1. How does your media product
REPRESENTPARTICULAR SOCIAL GROUPS ?
2. MALE ROLESMale roles are mainly represented the same throughout most thriller films. They are usually
either the hero or the villain. In my case, the male is a villain which represents many key
ideas and stereotypes. Representations of males in the media tend to focus on physical
strength, power, independence and physique. With my character being a villain, I had to
research different thriller films to get an idea of how they are typically portrayed. I realised
that they are mostly brave and clever, however very evil and support the stereotype of the
male gender of having no emotions therefore, the audience accepts that they commit these
terrible crimes. In comparison, if a girl was a villain it may be more unexpected and
shocking. Throughout my film opening the man is only featured at the end therefore it is
hard to pin point ideas on representation. I firstly wanted to support the idea of the male
role being typically independent and alone so I only had one villain. I also wanted to portray
the idea that the villain is smarter and stronger than the two girls furthermore, there escape
makes the audience believe they are smarter until this idea is broken as the villain holds the
younger sister hostage and there plan failed. This follows the conventions of a thriller genre,
as the male role is more dominant and powerful. In addition, I decided to not show the
mans face as I wanted to create a scary, mysterious affect so the audience will be unaware
and have there own imagination. This showcases how the male role is scarier and the
women are generally weaker and less intimidating. I made his body language showcase him
as being stronger as he grabs the weaker girl and he is also the one carrying the weapon.
3. FEMALE ROLESIn my thriller film opening there is two female roles in comparison to the male
where is solely focuses on him. The two sisters prove to be slightly strong as they
escape however, the prove to be the weaker gender when ‘Esme’ gets caught
again. This is a stereotype created within many films specifically in thriller films.
They are usually portrayed as the damsel in distress who needs saving by the
protagonist which is usually the stronger male. My film opening shows them in this
light as the man is the one who traps them in the first place. Despite there attempt
to escape, they are proven to be weaker as the male villain takes control. The cliff
hanger ending could possibly indicate that they need a hero to save them as they
are portrayed as the weaker sex. In addition, both of my female characters are
young, attractive girls with blonde hair which reflects the male gaze theory. This
means it will attract the male audience. Also, I really emphasised with the shots I
used on how much effort it took for the two sisters to escape. For example, I had a
longer shot of her untying her hands to indicate they are struggling and its hard for
a female to be powerful. She also picks up the weapon really weakly in
comparison to the male, who holds his weapon strongly and with dominance.
4. ETHNICITYIn my film opening sequence ethnicity is represented in a few ways. For instance, almost
every thriller film I researched had a white main character which suggests the stereotypes
surrounding ethnicity. A high percentage of films always use a white lead (specially males).
Evidence suggests that ethnic minorities are generally under represented or shown in a
negative manner towards the audience. Due to these common representations, all my
characters are white British ethnicity to follow the conventions of a thriller film. For
example, looking at Gone Girl and Abduction, all the main roles had white American/British
characters. However, the role of ethnicity doesn’t play a huge part within my film as all my
characters are from the same race. I followed typical stereotypes for English white
teenagers as they wore trainers and scruffy coats. However, due to them being the same
ethnicity its hard to contrast ideas and stereotypes. Overall, I followed the conventions for
a thriller genre film. I could have included other characters with different ethnicity and
backgrounds to give variety and show society in modern day.
5. AGE
My thriller film had a target audience of young adults therefore, I decided to
include main characters as being in this same age group. This is because I
want the audience to be able to identity and relate with film. It will most likely
be more appealing if they are the same age group. In addition, young people
are stereotypically represented as being disruptive and bad behaved
therefore, the idea that the two young characters in my film are the ones who
started the chaos. My storyline follows this theme because she is the one
who finds the villain and gets herself into trouble with her sister. Therefore,
this connotes the idea that young people are mischievous and cause trouble.
My characters also wear dark clothing which follows the idea of teenagers
and bad behaviour. The villain is slightly older to represent him with more
strength however, he is still classed as a young adult. He wears a balaclava
to hide his face and this particular item of clothing implies danger.
6. AGE
My thriller film had a target audience of young adults therefore, I decided to
include main characters as being in this same age group. This is because I
want the audience to be able to identity and relate with film. It will most likely
be more appealing if they are the same age group. In addition, young people
are stereotypically represented as being disruptive and bad behaved
therefore, the idea that the two young characters in my film are the ones who
started the chaos. My storyline follows this theme because she is the one
who finds the villain and gets herself into trouble with her sister. Therefore,
this connotes the idea that young people are mischievous and cause trouble.
My characters also wear dark clothing which follows the idea of teenagers
and bad behaviour. The villain is slightly older to represent him with more
strength however, he is still classed as a young adult. He wears a balaclava
to hide his face and this particular item of clothing implies danger.
