Evaluation - Question 2

In our media production we represented the typical college student teenager. This representation is constructed by the stills in our opening which include the stereotypical objects associated with a college student/teenager. At the very beginning of our opening, it is the end of a party and the stills highlight these objects. These include empty alcohol bottles, condoms and a pair of pants. These are all connotations of the stereotypical, college student teenager. 

In our production we represented the average college student, stereotypical teenager, we represented this with the still we used that I mentioned earlier in the texts which are all connotations of the characters stereotype. We chose not to challenge these conventions so that it is familiar territory to the viewer so they can concentrate on what is happening rather than trying to figure out the plot of the film, at this early stage.

There are certain situations where characters have been placed to represent their stereotype. For example, the teenage girl, coming out of a house where a party has been in progress and the teenage boy is also outside after the party. This is what most people associate teenagers doing, more specifically, college and 6^th form students around that age group. The ways the characters act are also connotations of this stereotype. The boy appears drunk and trying to attract the female, which most people associate males of this age group doing. The girl is quite defensive, seems a bit “bolshy” which most viewers would recognise as a characteristic of teenage females. The characters are represented as being typical white and middle class, the average every day person. This is shown by the normal size house in an average sub-urban location and the characters dressed in smart/casual clothing. This was all done for the same reason as before, it’s so it is familiar to the viewer.

The technical choices we made in some cases show the emotions and emphasise what the characters thoughts are. An example of this is the close up on the male character after he has been rejected by the female. It’s very low key lighting and casts a silhouette over the characters face, this is made more obvious by the low angle shot. By using the low angle shot it shows the male to be more powerful, this is a stereotype of the male gender. This shows he’s suspicious and seems quite disturbed and his facial expression shows his thoughts and anger. When the female comes on screen and is walking away the, eerie music starts to play, which shows that she could be in danger, and because of her stereotype of being vulnerable the music emphasises the fact that she could be in danger.