Evaluation: Question 2

Question 2:

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

For our media thriller opening we used Props Narrative Theory to use for our story structure. We set the beginning up as an equilibrium and we introduced our hero. We then teased at something disrupting the piece and set threads up, including the murderer and the victim, which could be picked up on and elaborated on later in the movie. 

Wordle to show themes, props and costume ideas we wanted to use for the different characters.

We decided to go with quite a traditional protagonist and have set up Barry Kirk as him and have made him appear to be heroic using camera shots which frame him centrally as well as being angled to look up to him, which helps reinforce a sense of power. This helps to establish the protagonist as having a powerful presence which sets him up as a main character for the rest of the film. All of the main shots feature him too and the viewer seems to follow him and discover plot elements as he does. We have used these techniques to help emphasise the authority that our protagonist detective has, and we have used him exploring the crime scene to help reveal clues to the audience as they reveal themselves to the main character. This helps to emphasise that the main character is a detective further, and also helps to solidify the genre as being a detective/police thriller.

 Detective Barry Kirk is in the centre of the shot, which helps to ground him as a central character. The fact he is walking towards the centre of the camera gives him a sense of power, which is how we wanted to represent the detective, or the hero.

For our “Victim” character we wanted him to appear vulnerable and powerless, but instead of going for a female victim (as the expected norm) we chose to use a smartly dressed man who’s current affairs are shown to have taken a toll on him. We showed that by going for an unkempt look which helps to resemble this man as being “on the edge” and on the verge of a breakdown. We backed this idea up with the use of costume. We dressed him in smart clothes but made him look scruffy which helped to give a surreal and stressed feel to the character. The victim keeps glancing out the window which shows he is nervous and helps to build tension around that character as at this point you do not know that the victim is the “victim”. The use of the coin in this section helps to paint the character as paranoid, which adds to the overall feel of someone in distress.

For the victim we have purposefully lit the scene as quite white and bland, to give a sense of isolation. This helps to give the victim a pale aura which in turn helps to add to the impression of vulnerability. The use of the coin helps to emphasise the paranoia of the character.

For the “killer” we went for the recognisable killer in a Macintosh who is never seen properly. This helps to add an air of mystery to piece yet also helps to reveal who has been acting unseen throughout the opening. He is dressed in dark colours which help to cement him as a dark brooding character  The fact he is only shown briefly helps to give the sense of mystery and invisibility, which makes the final shot chilling because it allows you to tie the two narratives together. We cast Sam James as the Killer as he had a young fresh face, but is quite tall and distinguished which gives a surreal and unusual spin on the murderer. The long black coat he has been dressed in helps to give a professional appearance, which adds to the tense atmosphere.

The focus change shot helps to disguise his appearance and add to the mystery and his pose gives a menacing impression to the audience. The macintosh suggests a clean and professional background.