Evaluation - Question 2 - Sam McLeish

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

In my opinion, albeit effectively, this product represents only few social groups; gender, and class and status are explored.

Gender

The theme of gender is explored as the protagonist is female. This is unusual for a thriller sequence because it is typical for men to be the lead characters in thriller films, and for Hollywood in general -  "new research by the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film at San Diego State University that found that females comprised a paltry 12% of protagonists in the top-grossing films of 2014". As our piece doesn't comply with the stereotype of this style of film, we are representing women in a positive light because they aren't confined to their role as secondary characters; in this piece, the male stalker is the secondary character as he has extremely limited screen time. 

The VLA shot

This idea is further supported by the fact that the female character is in every shot, apart from the establishing shot of the leaf and the shot of the male character's feet. Also, the VLA shot that is used in the hall scene challenges the stereotype of female characters because it is suggested to the audience as she is the character is in power in the scene. This progressive idea then reflects women, as a social group, positively as they are equal to men in terms of holding power.

The white dress

Also, in terms of what the character is wearing in the product, this idea of female empowerment is presented because she is wearing a dress in what could be said is a scary situation. Although what she is wearing shouldn't really effect her role in the scene, it is symbolic to the audience because a dress is white. This then connotes the fact that she is the protagonist (binary opposites - good being white) and successfully establishes her powerful role in the scene.

The quick pace of editing

In addition to this, the editing also suggests that this character is the protagonist, thus representing women as a social group. For example, the very quick pace between shots, as shown in the gif to the right, presents the character in a positive light because the sequence isn't highlighting the fact that the character is female. This then shows that she is just as relevant because the action is still happening regardless. 

Finally, the soundtrack suggests that the main focus of the sequence is the female character, as shown by the fact that the diegetic off-screen narration was read by a woman. The audience assumes that the narrator is the persona of the character as she reads in the first person. This successfully represents the social group because it is shown that she is the most important role in the entire scene.

Hanna (Joe Wright, 2011)

To conclude, I feel that the above actions were put into place so that the audience is able to sympathise with the character. This works well, in terms of the storyline, as the audience will be more engaged as they hope for the character to be safe. In doing so, we challenge the stereotype that a female's role in thriller films is to be the princess that needs saving. This idea is also shared in the film 'Hanna', as it is clear in the opening sequence is that the protagonist is female and doesn't need to be saved.



Class and Status

The POV of his shoes

The POV of the female

The idea of status is explored constantly throughout our sequence. For example, in camera-work, when the POV shot from the stalker looking at his shown. it is shown to the audience as a high angle shot looking directly down. This is then effective because it suggests that he as a character is a low-life in comparison to the female, so it gets the audience to fear/hate him during the piece. However, this interpretation shift mid-sequence when there's another POV shot of him looking at the female character from behind the tree at a eye-line level. This allows for the audience to dislike the character even more as he's getting even closer to the character that they've learnt to sympathise with. Therefore, a shift of power from the female to the scene has been presented through camera-work.

The Black and White

The natural colouring 

Status is also explored through mise en scene, specifically colour. For example, the black and white of the first scene suggests to the audience that the female character is either vulnerable or scared. This is then used to further add to the sympathy that the audience feels for the character. This is then contrasted to the second part of the sequence in which the frames are coloured naturally. As a result, it is suggested that the character now feels no fear, which is supported by the idea that her body language is confident when she walks. Due to these actions, the sequence shows the audience that the character develops the higher status in reverse from the above, which in doing so creates enigma for the audience as this chaos works well in a thriller sequence. 

The slow motion as she closes her eyes

In terms of editing, status is explored through the slow motion of the sequence. As shown here, the idea of status is presented because it allows for the audience to focus on the character in the extra few seconds and realise that she is the protagonist. This then helps, in terms of the narrative because it allows the audience to successfully explore the relationship between the two characters. In doing so, the audience then assumes that the female character holds the status within the scene as she is the one who is nearly always the focus of the shots and the male character isn't really presented to the audience until the last minute. 

The titling

Finally, status is also explored through soundtrack. For example, the echoing off-screen, diegetic dialogue of the narrator saying 'Eliza' is effective because the audience assumes that they are referring to the female character. This happens after the visuals have finished and the sequence is on the titling, which allows the audience to sink in what has just happened. This then further continues the idea that the female character holds the status within the scene as the audience only focuses on her and are then shocked as to what happened in the final moments of the sequence.

Enigma is created in Total Recall
because it suggested that it was a dream

Overall, I feel that our sequence creates lots of enigma on when it comes to class and status. On one hand, it is suggested that the male character holds the power as he causes the female to feel fear and at some moments she appears vulnerable. However, there are other moments when it is suggested that the female holds the power because she is shown more often and her body language suggests that she feels no fear at certain moments. I feel that we don't need to decide on which she feels more because they are both relevant interpretations; it may confuse the audience but this enigma is useful because it will keep them engaged throughout the film, trying to work out which is more likely. This is something that is usually used in the industry because the opening sequence to 'Total Recall' (Len Wiseman, 2012) also it abrupt and confusing, meaning that the audience wants to follow the film further. Therefore, I am happy that our sequence develops two separate ideas of class and status.