The document analyzes and compares how male and female characters are represented in four thriller films: Gravity, Shutter Island, Pulp Fiction, and Inception. It finds that while the films generally follow genre conventions of masculine and feminine stereotypes, each one also challenges conventions in small ways to make the characters and stories more unique and appealing to audiences.

1. How the male and female character are
represented
THRILLER FILM ANALYSIS

2. Pulp Fiction
Tim Roth – Pumpkin/Ringo
Amanda Plummer – Honey Bunny/Yolanda
Shutter Island
Leonardo DiCaprio – Teddy Daniels
Michelle Williams – Dolores
Gravity
George Clooney – Matt Kowalski
Sandra Bullock – Ryan Stone
Inception
Leonardo DiCaprio – Cobb
Ellen Page - Ariadne
FILMS TO STUDY

3. GRAVITY – FEMALE CHARACTER
Costume – The female
character in gravity is
wearing a space suit –
something not normally
associated with female
thriller characters. It can
represent an outgoing and
fearless personality.
Facial expression – In this
‘printscreened’ scene, the
female character looks quite
relaxed and under control of
her situation. This can
display a bold and outgoing
character.
Camera Placement – This
is a wide shot, as her body is
on full display. It also
emphasises the fact that she
is alone in space, which once
again shows a fearless
personality.
Lighting – Lighting in
this scene is very low-
key. This keeps
Gravity conventional
to a thriller film, by
keeping lighting
natural and/or dark.
Natural lighting
doesn’t give any
indication to anything,
and therefore the
audience would get a
thrill when an
unsuspecting problem
arises.

4. GRAVITY – MALE CHARACTER
Camera Placement –
This is a close up of the
male character’s face,
which emphasises his
determination for the
space mission.
Determination and
fearlessness makes this a
conventional thriller film
male character.
Costume – The male character is
dressed the same as the female
almost throughout the entire film.
This gives the portrayal that they are
of equal strength, which is
unconventional for a thriller film.
Body language/positioning – In this
scene, the male character is leaning
forward. This shows to the audience that
he is concentrating on something
(something that is also supported by his
facial expression). This would fit the fact
that space missions are difficult and
require a lot of skill and concentration.
Lighting – The
lighting in this
particular scene is low
key, with plenty of
reflections on his
helmet. This draws
the audiences’ eyes to
the male character.

5. Gravity is quite an unconventional film when it comes to conventional character roles.
Whilst the male character is fairly conventional with his outgoing personality and head-on
determination to complete the space mission, the female has almost the exact same roles
and state of mind. This is unusual because female characters usually play the damsel in
distress when it comes to thriller movies. As a result, Gravity takes a different route to
gender representation and therefore could potentially be more pleasing to the audience with
its unique style and unusual plot where the female ultimately ends up more successful in the
mission than the male character.
Summary of the character stereotypes:
Ryan (female character) – strong countertype, challenges many conventions of the female
role.
Matt (male character) – Conventional male character with his extroverted personality, but
also challenges conventions because he was inferior to the female character.
GRAVITY – QUICK CONCLUSION

6. SHUTTER ISLAND – FEMALE
CHARACTER
Costume – The
female character in
Shutter Island is
dressed in very
causal clothing. This
could suggest a naive
personality, oblivious
to the events that
happen on later in
the movie. It is also
worth mentioning
that her hair is fairly
scruffed up, this can
show that she may
have been in
previous distress.
Camera Placement – The camera is
positioned in a two-shot scenario in this
scene of the movie. This is to emphasise
the fact that she is with another man,
which suggests the conventional ‘damsel
in distress’ female character
Facial Expression/
Body language –
Though you can’t see
much of her face, you
can tell she is in a
distressed mood by the
way she has her hands
on the male character.
Relying on the male
character for comfort
like this shows strong
conventional female
character signals.
Lighting – The lighting here is
all natural, which follows the
conventional thriller way of
keeping the setting in real life,
making the disasters seem more
believable when they happen.

7. SHUTTER ISLAND – MALE
CHARACTER
Facial Expression –
The male character in
this particular scene
looks very serious. A
serious expression
tends to suggest that
he is either dominant
or is in control of the
situation. This would
fit in with the
conventional male role
in a thriller film.
Camera
positioning –
The camera is in a
close up to
emphasise the
facial expressions
of the male
character, but the
camera also
reveals a lot about
the location. The
camera clearly
shows to the
audience that they
are in a car. This
helps the audience
follow the story
easier.
Costume – The character is in
dark clothing. This is
challenging the convention of
a protagonist, since the
antagonist would usually be
wearing dark colours.
Lighting – Though it is natural, the
lighting is quite murky and is
emphasised by the distorted windows.
This once again puts the protagonist
in a darker light, challenging the
conventions of him and giving him a
rather antagonist look.

8. Shutter island initially appears to be a move conventional movie than Gravity. The female
character can easily be recognised as a damsel in distress and the male often provides a shoulder
for her to rest on, figuratively speaking. However, when you dig a little bit deeper, the audience is
met with a darker side to the male character visually. This would challenge the conventions of a
thriller film, since the protagonist is meant to be a fairly happy character, and not dressed in dark
clothing with sinister facial expressions. So like Gravity, Shutter Island twists some of the
conventional thriller film conventions, presumably to make the film unique and fresh. This as a
result would be more appealing to the audience.
Summary of the character stereotypes:
Dolores – Dolores is viewed as a very conventional female character for a thriller film. Her causal
clothing and relationship with the male character, along with her fragile personality can be viewed
as very conventional.
Teddy – In many ways, Teddy is a conventional male character. He is portrayed as the stronger,
curious about adventure and more noble person. However, he does seem to have a darker side to
his appearance, which challenges the convention for a protagonist.
SHUTTER ISLAND – QUICK
CONCLUSION

9. PULP FICTION – FEMALE
CHARACTER
Camera Placement –
The camera is
interestingly placed in a
low angle, which makes
the character seem
dominant and in control.
This is conventionally
unusual for a female
character, as they are
normally portrayed as the
lesser-powered character.
As a result, this camera
angle challenges the
female stereotypes.
Facial expressions/body
language – The female character
has a strong and determined look
on her face, suggesting that she is
in control in what she is doing.
This means that she is
countertyped for a thriller movie.
Costume – The female
character is wearing a
standard, baggy
cardigan. It could be
suggested that this goes
against the female
stereotype, as she is
clearly not being
exploited for [male]
audience pleasure,
unlike many female
characters in movies.
Lighting – The lighting is
ambient, but there is a noticeable
gloom to the character; her face is
not very well lit. This is to support
the gloominess of a gun scene,
such as this one.

10. PULP FICTION – MALE
CHARACTER
Body language – The body
language of the male
character is very causal. It
gives the impression of him
being the boss of his
scenario. This is conventional
for a thriller male character
because it represents
dominance – something that
goes with the stereotypical
male thriller film character.
Props – If you look closely, you can see
that the character is smoking a cigarette.
Like the body language, it shows a sign
of dominance and a hint of rebel,
giving him a conventional outgoing
personality.
Camera placement – The camera here is placed in
a midshot. This has most likely been done so the
camera is close enough to the character so you can
see his facial expression, but also zoomed out
enough to emphasise his chilled out body language.
This shot was chosen so the audience can see his
outgoing attitude clearly.
Costume – The male
character in here is wearing
scruffy clothing that match
his ‘I don’t care’ attitude.
Once again, this supports
the general theme of an
outgoing personality, making
him a conventional male
character for a thriller genre
film.

11. Pulp Fiction is a movie of two halves when it comes to male and female representation. On one
hand, we have a male character who is outgoing and appears to follow by his own rules, which is
conventional to a male thriller character, though perhaps a bit different to how a typical
protagonist would be represented. And then on the other side of the spectrum we have the
female character who challenges female stereotypes in thriller movies. She is shown to be a
dominant character who has a strong personality, and does not need another typically male
character to rely on when she runs into trouble.
Summary of the character stereotypes:
Honey Bunny: Honey Bunny is viewed as a very unconventional character for a female in a
thriller film because she seems so dominant and in control of many parts of the movie. She is
therefore a complete countertype for thriller movies.
Pumpkin: Pumpkin is viewed as a stereotypical ‘lad’ type of guy. Interestingly, this is not the kind
of characteristic you would associate with a protagonist. Therefore, in some ways, Pumpkin is a
countertype for a protagonist, but her still supports the stereotype for a male character.
PULP FICTION – QUICK
CONCLUSION

12. INCEPTION – FEMALE
CHARACTER
Camera Positioning –
The camera is placed at a
high angle in this particular
shot. This shows the
audience that the character
may be a bit bewildered or
inferior to what she’s
looking at. The sense of
inferiority would be
conventional to a female
thriller film character.
Facial Expressions –
The facial expressions on
the female character in this
shot is a face of awe and
potential disbelief. Some
would say she looks a bit
clueless, to an extent. This
naïve approach would
support the female
stereotype of needing
another person for a
shoulder to rest on.
Costume – We can see that the character
is wearing generic clothing; a top and a
cardigan. This would go against the
stereotype of woman only playing a part
to pleasure the audience.
Framing – We can see that there is a male
character lurking behind the female
character. This could be to represent that the
female character needs a helping hand,
therefore supporting stereotypes of female
characters.
Lighting – The lighting is ambient,
suggesting a natural situation – a
natural reaction.

13. INCEPTION – MALE CHARACTER
Camera Positioning – The camera
positioning in this particular shot is of
a mid-shot level. This is to emphasise
to the audience the facial expression
that the character is pulling. The
character fills up the whole frame,
which could portray the male
dominance we see in thriller movies.
Lighting – The lighting
here is rather low-key.
This adds a sense of
mystery and scepticism
to the male character we
see in this shot. His dark
suit blends well into the
background of the
scene, which could
portray him as a
mysterious character.
This can be
conventional for a male
character in a thriller
genre film. However,
one may argue that it’s
not very conventional
for a protagonist.
Framing – There is very little
going on in the background, which
draws the audiences’ eyes to the
male character, and his distinctive
facial expression. This could be to
emphasise the point that this
character is a bit mysterious.
Facial Expression - The male
character’s facial expressions in this
scene is one of potential intimidation.
He could be pressuring the other
character into saying something. This
could tell the audience that this
character is potentially bullish and
alpha male – something that supports
the convention for male characters.

14. Inception is a film which is arguably the most conventional in all of the films I have analysed so far when it
comes to the representation of male and female characters. We have a female who is seen as inferior as a
result of the face of awe and of course the high angled shot with the camera. You could say though that she is
slightly unconventional in the sense that she is not used as a visual pleasure for the audience; she is wearing a
typical baggy cardigan. We also have a male character who gives off a strong sense of alpha male, because he
is intimidating another person in the scene with his dark clothing and squinted facial expressions. Though
once again, this is not really an applicable convention for a protagonist. So, like the female character, the male
character challenges some thriller film conventions as well as supporting some. Very much swings and
roundabouts here.
Summary of the character stereotypes:
Ariadne: Supports many conventions and stereotypes of thriller films when it comes to her physical and
mental strength, but challenges some when it comes to visual pleasure.
Cobb: In many ways, Cobb is very conventional when it comes to a male character. He is seen as alpha male
and in control of the situation. However, his intimidation does not match the stereotype of a protagonist.
INCEPTION – QUICK
CONCLUSION

15. After analysing the characters of these four films carefully, a clear and consistent pattern
has emerged. We see that the films follow the basic stereotypes of the male and female
characters quite well, but none were exactly the same. They did this to add a unique touch
to their work – a film that follows the conventions exactly will not impress the audience
because they would have seen the same kind of characters before in some previous films
they may have watched. However, it is important that the films follow the conventions and
stereotypes of thriller films to some extent, otherwise the film itself may not be
recognisable as a thriller and therefore less pleasurable to the audience.
This research will help me to produce my thriller opening sequence with my group, because
it will give us a clearer indication of how to present our characters. This will make our
sequence more recognisable to the audience seeking to watch a thriller film, and therefore
would be more enjoyable. The research has also opened my eyes and taught me not to be
too conventional with our video, otherwise it may become too repetitive with the other
videos from the class and potentially boring.
OVERALL EVALUATION