Evaluation Question 2: How does your media product represent particular social groups?

My group and I chose to represent many particular social groups within our thriller piece, particularly gender and social class. However, in some aspects, we have used complete archetypes of these social groups, to keep the audience entertained and help build tension and mystery.

We only have one character in our opening sequence, a man in his early twenties. He is relatively tall, fair skinned, has blonde hair and brown eyes, along with a slim figure. The majority of these characteristics fit into the stereotype of a masculine figure. The typical stereotype would be blonde/brown hair, blue eyes, fair skinned, with a tall slim figure. Our particular character fits into the masculine genre, but is slightly unique, enticing the audience into something different from the typical image of a hero. We wanted to send an image of a young man working for a secret service in espionage.

The image of an espionage type figure is emphasised through the use of the suit as costume. The suit represents a higher-class status and produces a smart and professional look. This is generally what an audience member would see the spy wear in an espionage film.  The clean-cut suit suggests that he thinks of his occupation with respect, and is wealthy enough to buy a smart looking piece. In addition to this, the suit also represents a masculine figure; it’s fitting and powerful looking, suggesting a masculine dominant figure.

The messy and skewed tie suggests that the protagonist has been involved in some action, which may include physical violence. This is a representation of a stereotypical man, as the protagonist is violent and dominant. However, this is an archetype for our presentation of a high-class character; members of the higher social status are stereotypically viewed to take pride in their appearance.  In this instance, our protagonist has more important priorities on his mind than his appearance.  Similarly, the violent and dominant presentation is displayed through the many bloodstains splattered on the shirt, face and knuckles. This clearly shows the physical violence that has taken place prior the sequence, and therefore shows the protagonist to be a powerful and strong character.

The mise-en-scene: Costume, makeup and old-fashioned keys

The protagonist is surrounded by old-fashioned vintage looking keys. They are all bronze looking with antique designs and patterns. These are typically viewed as expensive, and therefore usually associated with being utilised by people with high class and status. As the protagonist becomes frustrated towards the antique keys, the environment contrasts with his character. The protagonist’s panicked reaction, shown through facial expression, is an archetype of high-social class members, who would be more comfortable around the antique style keys.

We used fast paced cuts when editing the sequence, to build up a sense of panic and tension. This shows the character to be frantic and scared, the archetype of a masculine and calm heroic male figure. Additionally, we used fast shots to exaggerate this panic. For instance, we used a fast pan to show the audience what the protagonist is looking at. The speed of this shot suggests that he is frantic and stressed to find the right key. This goes against the typical conventions that we see in a stereotypical man, who is usually seen as a calm and cunning hero.

The fast pan and fast paced editing adds a sense of panic

We directed our actor to be really frustrated and anxious about the situation, which resulted in lots of swearing and shouting. This dialogue is very frequent throughout the sequence and it is very clear that he is under extreme stress. This represents men to be verbally violent and masculine, as it is viewed that men swear generally more than women; but also he is under incredible pressure, and doesn’t handle the situation well. The lack of calmness towards the problem represents the protagonist as an archetype of typical male characteristics: which is to be calm and controlled in a stressful situation as they are the dominant figure.  Additionally, people of a high status are also seen as to be powerful and dominant, meaning that they may too be calmer in stressful situations. This ironically contrasts with the conventions shown through the protagonist, who’s dressed like a high-class member yet he certainly is not acting like one.

It is clear through his facial expressions and dialogue that he is frustrated

Additionally, the dialogue is very colloquial and more common than mature language. This suggests that the protagonist comes from a more common working class background, as his dialect is similar to theirs.

We included a long shot, which is angled slightly higher than eye level. This is when the protagonist turns around and rattles the door for the first time. This high angle shot also shows the whole set full of keys compared to the protagonist. The scale of the protagonist against the keys displays him in a weak position, as he looks smaller. Furthermore, the high angle of the shot shows the protagonist to look weak and submissive, a contrast to the conventions people normally think of in a man: strong and dominant.

The long shot makes him look weak

We also chose to place a drip sound effect, and added reverb to make it sound like there is a leak in the prison. This dripping sound effect connotes images of a dirty, unmaintained, and cheap surrounding, which contrasts against the stereotypical high-class look of the protagonist. Typically, people think of high-class members to be in clean and well-maintained wealthy environments.

The clip when the drip sound is at it's peak