Q2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?

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   Our film opening reinforces several stereotypes which are commonly presented in the thriller genre. For example, our protagonist (Lila) is presented as weak and vulnerable which is common for female characters. This is primarily evident in our narrative; Lila is the victim of a kidnapping. The narrative convention of a woman being kidnapped by a man/men has been used in many thriller films, such as crime-thriller 'The Disappearance of Alice Creed' and action-thriller 'Taken'. The suggestion that she is vulnerable is emphasised through camerawork in shots such as figure 1 which is an extreme long shot, consequently presenting her as small and isolated. 'The Disappearance of Alice Creed' also used this technique, as demonstrated in figure 2. Parts of our film's mise en scene (as shown in figure 3) also reinforce hyper-feminine stereotypes because Lila's bedroom is quite girly, for example the wallpaper has a pink floral print. Additionally, the light blue colour of her jacket could be considered feminine and create connotations of fragility due to its pale tone. The portrayal of Lila as an innocent victim could also perpetuate the stereotype of youth as vulnerable.

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   Contrastingly, the older male character Mark (the antagonist) is presented as powerful. This is similarly seen through plot because he kidnaps Lila, overpowering her. This representation is also conveyed through elements of camerawork - for example, a slightly low angle shot (figure 4) presents him as intimidating. Furthermore, the composition of this shot reinforces his power because he is positioned on a third. This was also done to portray one of the kidnappers in 'The Disappearance of Alice Creed' (figure 5).