2. Students/Teenagers
Our films’ protagonist is a university science student
He is presented as someone eager to make a difference and has
a strong sense of morals; he puts himself at risk for the greater
good
He is also determined and hard-working as he doesn’t give up
despite having to take on a bigger force than himself (a
convention of the thriller genre)
He is quick-witted, intelligent and uses his initiative as he reads
the secret document despite the risk and lack of time. He is also
intelligent enough to test out his theory in the laboratory
This is an anti-stereotypical representation as students are often
associated with laziness, apathy and endless drinking!
3. Stereotypical Teens
In the media, they are often seen as drunk, rowdy
and lacking in any diligence.
The opposite stereotype is the highly
-diligent student who works hard but
maybe struggles to socialize
The Channel 4 comedy The Inbetweeners
present teenage students who look scruffy
and lack diligence, while Hermione in
Harry Potter is very studious
4. Underclass
At the start of our sequence, we find the protagonist (white t-
shirt) years after the events of the film.
He looks depressed and void of enthusiasm.
He drinks alcohol; a dependence that he has picked up to fill the
empty spaces in his life and drown his sorrows.
He sits slumped over, highlighting his low position in society as
everyone looks down on him physically and metaphorically
He is reluctant to give up any information; demonstrating a lazy
and apathetic attitude
He has a record of paranoia
This is a stereotypical representation as the underclass
are often associated with unemployment,
alcohol and lacking in motivation
5.
6. Middle Class
The psychologist (red tie) at the start of our sequence represents
this social class
He gets on with the job but doesn’t enjoy it
His condescending tone shows no respect for the other
character; he doesn’t believe this characters’ stories of
conspiracy
He sits straight-backed, contrasting to the other characters
slumped posture, which shows the power he has over this man
but also his higher social class; he also feels he is better than
this job
This character conforms to the stereotypical bureaucrat who
sees the patient as just another name on his desk, and adopts a
pessimistic attitude
7. Stereotypical Bureaucrat
In the media, bureaucrat’s are often presented as
obnoxious and disinterested
They usually dislike their job and don’t put any
effort in.
A famous example is Tim Canterbury from the
BBC’s mockumentary The Office who hates his
job and gains his only amusement from playing
pranks on Gareth
8. Scientists
The student assumes the role of a scientist to test
his theory
He is presented as hard-working and diligent as
he works for a long period without stopping;
illustrated by the time-lapse.
He is also tidy and organised as he keeps his lab
coat hung on a hook and replaces it afterwards
This conforms to the stereotype as scientists are
often portrayed as focused and highly intelligent
9. Stereotypical Scientists
Scientists are almost always depicted as intelligent
and thorough
They have a huge field of knowledge and they know
their subject area inside-out
Occasionally, they are also depicted as ‘mad’ or
eccentric – however, in our film he is not as it suits the
thriller genre better and prevents a comical element
creeping in.
A famous example of a ‘mad’ scientist is Doc in Back
to the Future (1985)
10. MI5 Agent
The man who leaves the top-secret file open represents this
group
He is presented as careless as he leaves the file open for our
protagonist to find
He is also in a rush, which is why he forgets to close his
computer down - showing how he also gets on with the job but
doesn’t really enjoy it
He also views himself as better than others – like the
psychologist - as he knocks into our protagonist, who has just
entered, without a word of apology
This is an anti-stereotypical representation as ‘spies’ are usually
portrayed as discreet, collected and thorough
11. Stereotypical Agents
They are usually very competent and leave no
traces of their presence
They are often intelligent, quick-thinking and very
discreet
A famous example of this is Agent 47 in the 2007
thriller Hitman
