Representations in psychological thrillers

Representations in psychological thrillers

There are many different types of groups that can be represented in psychological thrillers, and due to film industry, stereotypes are developed through these representations. Different groups, such as gender, ethnic groups, ages, social class et , can be all represented in different ways and can be based on historical context, societies or common opinions.

Ethnic Groups

•   One group that are often represented In psychological thrillers are ethnic groups. This varies with Afro-Cariribeans, Asians and white Americans. Asians typically represented as hard working, intelligent, and determined in psychological thrillers and conventionally play the role of the donor in terms of character types according to Vladamir Propps character theory. They are represented in this way by the use of camera shots such as a tight frame.  The tight frame helps the audience focus on them and makes them seem more influential and important, and to highlight their intelligence.  Mis-en-scene is also used to help represent them as intelligent. They are commonly in the colour blue as this connotes someone as wise and knowledgable.

•   Afro-Carribean (black) is a common ethnicity that is represented, however are conventionally represented in a negative way. This ethnic group is commonly represented as thugs, criminals, and violent. Props such as guns, knives, and other damaging weapons represent them as the antagonists of films and makes the audience fear the Afro-Carribean ethnicity and conventionally turns them again them. This links to Alvarado's Four racial themes which states that ethnicity minorities are represented/seen as exotic, humorous, dangerous or pitied.

Gender

•   Gender representation is a key part of setting up context in the storyline. The representations of men and women normally help determine who is the antagonist and who is the protagonists. Woman in psychological thrillers are conventionally represented as innocent, pure and feminine, which connotes that she is the protagonist. They are represented through the colours of costumes, which are conventionally colours such as red, to signify love and romance, and white, to signify purity and virginity. Women are also commonly represented as inferior to men, and that the societies presented in psychological thrillers are patriarchal. This is often because of the times in which the films are set in, and in common films, male superiority is a dominant ideology.

According to Laura Mulvey's Flemish theory, she believe that woman in media products are represented as objects and judge on their sexual appearance. This is often the case and their costumes represent and justify this theory.

•   Although this representation of women is conventional, there are some films and institution that challenge this typical representation. One movie that challenges the stereotype of a being the protagonist is Gone Girl, where the woman in the end is represented as the antagonist.  

•   Men are conventionally represented as more intelligent, dominant over woman, aggressive and overall shown to be the antagonist. The use of camera angles contribute to presenting me as more dominant, and a low angle is used on men conventionally. This is to give the audience an impression that the men are standing over them and that they're standing over everybody in the world. A good example of this would be there male character of Stanley in A Street Car Named Desire.

Age

•   Young children in psychological thrillers are often represented as vulnerable, weak and victims. They are always being protected by the older generation and are represented as characters that can't look after theirselves. Children are often looked down upon in psychological thriller societies, and this is done by using high camera angles when showing them.  By doing this, it gives the audience the impression that they are looking over them. It also makes them look a lot more smaller than they actually are. When representing children, high pitched, slow non-diegetic music is played to signify to the audience that they are innocent and harmless. This makes the audience in some ways feel sorry for them. However this conventional representation is challenge in some movies, such as The Shining. Children are often put in soft colours, such as yellow, light blue etc, to connote peace and that they won't cause any harm or significant damage.

•   The elderly are often represent in a familiar way. However they have a more negative representation, and are represented as unhealthy, rude, grumpy. Their poor health is normally presented by the use of soft focus camera shots to make it looked blurred. This doesn't give the audience a clear view of them, and in some ways connotes how the elder people see the world. They are represented as rude and grumpy by the use of harsh colours, such as dark green and brown. This has an affect on the audience because these harsh colours are thought to be "ugly" and not very friendly, which is how they are trying to represent the elder generation. Just like children, elderly people have high angles used on them to connote that society looks down on them. A common ideology is that elderly "have had their time" and they are often disrespected.