SOCIAL GROUPS IN OUR

PRODUCTIONBY ZOE FISHER

AGE+GENDER • KELSEY: GIRL, AGED 17, WHITE BRITISH

• WHY WE CHOOSE HER:

WE CHOOSE KELSEY BECAUSE HER APPEARANCE MATCHED THE VIEW WE WANTED WHICH WAS THE MEDIUM HAIR, HER DARK EYES BECAUSE IT LINKS BACK TO THE GENRE OF OUR OPENING SEQUENCE. SHE WAS THE MOST COMFORTABLE ABOUT BEING USED IN THE FILMING AND THIS WAS HER MAIN STRENGTH AND DIDN’T MIND TAKING ON THE ROLE OF THE CHARACTER AND HAVING HERSELF TIED UP.

• MR ATKINS: MALE, MIDDLE AGED, WHITE BRITISH

• WHY WE CHOOSE HIM:

WE CHOOSE MR ATKINS BECAUSE HE PORTRAYED 2 CHARACTERISTICS THAT WE WANTED THE AUDIENCE TO SEE. ONE WHICH WAS A NORMAL GUY WHO YOU WOULDN’T EXPECT TO DO WHAT HE DOES, AND ANOTHER SIDE TO HIM THAT MAKES YOU THINK THAT HE HAS IT IN HIM TO HURT. WE CHOOSE HIM BECAUSE HE HAD TO RIGHT BUILD AND APPEARANCE THAT WE WAS LOOKING FOR AND WAS ABLE TO MAKE THE ACTIONS THAT HE DID VIGOROUS AND POWERFUL. MR ATKINS IS PRESENTED AND SHOWN AS THE ANTAGONISTIC.

GENDER REPRESENTATION • ONE OF OUR MAIN CHARACTER IS A GIRL. WE DID THIS BECAUSE IT PORTRAYS HER AS BEING VUNERABLE.

WE ONLY SEE HER BEING TREATED BADLY, WE DIDN’T WANT THE AUDIENCE TO GET AN INSIGHT INTO HER ‘REAL LIFE’ BEFORE THE KIDNAPPING BECAUSE IT MAKES THE AUDIENCE QUESTION WHY SHE IS IN THIS SITUATION AND WHAT HER CHARACTERISTICS ARE LIKE. WHEN FILMING WE USED LOTS OF HIGH ANGLE SHOTS WHEN SHOWING THE GIRL/KELSEY AS THIS MAKES HER SEEM HELPLESS AND IT MAKES THE MAN MORE PROMINENT AND IN POWER. HAVING HER TIRED UP AND LIMITED TO MOVEMENT ALSO MAKES HER LOOK VENERABLE AND THIS MAKES THE AUDIENCE HAVE A CONNECTION WITH THE CHARACTER AND FEEL SORRY FOR HER.

• AUDIENCE FEED BACK: A CLASS MEMEMBER GAVE US SOME FEEDBACK ON THE PEOPLE WE CHOOSE TO USE IN OUR OPENING SEQUENCE. THE OUTCOME WAS POSITIVE! THEY LIKED THAT WE HAD USED AN OLDER MAN AND THE FACT THAT THEY NEVER SAW HIS FACE. THEY SAID THAT THIS GAVE MYSTERY AND MADE THEM FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE. ANOTHER ASPECT OF THE OPENING SEQUENCE THAT WE HAD GOOD FEEDBACK FOR WAS THE SCENE WHERE THE AUDIENCE NEED TO THINK AND MAKE A LINK BETWEEN THE BREAD BUNS BEING SPLIT AND THE GIRLS LEGS BEING SPREAD APART. THIS IS A SEXUAL REFERENCE THAT PRESENTS THE MAN AS BEING CONTROLLING AND MAKES THE AUDIENCE QUESTION RAPE.

GENDER REPRESENTATION • MR ATKINS: KIDNAPPER (TOP RIGHT PICTURE)

• ANOTHER MAIN CHARACTER IS A MALE. HE IS OLDER THAN THE GIRL AND IS SEEN AS CONTROLLING AND DANGEROUS. COMPARED TO THE GIRL WE ACTUALLY GET TO SEE A LITTLE PART THAT IS SEEN AS ‘NORMAL’ AND AN EVERYDAY THING. THIS IS THE ESTABLISHING SCENE WHERE HE IS MAKING A SANDWICH. THE AUDIENCE WILL SHORTLY REALISE THE REASON THIS WAS USED WAS BECAUSE WE MADE A NORMAL DAILEY OCCURRENCE NOT ONLY SEEM SEDUCING BUT IT MAKES THE AUDIENCE KEEP WATCHING AS THEY DON’T FULLY UNDERSTANDING WHAT IS HAPPENING. THIS WAS ONE OF OUR AIMS/GOALS.

• WHEN THE GIRL IS BEING TIRED UP THE AUDIENCE GET A VISUAL LOOK AT THE MANS PHYSICAL IDENTITY THIS INCLUDES THE SLEEVE AND THE GLOVES THAT HE WEARS. THESE WHERE REALLY IMPORTANT TO USE BECAUSE IT SETS THE ACTORS CHARACTERISTICS AND MAKES HIM STAND OUT AND SEEM DOMINANT. THE IMAGE ON THE RIGHT SHOWS HIM WEARING THE GLOVES AND TATTOO SLEEVE. THIS SCENE SHOWS REPRESENTS MALES AS BEING CHAVY AND ALSO AGGRESSIVE.

CULTURAL SIGNIFIERS • HAIR AND MAKEUP:

WE USED MAKEUP ON KELSEY TO MAKE HER LOOK LIKE SHE HAD BEEN PULLED AROUND AND ALSO SO THERE WASN’T ANY BRIGHT COLOURS SHOWN AS THIS WOULDN’T HAVE FITTED OUR GENRE. WE MADE HER HAIR MESSY AND PUT IT UP SO THAT THE AUDIENCE COULD CLEARLY SEE HER FACE. IN ONE SCENE WE GOT THE KIDNAPPER TO SLOWLY MOVE HER HAIR FROM HER FACE THIS JUXTAPOSED WHAT WAS HAPPENING BECAUSE IT MADE HIM SEEM CARING WHEN THE SCENE’S SETTING WAS DANGEROUS. THIS WAS EFFECTIVE BECAUSE IT GRABBED THE AUDIENCE MADE THEM QUESTION THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE 2 CHARACTERS.

• COSTUME

WE USED A FAKE TATTOO SLEEVE TO PUT ON OUR TEACHER: THE MALE CHARACTER/THE KIDNAPPER. WE DID THIS SO THAT THE AUDIENCE COULD USE HIS IMAGE TO MAKE UP AN OPINION ON HIM. WE ALSO HAD HIM PUT ON HIS TIE. THIS GAVE THE SENSE OF REALISM AND A NORMATIVE THING TO DO. THE JUXTAPOSED THE SCENE AND MADE THE AUDIENCE ASK QUESTIONS.