Representation of Age (social groups)

In our opening, the killer is around 28 years old because he is a doctor and this requires years of training. The victim is 19 years old, we wanted her to be a teenager to make her seem weaker, but also to shock the audience that she is a prostitute who is early into pregnancy.

Our group wanted there to be a distinction between their ages to emphasize his power and intelligence juxtaposing her desperation and vulnerability. A stereotypical convention of any killer/victim films is for the killer to be older than the victim to purposely connote experience and wisdom. This makes the killer seem more intelligent and tactful so the audience believe the killer will get the victim. For example, Jigsaw from the Saw films is significantly older than the victims (who are usually teenagers to 30 year olds).

Other films which conform the convention of the killer being older than the victim(s) include The Collection (2012) and The Human Centipede (2009) which are two films that are similar to ours. The TV series Hannibal also presents this convention. Both the antagonists are well-educated and use that to kill victims. In both films the killers 'collect' parts of their victims and sculpt them into insects. This is similar to our film opening with the killer collecting his victims' foetuses.










For example, in Hannibal the killer used to be a surgeon but instead became a psychiatrist, playing with the victim's mind whilst killing people. In The Human Centipede, the villain is a retired doctor who is fascinated in joining human beings together.








However, some horror films which subvert these conventions are Scream 4 (2011) and Let Me In (2010) where the antagonists are younger so they seem less likely to be the killers because they are assumed to be not as intelligent or tactful as older people.

Evaluation of the Death Scene Non-Diegetic Sound

Having almost finished the final version of our film opening, I wanted to evaluate the non-diegetic sound that I created for the death scene.

Linking with the footage, I feel that, though the music is quite "action" themed, it adds tension and depth to the visuals in the clips of the gore that is shown. It's also a good way to get the viewer encased into the clips, the music being stimulating rather than too repetitive or boring making it appropriate for our film opening.

It also links to the target audience of 15 years and up, 15 being the age rating that we would give the film, as it relates to the type of music that people of that age range listen to. Rock music, of which it takes a lot of inspiration from, is the type of music that people in their late teens to early twenties can relate to, making it current and relevant to the viewers.

Being a slasher film, the non-diegetic sound of the most graphic scene within the film opening, the death scene, also needed to link to the preferences of the viewers, looking at the social groups that would like to watch this type of film genre- slasher. Being a low tone, techno-rock sound, the non-diegetic music also gives a feeling of intensity to the film opening, building up to a peak and then finishing off the extract nicely.

To conclude, the non-diegetic sound within the death scene, I feel, is very appropriate, linking to the footage, genre of the film opening, the target audience and the social groups that would watch a film of this genre.