Evaluation 2

I have decided to compare my protagonist to Jodie fosters character in 'Silence of the lambs'. I am comparing them both because I feel they have some similar qualities in the way they are stereotyped; they also have some differences in terms of the actual characters they play.

Appearance

Obviously both characters are female and will have default stereotypes made about them on sight.  Unconventionally Jodie Foster was a lead role in the film 'Silence of the lambs' as a female protagonist. She was portrayed as a fairly strong character; and the fact she has good career in the police force which is seen as a masculine job reinforces this. Despite the masculine job; she still maintains her very feminine look with her hair and make up looking like she has spent time making sure she looks presentable - The male gaze attracts larger audiences to watch the film. My character is weak and vulnerable; the opposite to Jodie, she is trapped in her own mental prison and she can not escape - the audience is exposed to this during her voiceover which is giving the audience an insight to the activities going on inside her brain (relating to my sub-genre - psychological). My character purposely looks run down to make the audience feel sorry for her. Fosters character is powerful; she has freedom. My character is trapped in a mental prison and her husband has the key.

Costume

Jodie character is well dressed which reinforces her strength as a character and a female. Her clothes are quite masculine which also relates to her profession. My character is wearing pink to reinforce feministic stereotypes and thus showing her femininity; causing the audience to think she is weak and helpless. Furthermore her black eye created with make up with create empathy towards her from the audience making her more lovable. My character is middle-aged which is conventional of most film genres including thriller, if a teenager was used the narrative may not be as convincing.

Representation

Jodie Foster applies to the male gaze quite a lot in 'Silence of the lambs' as she is presented as pretty, my character is portrayed as rough in the image above as my film is psychological thriller, there will be a lot of emotion on the surface to convey this. Because women are 'overly emotional' I followed a stereotype to help the audiences identify cues to what a character may be like based on their stereotypical expectations.