Evaluation question 2 OCR Media AS Level

1. 2) How does your
media product
represent
particular
character types?

2. Who is our character?
Our character in our film is an investigator played by me (Jess Hide).
We haven’t followed conventions in our film by only including one character. The
investigator is the only character in our film which isn’t usual for most films in
general.
We thought that one character would challenge conventions as she is a female
protagonist who is the victim and the hero all at once. Usually in films, like in The
Conjuring, the investigators and the heroes are different from the victims.
Our character is seen exploring the church and the basement of the church until
she is taken and possessed.
The ConjuringScream

3. Why we chose her outfit
Our character’s outfit for the opening sequence was a work skirt, a blazer, a shirt
and a blouse with tights and some patent loafers.
We chose this outfit because we thought that a stereotypical investigator would
wear a large beige coat and suit trousers. The fact that we chose to use a blazer
and a skirt suggests that this investigation was performed in the character’s free
time and without the consent of the investigation company.
The ConjuringThe Exorcist

4. How the sounds affect the character
Sounds don’t directly manipulate the way we look at the character and how she is
represented.
The music in the background is very eerie and uncomfortable so in this sense we
almost sympathise with how the investigator feels as she is walking around the
church and the church basement.
The anxiety that sort of comes with hearing the suspense from the music is almost
a necessity when you are watching this opening sequence as you are really
putting yourselves in the point of view of the investigator by feeling her nerves.

5. How mise-en-scene affects the
representation of the character
Our character is seen exploring which indicates to the audience how she is some
sort of investigator. We do not know, however, if she is good or bad because we
never see her face until she is being possessed.
Her interest in the church is seen through the close ups of her touching the crucifix
and the pretty box. This could also make her seem slightly disrespectful as she is
touching holy items and walking behind the alter.

6. How the camera helps represent the
character
We kept our camera angles quite neutral, so we kept the angle very mid-shot and
not tilting up or down. However, as the first jump-cuts play out, the character gets
further away so this could represent her isolation and how she is independent in
her explorations.
Furthermore, we always angles the camera in a way in which we can’t see my
face until the possession occurs. We did this so there would be an element of
mystery to who this woman is. We don’t know if she is good or bad or if she is
already possessed or if she is just curious. The fact that we see my face in a close
up shot for the first time when I am taken by the evil spirit, means that we can see
all of my emotions and also it is like a large reveal in the opening so it keeps up
the suspense of the viewers.

7. Our character vs Dana from Cabin in the
Woods
This is the first shot we see of our character. It makes our character look quite isolated,
however the fact that she is a silhouette creates a sense of mystery and suggests that
she is strong willed. However, there is this sense of mystery which increases
throughout until the end when we can only assume that she is possessed.
Here is a still of Dana from Cabin in the Woods. She is probably the most similar
character to our own that we could find from other horror films. Whilst being a strong
female protagonist she shows her bravery through her involvement in the fighting
against whatever is in the Cabin. She seems to be a lot more vulnerable, however, and
rather than being a qualified investigator she is just a regular 20-something year old.

8. Our character vs The Exorcist
Clips much like this feature frequently throughout our opening sequence. It is
quite a shocking clip that keeps on coming up but it also quite personal; my
eyes are looking straight into the camera so the audience is drawn into catching
my eye during the possession. In this shot the character looks very vulnerable
and scared and it also portrays a sense of silently crying for help through the
eyes.
We took a lot of inspiration from this image when we thought about including
the close up shots of my face in our opening sequence. This shot is a classic
symbol of horror films nowadays as it is such an unpleasant image. The
character is the victim of possession and it obviously injured with all of the scars
on her face, however she still looks evil and really disturbing. This character
looks a lot more evil than ours does in the above image, and this is a good thing
as we didn’t want our character to have the connotations of being either evil or
being good because we wanted to keep it as a mystery.