Question 2- How does your

media product represent

particular social groups?

BY ELLEN MILLER

My opening sequence may appeal to different social groups

depending on whether these people prefer scary films, as my
final production offers an element of fear and suspense because
it is an horror.

We chose to have a teenage female as the main character in our

opening sequence to relate to our target social group which are
teenagers and young adults of both genders. We also chose a
teenage female because her vulnerability is displayed
immediately at the beginning of the opening sequence as she is
alone and teenage girls are most common to be targeted.

Other social groups our production may represent or apply to

are horror fanatics and people who seek the thrill of being
scared. My production would represent this type of social group
as we have included an element of the unknown in order to
make the audience feel fear and anxiousness.

For example, when the main character comes across the

abandoned house, we added some suspense building music to
let the audience know that this scene had some significance and
that something was about to happen. We ended this suspense
when the door slammed shut behind the girl after she walked
into the house. Therefore making the audience jump and feel
more fear as they dont know what's going to happen to the girl,
or what/who is in the house with her.

Other horror films I have researched have also used this technique of using
a younger age representation to apply to their different social groups. This
is as it will therefore relate to the audience they are targeting and help
them to understand the film better. This a very common technique used
across horror films as it usually teenagers getting into trouble and being in
places they shouldnt be.

For example, in the film Scream directed by Wes Craven, the film focuses
on teenager Sidney Prescott as she comes under attack from a mysterious
character named Ghostface while dealing with the anniversary of her
mother's murder.

The use of a teenager immediately directs the audience to understand how

she is vulnerable and therefore most likely to be attacked. Moreover, the
fact that she is a girl emphasises how she may be more at risk and exposed
than if it was a boy due to gender stereotypes.