Evaluation question 2

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Within our media product there is very few social groups represented, with one being males and the other being young men. The representation of both of these social groups is ambiguous because there is no dialogue or interaction with others present in our opening. The representation of males is generally as well dressed, secretive and classy. The character is dressed in a dark suit and is shown listening to classic music which could show males a being cultured and slick. However our actor was rather lethargic in his movements and his stance, which was a choice made by us to show how males can be lumbering and awkward as well as smooth and composed. Also due to the nature of our opening's mise-en scene, the character is shown as being very secretive because he is in an underground boiler room and as the audience discovers wears a white hockey mask. This creates a dangerous air around the character and a sense of secrecy which makes the audience wary of him, which is often something society experiences around young men, particularly of the ages 17-25, although usually they are dressed in much simpler clothing, such as trackies or hoodies, we wanted to create that sense of wariness about someone who is dressed in a very respectable manner to challenge people's ideas about what they should be wary of. So the character is dressed as someone society would deem approachable and respectable but in fact be dangerous, this would hopefully shake the audiences' stereotypes of young men in suits and in turn make them more anxious which adds to the tension and suspense created by the opening. Another way we did this was by using the choice of music, most of society associate heavy metal or rap music with being dangerous but to see someone who gives off such an intimidating air of danger listening to classical music creates a confusion and uncertainty in the audience that will make the whole viewing more on edge even if they're unaware of it. This helps to represent the young man as an ordinary/upper class gentleman who is dangerous, which begs the question to the audience 'what do other well dressed young gentlemen do with their time' because this representation shows males who present themselves well as being dangerous and secretive.