How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Which characters are shown in the opening of your thriller?

Female Victim “Hayley” – Hayley Lewis

The Antagonist – Will Lacey

AgeOur victim, Hayley, is a aged 18. We chose this age because our primary target audience ranges from 15 to 22. Hayley is in between these ages, meaning our audience can relate to her easily. We also chose this age because it was an appropriate and suitable for the plot of our film. She would have been old enough to have had an abortion, as the killer targets women who have aborted a baby, and she is also of an age that stereotypically would have acquired of negative stigma if she had become pregnant.

The antagonist of our thriller is much younger than his victim. Although in pre-production, we stipulated an “older” killer, representing intelligence and strength. However we decided to show a child instead. This was to create a more “horrific” feel to the opening and to suggest the corruption of innocence, linking to the themes of children in the thriller e.g. the doll and the abortion targeting. We also wanted to create more of an enigma code, defying the stereotypical “older” killer in many thriller films. This was also to suggest that the child is the real killer’s accomplice, or that he isn’t the only person in on this.

GenderWe decided to use a female for our victim, as stereotypically women are seen as weaker and more vulnerable than men. This means she represents a possible “easy target” for a murderer.. Her gender allows the audience to identify with her in relation to her role, she is the endangered victim. Hayley also defies the typical “sole survivor” role that is apparent in many horror/thrillers.

From our opening it isn’t entirely clear what the gender of the antagonist is. This was to create enigma and to prevent identification and to make them unable to relate to the character. Both male and female children can both seem sinister and imply loss of innocence. We refer to the child as a male as we wanted to let the audience associate the child with a stereotypical killer in thriller films, which are usually male. To also give an element of strength and dominace, even though stereotypical views of children contrast this.

Physical AppearanceThe victim is a “normal” looking girl, with dark hair and “typical” features. We wanted her to be relatable to our female audience.. Her appearance shows some defiance against stereotypical young victims, as many are petite, blonde and tanned, to represent femininity. However we wanted her to show more of a well-rounded representation of teenage girls. Her appearance has many connotations with the doll in the opening. Her pale face and dark hair, suggesting that the attack was planned. She is also wearing very dark clothing, possibly suggesting that she is associated with a gothic sub-genre. This is also to relate to the theme of horror in our film.

The child character also links to this gothic theme as he looks to have black hair and a pale face, also linking to the doll and female character. He also appears to be wearing eye-makeup that has been smudged down his face, due to crying. This is to create an enigmatic atmosphere.

Behaviour

Hayley’s character shows behaviours that represent a “teenage” theme. When she is on the phone she uses very informal language with an accent. This gives the impression that she is “normal” allowing the audience to relate easily to her. She also stumbles when exiting the car, showing that she isn’t “perfect”. She also doesn’t know what to do when she sees the doll, giving a more vulnerable element to her.