Question Five: How did you attract/address your audience?

Question Seven: Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

Question Six: What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

"Anonymous Lead" | Thriller | Final Production | AS Media Studies (Shane...

Question Four: Who would be the audience for your media product?

Question Three: What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

Question two: How does your media product represent particular social groups?

‘Anonymous Lead’ does retain elements of equality, in a sense of how all characters (of different gender) have their identities concealed. Although they are not exposed to the audience initially, specific elements; symbols of identification, help differentiate which persona is being carried by the characters, ultimately creating a sense of inequality between genders. It is clearly demonstrated with the female character, Alison (played by Bea Newbery-Jesse). As discussed in Question one, the only female character in ‘Anonymous Lead’ is portrayed as the archetypical femme fatale. Though her face is not shown, the only indication of her status can be identified by her red shoes; the footwear is used to create an alternative presence to the character. As a femme fatale, Alison would lie within the stereotype of cryptic, seductive and dangerous – yet fairly objectified. The use of the red shoes introduces her not only as the archetypical figure but almost itemises her, archetypical in a sense that the red of the shoes symbolises the alluring but dark qualities of a femme fatale; itemising in a way that her value as person brims on the verge of non-existence. Due to the fact that all the characters’ identities are made obscure, it would make her particularly seem less of a person, but more of an object; as mentioned earlier, the shoes represent her presence. This undervalues her even more because she is symbolised as a pair of red shoes. Women (in both Film Noir era up to present) have been labelled as being objectified, but the use of the red shoes in the opening reinforces this label even more, meaning that Alison has perhaps been degraded to a level of what could be considered as nothing more than a possession – a possession belonging to Dean (played by Sebastien Wright). This archetype challenges general stereotypes of women in the way that they completely juxtapose the norm of how women were living in the oppressive, pessimistic, fear-ridden era of what was happening during the time of Film Noir, meaning that the female character contradicts the traditional perception of women in general.

            When casting actors, the initial idea was to cast people of maturity in age, to create realism and context when the film is presented. With this idea in mind, the decision was altered, resulting with the casting of younger people. Maturity is required to add practicality but casting young actors contradicts the whole concept of the purpose of maturity in its entirety. Using younger people as older profiles oppose norms, in a sense that generally, older people try to escape problems that would be more difficult for younger people to do themselves. This could make audiences think of what the current generation (of 16-18-year-olds) could become in the future. For instance, the character Dean is shown revealing a weapon – a weapon which looks like he cannot handle and perhaps use properly, as a young person. At the end, the last shot of him closing the suitcase hints to the audience that he possesses a dangerous personality with menacing thoughts; the low angle shot of the camera inside of the suitcase positions the audience in a way of being intimidated by this ominous but young figure. This flips the original properties and traits a young person possesses and positions them high on a scale of significance, making it seem that youths have more control as opposed to adults who should be the realistic authoritative figure.

            Overall, the film represents social groups through the characters as being more than what they are, in terms of their age, appearance, enigmatic demeanour and enclosed personalities, as well as their intentions; the contrast between the older profiles combined with the opposing younger persona implies that a dangerous combination of ‘youth-meets-wisdom’ is in the mix.