Evaluation task for Media Foundation Portfolio AS

1. QUESTION 2: HOW DOES YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT REPRESENT PARTICULAR SOCIAL GROUPS?
The social groups represented in my thriller opening in terms of ethnicity and race were Indian and
black. These are both ethnic minority groups. Some of the stereotypes of black males are: stalker,
aggressive, violent and more (some of which I have used in my thriller opening). The negative mass
media portrayals are strongly linked with lower life expectations among black men. These
portrayals are constantly reinforced in print media, in films, the internet which shape public views
of and attitudes towards black males. I have used a black male for the antagonist which is very
conventional and stereotypical as many black males play the ‘negative’ role in the movie. This was
not intentional, however it is seen as a typical convention used in thriller movies.
Additionally, I have used an Indian female as the main actress. Having an India female is not
conventional as most leading actresses are white. Although, recently this has started to change.
For example: Priyanka Chopra in Baywatch with Dwayne Johnson has changed this convention and
has become very successful in the film industry (she usually used to act in Bollywood movies)
GENDER:
Generally, in thriller movies the female is played as the victim and are seen
as weak (weaker than males), emotional and suffering from mental illnesses.
This is a typical convention which I have used in my thriller opening. She is
also cleaning and doing domestic work, which shows that she doesn’t work,
this is a stereotype used in thriller movies. However in my thriller, I tried to
challenge this convention as the female is playing both the victim and
protagonist. For example: Black swan and Gone Girl. In gone girl the female
actress plays two roles which is the victim at first but by the end we find out
that she is also the protagonist. However this also could be seen as fairly
conventional for a psychological thriller. The stereotype of a male is
dominance whereas women are seen as passive, which is also shown in my
thriller opening at the end when the male character slams the door shut. 1
in 4 women experience domestic violence and 2 women die a week in the
hands of their partners just in the UK.
The male character in my thriller and real media products are the antagonist.
They are shown as powerful and superior . For example, when the male
actor gives the surprise to the female in the flashback. This represents
masculinity. Also the fact that he works shows he is the ‘breadwinner’.

2. CLASS:
The characters in thriller opening are seen as a working class couple
which is shown in the flashback. The female is at home doing house
work like cleaning and the male comes home from work. This is
shown through the costume as the male is wearing a shirt and tie and
the female is wearing casual clothes, therefore you cannot say that
the couple is ‘well off’. Additionally the female uses the public gym
machines which shows that maybe she cannot afford to go to a
normal gym which requires a membership.
These representations link to me target audience who are young
adults (15-24 year olds). This is because my target audience is very
diverse and would understand certain stereotypes that have been
reinforced in my thriller opening. I am aiming mostly at females.
Generally this age group like to watch educatory topics. I believe the
my thriller opening covers many sensitive topics that are not covered
enough at schools or in homes. This thriller could help young adults
reach out, especially if they are suffering from domestic violence,
harassment and other issues relating these topics. We know that
women generally experience approximately 38 assaults from their
boyfriends before they report it. My thriller opening could help
reduce this by targeting at young adults who are mostly victims.
QUESTION 2: HOW DOES YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT REPRESENT PARTICULAR SOCIAL GROUPS?