How does your media product represent particular social groups?

The antagonist (male) - Throughout the opening sequence the main character is represented as having dominance and authority and this is presented through the use of camera angles and sound. For example, the antagonist is shown to have the most screen time, he is the only character that has dialogue and there is one particular scene which presents the main characters authority, such as ; when he walks down the stairs a low angle is used. This then which implies that his role is significant within the extract and results in the audience looking up at the antagonist and makes the audience feel intimidated and being looked down upon. We decided to have a male actor playing the antagonist as this is fairly common within a thriller movie and we wanted to try and include as many thriller conventions as possible, which was to have a male actor playing the main role. In addition his character reflects the common stereotype of men having more power over women.

Gender (part 1)

Gender (part 2) The victim (female) – Throughout the opening sequence women are presented

as being the antagonists victims and therefore presents them as having very little authority in the extract. This is again is shown through the use of camera angles. For example, the women are shown to have very little screen time and when they are on the screen it is only for a very short duration, whereas the antagonist has a lot of screen time and when he is on screen it is for a longer duration. And again this implies that women stereotypically have less dominance than men. In addition, it is common for women to be the victim in thriller movies and theorist Laura Mulvey argues that this is because, women are often represented in the media/films as sexual or as objects that don’t have any power. In the ending of the opening sequence the antagonist is shown to be standing on higher ground than the female victim and the high angle shows the antagonist looking down at her making her look weak and vulnerable.

Class/status The antagonist (male) - We decided that the main antagonist should be represented as a

generic middle-class male, whose occupation is a maths tutor. The reason for this is because, we felt that this representation would present him as common and a normal male in society. However, because of this representation being shown it distracts the audience away from the fact that he is a murderer/rapist and that that his role is unexpected. In addition, he is represented as having two sides to his character, one being a common, friendly maths tutor, the other a sinister, evil psychopath that victimises women. Another point to note is that, this particular class is the largest group in society which then suggests that the events which take place in the opening sequence, could happen to anyone.

The Victim (female) – We decided that the female victim should be represented as a generic middle-class female, who is a college student. The reason for this is because, we felt that this representation would present her as common and a normal teenage girl in society. However this representation also depicts her character as sweet and innocent , which then makes her come across as weaker and vulnerable and that she has very little authority compared to the antagonist.

The making of the psychopath In order to represent the antagonist as un-usual and ab-normal , we decided to

include small features that would convey his peculiar character. This was done through a variety of ways, such as Mise on scene, the sound, camera angles and through our editing. For example We decided to dress the antagonist in smart/casual clothing which presented him as eccentric and tidy, the reason for this is because, the antagonist is usually identifiable by wearing dark clothing , however we wanted to make his character come across as normal and as the protagonist as this would make him more sinister once the audience finds out about his true personality. We also included intense/dramatic music which presented the main character as malicious and ab-normal and caused the audience to be on edge throughout the extract. Another point to note is that the dialogue of the antagonist is very eerie which again presents his character as sinister and disturbing.

Location The location also adds to the representation, this is because it is set in a

everyday middle-class family home, which implies that the characters will be safe, however later on in the extract this idea takes a turn for the worse. In addition it also puts across the idea that being in a home doesn’t necessarily mean that you are safe which then engages the audience as it is unexpected.