How does your media product represent particular social groups?

My media product had two females as the leading star. Typically women are seen as vulnerable in the horror film industry. Although I wanted my opening sequence to be different, and appeal to a vast range of people but still target specific demographics, substantially my antagonist and protagonist both juxtapose each other. I will further answer this in terms of role allocations towards Propp’s stock characters. I believe my product particularly represents women, and the iconography, mis-en-scene and costume all contributes to this.

My first shot of a female in my media product denotes a young female sat on a swing in an establishing shot. This shot signifies a young female alone by herself in a forest/park area. Due to the scenery and special effects editing I used on lighting the female is quite hard to see. However, I purposely did this to create suspense and questioning as to if there is someone there or not, I believe this allows my audience to be in suspense straight away which is a significant connotation in horror. Also, by her being alone in this mis-en-scene, I wanted to suggest that she could possibly being in a place of danger. Comparing this to a horror opening sequence I looked at which is “30 days of Night” has a very similar shot in their opening sequence. Due to the editing of lighting it is difficult to see the characters much like my shot, however if you look clearly you can see most characters are women. Also, they look like they’re not comfortable in the mis-en-scene they are in. I believe the representation of women therefore in this shot is similar to mine, as due to both special effects it creates suspense for the audience to specify the character, and also the mis-en-scene and lighting contributes to the safety of the characters which both evidently are female. I believe this suggests they’re not necessarily in danger yet but it does connote the ideology that they soon will be. Relating this to Vladimir Propp’s stock character I believe that my own female character is the victim seeker, because essentially she is the victim, and also she reacts to the princess/donor. Christian Metz describes film as functioning in the same way as a mirror, yet this raises several questions regarding whose reality, social structure and ideology is being reflected and reproduced in film. Many in the women’s movement believe that female subordination is a direct result of a patriarchal heterosexual society. In these shots I do agree that is does essentially reflect a patriarchal society, because straight away the women is being seen as the weaker sex.

In this particular shot I have a medium close up of my hero/antagonist approaching her little sister. Evidently I tried to portray a diverse range of shots, and also power. My antagonist breaks traditional horror stereotypes for women and does not adhere to Mulveys “male gaze” theory. Mulvey was the first to articulate the concept of the ‘Male Gaze’; where she argued, film is gendered in favour of the male spectator/audience. Mulvey suggests that all images of women are subject to a male gaze, which pleasures the man, and seeks pleasure for him, mostly portrayed in a sexual way. I specifically did not want (Sandra) my character to adhere to this stereotype as she is the dominant older sister who eventually is the heroine who rescues herself and attempts to rescue her little sister Zara. However, in this medium close up I made Sandra look as though she was the victim, and there are also stereotypes in Horror that females are usually the villains, and although I did not want her to adhere to this stereotype I believe from another perspective it could be seen as this. Also referring this to Vladimir Propp’s character list I believe she is the hero, because she has power in her hands because she is walking towards the more vulnerable character. She is also in more of the shot, and I believe this connotes the binary opposites between the two characters. Vulnerable and young, opposed to powerful and older. Comparing this to Ginger Snaps, a zombie film I analysed, I found this medium close up of a shot of the two sisters who are also the main characters in the film. In this medium mid shot both sisters evidently are wearing opposite colours, this could be a particular mis-en-scene to portray the difference between power, also seeing as one dominates more of the shot connotes that, that particular sister could be the older one. This is similar to my shot, I believe this does not adhere to Mulveys “male gaze” because they’re not portrayed in a sexual way to please boys. However, in this particular shot they use conventions of tea cups and the actions are of a girl pouring bleach into the tea-cup. Although this is evidently a conventional form of the ideology of death within Ginger Snaps, the actions are of a typical housewife. This tie in with Christian Metz, describes film as functioning in the same way as a mirror to social norms of society. Thus the representative of the social group women in Ginger Snaps can be possibly seen as female subordination; a direct result of a patriarchal heterosexual society.

Overall, I believe my representation of women certainly did not adhere to the typical helpless victim who needs saving from a man. Comparing my own to other horror films, expressed the significant difference in the representation of women. I also believes this suggests that I am breaking social norms and trying to cultivate a new norm of females being strong dominant powerful and evidently helping other females, or at least trying to.