Evaluation task 2 - How does your product represent particular social groups

My Thriller opening sequence features only two characters, who are very similar to each other. Initially they are both represented very similarly; as normal teenagers. When they begin to argue, one boy is shown to be dominant, showing lots of anger then unexpectedly the other boy turns violent, creating a very alternative representation to the initial one.

Initial representation - Middle Class Teenagers

At the beginning of the opening sequence the two teenagers are represented to be ‘the average teenager’. There is no indication that these teens are involved with crime, drink or drugs. But it is also made clear through the arguing that these two boys are far from perfect.

We first meet the two characters together as they are walking through a forrest. The dress code conveys to the audience that these boys are middle class and ‘normal’, wearing nice jumpers and jeans. It should be evident that from the way they behave what they are wearing and their situation that they have not been exposed to much violence in the past, they have grown up with a stable bakground and appear to be typical middle class teenagers, perhaps even nicer than the common representation of teenagers. By presenting these boys as ‘normal’ The impact of the later events are heightened and made more surprising. Subverting their initial character type of well behaved, nice boys.

Later Representation - Troubled Teenager

After the murder it is obvious to the audience that this is not your average teenager. There is clearly a lot more to him than we initially thought. Even though he was in a way defending himself. It is clear that a normal teenager would not do something of this nature. The audience should begin to speculate on what is wrong with this teen. They may suggest he has anger issues, he has lots of family troubles, he was bullied, or even the possibility that he is a psychopath.

This representation of teenagers is negative, however it does not resemble all teens in Britain, it represents an extremely small group of teens; those with personal issues, led to commit such an act. Despite this, the film also makes a statement about all teenagers. Even an average normal looking boy is capable of murder. The fact that this boy looks normal doesn't mean that, beneath the surface, he is going through something that is effecting his mental state.