Question 2

1. Media Question 2: How does your media product represent particular social group?
The main character of the opening,Arthur, ayoungpersoninhistwenties, hasabackground
of workingasa mercenaryof sorts,but one underthe employmentof asingle personwhohireshis
mercenariesouttovariousorganisations.However,because of
the secrecyof the organisation, andbecause of hissocial status
as a youngadult, I wantedto presentthe ideathatthe best
wayof keepingtheiridentitiesandoccupationsecret wasto
lookinconspicuous,somethingwhichiscontraryto the
conventional representationof criminalsinthrillermovies.In
orderto make the audience sympathisewithhim asperhaps
one of theirown,Idressedhimina black, unexceptional
costume (blackt-shirtandblackjeans) withmyowndull greencoat.The lack of flairin hiscostume
adherestothe conventionof being‘partof the crowd’,insomuchashe isa verynondescript-looking
personwhose professionrequireshimtokeepalow-profile. Itwouldalsobe somethingthata young
adultmightbe expectedtowear,since itisa costume one mightcall unremarkable,perhapsdue to
the lack of moneythat can be spenton thingssuchas clothesbyyoungadults.
The choice of car forhimwas alsopart of thisethos:inreal life,itbelongstoToby
Matthews,the actor whoplaysthe killer. Tohave a youngadultsuch
as Arthurdrivingeitheranexpensivemoderncar,or eventhe
conventional vintage carthatmany criminalsinthrillersoftendrive,
wouldbe an unrealisticallyextravagantrepresentationof sucha
social group.A youngadultsuch as Arthuris,once again, not likely
to be particularlyfinanciallyviable,andsoan expensive carwould
not make sense. Thisideaof usingamore realisticrepresentation
linkswithmydecisiontohave himwearingmyowncoat as opposed
to findingone thatwasmore in keepingwithhow audienceswouldgenerallyexpecta
hitman/muscle-for-hiretolook:sunglasses,leatherjackets,amatchstickhangingoutof the mouth,
perhaps.These attributeswerenotthingsIthoughtthe audience couldconnectwithonan
emotional level,whichwasaqualityvital tothe character forthe opening,orelse the audience
wouldnothave beenscaredforhim andfeltemotionallyattachedtothe characterenoughto be
surprisedathisdeath.
All thisbeingsaid,however,there wasacertainobligationto
conformto the conventionof anyone inthe line of worksuchas a hitman
beinganextremelycool character,someonewhoisdarkand mysterious.
Therefore,Ihadto still presentArthurassuch and findwaysinwhichto
do this.One suchway wasto have him
shroudedindarknessforthe firsttime we see
him,and to notshow hisface until he isinthe
phone box.Indoingso,I was able to engage the
audience withthe enigmaticpresence of our
supposedleadcharacter,emphasisedbythe
slowpanupwardsby whichhisface is revealed.
It letsthe audience knowthatthischaracteris the focusof whattheyare
aboutto see,makinghisdeathonlytwominutesinall the more shocking.
Figure 3: Medium close-up of Arthur
without showing his face
Figure 4: Start and end for the
pan reveal
Figure 2: The car next to the phone box
Figure 1: Arthur, dressed in my green coat

2. There isone shot inparticularthat pinpoints
Arthuras a maincharacter: the shotin questionisa
longshotof the phone box froma distance.Inthe
shot,the onlydistinguishable objectisthe phone box
withArthurin it. Lit bythe artificial,dulllightof the
box itself,the shotputsfocuson Arthur amidstthe
expanse of darknessaroundhim,butina waythat is
verydown-to-earth:the phone box,areal box near
the edge of the towninwhichit wasfilmed,addsto
the sense of realisminthe opening,butalsopresents
an alternative tothe conventionthatayoungadultina filmwouldnormallyfollow. Youngadults
tendto use mobile phonestocommunicate infilmsnowadays,anunderstandablyrealistic
convention.However,Ifeltthatthe phone box wasmore inkeepingwiththe crime convention
rather thanthat of a youngadult:it wasmore eerie and grittythan simplyusingamobile phone,and
allowedformore interestingdecisionstobe made withhow the artificial lightingwe hadwouldlight
the scene.
One thingI have mentionedseveral timesthroughoutthe essaybut
neverfullytoucheduponisthe ideaof fearinthe maincharacter: althoughthe
situationhe isinisnot one that manyyoungadultshave beenin(being
threatenedbyapsychotickiller),fearinthe face of dangermay well be.Itcan
oftenbe markedbya lackof comprehensionatthe dangerand of blindpanic,
somethingIbroughtthroughwithseveral piecesof imageryinthe shots,such
as Arthurswallowinginfearandhisfeelingof beingtrappedwhenhe bangson
the sidesof the box.Most importantly,the sound wasdesignedtoreflectthe
fearby usingthe soundof Arthur breathingheavilyinanxietyandthe
simulationof tinnitus,aringinginthe ears.Designedtomake the audience feel
uncomfortable,itwasalsoarepresentationof whatmanypeople feelwhen
theyfeel fear,asort of disorientedfeelingwhere theycannotconcentrate.The
sensesbecome heightened,justastheyare here withthe soundandthe more
jitteryediting,featuringmanysplit-secondshotsof grotesqueimageryinside
the box.
Figure 5: The long shot of the phone box
Figure 6: Arthur
swallowing (top) and
feeling trapped (middle
and bottom)