How does your media product represent particular social

groups?

What is a social group? Which social groups did we choose?

Definition - A social group is a collection of people who interact with each other and share similar characteristics with a sense of unity.

Social groups pervade society, they define roles and provide people with a sense of belonging. Some social groups are easily recognised and clearly defined, whereas others are more subtle and difficult to recognise. Some social groups can be willing whilst others are involuntarily.

In our film opening we decided to represent two main social groups with allusions to other social groups which would potentially be represented in the full length film. We chose to focus on representation of the higher and lower classes and distinguish the division between them. We used factors such as location, costume and narrative in order to establish the social group of our characters.

Higher Class Representation: Mise en Scene

Elizabeth, our leading female character, is dressed in a sophisticated and expensive appearing costume which successfully distinguishes her from William, the lower class gardener. We researched the fashion of the early 19th century and dressed her in an outfit that the higher ranking women of the era would have worn, subsequently giving her the appearance of a woman with a high social status. The style of the dress, long and respectable, along with her delicate jewellery connotes a sense of elegancy and immediately influences the audiences opinion of her as higher ranking women are surrounded by the stereotype of intelligence, authority and most importantly prejudice.However, as demonstrated in our opening sequence, Elizabeth is most definitely not prejudice as she is in love with a man from a lower class. Whilst we do not see much of Elizabeth’s behaviour her innocent and bashful glances towards William do not imply authority but rather a sense of innocence. However, the sophisticated language used in her letter does support the stereotype of intelligence.

Lower Class Representation: Mise en Scene

William, our leading male character, is dressed in a work attire, he wears dark brown trousers with a simple cotton ill-fitted top. Along with this we initially paired him with a brown cap but decided against this as we believed it did not successfully represent his social group. William works with a small hand trowel throughout the opening sequence which not only establishes his role within the household as a gardener, but the extremity of his position as he uses a tool that is small and time consuming rather than a larger one that could potentially get the job done quicker. Coming from a lower class than Elizabeth, William is represented through his costume and job but another large role in his representation is his silence. William does not speak throughout the entirety of the sequence which supports the stereotypes of lower classes both being uneducated and prohibited from speaking. This is not a negative portrayal of the lower class but rather emphasises the negativity of the higher class’ influence on those in the lower class. In the full length film however, this representation would be challenged as William stands up against the class restrictions to declare his love for Elizabeth.

Lower Class Representation: Setting

By screening William, our lower class male lead, on the ground of the Georgian manor gardens, the audience are immediately aware of his position in comparison to Elizabeth. Whereas we first see her walking down a path with the manor house behind her, William is down on his knees working whilst she strolls around. By positioning William on the ground we have represented the division in rankings visually through the difference in height and even in regards to movement. When Elizabeth walks her movements are graceful, whilst William’s are mostly cautious and heavy footed which visually represents the difference between the two characters. Consequently, the audience build up a negative idea of the higher class whom restrict the lower class, in this case William. However, as Elizabeth is not portrayed in a negative light the audience do not blame her but rather sympathise with both characters.

Higher Class Representation: Marriage

Most period dramas, such as Pride & Prejudice, reinforce the stereotype that women only desire husbands with money as this entails a comfortable, and therefore happy, future. They also show the men controlling the women and holding authority over women therefore reinforcing the stereotype that men are superior.Whilst our plot adheres to this stereotype due to the father’s pressure on Elizabeth to marry a suitable gentlemen, the resolution challenges the stereotype as Elizabeth decides to marry for love rather than social ranking. In regards to this we have portrayed a positive representation of the higher class as we have shown that love is more important than love and even those of higher positons would prefer love over money or status.

Higher Class Representation: Location

By filming at our chosen location, Down Hall, a Georgian Manor house, we immediately established a sense of class and status within our film. The extensive size of the building connotes both wealth and heritage as it would likely be an inherited home passed down through generations; only someone with a high social ranking would be able to live in such a home as this. By instantly using an establishing shot to show the manor house in the first shot of our film opening the movement of the camera, panning right, creates a sense of multitude and impressiveness. This is successful in representing our female character’s background as she is from a reputable family with both a great deal of wealth and land.