Evaluation Question 2 - Vicky

2) How does your media product represent particular social groups?

The main representation we have in our opening sequence would be that of females, in particular the one portrayed by Sadie in the chase scene/titles. Our representation of her can be looked at in two ways, and I believe that we have both followed the sterotypes of women, but also challenged them in some respects.

The general stereotype of female in zombie films and horrors in general, is that they are weaker than the men, and are reliant on the opposite gender to save them in peril. In the chase scene it is the female that has been victimised. She runs in terror, fighting for her life as she is hunted down by 3 large, ravenous, male zombies. The obvious connotation here is that females are weaker, and this is shown by the fact that it is her that is being hunted, and not a male. She is dressed femininely, as is conventional, and the blood and scratches on her show that although she's been trying to escape, she is incapable of completely defending herself. This, again, adds to the general portrayal of incapabily of females in horror films. The final way in which we have portrayed her in this way is through use of camera angles. A good example of this is when we use a high angle as she leans against the door. In general, this angle is used to make the subject of the shot appear weaker, and more vulnerable, and this shot is no exception. This use of camera angle ties in with the fact that Sadie's character is being overpowered by the male zombies which, again, demonstrates the weakness of females against males.

The other way to look at the portrayal of her is that, in some respects, she is more powerful than the males. The fact that she is the survivor, whilst the males have been turned into brain dead zombies, suggests that she is better than them in some ways. Although it is shown that she can be overpowered physically by the males, it does suggest that perhaps her instinct and intelligence has helped her survive this far. This challenges the general stereotype shown in horror films, where females are largely shown as blubbering victims, constantly killed of due to their lack of common sense and inability to handle themselves. They all look to males to save them from a terrible fate, where as our character appears to have some self reliance. We have also shown this through the use of props, for example; the melee weapon. The fact that the cricket bat has blood splattered across it emphasises its use. This suggests that the girl has been using it to defend herself, and more than once. This shows the girl has courage and enough physical ability to do so. Again, this is atypical to the stereotype of a weak woman who has no sense of independence and ability. Despite this, I feel that overall she is displayed as more victimised.

Below I am going to compare Sadie's character to the main female role in 'Zombieland' – 'Wichita'.

Appearance

Sadie's appearance is much more feminine than Wichita's, which reflects their personality and role in the film. Sadie is shown to have weaknesses, as she is eventually overpowered by the zombies. She runs in fear and whimpers and when in danger. This is a contrast to Wichita who resumes the role of a strong, independent woman with a slight disdain for males. This is shown by her covered up, tom-boy outfit, and the fact she is almost always seen with a gun.

Age
Both characters are of a similar age, in their late teens, although Witicha may be slightly older. The age of these two characters probably has a lot to do with the target audience - both are targeted at 15-24 year olds and by using actors and characters similar to this age, the audience can easily relate to them. This makes the film more appealing.

Role

Wichita's main role in the film Zombieland is to act as a love interest for the main hero. This is very conventional, not only in horror films, but throughout most film and tv media products. This is a contrast to Sadie's role, where her main purpose is to act as a survior, although this role is relatively short lived. She is has her own identity and isn't restricted to the stereotypical role of love interest.


Representation
Although the two characters are similar is some aspects, the way they are represented overall is quite different. Sadie's characters is shown to be more weak and vulnerable, taking more of the stereotypical female persona, whilst Witicha acts strongly and independently, with a rebellious attitude - this, paired with the main male role being an introverted nerd, turns convention on its head.