Media evaluation question 2

1. Evaluation Question 2
By Connor Cummings
‘How does you media product represent particular social
groups’

2. Character Breakdown
The Butcher
We represented the butcher as being a very skilled cutter due the numerous knives that the audience are shown
in the opening. To help link back to the murder and sinisterness of the context, we made the butcher cut very
vigorously with plenty of aggression. This is effective as people tend to associate butchers as being very slow
and precise with their meat cutting, however the audience are instantly alerted as to why he is cutting in this way.
Perhaps our butcher had a personal connection with the victim and immediately the audience question why he is
so ferocious in the way he cuts the meat. The square knife in the opening shot is effective in establishing his
representation as it emphasises his dominant personality due to what the audience can see of the bone flying off
the table.The overall coherence between characters is highlighted in the butchers scene
This over the shoulder shot of the butcher in my opinion, depicts
the most brutality as his cutting along with the quick zoom in/zoom
out of the camera helps to create this chaotic atmosphere.The
diegetic sound of the radio announcing the murder is not payed
attention to by the butcher and this makes us see him as a very
secluded individual. We see no remorse or sympathy from the
butcher and this makes the audience think that he has an innate
personality to kill. After cutting the meat, the butcher throws it to
one side as if he couldn't care less and this action highlights how
driven he is. We chose the butcher to be in his 40’s as we wanted
to show that no-one is innocent and that those who appear
impeccable have their dark sides.
This is the opening shot of the square knife chopping
bone. This was an effective opening as the credits
disappear when the knife comes down to symbolise
that the butcher is very destructive as he is cutting
everything including the title. The level of
forcefulness that is shown immediately entices the
audience and very quickly sets the scene.
The mid shot of the butcher sorting the meat
emphasises that all those involved in the
murder are highly organised and that plenty
of planning had gone into pulling this off.
The audience are unaware of why he is
sorting the meat however this becomes
clearer when the old man walks out of the
butchers carrying a red bag that is the only
item in colour. This then draws our attention
to the bag and we see this as potent for the
opening’s progression

3. Character Breakdown
The Second courier - Blonde girl
We represented the girl getting off at Paddington as someone who is slightly paranoid and this can be seen at
particular moments such as when she turns around whilst on the phone. She is the only one throughout the whole
opening that shows these signs of consternation and we wanted to include this in our opening to break away from
everyone being serious to show that each character is different. We maintained her anonymous profile by camera
angles such as a mid shot from the waist-down and this creates an enigma about her character. At the beginning of
the sequence, we intended for our audience to see the characters as innocent, however as the opening progresses,
we begin to see their attributes coming to light. An example of this is when Louise is on her phone looking over her
shoulder. This suggests that she is paranoid and the use of closeups and camera movements are very similar to that of
the Bourne Supremacy. We incorporated similar camera techniques from the Bourne Ultimatum as this film uses a
variety of closeups and camera movement to emphasise the individuals worry and paranoia.
Both films have strong similarities between them as they are both trying to create a tense atmosphere because the audience are gripped into seeing if they are being
followed. The location in both scenes are filmed in train stations as they tend to be very busy and chaotic. This crowded atmosphere was used in both films to single out the
character as being vulnerable and susceptible to potential harm. This gives off a strong message that at the heart of something so mundane e.g a train station, there is a
potential threat. The feeling of paranoia expressed by the male in the Bourne Ultimatum is shown more as it is more of a chase. However we wanted the female’s unsettled
behaviour to be more discrete as we thought this would leave unanswered questions for the audience to work out i.e is she being followed?. The mise-en scene is also similar
in both films. Both characters are wearing causal clothing and this suggests that you can be dressed in a certain way and still no eyebrows are risen as you are just an
‘ordinary person’. We wanted to show that people are hidden in society and by appearing a certain way can deceive others into thinking differently. The editing in the Bourne
Ultimatum is more fast flowing to depict the chase however we decided not to have this as we thought it suited the context more by editing on the beat of the music.

4. Character Breakdown
The ellipsis sequence
For our piece, we didn’t focus on one certain demographic and so we wanted to create mystery by having characters
of all ages being involved in the transport of the bag. In a sense, the bag is our main character as it plays an important
role in the openings development. We wanted to create a sense of efficiency through our characters especially with the
Ellipsis sequence to show how the murder has been planned down to the smallest detail. The pace of the editing is
very fast in the Ellipsis sequence as each clip lasts for half second. This efficiency is reflected as we only see
characters for a short space of time. The fact that the bag remains in the same place each time for the Ellipsis
sequence gives off a metaphorical meaning that the bag is being continually passed on and this adds to the mystery of
the characters profiling. All of the characters identity is unknown and the audience rarely see their faces. This helps to
build on the mystery and intrigue. This has a strong link also with our title as it is not only the bag that it anonymous, but
every aspect such as the people, the motives of the murder, who is in the bag etc.We used characters of all ages to
show that anyone cannot be trusted and this connection of couriers is mainly shown through the Ellipsis sequence.
This Ellipsis sequence emphasises that the operation regarding the bag is well planned and thought-out and the fact
that ordinary civilians are involved reinstates this. In the Ellipsis sequence, we used characters of all ages,
backgrounds and ethnicity to further imply that no one is innocent. The Ellipsis sequence helped us to show the vast
amount of people carrying this one bag. When directing, we didn't choose a certain outfit for the characters to wear as
we wanted a wide variety of different people to show the vast expansion of this criminal network.
We incorporated characters that appeared to be high up in society by the way in which they were smartly dressed with ties and
suits. The fact that we had characters from both ends of society reveals that there are no judgement when it comes to this crime.
Both sides of society are in a sense ‘connected’ by this one bag and it makes the audience question how a meaningless bag
has the ability to bring together people from all walks of life.
Characters - higher
up in society
Characters - lower
down in society

5. Character Breakdown
We wanted to represent the final character as the ‘ring leader’ behind the whole operation. Our use
of the first person perspective reveals the mans location and the fact that it is in a basement
suggests that the bag must be well hidden. The fact that he looks around to check if it is safe is
linked back to the whole nervous feeling that the girl at Paddington was showing. We wanted the
male to create the feeling of subterfuge by the way in which he is seen in a secluded area, by the
way in which he continually looks around his shoulder, and the clothing that he wears. Black clothing
is an association that audiences have culturally come to link a character as being the ‘bad guy’. This
stereotypical villain portrayed in our film is shown to be smiling at what is in the bag and this helps to
represent his character as being a criminal mastermind. The black and white filtering also expresses
his evil nature as it helps to create a distorted view of reality. This engages our audience with this
character as it is revealing his own distorted mind. The final character is also linked to the jigsaw in
Saw as both are dressed in black to imply that they are the protagonists behind the crime. In Saw,
the criminal’s name is known however in our film, the man is anonymous and this makes the
audience question who he and why he is linked to the bag.