Evaluation Q. 2

How Does Your Product Represent Particular Social Groups?

As my film was set in an unfamiliar, post-apocalyptic environment involving no structured civilisation, it was relatively difficult to clearly represent particular social groups as there was no obvious presence of a society. This being said, particular social groups can be reflected through each individual character through many different aspects, including their mannerisms, costume or role within the narrative etc. The opening sequence presents this small band of people that each represent an aspect of a crime. For example, the murderer is presented as the oppressor whereas the female is presented as a victim and the protagonist is representative of those affected surrounding the victim and the crime. The film opening gives a voice to those associated with the victim and who are suffering grief; represented by the protagonist. 

Protagonist
The social group my protagonist represents is widowers or males (or people, to be more vague) grieving a loss. When people suffer losses, it often has other problems attributed to it. For example, it is likely for those in mourning to develop depression or a cynical mindset of the world. The reason I wanted to reflect this social group is so that there was a body of people that could relate to him and his situation (a very large body of people, as death is inevitable and almost everyone is likely to have experienced a loss at some point in their life) which will, firstly, make him a much more realistic character and, secondly, invoke emotion and empathy within the audience, therefore making my film opening far more memorable and moving. The protagonist's representation of a grieving man is reflected through several aspects of him:

Costume
Historically, in western culture, it is customary for an individual to dress in black or very dark attire when they are in mourning, this custom can be most notably seen at funerals when people are often expected to wear black garments to show respect for the deceased. When people are dressed in black in everyday life, especially in the past, it signifies to other people that they are grieving the death of a loved one and is, therefore, a universally recognised tradition. Although my protagonist's outfit is primarily a

conventional post-apocalyptic survivor outfit, the character is predominantly wearing black (black top and trousers). The use of black clothing subtly implies his portrayal of a grieving man as he is conforming to this tradition - though subconsciously - and using a visual prompt to suggest he has suffered a great loss. This is why I have effectively represented his social group (grieving man/widower).

When looking at his costume closely, it could be used to represent those who are going through hard times even further. For example, his green coat and stripy scarf envelope the darkness that he wears underneath. These more colourful elements to his outfit represent the light in the world around him, that he fails to see because of the darkness - or sadness - within him. It's only when the dog comes along that he does begin to see the lightness in the world. This represents the depression he feels because of his loss, as he's so miserable he can't possibly see any light in the world. It could also represent how his post-apocalyptic environment is the cause of his burden as the green reflects the natural, broken down environment that has caused his problems (the apocalypse).

Makeup 
I chose to put makeup on my character to make them look very beaten. This really stressed the idea that he is a man who has gone through hardships and emphasises the idea that he is, once again, a broken man. The idea of him being a broken man reflects on what has caused him to be 'broken' - his loss. This therefore effectively reflects his status of a grieving man.

Character Movement and Expression
The portrayal of the character is the element that really gives a voice to the social group that he represents. When the audience first meets him, he's seen slumped against a wall staring off tearfully into the distance. His body language makes him look very miserable and therefore accurately portrays the emotion a grieving person would be feeling. 

In the shot where the character falls to his knees, overwhelmed with emotion, I felt it accurately portrayed the image of a grieving man. This is because experiencing the death of a loved one is arguably one of the worst feelings somebody can get and it can often

This shot is reminiscent of somebody looking up at God. Turning to God - or
away from God - in times of mourning is common and this was a way to play
on this theme as it simulates the idea that he is looking to God for guidance,
or even questioning God as he's looking up to a higher power, thus reflecting on
the actions of his social group: grieving men. 

make someone overwrought with sadness. I channelled this concept my making my actor pretend to be suddenly very overwhelmed with emotion when the flashback occurs, suggesting that just thinking about his loss can have that effect. This is further reinforced when the character is crying as it is a true sign of sorrow, therefore mirroring the emotion felt by those grieving. 


The character then pulls out a gun, ready to end their life. I thought this was effective in really making the audience understand how large an impact losing someone can have over one's life. It really reflects the feeling those experiencing grief can feel as suicidal

thoughts is common of those affected deeply by the loss of someone as it can leave them feeling as though they have nothing left to live for. 

The last few shots involving the dog, I felt, subtly portrays the social group of grieving men because it shows to the audience that he needs support and help from another individual to help him accept his loss and begin to recover from his hardships. Those who are in mourning often just need support and help and this was my way of showing the audience this idea.

Setting 
The desolate, decayed and distressed buildings and landscapes reflect on the fact that the character is a broken man, grieving his hardships. This is because everything looks very

The brambly setting represents pain, which reflects the pain he feels
from his loss. Also, thorns are used to shelter a plant
from threat. This could be interpreted as a grieving person shutting
off the world as a method of them coping with their loss, which is
common within this social group. 

broken and distressed and, in itself, represents what the character is like on the inside, too, which is caused by the fact he is in grief. Furthermore, the isolated setting really stresses the idea that he is feeling alone. People experiencing grief can feel very alone in the world, particularly if it has caused them to become very depressed or they have nobody to support them. The lonely environment reflects this idea even further as it shows him as physically alone with no-one to seek support from and therefore I thought represents his social group quite well. The very natural and stripped down environment suggests to the audience that he is, firstly, in his most bare and vulnerable state because the emotion he has felt and the loss he has experienced has stripped him emotionally. This is represented by the setting. Furthermore, the natural setting suggests that death, and therefore grief, is a part of nature and that everyone will experience it. Therefore, the setting effectively represents his social group. 

Music 
Although the music's primary purpose was to heighten the emotion of the scene, the emotional nature of the music actually helps to reflect the emotions he is feeling on the inside to the audience, which are caused by the fact he is in mourning. In particular, the music intensifies in areas in which he's most sad, showing that it identically mirrors the emotions he's feeling by fluctuation. Therefore, the music helped to really represent his social group. 

Narration
Employing narration was one of the most effective ways to truly channel the character's social group accurately. This is because it was the best way to get across the character's thoughts and feelings which really let the audience understand the emotions he felt because he is a grieving man. For example, his tone of voice when he says 'There's no human left in any of us' sounds very cynical and defeated. This suggests his very defeated and cynical attitudes which show that experiencing a loss was enough to change his perspective on the world. This is common within those who are grieving, as they often develop a very cynical mindset. Furthermore, they can fail to see the light in the world, too. The idea that he believes there is 'no human' left in anybody on Earth really suggests just how little happiness he can see in the world and reinforces the idea that grieving people have very cynical mindsets on the world because they have experienced such a large hardship. The protagonist repetitively says 'have you ever felt...?' to the audience. This line is effective in representing his social group because firstly, he's trivialising issues the audience may have felt by almost patronising them in a way. This shows that he's feeling very sorry for himself which is often the case for those suffering a loss. Secondly, the repetition really makes the audience understand how he's feeling and shows how much experiencing a loss can take over an actual person's life. It also shows that he hasn't got much going for him because the repetition enforces the idea that this is all there is to his life. This reinforces the idea that grieving men cannot see any happiness in the world as all they can think about is their loss. His tone of voice and words accurately shows the emotion felt by a genuine grieving man. 

Camera Shots and Angles
I used close-ups to depict his expressions and therefore accurately capture the emotion felt by this particular social group. I used long shots to enmesh him in his background and create a sense of isolation and the feeling of being lost, which relates to the feelings people who are grieving get. I used a canted angle to simulate disruption and therefore show the destructive impact a death can have on someone's life.


Female
The female character in my opening represents a victim, as she's seen being murdered. She is represented effectively as a victim through her scared facial expressions. The way she is screaming at the camera conveys fear and desperation and therefore accurately channels the kind of emotions a victim would feel when being attacked or, in this case, are about to die.  Furthermore, the idea that this is all the audience sees her as reflects on the idea that victims are often just seen as merely victims in society. They're not represented, particularly in the media, as individuals but simply victims, this is all they are remembered for and this is all my audience sees the character as.



Murderer
The murderer seen killing the protagonist's partner is represented as an oppressing figure in society, or simply as what he is - a murderer/criminal. The fact that he is targeting a female, who are often percieved as defenseless in our society, emphasises the fact that he is bloodthirsty. His bloodthirsty nature is highlighted when he strokes the weapon against his victim's face in a taunting method. Although his bloodthirstiness is very extreme, it still portrays an exaggerated version of a criminal, as they're often ruthluss. Furthermore, the idea that all the audience sees him as is a murderer could be interpreted two ways. Firstly, often society deem, particularly smalltime criminals, nothing but criminals and do not give them a chance of redemption. This is channelled through the fact that all the audience sees of this character is killing another character and not of them doing anything else that could reflect their nature. Another interpretation is the idea that often criminals, particularly if they're white, are represented as an individual and highlighted for what they do other than their crime. For example, with the case of Brock Turner (seek here for more information) he was often referred to by the media as 'Champion Swimmer' etc. as opposed to 'rapist' or 'criminal'. The idea that my criminal character is only seen as being a criminal could be interpreted as suggesting that this is all that he should be seen as and that his better qualitities should not be highlighted. This is two representations of a criminal. 


Representation of Age, Gender and Class
In my opening sequence, class is not really represented because it's set in a world where there is no civilisation, thus meaning there is no order or hierarchy represented. Age isn't explicitely represented in contrasting ways because all the characters are of a similar age. However, they're seen doing very 'adult' things, eg. murder and attempting suicide. This shows the terrible actions performed by adults in contrast to children. In terms of presenting grief, anybody can experience grief within any class and at any age, so it shows a very human depiction of grief suggesting the lack of difference between each class. 

When representing gender, I showed two male characters in very contrasting ways. The protagonist is seen to defy what is often expected of males, as he's very emotional whereas men are often portrayed as tough and emotionless. This contrasts with the murderer, who is presented as very ruthless and violent. The fact that he is male and is a criminal conforms to a stereotype and therefore represents criminals in a very stereotyped way. This is the same with the female gender, females are often portrayed as victims, oppressed and weaker than males. By choosing to portray the victim as a female shows that both victims and females are presented in a stereotyped way, too. 



Plan