How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Character 1 – 1st character introduced.

THE PROTAGONIST- portrayed by Ethan Barrett.

- He is a male adolescent. Originally, we thought of using a male adult because that is more likely to conform to a typical psychological/crime thriller. Also we discovered that typically, male character are used as the protagonist of most thriller, as they are very dominant. Even though, an adult would have been ideal, we had a limited range of actors to star in it.

- The social group is shown through the age of our protagonist which we had collectively decided of being seventeen-twenty years old. However though more research it is typically elder men being portrayed as the main protagonist. Through using at male character of seventeen-twenty, our target audience are able to relate to his character. the age rating we chose was a 15 because we can appeal to a wider range of ages whereas if we had chosen 18, it would have been seriously limited.

ETHAN BARRET.

CHARACTER 1 – PHSYICAL COMPARISON.

CHARACTER 1 - SIMILARITIES.

‘VENGEANCE’, ETHAN BARRET AND ‘DRIVE’ (Winding Refn, 2011) , RYAN GOSLING PLAYING ‘THE DRIVER’.

They both carry a duffle bag as their main prop, which is very suggestive about their roles and intentions. Elements of secrecy and mystery are implied through this prop which is true about each character. both characters have a vengeful intention whether it is assumed from the beginning of the narrative or if it was decided upon towards the end of the narrative which is the case for Drive (Winding Refn, 2011) both character share similar costumes and makeup elements. These include outfit attires (bomber jacket and plain outfit underneath), hairstyles (comb over) and overall physical appearance. Considering this, both characters appear to a wide target audience seeing as though they are both young and attractive, males can relate and females would be drawn to the character.

CHARACTER 1 - DIFFERENCES.

The one prominent difference between the character of Ethan Barrett and Ryan Goslings character is the maturity level. For example the portrayal of their roles is significantly different as they each have different experiences in acting itself. Ethan Barrett is an amateur compare to Ryan Gosling as he is a Hollywood actor who has had many roles in many successful films and Ethan Barrett is still in the process of learning.

Character 2 – 2nd character introduced.

THE DETECTIVE – portrayed by Ciaran Donnelly.- We believed that Ciaran would be perfect for representing

the detective in our opening as he looks like more of a mature experienced character which was exactly what we had in mind to play the detective. We decided on a male detected because typically in thriller films of similar genres, they have male detectives rather than female. Typically males are more calculating and articulate and are seen as perfect to portray that role. His character is likely to attract an older target audience as most people in that age range are drawn to watching films that include older mature characters rather than watching films that primarily contain adolescents.

CIARAN DONNELLY.

CHARACTER 2 – PHYSICAL COMPARISON.

CHARACTER 2 – SIMILARITIES.

VENGEANCE, CRIARAN CONNELLY, AND ‘SEVEN’ (DAVID FINCHER,1995), BRAD PITT. ALSO, ‘PRISONERS’ (DAVID VILLENEUVE, 2013), JAKE GYLLENHAAL.

- Each actor take on the role of a detective. They both must converse with the protagonists of the films and all have key essential roles to play in the films. Ciaran matches the physical appearance of Brad Pitt’s character outfit wise and he also matches Jake Gyllenhaal’s character hair style wise. All have a look of formality as they are in high position roles where they must look presentable and professional, which add to the realism.

CHARACTER 2 – DIFFERENCES.

Again the number one difference between Ciaran Connelly and the other two actors are the experience levels. Both Jake Gyllenhaal and Brad Pitt are accomplished Hollywood actors that have starred in successful films. Like Ethan Barrett, Ciaran is still an amateur in the process of learning and the gaining of experience.

MICE EN SCENE

The setting of our thriller was primarily in a dark alleyway which conformed well to the thriller genre as there is a prominent sense of mystery and suspense. Also in the interrogation room, which was representative of typical crime thrillers, as from our research we found that most films of that genre contain scenes within some sort of interrogation room.

Ethan’s costume is typical of a young adult and is very representative of the dress sense of many of the same age range at this current time in society. We understand from our research that this is the suitable age of a male character within typical psychological/crime thriller but for the purpose of out opening it was easier to get a younger person to play the role. Ciaran’s costume conformed well to the character of a detective as this was what many typical detectives wore. All the elements of his physical appearance was well suited to the role.

SOUND

Non-diegetic sound in our opening was a key aspect as it really set the scene and allowed our audience to be full immersed in the atmosphere. In particular the sound of the rain was very effective as it gave a stronger sense of realism and add to the ominous atmosphere. The diegetic sound was also a key aspect of out thriller as it was very effective in setting the scene and gave the audience a stronger sense of the narrative. For example the sound of the protagonists heavy breathing and steady heart rate was very suitable to the narrative and genre.

CAMERA ANGLES/SHOTS

In particular the side shots of the protagonist was very revealing of the deep emotion on his face, as it showed the devastation on his face. It is also confusing to the audience as we see that contrast in motive of the protagonist throughout the opening. This is an element of the typical psychological thriller as the audience is having to calculate what is actually happening.

The close up throughout the opening are also essential as it is very important for the audience to have all their attention to the aspects being focused on. For example the gloves may be significant later on in the narrative.

EDITING

Shot-reverse-shot is essential in the second part of the opening as more is revealed to the audience about the narrative and they continuously questioning what is happening. It shows the emotions among each of the characters face and it is very helpful in showing the details of the roles, for example the calculating and consideration of the detective as he questions Ethan and also Ethan’s distraught reaction showing the extent of his experience and the effect that will consume him.

The dissolve used when the title is shown is very conforming to the conventions of a thriller because it is very mysterious and it suits the suspense atmosphere.