How does your media product represent particular social groups

Young women are represented as weak characters in our credit sequence, which is a stereotypical representation especially in thriller and horror films. We chose to show them as a symbol of fear and weakness because we wanted to emphasise the power of the male character over the young blonde female characters.

We done this by using various shots where the female characters are lower in the frame than the male because this shows that they are of less significance and he is looking down upon them which means he is in full control of the situation. Young females are represented in this way in a lot of films for example “Sorority row” shows their female characters as overly emotional and panicky.

Male character is situated at the top of the frame- strength and power

Female character is below the male in the frame- less significant, weak

Young female character is in a state of fear and panic- stereotypical female reactions

Looking down at the girl who is unknowing of his presence- in control of the situation whilst she is oblivious

helplesspowerless

Physical Representation

In our credit sequence we used girls with blonde hair and blue eyes as this is a stereotypical representation females in horror and thriller films. In Sorority row many of the female characters have blonde hair and blue eyes as it is seen as the typical female look especially in thriller films when they are seen as figures of weakness and characters that lack intelligence because of the stereotypical view that blonde girls are less intelligent than others and lack common sense. This works well in our credit sequence because our aim was to show the female characters as vulnerable and If people assume that they lack common sense then they are instantly more vulnerable in dangerous situations and the audience will therefore expect to see something bad happen to them as a result of this.

Male representationThe murderer in our film is a male character which is a stereotypical convention of thriller and horror films because males are typically seen as strong and dominant characters. In the Collection there are various shots where the killer is looking down at his female victims. We decided to use this feature when shooting our own because we wanted to make the male killer seem strong and powerful in comparison to the females. We also wanted to show him as mysterious which is why his face is covered with a mask. The strong way in which he moves and walks also represents males as strong masculine characters who don’t feel emotions towards situations and they are strong in both their stature and their mental approach to things. This is also shown by how he seems unaffected by the screams and cowering of his victims which shows that he is just a figure of evil.