question 2 - how does your media production represent certain social groups? ( Question 2)

Stereotypes in the media :

Stereotypes are very popular in terms of media productions, it sets up and comfortable expectation shared between the viewer and director. We had to decide whether we wanted to conform to popular stereotypes or challenge them.

By conforming to social stereotypes we would make the audience feel at ease with the characters, and help them associate themselves more with the social group they are involved in. Also, they may be able to identify aspects of the character and compare them to people they know, or even themselves. In turn, subconciously building a relationship between the viewers and the characters on the screen.

Reinforcing stereotypes in thrillers :

'beach-bum' Melanie in Tarantinos 'Jackie Brown' (chicks with guns)

Reinforce stereotype of a blonde female, clumsy, pretty, vulnerable (later on gets shot by dominant male)

 Close up on feet at begining of establishing shot makes Melanie seem less important when comparing to low angle shot of  Jackie Brown showing power and importance.

By challenging it would add an enigmatic aspect to my opening, the audience may feel on-edge as they have to focus on the characters more, as we significantly created them to be different to what the audience expected from them after first seeing them.

Challenging stereotypes in thrillers : 
The bride (played by Uma Thurman), in Tarantinos 'Kill Bill'. Challenging the female stereotype, as the main character in this incredibly violent film is a blonde, woman. Who seeks revenge on enigmatic character 'Bill'.

Representation of gender  and age in my thriller opening : 


Sophie Butler:
female

The representation of female characters when looking at our character Sophie butler appears slightly flawed, she is neither stereotypical nor challenging stereotypes.  With females in society, there is no set stereotype which is correct, as each woman is an individual and consistently proving the labels of a stereotype wrong, in turn making the stereotype ineffective. Saying this, Sophie Butler is a female, and a successful criminology student. Making the representation of gender for a female appears intellectual, curious and ambitious. Also, she appears brave and willing to involve herself so much within the case due to her goal ambition to solve it, in turn, this leads to paranoia and a turn of events for the worst for this character. As she begins to challenge the stereotype of women in thrillers (clumsy, object to men, dresses in minimal clothing), she then turns and falls into the trap of generic conventions. As she begins to become paranoid that someone is following her, Sophie’s body language, and the shots which follow her begin to connote a sense of vulnerability whilst the opening progresses. Sophie’s attitude towards work and ambition is not stereotypical, as our other female character (eve Walcott) was from an era when women were not equal to men, and would usually play a minor role in society, and simply be seen as men’s objects or workers. when making comparisons between the two female characters it shows differences in attitudes towards society, although we focus more on Sophie than we do on eve, we can clearly see that as times have progressed from eve's period to modern day, the stereotype that women are not capable of doing an academic job such as criminology has slowly faded away, we showed this through the use of Sophie’s vocation. We hoped to show society, and how attitudes towards women in the workplace have changed. I believe the character of Sophie is contemporary and realistic, through the use of our character not being overly attractive, or vice versa (not overly bad looking) we set up a realistic character for our audience, although this could affect the type of audience we would receive, I believe it makes the sequence more tense as there is nothing more to focus on than the emotions of the characters and the scenery. The clothes she is wearing are not minimal; she is wearing clothing which covers her body. The use of jeans and a casual t-shirt makes the character of Sophie appear as realistic and practical.  Copy Cat Killer  male

The representation of female characters when looking at our character Sophie butler appears slightly flawed, she is neither stereotypical nor challenging stereotypes.  With females in society, there is no set stereotype which is correct, as each woman is an individual and consistently proving the labels of a stereotype wrong, in turn making the stereotype ineffective.

Saying this, Sophie Butler is a female, and a successful criminology student. Making the representation of gender for a female appears intellectual, curious and ambitious. Also, she appears brave and willing to involve herself so much within the case due to her goal ambition to solve it, in turn, this leads to paranoia and a turn of events for the worst for this character. As she begins to challenge the stereotype of women in thrillers (clumsy, object to men, dresses in minimal clothing), she then turns and falls into the trap of generic conventions. As she begins to become paranoid that someone is following her, Sophie’s body language, and the shots which follow her begin to connote a sense of vulnerability whilst the opening progresses.

Sophie’s attitude towards work and ambition is not stereotypical, as our other female character (eve Walcott) was from an era when women were not equal to men, and would usually play a minor role in society, and simply be seen as men’s objects or workers. when making comparisons between the two female characters it shows differences in attitudes towards society, although we focus more on Sophie than we do on eve, we can clearly see that as times have progressed from eve's period to modern day, the stereotype that women are not capable of doing an academic job such as criminology has slowly faded away, we showed this through the use of Sophie’s vocation. We hoped to show society, and how attitudes towards women in the workplace have changed.

I believe the character of Sophie is contemporary and realistic, through the use of our character not being overly attractive, or vice versa (not overly bad looking) we set up a realistic character for our audience, although this could affect the type of audience we would receive, I believe it makes the sequence more tense as there is nothing more to focus on than the emotions of the characters and the scenery. The clothes she is wearing are not minimal; she is wearing clothing which covers her body. The use of jeans and a casual t-shirt makes the character of Sophie appear as realistic and practical. 

Copy Cat Killer 

male  

Following popular stereotypes which link males to violence and dominance, we crafted our copy cat killer around the younger teenage generation, and took inspiration for this character from films such as Menhaj Huda's 'Kidulthood' (2000, thriller, following lives of a group of troubled 15 year olds in west london), and Ben Drew's 'Ill Manors' (20012, Crime/ Thriller/ Drama, The lives of four drug dealers, one user and two prostitutes.) As well as taking inspiration from these urban films, i also observed closely news articles about the London Riots which took place in 2011. The main offenders were of the younger generation, and all looked similar to the copy cat killer we created in the opening, through costume and body language. The use of the hood adds an enigmatic sense to the character, making it difficult to identify his features, this adds tension whilst watching the opening.

i believe we crafted this character realistically, as this dress style is incredibly common amongst teenagers of this age in many cities across the UK and other parts of the world. This adds a sense of realism to the opening.

By having our character dressed in this specific hoodie, and outfit, we are reinforcing the stereotype that people in hoods are 'out to cause trouble', or enjoy causing problems. This may not be the case for all people who choose to wear these outfits, but the media, along with pictures from the london riots and other violent episodes which have happened in other cities across the world, show that these are the type of people who are causing the trouble, and coincedently, the majority of the pictures are of men, being violent, and causing anarchy in large groups.

Jay from 'kidulthood', wearing a hoodie, similar to our character,  In the media (film) associated with violence, due to his social class and status.

Youth, through the news of the riots, now the common hoodie is associated with violence, and danger.

Hooded Youth in London Riots (2011) photograph by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images

 'Feared, derided, misunderstood and still resolutely un-hugged, the utilitarian, hugely popular sportswear garment, the hoodie, has staged a comeback against a backdrop of pyromania and rioting. Worn by millions every day: a generation's default wardrobe choice was transformed into an instant criminal cloak for London's looting youth' - Quote from Kevin Braddocks news artcile 'The power of the hoodie'. 

(click 'The Power Of The Hoodie' for a direct link to news article)