How does your media product represent particular

social groups?

THE EVIL MASKED VILLIAN

My character in ‘the Gamble’ is a loner, who finds pleasure in torturing

people and seeing them suffer. He is very dark and mysterious and his

identity is always kept hidden, as the villain of a typical thriller film is

usually kept concealed till the very end of the film. This is similar to

the character John Doe of ‘Seven’, as he creates a completely blank

identity for himself making him completely anonymous till the end of

the film, where he actually gives himself up the detectives, as they

were unsuccessful in their attempt to find him.

MY villain is going to be a person who has socially alienating himself

from society and become slightly mad due to this. He was deprived

from an education and family lifestyle, which made he become

obsessed with magic and doing card tricks, which makes him

abnormal, as he is always eager to create magic. This is similar to the

character of John Doe, as he is obsessed with photography and

religion. Both characters are other obsessed with their hobbies, which

makes them seem abnormal and sadistic, as they choose to use their

hobbies in a psychotic manner, where people will die or become victim

to it.

The villain from, ‘The Gamble’ and John Doe from ‘Seven’ are both

male villains and very low in social class. The fact that they are both

male is important, as it is known that males are more dominant,

powerful and strong compared to females. This is seen in many horror

thrillers, such as ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’, where the killer was

a deluded man and the majority of the victims were helpless women.

It is of a rarity that the females play the villain, as they lack the

physique and dominance of a male. In a majority of thriller films, a

female is used as a hostage, as it is more likely that they won’t be able

to escape. It also creates more sympathy upon the viewer, as they are

more likely to feel some affection for helpless weak women than a

male. We used this in our thriller opening, as the villain shows a card

of a young girl, which immediately makes the audience feel for the

victim and the little girl and have empathy for her safety and

whereabouts. The social class is also very important, as it gives the

audience an idea what sought of person the villain is and why he is

acting in such an abrupt, evil manner. It is clear in our thriller that the

villain is of lower class and that the victim is a rich and successful

business man, from the way they are dressed, as there is a huge

contrast (villain is wearing a rough black shirt and white mask,

whereas the victim is wearing a suit). This is important, as it may show

that the villain is acting on jealousy and eager to take hostage those

who have more money and success in their life than he does.