How does your media product represent particular social groups?

The female character as at first underdeveloped, but relatable to the target audience due to her age and appearance.

The way our media product represents social groups is rather typical of the genre. The female lead is presented as a victim with lots of high angle shots on her body giving the audience the impression her character was weak and vulnerable. She is also presented as a scared character running away from her pursuer, instead of fighting back like a stronger female character would have. The female character in our product is essentially a stereotypical woman victim, however the use of shot/reverse shots between her and the man connote they have a relationship and therefore her significance.

The male character is not typical for thriller themed films, he is a calm but secluded character.

The male lead is represented in an un-stereotypical manner for the thriller genre, instead of dominating the scene and ordering an investigation he is instead seen as a solitary character throughout, he is clearly troubled by the girl’s body but he remains calm and calculated. Due to this performance his motives are unidentifiable by the audience. In the second scene he is shown living by himself in a lonely setting, this is unlike the conventional protagonist in detective films who is usually portrayed with a family and as a outgoing cheerful character. The protagonist in our product is portrayed as calm and reflected, much like the protagonist in the opening of the film ‘Brick’.
The use of a young protagonist will also draw in a younger audience to the genre, as most crime-thriller protagonists are older males it is unconventional to have a teenager play the lead detective.
Both of the characters in the product are also White British, this is insignificant in the narrative and was just a case of the actors available for the piece.