How does your media represent particular social groups?

Mr Briar

• Mr Briar is part of the working class. He works for James Atherton in a large corporation of textile factories. We tried to present him as scruffy and rude. He also has a cockney accent which plays off many stereotypes of the British Working class.

• Mr Briar a possibly psychotic as he kills his boss and possibly has killed many other people. This isn’t a stereotype of the working class but his brutality and no remorse could be trait associated with the lower classes.

• He wears a scruffy shirt and work trousers with dirty shoes. His hair is greasy and he is un-clean. This connotes the stereotype that the working class have poor living conditions and dress in poor clothes and are un-washed.

Mr Briar and other Characters

Norman Bates – “Psycho” (Hitchcock)

Jack Forrester – “Jagged Edge”(Marquand(

Briar shares similarities with both Norman Bates from “Psycho” and Jack Forrester from “Jagged Edge”. Bates is a psychopath who murders with split personalities. Briar is a struggling with his conscience and develops different personalities after the murder of his boss and soon becomes mentally unstable.Jack Forrester is accused of killing his wife and struggles to get his name cleared.Briar is accused of killing his neighbour and too struggles to clear his name on his road to becoming a un-remorseful killer.

Mr Briar – “The Unknown” (Peters)

Detective Nelson• The Detective is part of the middle class. He isn’t shown in

the opening but we doo hear his voice. He is powerful, pressurising and forceful in his interrogation approach

• I wrote him to be determined and intelligent but also insecure and paranoid as his investigation progresses.

• He becomes more aggressive throughout the investigation and shows his power, especially when he pulls out the gun.

• This portrays the middle class as being more powerful than the lower classes.

• We don’t see his costume clearly but he is wearing a tailored suit with a long coat, shin leather shoes and a fedora. This connotes his wealth and prosperity and contrasts with the attire of Briar.

Nelson and other Characters

Mark McPherson – “Laura” (Preminger)

McPherson is a classic film noir detective. In the film Laura he is investigating the murder of a woman called Laura. However as he gets more and more into the investigation he starts to become obsessed with the woman.Detective Nelson in a similar way is also investigating the murder of a woman, Emily Stuart. However he soon becomes paranoid with all the suspects and is obsessed with catching the culprit and comes emotionally and mentally unstable similarly to McPherson.

Detective Nelson - “The Unknown” (Peters)

James Atherton

• Atherton is a business man and is a part of the upper-middle class as he owns multiple factories and offices.

• However in the film we see him looking very messy, his shirt is un-tucked, he isn’t wearing a jacket ect.

• He is wearing a fedora and is carrying a brief case and this is enough to know that he is higher up than Briar.

• However he is presented as cowardly and weak as Briar is clearly dominating as he chases him though the woods with a gun and finally kills him subverting the idea that the upper class is more powerful than the working class

Atherton and other characters

Gordon Gekko – “Wall Street” (Stone)

Although we don’t learn about Atherton that much we can pull similarities from other businessmen such as Gordon Gekko from “Wall Street”. Gekko is a ruthless capitalist banker, similar to Atherton who is a capitalist businessman who cares little for his employees. They both share a similar wardrobe wearing suit. Originally James was going to wear suspenders like Gekko’s but this was removed.

James Atherton – “The Unknown” (Peters)