The answer to an evalution question - How does your media product represent particular social groups?

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

2. Firstly, lets look at the two main characters

3. This is Paul’s character, his name doesn’t really matter so we’ll just call him Paul. He’s a fairly young man, late teens

4. This is Sam’s character and the main antagonist of this film. His name is not revealed at this early stage of the film so we’ll just call him Sam. He is older than Paul, as we can see from the way he dresses as well as his slightly more drained appearance in his face.

5. I think the first thing that needs assessing here is age groups… Paul’s character is young and easily excitable as he runs head long into this fight not understanding fully what he is actually up against. The way that he struts over (left) also shows his immaturity. His hairstyle, the way he dresses and perhaps his build is that of the stereotypical teenage ‘jock’

6. To begin with, Sam’s proper posture is enough to show his maturity over his teenage opponent. The way he dresses is also stereotypically like a dad, chequered shirt, normal, plane trousers and shoes, much more of a mature character. His hair is also far simpler.

7. Although Paul appears to be that of the stereotypical hard headed jock there also appears to be a deeper, more alternative representation. This is in the very motive for him fighting, he is trying to honour his friends and is fighting for them, more than for himself which isn’t the normal selfish jocks we know in today’s society. Sam’s character is not a father as his clothes and appearance may suggest, but simply, a simple man. This would probably be against dominant ideology of who should win this fight. Really, it should be Paul, he’s younger, more agile, has a bigger build, but this emergent ideology of you not needing all that to be successful really shows through in this scene.

8. Another important point is that of the representation of gender You’ll notice a few low angle shots showing portraying these two as important powerful figures and the speedy editing in both the fight and the lead up to the fight shows how these two men are driving the narrative forward. Masculinity in this scene is clearly represented in physique, posture and the active roles in the narrative that these two characters have. In this scene both men are perpetrators of violence and Paul in particular is the idea of the lone hero, who has arrived to face this nemesis alone.

9. You’ll notice that in this scene there are no women present, and one wouldn’t play a particularly active role in the rest of the film, but more of a passive one. In these kinds films though it is kind of expected. In a way it is an absent representation, as this film isn’t about women, but about men, who are the heroes, fighting for justice whereas the women would just play a passive role, either being the goal for the hero, or someone that he fights for. This in a way though is residual ideology within our society, that women are helpless and cant defend themselves without men, even Hollywood are beginning to bank on the idea of the female hero in the martial arts genre.

10. Summary Men are seen as the active members of the narrative and are portrayed as warriors whereas the absence of women shows them as passive. The young are seen as immature and foolish compared to the old however the motive of the young are that of selflessness.