The document analyzes the representation of social groups in the opening of a media product. It discusses how the protagonist is portrayed as a typical 17-year old female teenager to make her more relatable to audiences. While originally intended to be a "Scream Queen" character, portraying her as a more normal teenager aligns her more with the "Final Girl" trope. The antagonist is atypically portrayed as a female teenager as well, creating narrative mystery around her threatening behavior. The document notes the characters only represent certain nationalities, sexualities, and ethnicities due to limitations but states expanding representation could be possible in a full film.

1. “How does your media product represent
particular social groups?”
EVALUATION Q.2 - REPRESENTATIONS

2. • This the first character we are introduced to, and is
seemingly the protagonist. Her role is to give the audience
someone to connect with and stay interested in as the
story is set up.
• She’s a stereotypical 17 year old female, as denoted
through her long hair (a typical style for the average
teenage female,) the style of her clothes being average
running gear, and her use of earphones (a common
decision to listen to music while running.)
• While initially I had intended to portray this character as a
“Scream Queen” (attractive young damsels-in-distress,
who’re usually screaming, crying, and sexualized) typical
of the genre, I realised that by presenting her as a
stereotypically normal teenager closer to the “Final Girl”
(the last woman left alive to confront the killer) character
type, the audience would be more likely to connect with her
(making her imminent demise all the more upsetting than it
would’ve be if she were a “Scream Queen”.)
• Her behaviour is also closer to that of the “Final Girl” than
it is to a “Scream Queen”. For example, upon thinking that
it was only her friend that was scaring her, she responds
rationally and questions why. If she were presented as a
“Scream Queen” her reaction would’ve been much more
exaggerated.
Rose Blackburne as…
the Protagonist
(Stereotype)

3. SIMILAR CHARACTERS FROM OTHER FILMS
WITHIN THIS GENRE
Sidney Prescott
1996’s Scream
Dana Polk
2012’s The Cabin in the
Woods
Julie James
1997’s I know
what you did
last summer

4. • This the only other character revealed in the
opening. The dark clothing and hood are meant to
connote this character as evil/threatening, while her
behaviour is purposefully unsettling (robotic
movements, creepy smile, minimal talking.)
• She is meant to be disconcerting for the audience,
and brings in the sense of threat. Also, the shots
and editing sequence I chose imply to the audience
that we’ve been watching the protagonist through
her eyes, making her even more threatening.
• Other than her name, nothing about this character is
revealed; this was done to create narrative enigma.
• I suppose in many ways this character is the
countertype of the typical thriller/horror/sci-fi, as she
is a teenage female (and typically the antagonist
would be an adult male) who, without her dark
clothing and odd behaviour, would not seem
threatening.
• However, despite being an unusual choice for the
implied villain, she works. The reason she works is
because the narrative enigma surrounding her (and
what happens to the protagonist) makes us wonder
what she’s capable of.
• She also works because her seeming mundaneness
means that the audience believe that this situation
could happen to them.
Myself as…
Antagonist/Monster

5. ADDITIONAL REPRESENTATIONS
Nationality
• The protagonist has an accent typical of the Northern parts England; this creates
representation for the North within England, and of England within the rest of the world.
• The antagonist has a mixed accent, which provides representation for places other than
England. For example, her accent may sound American to some, and will therefor provide
American representation.
Sexuality
• I did not address sexuality in my opening because it is irrelevant to the plot at this point;
however, while I did not include any signifiers that the characters were not heterosexual, I
also did not include any signifiers to suggest that they are heterosexual, meaning that If
my film opening progressed I could’ve used either one or both of them to explore issues
of sexuality.
Ethnicity
• Sadly, my film opening only contains Caucasian characters (something far too common in the
film industry,) as these were the only actors available to me. However if I was to make the rest
of my film there is no reason why I couldn’t/wouldn’t include characters of other ethnicities.

6. IN SUMMARY…
• As I only have 2 characters present in my opening there is not a
lot of opportunity to for a vast amount of representation.
However, while the characters I have included provide an
unusual introduction to a thriller/horror/sci-fi, by stepping outside
of the typical conventions I reckon my film opening as the
potential to be successful regardless.