In our thriller opening we endeavoured to challenge generic stereotypes associated with character.

Representation of gender

Contrary to the common representation of male characters in the thriller genre; that they are strong, dominant figures, the male in our thriller opening, Sam, is presented as being emasculated due to his insignificant role in society. In contrast, our female character Norma does not conform with the common representation of gender either; being a female who is portrayed as deviant and controlling.

Through research on homelessness, it became apparent that people of such a position would generally be considered as insignificant and helpless, and so we decided that in order for our character Sam to be a realistic portrayal of this social group, it would be justified for him to appear in such a way.

Though going against the generic stereotypes associated with gender within society, the idea of a deviant female character is commonly explored in film noir productions of the 1930’s. A femme fatale, an attractive or seductive woman who will eventually cause distress to a man who becomes involved with her, is a character type who we made reference to in our thriller opening with the character of Norma.

In our thriller opening we have attempted to represent those who live in poverty, and more specifically the homeless, through a storyline which revolves around the life of a homeless person, whose unfortunate position leads him to trouble.

Representation of those who live on the margins

Our thriller opening aims to highlight the increasing problem of homelessness which, as government figures suggest, is a rising issue in UK cities. This is highlighted in the ‘rough sleeping in England: autumn 2013' statistics from the 'Department for communities and local government‘. It concludes; 'The Autumn 2013 total of street counts and estimates in England was 2,414. This is an increase of 5% from the 2012 figure of 2,309, which was an increase of 6% from the 2011 figure of 2,181'. We portray the social issue in our opening fairly; our lead character Sam represents the idea that such an issue can occur with any person at any given time. In order to give this impression we present Sam as a relatively ordinary individual, he has a common unisex name and his costume consists of plain and functional clothing, representing the reality that homelessness is affecting more people than ever before.

Amateur film maker Robby West’s recent work ‘Homeless in middle England’ gives us an impression of the terrifying circumstances that such people suffer, and so we present our homeless character Sam in our thriller opening as being emasculated and often seen of by others as a nuisance, eventually making him the target of a hate crime. The representation that the homeless are commonly the victims of crime due to their vulnerable position is supported by a number of recent cases in which brutal attacks have been carried out on those sleeping rough. A report from ‘Huffingtonpost.com’ from 2012 highlights the findings of a 'National Coalition for the homeless' report which explains that '32 homeless people in the United States died as a result of violent attacks in 2011'

A recent news story in which a homeless man in Fort Lauderdale, Florida was brutally murdered on a park bench shows how our portrayal of such an event is realistic. Showing Sam to be passive and helpless during such circumstances represents those who live in poverty as being of a lower status than other members of society.

A 2004 documentary ‘Homeless in America’ highlighted the problem in the United States. Directed by Kaya Redwood and Tommy Wiseau it explores this social issue and the devastating consequences it can have, giving an honest and truthful representation of those living on the margins, something which we aimed to replicate in our thriller opening.

The 2011 short film ‘Homeless’ <MORE>

Homeless (2000) follows a homeless woman and illustrates the fact that despite the shabby clothes that she wears and her status as living rough on the streets, she is still the same person that she always was. We put across this representation in our opening, by presenting Sam physically as an ordinary person, who has been caught up in a horrid state of affairs.

With both the actor who plays Sam and the actor who plays Norma being young people, our thriller opening gives a representation of this age group which may suggest that they fail to support and get along with one another, and instead actively engage in conflict, particularly when one person is at a disadvantage.

Representation of young people

Our thriller opening communicates the idea that living in contemporary Britain as a young person is problematic. The fact that Sam is homeless represents the issue that many young people in the UK live in poverty as a result of financial instability due to low employment rates and increased university fees. According to official figures from The House of Commons, 912,000 young people(16-24) were unemployed between November 2013 and January 2014, meaning that this representation is justified.

‘BBC News – Young and jobless’ website offers an insight into the issues surrounding youth unemployment and the instability of young people worldwide as a result of the recent economic crisis. The article ‘Hotel of mum and dad’ strongly supports the way in which we represent the issue of homelessness in our thriller opening. The piece highlights the problems surrounding the rising costs of living and explains that many can no longer afford to live, and have to instead return home to live with their parents. In our thriller opening, we give the same representation of young people living in contemporary Britain, using Sam as an example of theprofound effects that economic hardship can have on the young.

Furthermore, the messages that our thriller opening presents on the position of young people in contemporary Britain can be likened to film noir productions of the 1940s, which were a product of the bleak despair of the time. French for ‘black film’, productions typically featured cynical plotlines with horrific murderous acts often portrayed, highlighting the political anxiety at the time in the US. ‘The Big Sleep’(1946), for example, conveys dark messages on the morality of people of the time, in which it is set during prohibition era. Similarly, our thriller opening communicates the bleak message of what life is like living in austerity Britain.