R+P Post 6: Our opening sequence's characters and how we plan to represent social groups

The two characters who are properly seen in the opening sequence are a female lawyer (The main focus of the sequence) and a male jogger (who only appears in full for a single shot.). There is also the character of the lawyer's stalker, although we only ever hear his heavy breathing.

The Lawyer: The lawyer functions as the main focus of the opening sequence, with the audience following her morning routine. She is in some ways the archetype of a victim in a thriller film - especially in the 'stalker' sub-genre of these films - because she is female, fairly young (late twenties), middle-class and lives alone. Through the character of the black female lawyer we are trying to target several different social groups, namely women and ethnic minorities. We plan to represent both groups as challenging to their social stereotypes, by showing her in a positive light as a strong, independent and successful woman. However, she will still fall into some female stereotypes in order to make her more relatable and realistic, for example through her costume where she will wear a skirt and high heels.

She was inspired by the character of Jessica Pearson from US TV series 'Suits', who is one of the few  black female lawyers on screen. She is a strong, independent character similarly to what we want Molcott to be.

The Jogger: Being a very minor character, there is little chance to develop the jogger as he serves mainly to worry the lawyer when she hears his footsteps in the forest. The character is a white male in his early twenties, and follows the stereotype of men being physically fit and interested in fitness, but this isn't a particularly negative stereotype. This will be connoted through his typical jogger attire and through his actions of taking a jog.