Evaluation Question 2By Connor Cummings

‘How does you media product represent particular social groups’

Character Breakdown

The ButcherWe represented the butcher as being a very skilled cutter due the numerous knives that the audience are shown

in the opening. To help link back to the murder and sinisterness of the context, we made the butcher cut very vigorously with plenty of aggression. This is effective as people tend to associate butchers as being very slow

and precise with their meat cutting, however the audience are instantly alerted as to why he is cutting in this way. Perhaps our butcher had a personal connection with the victim and immediately the audience question why he is

so ferocious in the way he cuts the meat. The square knife in the opening shot is effective in establishing his representation as it emphasises his dominant personality due to what the audience can see of the bone flying off

the table.The overall coherence between characters is highlighted in the butchers scene

This over the shoulder shot of the butcher in my opinion, depicts the most brutality as his cutting along with the quick zoom in/zoom

out of the camera helps to create this chaotic atmosphere.The diegetic sound of the radio announcing the murder is not payed attention to by the butcher and this makes us see him as a very secluded individual. We see no remorse or sympathy from the

butcher and this makes the audience think that he has an innate personality to kill. After cutting the meat, the butcher throws it to

one side as if he couldn't care less and this action highlights how driven he is. We chose the butcher to be in his 40’s as we wanted

to show that no-one is innocent and that those who appear impeccable have their dark sides.

This is the opening shot of the square knife chopping bone. This was an effective opening as the credits

disappear when the knife comes down to symbolise that the butcher is very destructive as he is cutting

everything including the title. The level of forcefulness that is shown immediately entices the

audience and very quickly sets the scene.

The mid shot of the butcher sorting the meat emphasises that all those involved in the

murder are highly organised and that plenty of planning had gone into pulling this off. The audience are unaware of why he is sorting the meat however this becomes

clearer when the old man walks out of the butchers carrying a red bag that is the only item in colour. This then draws our attention to the bag and we see this as potent for the

opening’s progression

Character Breakdown

The Second courier - Blonde girlWe represented the girl getting off at Paddington as someone who is slightly paranoid and this can be seen at

particular moments such as when she turns around whilst on the phone. She is the only one throughout the whole opening that shows these signs of consternation and we wanted to include this in our opening to break away from everyone being serious to show that each character is different. We maintained her anonymous profile by camera

angles such as a mid shot from the waist-down and this creates an enigma about her character. At the beginning of the sequence, we intended for our audience to see the characters as innocent, however as the opening progresses, we begin to see their attributes coming to light. An example of this is when Louise is on her phone looking over her

shoulder. This suggests that she is paranoid and the use of closeups and camera movements are very similar to that of the Bourne Supremacy. We incorporated similar camera techniques from the Bourne Ultimatum as this film uses a

variety of closeups and camera movement to emphasise the individuals worry and paranoia.

Both films have strong similarities between them as they are both trying to create a tense atmosphere because the audience are gripped into seeing if they are being followed. The location in both scenes are filmed in train stations as they tend to be very busy and chaotic. This crowded atmosphere was used in both films to single out the

character as being vulnerable and susceptible to potential harm. This gives off a strong message that at the heart of something so mundane e.g a train station, there is a potential threat. The feeling of paranoia expressed by the male in the Bourne Ultimatum is shown more as it is more of a chase. However we wanted the female’s unsettled

behaviour to be more discrete as we thought this would leave unanswered questions for the audience to work out i.e is she being followed?. The mise-en scene is also similar in both films. Both characters are wearing causal clothing and this suggests that you can be dressed in a certain way and still no eyebrows are risen as you are just an

‘ordinary person’. We wanted to show that people are hidden in society and by appearing a certain way can deceive others into thinking differently. The editing in the Bourne Ultimatum is more fast flowing to depict the chase however we decided not to have this as we thought it suited the context more by editing on the beat of the music.

Character Breakdown

The ellipsis sequence For our piece, we didn’t focus on one certain demographic and so we wanted to create mystery by having characters of all ages being involved in the transport of the bag. In a sense, the bag is our main character as it plays an important role in the openings development. We wanted to create a sense of efficiency through our characters especially with the

Ellipsis sequence to show how the murder has been planned down to the smallest detail. The pace of the editing is very fast in the Ellipsis sequence as each clip lasts for half second. This efficiency is reflected as we only see characters for a short space of time. The fact that the bag remains in the same place each time for the Ellipsis

sequence gives off a metaphorical meaning that the bag is being continually passed on and this adds to the mystery of the characters profiling. All of the characters identity is unknown and the audience rarely see their faces. This helps to

build on the mystery and intrigue. This has a strong link also with our title as it is not only the bag that it anonymous, but every aspect such as the people, the motives of the murder, who is in the bag etc.We used characters of all ages to show that anyone cannot be trusted and this connection of couriers is mainly shown through the Ellipsis sequence.

This Ellipsis sequence emphasises that the operation regarding the bag is well planned and thought-out and the fact that ordinary civilians are involved reinstates this. In the Ellipsis sequence, we used characters of all ages,

backgrounds and ethnicity to further imply that no one is innocent. The Ellipsis sequence helped us to show the vast amount of people carrying this one bag. When directing, we didn't choose a certain outfit for the characters to wear as

we wanted a wide variety of different people to show the vast expansion of this criminal network.

We incorporated characters that appeared to be high up in society by the way in which they were smartly dressed with ties and suits. The fact that we had characters from both ends of society reveals that there are no judgement when it comes to this crime.

Both sides of society are in a sense ‘connected’ by this one bag and it makes the audience question how a meaningless bag has the ability to bring together people from all walks of life.

Characters - higher up in society

Characters - lower down in society

Character Breakdown

We wanted to represent the final character as the ‘ring leader’ behind the whole operation. Our use of the first person perspective reveals the mans location and the fact that it is in a basement

suggests that the bag must be well hidden. The fact that he looks around to check if it is safe is linked back to the whole nervous feeling that the girl at Paddington was showing. We wanted the male to create the feeling of subterfuge by the way in which he is seen in a secluded area, by the

way in which he continually looks around his shoulder, and the clothing that he wears. Black clothing is an association that audiences have culturally come to link a character as being the ‘bad guy’. This stereotypical villain portrayed in our film is shown to be smiling at what is in the bag and this helps to represent his character as being a criminal mastermind. The black and white filtering also expresses

his evil nature as it helps to create a distorted view of reality. This engages our audience with this character as it is revealing his own distorted mind. The final character is also linked to the jigsaw in Saw as both are dressed in black to imply that they are the protagonists behind the crime. In Saw,

the criminal’s name is known however in our film, the man is anonymous and this makes the audience question who he and why he is linked to the bag.