Obsessed

Representation of Social Groups

Opening Sequence Social Groups

The social groups that appear within the opening sequence of Obsessed is mainly teenagers. We decided to use these characters for convenience as well as challenging stereotypes of the older generation being represented as stalkers within the media.

We decided to make the victim, Sarah, a girl in order to allow the audience to sympathise with her character and understand her vulnerability appose to a male actor. We also kept the stalker a male character in order to conform to conventions, whereby the antagonist is often represented as the more
powerful and dominant figure within thriller films.

Stereotypes of Teenagers
Within horror or thriller films, children or the elderly are often represented as being vulnerable, innocent and rely on others for help and care. Teenagers are often represented as being lazy, violent, and aggressive, and often causing harm to other characters. This is conventional and stereotypical within films such as Anuvahood and Kidulthood as teenagers are often represented with this manner. However, adults are portrayed as being clever, hard working and diligent. Within thriller films, the adults are often the characters who are either the antagonist or protagonist, leaving other age groups such as children or the elderly being perceived as weaker and innocent characters, therefore the victims within the films.

Gender Stereotypes
Stereotypically, men are portrayed as the antagonist within horror and thriller films with the victim often being an innocent and vulnerable woman. The main protagonist also tends to be a dominant male figure that tries to protect the victims. A classic example of a male antagonist and female victim is from Alfred Hitchcocks 1960s film Psycho. Within the first few scenes, a mystery murderer kills the well-known actress, Janet Leigh, shocking the audience. This has stereotypical features, however the removal as the actress so early on in the film could be seen as challenging the conventions. Women are stereotypically represented as weak, powerless and delicate, clearly showing the audience how they may be the vulnerable, and victim within the film.

Conventional Representation
Sarah: Victim This character had been portrayed in a conventional way as women are often perceived as the victims within many thriller/horror genre films. Being a young teenager also adds to vulnerability, perhaps suggesting she is unable to defend herself against the stalker, also allowing the audience to identify with the character. The clothing and appearance of this character is also conventional as she represents the typical teenage era, through the use of fashionable clothing styles. The actions used by this character are also conventional, such as the use of props, showing various images taken by the girl herself and other social media websites she uses such as Twitter and Facebook. Through the use of camera angles, such as POV shots, Tracking shots and close ups, the character is further depicted as vulnerable and innocent, adding to the nature of becoming a victim within the opening sequence.

Conventional Representation
Vincent: Stalker This character has been portrayed conventionally through the use of gender. Male characters are often the antagonist or protagonist within the films for thriller films, and so by using a male character the stereotypes for the sequence are established. The use of clothing could be seen as conventional through the representation of teenagers as hooded jumpers and popular shoe brands are worn, emphasising the younger, teenage based events that occur. The use of camera angles such as POV shots show how the representation for the stalker is again linked to the teenage generation. These shots suggest a camera of phone is being used to record footage, showing how the character is using new means of media to capture information about its victim, as well as social media websites.

Unconventional Representation
Sarah: Victim Though the representation of gender and age is generally presented within a conventional way, there are also some unconventional aspects of her character, such as the use of language. Teenagers are often represented as a generation who use colloquial language with the use of slang and taboo. Though there is little dialogue within the opening sequence, the victim presented as a young teenage girl, uses polite and grown up method of speech, stating sorry, I did not see you there. This challenges stereotypes as teenagers are often seen as rude and impolite.

Unconventional Representation
Vincent: Stalker The main unconventional aspect of this character is the use of age. Teenagers, though represented as anti-social, are often not portrayed as stalkers within the media. Generally, the older generation of men are presented as the stereotypical view of stalkers, however the use of a younger actor may shock the audience and give a different perspective on the issue. The unconventional aspect of using older methods to gather information may also seem different. Within teenage generations, the use of mobiles and social networking are the base for information gathering. However, this character gathers documents and photographs, going back to older representations of stalkers, adding to the mystery and sinister tone of the opening sequence.