How does your media product represent particular social groups?
In my media product; a 2 minute opening sequence to a thriller film, there are three characters. These three characters consist of the female victim: Nicole (the protagonist), Nicole's boyfriend: Zak and the stalker (the antagonist) whose identity remains hidden throughout the sequence.
Nicole's boyfriend only appears at the very beginning of the sequence as he and Nicole argue about her hearing cheating allegations against him. This then leads to him ending the relationship and walking off; leaving her isolated in the street. I included this character in the narrative as he leaves an impact on the audience, as they then feel sympathy for Nicole as she stands alone.
Nicole's character is stereotypical to a thriller film as she is a young, innocent girl who has been hurt emotionally due to the recent break-up of her boyfriend and herself. These characteristics give more reason for the audience to feel sorry for her and want her to be safe due to the events she goes through during the opening sequence. For example, she goes to great lengths to attempt escaping the antagonist by running through dark, gloomy alley ways and muddy, deserted forests. Due to her gender being female, this automatically makes her more vulnerable due to her physicality; weak and emotional. I included this character in my thriller because she portrays a 'damsel in distress' like role which is often used in successful thriller films due to the mentality of a female character who is in danger; scared and panicked. This can create surprise, shock and suspense in the film, as the audience will anticipate what could potentially happen to the female victim.
I included the character of the antagonist to ensure that the opening sequence shocked and surprised the audience and created suspense. If the film did not create this, it would not be recognised as in the thriller genre. The only known fact about the stalker was the gender: male. This automatically tells the audience that if the victim and stalker came into contact, then the antagonist would have complete authority, therefore possibly putting the victim in danger.This character would appeal to the audience as dangerous and unpredictable, therefore he creates suspense and makes the audience anxious about what he is capable of.
Overall, all three characters are essential in the film, as without them, the audience would struggle to relate to the reality of the narrative. This makes the film more intense as the audience get a glimpse on the characters in the opening sequence but would want to keep watching the rest of the film to find out more about them; for example what happens the the victim after the stalker catches up and how dangerous he actually is.
Your analysis of question 2, demonstrates a basic understanding of how you chose to represent your characters towards an audience. You have focused on the narrative element well and have started to consider the gender roles that you have decided to present.
ReplyDeleteHowever, you need to ensure that you have also considered the age group of your audience and the ways in which they can build a relationship with the characters. You also need to focus on the mise-en-scene and how this was stereotypical to the characters and the audience.