How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Firstly, the social group my product is attempting to represent is the lower middle class. The main character

that my product is focusing on is a teenage female suffering from grief but she is 'tough' and strong willed. She is urban with a nature that closely resembles that

of a stereotypical 'chav'.

In order to create a social group representation, micro elements from the

categories of camera, sound, mise-en-scene and editing are to be considered

when attempting to create a macro effect.

Camera

• Extreme long shots in my product revealed the setting and how my character related to it. Although only a few of these shots were used, it revealed enough for the audience to grasp an idea of the type of area but also keep an aura of mystery running throughout the product.

• The long shots in my product enabled me to reveal the whole character and therefore reveal to the audience the characters class/status due to their costume/makeup, surroundings etc.

Camera

• The medium shots used allowed my product to reveal the characters costume as well as props e.g. The suitcase on the bed and her reaction to the prop. A medium-head shot was used for very brief dialogue that enabled the audience to witness not only her vocal tone when she spoke but see the attitude of her body language and facial expressions, linking her to a stereotypical teenager.

• The close up shots featured in my product were used to reveal character ages, costume/makeup and their responses to the events that occur.

Camera

• Lower angle shots are frequent in my product as I felt that they would make my character seem more dominant, matching her intimidating nature, like that of a "chav". Low angle shots also enabled me to reveal only certain aspects of the scene and keep the mystery flowing.

• An oblique camera angle was used at the very end of my product to suggest imbalance and instability within my character as she is suffering from grief.

Sound

DiegeticTo ensure that there is still a sense of realism in my product I have kept the diegetic sound in all scenes. During outdoor scenes, you are able to hear the cars whizzing by which emphasises that my social group is part of a busy but overall well behaved town (since there is no shouting/screaming children, honking car horns etc.)

Sound

Non-DiegeticTo enhance the mood and atmosphere of my product I composed some music to accompany the on-screen scenes. Firstly, there is the calm soothing music that represents her sad soul slowly adjusting to a temporary life of grieving. In the second part of my product the composition changes to an upbeat tempo, resembling a hip hop dance track to show the characters own choice of music genre as well as a change in the storyline.

Sound

DialogueThe extremely brief dialogue featured in my product reveals a substantial amount about the character: her tone as well as body language whilst speaking reveals not only her attitude but hidden distress, anger and sadness.

Mise-en-sceneSettings & propsImmediately my product solidifies that my character is new to the setting. She walks into an almost empty bedroom, where the clock radio is unplugged and there are empty draws in the furniture. This signifies that the room is not in use and that the character is it's new occupant since she is seen carrying a suitcase.There is also visible construction work; the unfinished construction indicates that the house owner is capable of expanding since it is a middle class settlement, but whether or not the owner is able to finish the construction is unknown. The windows are not in great condition which indicate that the room is prone to neglect, possibly reflecting the fate of the character who has recently occupied it.

Settings & PropsIn one scene (not included in the final product) I made sure that a mess could be seen in the background of the shot. On a table there was dirty dishes, mugs and some loosely hanging towels and clothes on the back of chairs. This was to imply that the characters could either be too busy to tidy up, [lower middle class] or they're slobs.The headphones used by the character imply that she wishes to escape from reality to someplace else as she's upset and grieving.The necklace is used to symbolize the characters grief as it appears to contain a sum of sentimental value since she takes great care of it. Also, the flowers are an important prop as they solidify that the character is dealing with loss.

Mise-en-scene

Settings & PropsThe setting in which my product is set is natural, where there is no graffiti, litter or vandalism, further encoding into the audience that the location for the product is higher than your typical working class area but still a lot less than a higher class one.A setting of great significance is the graveyard; this alone helps to enforce a macro effect on the audience that my character is of a social group that is suffering from grief

Mise-en-scene

Costume, Hair & Make-upThe costume of my character consists of jeans, trainers, fluffy socks, headphones and a hoody. These items of clothing are widely seen as urban and often worn by teenagers who tend to get into trouble. Though my character isn't a trouble maker, she is troubled herself.The hoody alone is seen as an item that belongs to a particular culture in the lower classes of society. Also, in a clip not used for the final product, I put together the costume of a busy workaholic; she was dressed mostly in black with a casual-smart shirt but suit-like trousers, clipped up hair and wore glasses.

Mise-en-scene

Mise-en-scene

Costume, Hair & Make-upThe hair of the main actor was bleached and straightened, almost dead looking - a typical teenage thing to do as it can been seen as a form of rebellion. It also looks unprofessional, cementing the idea that she may not be able to afford to go to the hairdressers.The makeup worn by the main character is thick and black. Black is a colour with many conventions but her it can be seen as a reflection of her emotions but also class.

Lighting & ColourThe lighting and colour throughout my product is naturalistic and very little was controlled due to the genre of this product. However, the lighting gradually becomes darker as the product proceeds as I filmed it before sunset. This highlights that my character is slowly falling into darkness herself due to her grieving state.

Mise-en-scene

Facial Expressions & Body LanguageBoth facial expressions and body language are clearly visible throughout the scene and clearly depict a young teenager. There is much attitude seen in the brief exchange of dialogue and in some shots, the way she looks at other people can be perceived as very judging.However, a clear indication that the character is possible suffering from a loss is when we see her smile at a mystery picture frame. For just a picture to give a person joy suggests that the person in the picture is very important.

Mise-en-scene

Positioning of characters/objects within the frameIn my product, I placed a poster on the wall which was immediately torn down. This suggest that the character (a teenager) is no longer interested in decorating a room with fan merchandise, or believes they are too old for it. The ending scene of my product is of great importance as the main character is positioned over a headstone; this alone confirms that the micro elements that implied grief were correct. Furthermore, the necklace placed on top of it indicates that there is more to it than just the death of somebody, this somebody was someone special.

Mise-en-scene

EditingIn my product, cutting was a regular technique used to change settings, compress time and change point of views. Parallel editing was used briefly to indicate that my social group was grieving as the shots that interrupted that main ones was of a graveyard. Both long and short takes were used as micro elements to represent a certain social group. Short takes were able to reveal micro elements in mise-en-scene as these cuts had generally closer camera shots. Long takes were not used as frequently but did help to reveal the setting and direction of the character.