How Does Your Media Product Represent Particular Social Groups?

Within our psychological horror film opening, two characters are introduced: a mysterious woman (protagonist/first victim), and a

dark figure (antagonist).The intended role of the 'mysterious woman' in our

sequence is quickly established to our audience through close ups and strategic camerawork, designed

to show viewers the mournful emotions of the character, thereby providing an idea as to what her

fate may be by the end of the sequence. The character’s lack of ‘action’ within the sequence also connotes a feeling of resignation or acceptance that gives the audience the impression that something

harmful is about to happen to her and representing the typical stereotype of most female characters as

being vulnerable and weaker the male characters that could be introduced.

Her appearance is stereotypical for the ‘first victim’ within a horror film, as a vulnerable female character with a pale complexion, dark, long hair, and a pretty appearance, making her appear young and helpless;

allowing the audience to make assumptions as to her role in the sequence as it is a convention to have a female as a more

vulnerable and inevitable 'first victim' at the beginning of a horror film (examples of female protagonists and victims can be

observed in psychological horror films such as ‘Black Swan’, ‘Case 39’ and ‘Bug’).

The narration (voice over) also manufactures the audiences’ assumption

that the protagonist is the supposed antagonist’s first victim. The intended

narrator of the voice over is the ‘mysterious woman’ seen on screen, and an extreme close up of the letter in her hand makes the audience realise this. It also means that the

narrator’s discussion of their own death, is in fact the immediate death of the woman on screen, which tells the audience her fate as a victim.

The antagonist of the sequence is seen for only a brief few seconds at the end of the clip, with the

suspense of the soundtrack, narration and camerawork all leading up to their inevitable

appearance at the end of the sequence. It is the traditional convention of horror openings to reveal

the antagonist or ‘monster’ for only a brief few seconds, and sometimes only in part (usually at

the very end of the opening). This works to build enigma codes for the rest of the film and engages the audience as to the identity and nature of the

antagonist. The ‘dark figure’ (antagonist) of our production is shown wearing dark colours like black,

connotating the ‘bad guy’ in almost all genres, and informing the audience instantly of the characters role as antagonist. Similarly, the character’s face is looking away from the

camera, hiding the identity of the person or ‘thing’ and creating further enigma codes, stereotypical of a psychological horror, and building the mystery of the sequence.

The fact that our antagonist is shown to at least ‘appear’ human, is also a convention of a psychological

horror as, typically, the antagonists of psychological horrors are often people instead of monsters; though sometimes later reveal themselves to be something

‘more’.