evaluation 2 2018

this is me, a 17 year old boy, in my thriller Endless

This is Glen Lantz, also a teenager from the psychological thriller/horror nightmare on elm street. I have chosen a character from nightmare on elm street Nightmare On Elm Street as my comparison, as we are both male teenagers, and as a result, we shown as having the same stereotypes, regarding teenage representation. Nightmare On Elm Street also has similar themes to my thriller opening, sleep is an example eof this. When the protagonists of Nightmare on Elm Street fall asleep, they are tormented and killed by Freddy Kruger (the antagonist.) They die in real life. I have used this as a similarity in my thriller, as when I am asleep it appears as if I am going to die, with the point of view shot from behind the trees and the bushes, and the finale with the thing coming towards me. When I am awake at the end, there is evidence of the experience, from the knife on my floor, which is a link between sleep and consciousness. Regarding appearance, we are dressed similarly, with casual clothes on, jeans etc. This is because we are both teenager’s with no job, and are on our school holidays, the typical time to get into trouble. We aren’t particularly rich, and so to an extent, don’t care too much about our appearance. This everyday appearance, also helps both the protagonists to be relatable with their audience, as they can see they are “one of them” by their appearance. This would be one of the Blumler’s “uses and gratifications”, as they are identifiable with the target audience of male teenagers, who could relate to the situations they are in, and communicate with each other about Glen and me. The representation of teenage boys is quite rebellious, and tough. The tormenting that happens in my thriller’s dream sequence, juxtaposes with this view, as I am completely out of control in the situation in the woods. However Glen from Nightmare on elm street, is the one who tries the most with fighting off Freddy Kruger, and ultimately succeeds with Freddy’s death at the end. He also displays masculinity, when comforting Nancy Thompson, his female counterpart. The film gives Nancy a subservient role in this, as she is frequently tormented by Kruger, and almost dies like the rest. This gives females a weak, defenceless view, especially compared with Glen Lantz, who saves her life a couple of times. Unfortunately, I represent the only social group in my introduction, as it is only 2 and a half minutes long.