Evaluation Activity 1 - How characters are introduced

All of our characters were introduced in different ways. By having them introduced in different ways it really tells you what type of person their character is and what role they will have in the film.

Harriet's character, the victim, was first seen in a classroom. She was introduced as a hard working student, who is quiet and does not want any trouble. Harriet's character is given prevalence throughout the whole film. We know this because she is the character that the camera focuses on the most and who the story line is based on. This is an unconventional character as the victims in horror movies are usually very ditsy, unintelligent and clueless. However Harriet subverts to all of these conventions.

We chose to have an unconventional character killed off in our opening.  In Jaws the first characters to be killed are a teenage couple who split off from the group to swim naked in the sea - the risk-takers are the first ones to die and the more conservative characters who are sensible tend to be the only survivors, with the genre reinforcing conservative values to the audience.  In Scream the first character to be killed off is the typical dumb blonde. We know that this character is unintelligent and clueless by the way she is represented. She flirts with the killer on the phone, not having a clue that she is going to be killed by this person and doesn't realise the danger she is in as she is naive. We thought by having an unconventional character killed off it would shake things up a bit and stand out from all the other horror movies which are all the same with the conventions.  Harriet's character is conscientious, hardworking and conservatively dressed - to kill her off early on in the film suggests to the audience that no one is safe and would make the film more challenging, original and tense. 

Sammie's character, the antagonist, was first seen in the classroom as well as Harriet but you only saw Sammie's hand.  When you first saw a part of Sammie you instantly knew she was the antagonist in the film. This was because she was in all black which connotes darkness and mystery. Throughout the film you only see snippets of Sammie Jo's character as we thought this would build suspense. Sammie conforms to the typical conventions of a antagonist as she is creepy and you do not see her face for a while, her identity is hidden to create more tension.

Alex's character, the best friend, was first seen socialising with some other students. Alex was introduced as very calm and always up for a laugh but at the same time really cares about his friends. You do not see much of Alex in the film but its enough. When you do see Alex he is always asking about Harriet's character, this shows he is worried about her and this really shows off his caring side. Alex is also dressed in casual clothes as he is representing a student. Alex's character conforms to the conventions of a typical best friend. This is because he is very laid back and is up for joking around and getting o with everyone, however he still has that caring side that best friends have.