The document discusses how the film represents various social groups through its characters. It compares the female protagonist Alison to characters from other films, noting they are shy but gain confidence. It also compares the antagonist Chad to a character from another film, noting they are both confident alpha males but Chad has a vulnerable side. The document analyzes how the characters both conform to and subvert stereotypes, such as the female being a victim but also influencing the plot.

1. How does your media product
represent particular social groups?

2. On the left is Alison the female protagonist in our film. She is similar
to the character Ellie Morris in Sorority Row:

3. • The similarities between the two characters is they are
both shy, smart and dislike conflicts, but confident and
speak up when they need to. For example in Sorority
Row towards the Ellie gets stronger and more confident
as the film progresses and starts to stand up to the
other characters and similarly in our film after putting
up with his abusive behaviour Alison finally gets the
confidence to break up with Chad. They are both loyal
people who want the ones around them to be happy
even though it means that sometimes they have to do
things or put up with behaviour they don't necessarily
approve of. In this regard it is their weakness. They both
dress quite casually (jeans and tops) which is what
people their age group-teenagers and they wear clothes
which they feel comfortable in and they don't tend to
like dressing up or looking overdressed.

4. • Ellie in Sorority Row is very shy and awkward in
social situations and doesn't how to talk to
people whereas Alison is always friendly. Another
difference is instead of growing from a victim into
a heroine like Ellie, Alison isn't strong enough to
do that. Another difference is Ellie is more of a
follower and relys a lot on friends for emotional
support and she always cries or run when she is
in a situation she can't handle whereas Alison is
just more independent.

5. • I think the stereotype we stuck to was that the
female character is presented as the victim or the
weaker character. Which is what Laura Mulver's
Male Gaze theory says. Alison doesn't have the
main role and she gets killed in the first 2 minutes
of the film. However I think we have subverted
parts of her theory because Alison doesn't fit into
any of the two types of women (the whore and
the madonna) that Mulvey said the women are
represented as. I think she is in the middle of
those two, she is not sexually objectified or
exploited. Alison is the main influence of the plot
which Mulvey said that women never are.

6. • Alison can also be compared to Sidney
Prescott from Scream:
Sidney possesses similar
characteristics as both Ellie and
Alison. However she is more
confident and isn't afraid to fight
back. All the characters are the main
characters. In Scream the story is
mainly told from Sidney's point of
view, in Sorority Row the story is told
in various characters' point of view,
whereas in our film the story is told
in the point of view of the
protagonist.

7. This is one of the antagonists in the film Chad. He is
boisterous, confident and he is quick tempered and doesn't
like it when things don't go his way. He can be compared to
Bradley White from Tormented

8. • Bradley is similar to Chad because he is also very
confident is a leader not a follower and they are
both alpha males. According to Stuart Hall' s
Reception theory a group of readers who have a
shared cultural background and interpret the text in
similar ways. Our audience who hang out in similar
social groups and have had similar personal
experiences as Chad would be able to accept the
meaning of our film easily. Underneath the hard
image they portray as a defence mechanism, they
both have a vulnerable side. However the
difference between the two is Brad is a cruel and
heartless bully who abuses all outside his clique.

9. • Chad dresses in jeans and hoodies, which is what an
average teenage boy wears. Bradley always takes care of
his appearance and when he is not dressed in a school
uniform he is always wearing shirts and jeans. The main
difference about the two characters' appearance is that
Brad is clean cut and neat whereas Chad is more edgy
and gritty.
• I think with Chad's character we have subverted to the
stereotype described in Laura Mulvey's Male Gaze theory
that the audience are meant to take the male character's
point of view in the view and we are meant to empathise
with him and be on his side. However in our film the
audience isn't taking on Chad's point of view and they are
meant to be feeling pity for the female character, Alison.