How does your media product represent particular social groups? (Task 2)

In our title sequence, we focused on the representation of two social groups, men and women and how our shots present the male and female characters in the stereotypical roles of their gender. However at times, the girl is seen as subverting the stereotypes of a female (e.g. being clean). Throughout the sequence, the man is shown adhering to male stereotypes of being strong and powerful. We also analysed how age is represented and how being old or young affects the representation of a character within the clip.

Mise-en-scene:

The girl is wearing a white corset, the colour white connotes her purity and it represents her innocence this is an adhering female stereotype because it made the girl appear angelic and soft. Additionally, the white colour drains any warm tones in the shot, making her appear more dead.

When we are first introduced to the man we see him aggressively grab a pair of old, leather gloves and putting them on, the tattered and rugged appearance of the gloves juxtaposes the softness of the girl. The binary opposition between the light and white material on the girl and the dark, heavy material on the man emphasises their contrast and how both genders are represented to adhere to their stereotypes (the man rugged and the girl gentle). 

The man wore a dark long black coat and black clothes to connote a sense of mystery and danger and that he has a dark and evil side. He wore gloves it tells the audience that he wants to leave no trace. The man wore a fedora hat because at the end of the thriller there is a silhouette of him in front of a door, this made him appear as an  intimidating figure.

The role of make-up was extremely important because it not only heightened the eerie and psychologically disturbing factor of the opening sequence but also adhered to societies stereotypical view that females should wear make-up to be beautiful, it discusses the way in which women are controlled (made to look beautiful even in death)

The red of the lipstick being smeared on her lips connoted a sense of danger and blood however it added a subtle element of love, which confused the audience on the intentions of the psychopath whether it was motivated by love or anger/revenge.

 The use of the colour red is extremely striking and contrast the paleness in her skin

In the shot where she is having her nails cut, there is the first instance where we notice a subversion of the female stereotypes because her hands and nails are covered in mud not typical for a girl; we usually associate dirt with men and manual labour. This is not only visually displeasing but as well subverts the stereotype that girls are clean and well-kept; this does make the audience question of where she has been and if the girl is alright.

The nails are then painted a bright nude pink, the colour pink connotes the innocence of a child and a non-threatening nature this is adhering because it shows her as girlish and calming.

In the shots where the girl was present, the lighting was much brighter, for example, the shot with the nails above. The use of soft lighting diffuses shadows on her skin and also connotes a natural and silky quality. On the other hand, the man was lit by Ultra-low key lighting which accentuated the contours of his face, this heightened the sense of isolation felt by the viewer. We can see that the lighting used represented the actors  adhering to both stereotypes the female was presented as soft and natural whilst the man was dark and obscure. 

The girl is always facing the camera, this position creates intimacy and invites the audience to empathise with the character, she bonds with the viewer, this adheres to the stereotype that females are warm and nurturing. 

On the other hand, the man has his back to the camera, which suggests his alienation from the world, it also makes the viewer guess what the man is feeling inside which highlights the sense of mystery. He is mainly framed at the top of the frame which connotes his power and authority, this adheres to the male stereotype that men are strong and dominant; additionally, it adheres to the stereotype of older age, where elders are seen as having more authority and control over younger people.

The props used in association with the girl are the make-up brushes, lipstick, mascara and eyelash curler. All of these props are mainly used by women and connote femininity, youth and beauty these associations adhere to the stereotypes that are associated with women. In the shot of the nails being cut with sharp scissors, the viewer feels uncomfortable because, stereotypically, we do not associate a violent prop (scissors) against a woman’s skin, this makes the shot feel creepy, because the semiotics of the scissors suggest danger and that’s not an association we generally make with females in the media.

Camera:

The camera angle in the shots of the man all had a low angle, this made him appear as if he was towering above the viewer and connoted his controlling figure this is also adhering to the male stereotype that a man leads a woman and controls her. 

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Low angle this was the direction and how the camera was directed at the man

The girl had a mixture of close-ups and extreme close-ups these shots were used for dramatic effect and to contrast the medium shots of the man. The cuts to the close-ups, surprise the audience and heightens the intensity of the sequence, this is an unnatural shot that discomforts the audience and hints at the unsettling nature of the sequence. 

The shot of her brushing her teeth was intentionally framed, in order to appear as if she was brushing her own teeth. This shot gives enough detail from the skin and lips to connote that she is female this shows that the gender is obvious to the viewer. Additionally, the extremely close shots of the eyes, make the subject appear very vulnerable and susceptible to harm, which is an adhering stereotype because the female is being represented as weak and fragile. 

In the shot where the mud in the girls hair is being washed off, the camera has a high angle, looking down at her. This is a binary opposite to the low angle shots of the man where he is being represented at powerful, compared to the high angle on the girl where it connotes that she is subservient and lower than the man, which is an adhering female stereotype.

Editing:

The shot durations on the girl during the make-up scenes were longer. This connoted the adhering stereotype that women take and spend longer amounts of time to get ready to become more attractive. 

All the transitions were straight cuts, to sustain the tension and build the pace throughout. The shots with the man putting on the glove had very fast straight cut transitions this connoted that the man is precise, decisive and angry all of which are adhering stereotypes of the male gender.

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 Most of the shots were of long duration because it drew out the suspense and limited the information given to the audience.

The order and composition of the shots were carefully organised in order to limit information given to audience. For example, Mud in hair → nails cut → eyelashes curled → man putting on gloves. These shots were strung together to subliminally connote that the girl is in danger and is a victim which adheres to the stereotype that women are weak and powerless.

Sound:

The use of the non-diegetic sound of the record player connotes that the man is much older, this contrasts the young girl. Viewers usually associate older age with power therefore, we used sound to adhere to the stereotype that older people have more power and control in society.

There is the diegetic sound of hair being brushed, the sound is unsettling to hear. The sound of the brush passing through the hair is soft, this is then associated with the girl which represents her as gentle which is an adhering stereotype for women. However, the sound of the hair brushing is a subversive stereotype for the man because the soft brushing connotes that he is gentle and caring for her, which are stereotypes not associated with men.

In conclusion, the thriller opening sequence does mainly show adhering stereotypes of gender and age for both male and female characters. Although, there are a few moments where these stereotypes are subversive and we see male and female representations shift and oppose the stereotypes created by society. .