media evaluation q2

1. What characters have you included in your film
and what social groups do they represent?
• In our film we have three characters visible on
screen, those being 'Lucy Brown' and the two
stalkers, as well as two detective character that is
only heard through a voiceover. Lucy Brown
represents a white middle class woman of a
younger twenties age group, which isn't very
diverse, however it is relatable for our audience
as our sequence appeals to a middle class
audience.
• The two stalkers are anonymous but from the
clothes they are wearing the audience can see
that they are male. The detectives heard in the
voiceover are representing an older age group of
37 and 50, which means that the older audiences
will have characters they can understand and
relate too, potentially.

2. How have you constructed ideas about your
character through mise en scene, camerawork,
editing and sound?
• With Lucy Brown, our main character, we showed her as
relaxed on screen in the first few shots as she isn't aware of
the fact she is being followed. The audience however do, and a
major clue is the non diagetic sound building tension and the
voiceover of her speaking, saying that she needs help. This
contrast and the fact that it is all concentrated on her shows
that she is the main character. The mise en scene with her
facial expressions shows her as scared when she realizes she is
being followed, which will make the audience feel pathos
towards her. This, paired with camera angles looking down on
her and the two stalkers, makes her look more vulnerable, and
the stalkers more powerful in comparison. However, the fact
that she finds something to defend herself with (the knife)
helps the audience to get an idea of the fact that she is a
stronger female lead and isn't weak and portrayed as a 'damsel
in distress' character, as she tries to save herself. The Location
of the woodland also makes her look like she is in a position of
danger because there is nobody to help her or save her.
• The two detectives it is harder to construct ideas about as the
audience don’t actually see them, they only hear them in the
voice over. However, through the way they speak and what
they are saying its easy to establish that they are very serious
characters. The detective who initially said that Lucy couldn’t
have their help because she didn’t have enough evidence
would obviously want to amend his previous statement after
finding out she got murdered, so he takes it very seriously.

3. To what extent are your character representations
typical of your film’s genre? Compare, with examples
from real films.
• Our character Lucy Brown is a typical representation
of a white female in a thriller genre, as she is the
victim and in danger from the two stalkers. An
example to compare too would be Marion Crane
from the film Psycho, as she is in danger and a
victim from Norman Bates, and is also a
white female in a thriller.
• Whilst still looking at the comparison of Psycho, in
it features her boyfriend and a detective, who piece
together what happened to Marion, and represents
them as intelligent and good people working
hard, solving the problem at hand, which is how the
detectives in our opening sequence are
represented. They are also all middle class, which
is common in thrillers as it makes the audience feel
more emotive whilst watching as it could happen to
them as well.

4. In what ways do your representations
reinforce or challenge social stereotypes?
• Our representation of Lucy Brown is mixed because
it challenges stereotypes with some aspects, but also
reinforces them. The fact that she went to the
police for help, and that she has a weapon to defend
herself, shows her as trying to save herself and take
matters into her own hands, which makes her more
of a strong female lead character, like in the thriller
The Girl On the Train. However, because she is the
only female and put in a place of danger against two
male stalkers, it reinforces the stereotype that
woman are weaker than men and they need saving,
although untrue.
• Our representation of the two male detectives
reinforces stereotypes of detectives being males, as
well as males being the protagonist and
saving everyone, as that happens in crime movies
and also in superhero movies, which also has
an element of a crime genre to them.