QUESTION 2 How does your media product represent particular social groups?
By Toni Buchholtz
Our media product represents gender both stereotypically and non-stereotypically through a  female protagonist and a female antagonist.  As both our characters are female we challenge the common thinking that an antagonist has to be male. In sound this is created through the use of non-diegetic piano music to create suspense which would stereotypically be an indicator for a male antagonist. Added to that a voice over represents the diary of the murderer that has been recorded in German to trigger anonymity as diaries are commonly used by girls. By using the anti-stereotype we changed the roles and typical codes and conventions of a horror film. This may appeal even more to our target audience because it challenges gender perceptions which are already transforming in the adolescent population and society. Furthermore the constantly increasing volume and pace of the music support this.
ď‚Ą Mise-En-Scene mostly represents gender through costume. The innocent, female clothing of the victim shows her young age and indicates her vulnerability. The villain on the other hand is represented through black clothes, a hoodie and sunglasses, however it is clear that she is female through her womanly features. This is non-stereotypical for a psychological horror as the antagonists are usually either sexually suppressed males or revenge seeking children. On the other hand the knife that is used as the weapon is a stereotypical object for a woman as most women are said to be housewives that are working in the kitchen a lot.
ď‚Ą In the camera work and editing we used swift and calming camera movements in the first few establishing shots to make the audience feel comfortable and to create the feeling of a safe sub-urban surrounding which is an indicator for feminism. However, this is disrupted by shots of the last scenes of the film when the female victim is nearly dying. These shots are non-stereotypical as women are said to be the calmer and more rational gender, so the act of killing someone is very unconventional for a female. On the other hand the motives of revenge and jealousy are said to be a female characteristic as well, so you could say it would partly fit in with the codes and conventions of a horror film.
VILLAIN You can clearly see that she is the villain through the black clothes and the hoodie. In the movie she even wears sunglasses to support the effect of danger. Although she nearly covered her complete body, you can see her female features which supports the argument that our film is partly nonstereotypically.
VICTIM You can clearly see that she is the victim as she wears bright, innocent looking clothes. Furthermore the design of the jacket is very female, pointing out the waist. Added to that she wears female jewelry and make-up to support the stereotypical representation of gender.