Teen Drama: Riverdale Essay

Comment on how the 4 technical areas are used to create meaning. Write down what you think the 'big ideas' are in terms of who is being represented & how. Think about the idea of 'stereotypes' and how those traditional stereotypes are either challenged or conformed to.

In this teen drama, Riverdale, meaning is created through the combination of the four technical elements - camera, editing, sound and mise-en-scene. The representation of class and status, gender and age are evidently shown throughout the scene in the characters and their interactions with one another. Though there is not necessarily a set establishing shot, the camera cuts to different cliques of students within the school which gives the audience an idea of the setting of the location, being Riverdale High School, and the age group that is represented in this scene. The clothing/costumes, which are a part of mise-en-scene, show that the student body as a whole is somewhat within the wealthy part of the area they live in. This can be seen with several students carrying handbag, and the fact that Veronica is wearing nice clothes and a pearl necklace, which is generally a sign that indicates the owner has money. 

The clothing and appearance of each character is well suited to fit their characters. Veronica has dark hair and is wearing a light layer of dark eyeshadow. Despite this being her first day at school ("How's your first day going?") she appears to be confident and not afraid to introduce herself to people she is not otherwise acquainted with. Furthermore, her confidence is easily displayed in the line "Not to be a complete narcissist but I thought people would be [more obsessed with her]". This shows that she is self confident and as seen later, she is unafraid and appears to be more comfortable talking to Cheryl than the others in her group are. 

The music playing at the beginning is made to think it is non-diegetic, but as we are introduced to the characters sitting at the table, it turns out to be diegetic, as it is playing from Archie's laptop. This is a good example of breaking typical stereotypical assumptions as he is a football player, as seen by his letterman jacket. The piece of information that the audience is given when he says he wants to go into making music as a career and the surprise from Veronica when he leaves to say he has football tryouts ("You play football too?") shows that this is uncommon but also gives a small glimpse as to who his character could be in the future of the show. The camera quickly cuts between each character during this conversation in close ups and in shot/reverse shots. This shows the individual reactions and facial expressions of each person in the shot when it goes back to showing all four of them in a wider shot.

The close up that shows both Betty and Archie after hearing his song, shows the relationship between the two friends. Betty is wearing a white blouse with small designs on them as well as a pale pink cardigan. This coupled with her subtle make-up choices compared to Veronica as well as her blonde hair creates a stark contrast between her and Veronica. Betty is seen as someone who is sweet and the embodiment of innocence. The soft look on her face when looking at Archie makes the audience realise there is the potential for romantic feelings to be involved, and brings about the question of whether or not Archie returns these feelings, whether he realises them or not, since he is also giving an equally fond look after seeking her approval and receiving it.

The best friend is someone who has the potential to be brutally honest, even if it may slightly offend others when giving his opinion. This is seen when he and Betty have finished hearing Archie's song and he says "I thought we were gonna have to pretend to like it, but it's actually really good." Once again, when Veronica is saying that she thought everyone was going to like her on her first day at a new school and he cuts her off when she says "(I thought everyone was going to be) obsessed with you?"

When Cheryl starts approaching the group, Archie turns and does a double take when he sees her. An extreme close up reveals the tension in his face and he quickly makes an excuse to leave in an attempt to leave before she reaches the table, claiming he has "football tryouts".  As Cheryl is introduced, she makes it clear that she is the one everyone seems to love due to putting on a façade of the pretty preppy cheerleader that is stereotypical to appear in an American teenage drama series. However, the audience can quickly detect the lie in this as she was first shown in a shot showing the cliques in friend groups when Veronica was walking down the stairs. Her eyes seem to rake over Veronica's figure in a judgmental stare and it is clear that she doesn't seem to like what she sees. Furthermore, there is a theme of red within the mise-en-scene as her skirt is red, as well as her hair. Also, the nickname Kevin gives her, 'Red Widow', all link to each other. Red is associated with Cheryl and it could also point towards her personality. The colour red is commonly associated with danger or a warning. The use of red being directly linked to Cheryl gives the audience an impression that she is not someone who is to be messed with, but also someone who may be intimidating and one that may cause potential disruption in the future of the TV series. We see the start of this come into fruition when asked "Is cheerleading still a thing?" only to fire back with "Is being the gay best friend still a thing?"

There is a clear distaste for Betty that emanates from Cheryl when Veronica suggests that she should join cheerleading as well. "Betty's already got so much on her plate right now" with an obvious glance at Betty's tray of food creates a double entendre, as it can be interpreted as cheerleading being a full-time job or the fact that Cheryl doesn't think Betty is good enough for the role and clearly doesn't like her very much. It can also suggest that she thinks Betty is too 'fat' as that is what Cheryl supposedly said the previous year when she did try out despite Cheryl saying it's "open to all".