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

Protagonist

My protagonist’s name is Danny. He is 18 years old, which is the age most people start to go to university. He is an older teenager, but still very young. He is conventionally good-looking, which appeals to the female audience. I have not used stereotypes, as the stereotypical teenager is rebellious and doesn’t want to do well in life. This character however wants a career in the rock music industry, and does this by wanting to go to ‘Rockstone University’.

Protagonist

Although he wants to be a ‘rockstar’, I have again not used the stereotype. The stereotypical ‘rockstar’ is all about the sex, drugs and rock and roll, however I have not represented him in this way because he is a determined individual, shown by the fact he wants to go to ‘Rockstone University’. If I were to use the stereotype, I would show a ‘messed up’ individual who is so caught up in his lifestyle that he drinks and takes drugs. I didn’t choose to do this because I wants to create a character people could look up to, and showed this through his own personal journey in the narrative.

Protagonist – Mise-en-Scene

I used a lot of Mise-en-scene in my film opening to construct the representation of my protagonist. One use was the first close-up of the character playing guitar. This shows that he obviously pays the guitar, and as it is the first shot it suggests the whole narrative of the film is about him and his musical talents.

Protagonist – Mise-en-Scene

On his wall, I stuck lots of different posters of bands before I started filming. They show Metallica’s logo and also bands such as Airbourne, AC/DC and Guns n’ Roses. This shows the music he is into, and also his inspirations/role models that he looks up to, telling the audience what sort of person he is.

Protagonist – Mise-en-Scene

This is a screen grab from my film opening showing the character writing down the title sequence. Behind the paper he is writing on is the letter from ‘Rockstone University’ which tells the audience that this character wants to go to University. Also, you can slightly see his name ‘Danny’ from the letter.

Protagonist – Voice-over

The voice-over that starts when the film starts, also tells the audience about the character. The man’s voice at the beginning says: “Dear Danny”. This tells the audience that the protagonist’s name is Danny. When Danny starts talking, he says: “Since my father died, music has been my only escape...” This line tells the audience that the character’s father dying has had a big impact on his life, and that music saved him. He then says: “My passion started when I was 9, and by the time I was 12 I reached grade 8 and could play ‘through the fire and flames’ note, for note…” This shows that he is good at what he does, and that this talent could be the narrative of the whole film. He then says: “Now…my dream is to be the musician my father would have been proud of…” This line shows how determined he is to succeed in the music industry.