Representation Blog Post #32

 Representation in our Film Opener!

Hi guys, welcome back to another blog. Today, I will be answering these questions: Who is represented within our film? Is it fair, stereotypical? How are you challenging representation with your film? Do you feel you need to make any edits to improve your characters? Ok lets get started!

 

To begin with, I will start with who is represented in our film. Our film reflects a specific demographic: all boys who are beginning adolescence or going through it currently. This means they are in a stage of life where they begin to form an identity, become stronger, and grow emotionally.

Race and Ethnicity:

In terms of race and ethnicity, the group is pretty diverse and multicultural. I (The Killer) and Emmanuel (Sebastian) are Hispanic, and Amaar is South Asian. I am Colombian-American, Amaar is Pakistani-American, and Sebastian is Colombian. We aimed to have a kind of diverse cast to demonstrate that the events that took place in the opener could happen to anyone and can be caused by anyone.

Gender/Sexuality:

All the characters in the movie opener are straight males. Our movie does not contain anything other than genders or sexualities.

Socioeconomic Status: 

In our movie opener, Kyle and Sebastian are all from middle-class, suburban backgrounds. The Killer is lower-class and is poor, which makes him commit these crimes.

Religion:

The religion of each character is never stated, allowing the audience to interpret what they believe.

Challenging Stereotypes:

We purposefully avoided stereotypical portrayals for each character. Kyle is not defined by cliches about South Asian men. His actions are driven by his own personal motives. Sebastian and The Killer are shown as complex individuals who do not depend on being Hispanic to shape their identity. By focusing more on human experiences like fear and ethical decision-making, our film challenges culturally biased representations.

Potential Improvements:

We could find ways to add depth to the characters by including some of their cultural background visually in the character. Small cultural references could enrich Kyle's or Sebastian's character while maintaining the film's focus on the events that take place.

Overall, I feel like our film opener has a fair amount of representation, and we did this to show that these dangerous and threatening events could happen to anyone and can be caused by anyone.