William Adams represents his target social groups in a film project in several ways. He uses young adult actors to portray intelligent, focused characters that his young adult audience can relate to. The costumes help establish hierarchies between the characters and their roles. The main character, dressed more sophisticatedly, serves as a role model for the audience with his determination to solve mysteries. By having a young protagonist in a position of respect, the film challenges crime thriller conventions of featuring jaded older protagonists and presents a more positive vision that young people can aspire to.

1. Question 2 – How does your media
product represent different social groups.
BY WILLIAM ADAMS

2. Representing my social groups/audience
 In my film, I have used various different aspects in order to be able to represent my social groups/target
audience.
 This has been done in order to attract the audiences to the film, by having the film have a more realistic
interpretation of the social groups that appeals to my audience.
 In this presentation, I will look at the many ways that I have tried to represent my target audiences and
social groups, and whether it matches or mixes up common conventions.

3. Actors
 The actors I have chosen have helped to represent my social groups as the actors I have chosen are all young
adults, meaning that they will be able to represent the social group.
 This has also been helped by the actors’ portrayals as in the film opening, the main character has been shown
to be quick and decisive, by his ability to be able to read the situation when he stares at the mud.
 Also, the characters’ immediate focus on the situation when he meets Ben, shows how determined he is to
solve the situation.
 All these aspects have helped to portray my social group as highly intelligent, focused and determined group
of people which allows me to attract them to my film, increasing usage numbers.

4. The use of costumes
 The way I have dressed my characters has also helped to represent the target audience.
 One of the ways this is done is through my main character, who has been dressed in tweed, showing his
high sophistication, and how intelligent and resourceful he is for a character of his age.
 This has helped to create a hierarchy between the characters, as Marco’s character dresses slightly more
informal, allowing me to portray his role as more of an assistant and not so devoted towards the role,
compared to Ally’s character.
 With George’s character, this is also established as it shows that, while he is a cop, his role is lower than
Ally’s character which can be evidenced by his slightly more informal clothing, verging on casual, with the
tie and buttoned-up shirt, representing him as a character with more authority than Marco’s character,
showing how costumes have had an effect.

5. How has my product represented my
target audience?
 In my film, I have used my characters in my film to be role models to my target audience, as well as
relating to them.
 One of the ways that this has been done is by making my characters role models to my target audience
due to their heroism in the film.
 This is shown by Ally’s determination to solve the mystery, showing his more heroic nature and making
audiences aspire to be him, by his intent to do good.
 The position of Ally’s character has also been a huge contributor by the fact that the town loves and
respects him, despite his age, showing that people of the target audience’s age can be loved and
respected him, further making the audience want to be similar to the main character.

6. Has my representation challenged
common conventions?
 I believe that my representation of my target audience and social group has also helped to challenge
common conventions.
 This is because, commonly in crime-thriller films, the main character is often an old cronie who has
become miserable and depressed with his life.
 So by having my character be a young adult, it allows me to mix up the intentions as it shows that young
prodigies or adults can also hold a high position in society in crime-thriller films.
 As well as this, by having my main character have a more positive outlook on life also helps me to
challenge the conventions, as generally the character’s have lost hope in life, whereas this character is still
excited and enjoying life, due to his young age, further making the character a role model for my target
audience.