and big hoop earings, the short skirts could show promiscuity and little self respect whilst the hoop earings further emphasise the 'chavy' appearance. 

Props and setting are also used to present the lives of the young people. The programme starts with a mid long establishing shot of the flats on the estate and the run down surrounding area. This is important as it allows the audience to see the area and sets the scene for them. It straight away shows the violent area that they live in. Most of the characters in the film are of a black ethnicity. This is important as the programme gives a stereotypical representation of a young black person living in a rough part of London. Following the establishing shot there's a crosscut to a mid close up of the main character thirteen year old Ra' Nell looking out from the balcony of his flat watching the violence and mayhem going on in the car park in front of him. This suggests that he's looking out onto the life he knows he'll one day have. This shows that young people need help to make sure they don't end up like that. In the car park, gang members are sat on cars with alarms going off and holding knives and baseball bats. This presents young people as violent and feared by the rest of the community. This is followed by a jumpcut to a mid shot of a busy market in East London where gang leader Dushane who runs the underground drug business is doing drug deals. This shows their way of life and suggests that young people think that drugs are acceptable. It shows the audience the lack of morals that the characters have. The gang members all use slang like 'yo bro' which further emphasises their lifestyle. It also represents young people as being often illiterate. 

The camera is eye level to make the programme seem more realistic. It could also be to put the audience in the perspective of a young person in that situation. Ra' Nell and his best friend walk past the market and witness the drug deal. This suggests that this is something young people have to witness every day. When Ra'Nell and his friend arrive at the flat there's a sideway tracking shot to show the flat as they walk through it. It's  messy with food and glasses left all around the rooms. There's little furniture, anything they do have is old or damp.This shows they Ra'Nell and his mum both leave the place untidy and don't have much money. This suggests that most young people living in a rough area are in poverty. His friend has his dog, a Staffordshire bull terrier with him at all times. This suggests that the dog is used for protection and has connotations of violence. He says to Ra'Nell 'wheres your mum?' Ra'Nell replies 'I don't know' the lack of concern in his answer suggests that his mum is rarely at home. This suggests young people often have to look after themselves. A jumpcut is used to show his mum in hospital where the doctor diagnoses her with a mental illness. She doesn't say anything to the doctor or mention her son as she doesn't want him taken into care. This shows that Ra'Nell would have to be looking after himself whilst she's in hospital. 

The next morning on his way to school Dushane stops him in the street and asks him to start 'rolling with them' Ra'Nell replies 'my mum wouldn't like that' which shows that as he's young there's still time for him to make the right choices. However his friend pushes him suggesting that he should take the offer. This shows that young people often experience peer pressure. As he returns home from school it's raining. This use of pathetic fallacy is effective as it sets the tone and suggests something bad might happen. Low key lighting is used in his flat which creates a sad, lonely atmosphere. It could also suggest that his future isn't bright.