This document analyzes how various social groups are represented in a media product. It discusses representations of class, race, age, gender, and sexuality for both a primary audience of 15-24 year old white British males and females, and a secondary audience of 25-34 year old white British males and females. For each group, it provides examples from the media product and analyzes them through various theoretical lenses such as uses and gratification theory, constructionist theory, hegemonic ideologies, and theories around gender representation. It concludes that while the representations generally appeal to the target audiences, the media product could have provided more thought-provoking or challenging representations that would be more conventional for an independent production company.

1. EVALUATION Q.2
HOW DOES YOUR
MEDIA PRODUCT
REPRESENT PARTICULAR
SOCIAL GROUPS?

2. AUDIENCE
Primary audience:
Class:
Income bracket: C2-D
Race:
White (British)
Age:
15-24
Gender:
Males and Females
Sexuality:
Heterosexuals
Secondary audience:
Class:
 Income bracket: B-C2
Race:
 White (British)
Age:
 25-34
Gender:
 Males and Females
Sexuality:
 Heterosexuals

3. CLASS
(INCOME BRACKET)
• Our main protagonist, Anna is very similar to our primary audience
as she is a working class woman within the C2-D income bracket as
the audience. Within the main film narrative, we have mentioned
that she is a university student which confirms the modern
stereotype that working class people are hard workers, which would
be represented in the film. Her unstable income helps to create an
empathetic link with the audience as they then struggle together as
they have either had or are having the same experience concerning
the limits and setbacks that low incomes result in. The theory of
uses and gratifications can be applied here. For instance, personal
identity with Anna as she is a university student, much like many of
our 15-24 primary mass audience, however it can also be applied
referencing back to the ‘empathetic link’ which would help to
create personal identity but also social interaction as it would
encourage them to interact with other viewers or fans about what
they thought of the characters circumstances/ situation being
similar to theirs.

4. RACE
• Anna is British and stereotypically white, which is the same race as the
audience we are targeting which helps to gain personal identity as they are
of the same nationality. This would then appeal to our secondary audience
as they are more traditional and take pride in nationalism. A common
representation of white/British is that they are ambitious and more affluent
than others, however this is challenged by Anna as she has thrown away
any ambition except to survive. It can also be seen that she subverts the
affluent stereotype as she is isolated in a simplistic tent with nothing but a
torch – further emphasising her distance from any urban civilisation.
• Our antagonist is also White, creating a more challenging representation
that enemy’s are not always of a separate race or origin (foreign) – which is
a preferred ideology of the mass market as that would make the ideology
that the British are better than the enemy; and will always win/prevail – but
rather connoting anyone could be an attacker and doesn’t discriminate on
race or religion.

5. AGE
• The age of the primary audience is 15-24 which is the same category that Anna
falls into at the age of 19. According to the hierarchy of needs, people within this
age group look towards media product to satisfy their needs for safety or love
and belonging, however our film rejects both as Anna runs away from her
dangers and the violence, to a tent that provides no protection. Similarly the
look for love and belonging is also rejected as Anna was with her friends and
family, however even that has been taken away from her against her will. This
may create personal identity with those in the audience who may have had their
loved ones taken by death.
• This age group would also be considered digital natives however even this is
taken away from Anna, placing her into a secluded world where even the oldest
of technologies are know where to be found. This only acts to highlight how she
has been separated from urban society.
• The obvious age difference between the antagonist and protagonist highlights
the representations of age presented. For example as the man is older, this
represents the stereotype that it is old men who prey on the younger, vulnerable
women as they are outgoing due to the young age, but easy to deceive and
trick.

6. GENDER
• As Anna is a female, this will create personal identity with the
female half of the audience. She would also create a link to the
male audience as she is the stereotypical ‘Damsel in distress’ that
needs saving.
• The antagonist confirms the male stereotype as he is strong,
powerful and has dominance over Anna. His violent and aggressive
personality also represents that of a working class man as his
behaviour also connotes that he only kills people for pleasure.
When he picks up the knife, we can see that it represents a phallic
symbol showing sexual imagery. This only further connotes and
confirms the stereotype that only men are rapists.
• The use of Anna's red clothing connotes her femininity where as
the antagonist dark brown and black clothing only further
highlights his stereotypical masculinity and threat.

7. SEXUALITY
• As only a single man and a single woman are featured within
our production, only heterosexuals would find any identity or
connection as they are of the same sexuality.
• Furthermore, the heterosexual relationship between all of the
group of friends from the whole film narrative help to develop
ideologies that relationships should only be between man and
woman as they are the only types of relationships featured.

8. CONSTRUCTIONIST
THEORY
The constructionist theory can be applied to any representation as it is made
up of three things: opinion of the producer/ reality/ social content.
• Women are physically and mentally weaker than men.
• Opinion: women are physically weaker than men as they cannot do what men do.
• Reality: women are biologically built differently to men, with less capability to build
muscle mass.
• Social content: Traditionally, women were weaker than men as they were stay-at-home
housewives, where as the men would do the heavy lifting and be the bread-winner.
Although many people in todays society have accepted that men and women are of
the same status. Emotionally speaking, women have learnt to give voice to their
opinions and emotions, where as men stereotypical have not – remaining silent and
don’t share their feelings.
• Yes, women are beginning to have more a voice, but there is still an evident difference
between men and women that still promotes this ideology. The fact that women are
seen as having a ‘voice’ now, could be argued to further promote the ideology of them
being mentally weaker as it’s the idea that they should just be able to cope and get on
with it (like men who don’t stereotypically share their feelings)

9. HEGEMONIC IDEOLOGIES
• A hegemonic ideology is a message that seems to be positive but is actually negative and
acts to keep the lower classes in their place.
• An example of this would be the ideology that you should spend lots of money on
expensive trips, of travel e.g. go camping. This seems like a negative message as it makes
the lower classes spend their money. nonetheless, Anna and her group try to attempt to go
on a camping holiday without spending money, and just relying on the pure basics. Anna is
being punished for not spending enough money on camping equipment/a nice hotel
room, which is then telling the audience to spend their money on get-a-ways as they may
encounter hardships such as this within the narrative if they don’t . This ideology keeps the
working class community below those who are in the modern upper/higher classes as it
makes them spend the money that they have earnt, encouraging them to then go back to
work to earn more money as they have spend most of it.
• Another hegemonic ideology would be that as Anna was able to survive, despite being
separated and secluded from urban civilisation, this promotes a positive ideology that it is
okay to become over-reliant on technology as it wouldn’t effect our chances of survival.
However the underlying negative ideology would make us over reliant on technology,
urging us to buy more - satisfying shops and sellers – resulting in the population becoming
lazy, fat and unable to fight against those of the higher class who control everything.

10. FEMALE REPRESENTATION
• We are able to apply Mulvey's male gaze to Anna’s character as she is objectified
through the eyes of the male antagonist. This is because he sees here merely as
‘prey’ and himself the ‘predator’. This de-humanises Anna to an animal, taking away
her femininity and instead sexualises her.
• Instead, however, we are able to apply Janice Winship’s notion of complicity. This is
because even though Anna is running away from the male antagonists, she is
attracting him even more due to her bright red clothing. As Anna is wearing the
colour red, red connotes romance an pleasure, however this can be changed into
connoting a dangerous sexual desire from the antagonists male perspective. This
then further connotes she is being punished by the man for displaying any signs of
her sexuality/desire.
• On the other hand we could apply Gauntlett's empowered female as Anna is
represented as a strong, brave and independent woman when she uses her own
initiative to save her self – without relying on anyone else. Even more so, when Anna
escapes by herself and survives, this connotes the power of woman and how they an
accomplish things even without the help of men – as stereotypically women were
seen to be weak and reliant on males.
• Barthes striptease theory cannot be applied as Anna is wearing thick clothing,
connoting that she is controlling her sexuality, further shown as she doesn't take it
off, and doesn’t attempt to sexualise herself, even in the presence of a male.

11. DO THEY SUIT OUR
INSTITUTION?
• I think our representations that we have included within our production is
not conventional for independent companies as representations are usually
challenging, as they appeal to the older sophisticated audience, however in
terms of our primary and secondary audience, I think we were able to use
all the appropriate representations that would appeal to both our primary
and secondary audience. We should have provided more thought
provoking ideologies and challenge more stereotypes as this would have
been more conventional for our independent production.
• More explicitly, although we are quite conventional, this can still suit our
institution mainly because of the genre that our production is as it means
we have a primary mass audience - as independents tend to make horrors
for their cost effective revenue returns.
• I think we could have improved this if we had incorporated more
conventional representations and ideologies that challenged or subverted
stereotypes as it would have made us a more conventional independent
production.