AS Evaluation- Question 2

2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Within my thriller opening there are a total of 4 characters, however one of the characters (the young boy) is featured as the antagonists younger self. The other characters are the two female victims. My group and I decided we didn't want to have too many characters as this would help the audience to quickly grasp the narrative within the 2 minutes or so. As well as this, it is highly conventional for a thriller opening to only feature a few characters as to keep the start of the film simple and gripping for the audience. For example, in the thriller film 'Halloween' there are 3 characters shown, the sister/young girl, the boyfriend of the girl and the antagonist, later found out to be the young boy. 

The young antagonist is displayed subversively, as they are perceived by the audience to be unhappy a trait not usually associated from a young child, this could be seen through the characters body language. The young boy has his back to the audience therefore the viewer can only assume the character is sad and craves the calm quietness of being alone. This immediately informs the viewer that myself and my group's narrative will follow a dark and sinister tone, contrasted by a familiar and mundane setting. Gender is presented through the use of costume; the child is seen wearing a bulky winter jacket and a simplistic hat, although the audience can only the view the child in clack an white, they can infer from the stereotypical trousers and coat that the child is a male. The iconography of the swing the child is sitting upon enhances the innocence and youth portrayed by the child, meaning any audience members with young siblings, children, friends etc can relate to the young boy causing them to present feelings of sympathy for the character.

The first female victim in question is  presented as young, blonde and intoxicated. Her blondeness is a typical convention employed in thriller films to convey the stereotype of a naive and vulnerable character. The second female victim is brunette providing contrast and creates a typical female friendship pairing. Both female victims are shown to be intoxicated , again fitting a stereotype of teenage behavior. This makes the characters instantly recognizable to an audience consisting of our target demographic,  young people aged 15- 20,  and  so more likely to invoke an empathetic response in the viewer.

The antagonist embodies many stereotypical and key conventions of the thriller genre, one of which , creating mystery and tension. In a patriarchal society with males in a position of dominance and power it is conventional to place them in the role of the antagonist, this also references traditional fairy-tales with a dark , masculine villain and weak innocent female . The audience would be familiar with this stereotype and so clearly understand the balance of power between the characters and the likely outcome of their meeting. It also creates an enigma, as the audience may speculate as to whether the female victims will be saved from their fate by a heroic protagonist.