1. Q2: How does your media product represent particular social groups?

2. Protagonist
Our protagonist, Detective John Parks, is a married 28 year old white British male who is a sophisticated, working class detective. His character is typical of the thriller genre as he is a typical detective. His character represents a typical hard working man and also a young married man. In terms of mise-en-scene he wears a long black coat and jeans. His costume is typical of the genre as detectives typically wear long coats, and the jeans suggest that he is quite casual or young which reflects his personality. In the OTS he also wears a pair of latex gloves whilst at the crime scene. This shows that he is professional and takes his job seriously. Our character can be
easily compared to Brad Pitt’s Detective David Mills in Se7en. They are both young
detectives who are good at their job and take it seriously. They also have a similarly
casual dress sense and a wife who is unexpectedly important to the plot of the film.

3. Antagonist
Our antagonist, Arthur Woods, is a 29 year old white British male who is a middle class
criminal mastermind. This is typical of the thriller genre as the antagonists are often
criminal masterminds and are usually very clever and manipulative, such as Kevin
Spacey’s character in Se7en. He is representative of a genius who is manipulative and
stops at nothing to get what he wants or what he feels to be justice. He is a
psychopathic individual which is result of a traumatic childhood. In terms of
mise-en-scene he wears a camouflage coat and black gloves. This suggests that he is
someone who doesn’t mind getting his hands dirty and is also a solitary man which is
similar to the Joker in the Dark Knight. He also wears a scarf
around his face to shield his identity. This gives the impression
that he is someone who could be quite recognisable. His weapon
of choice is a hammer which gives the impression that he is
someone who enjoys killing as a hammer would require more
work and produce more mess.

4. The Victim
Our victim is a white british female in her early twenties. This is typical of the genre as the victim is usually a young female such as Gwyneth Paltrow’s character in the film Se7en. She is representative of the stereotype of a young, vulnerable or ‘helpless’ female. In terms of mise-en-scene she wears normal clothing which makes her just an ordinary female that wouldn’t stand out in a crowd. This is typical of the thriller genre as the characters in a thriller (apart from the antagonist/ bad guys) are normally ordinary members of society. In the OTS she uses her phone which implies that she is young as an older person may not use their phone as much or check it.