Planning characters - Miss Miller

The presentation of characters is vital during this clip, by doing this we can build a relationship between the audience and the characters. For example we will sympathise for the victim, the protagonist becomes a likeable character and we get frightened and scared of the antagonist. These relationships will build up suspense and tension as our protagonist and victim is under treat and danger.

The main character of which this clip is based upon is Brittany, she is our victim and is 15 years old. Brittany is a conventional victim for a thriller; she is a young female student, blond, pretty and unaware of what is happening. The fact she is young makes her seem inexperienced and unaware of life's dangers, the fact she is a student emphasises this. This is also presented to be dressed up in light colours, showing a happy life. Plus the fact she is pretty and always smiling amplifies the fact that that she has a good life and a lot to live for. All of this makes her seem vulnerable and innocent. This helps the audience build a relationship with the character as they sympathise for her due to the dangers of our stalker. Being a pretty blond female victim she is very conventional to a thriller, these types of victims have been shown throughout the history of thriller films. They bode well as we see them as likable and vulnerable to a powerful male antagonist.

Another character playing a key role throughout the clip is Steve, he is our antagonist and is older than Brittany at 19 years old. Much like Brittany he is a very conventional antagonist for the thriller genre; he is tall and menacing, is background is kept secretive making him seem unpredictable, he is also male, much like the stereotypical antagonist. This is all done to make him seem powerful, twisted and unpredictable, showing the man to be very dangerous. Throughout the film we show him to be tall and physically strong; this makes him seem powerful, showing how he could be dangerous to the victim. He is also shown to be mentally unstable by showing him as a deranged stalker, following her every move. The key factor to this character is the hidden identity. We never know who he is, his background or what he looks like. This creates an enigma. The effect this has is that it involves the viewer, keeping them engaged so that they are keen to see the outcome of the story. It builds up suspense and can even make the antagonist seem more terrifying and unstable as we don't know what he is capable of. The overall presentation of this character is done so that we see him as being deranged, therefore making the audience frightful of him; plus developing the sympathising relationship between the audience and the victim.

Also a character only being seen for a short period of time, yet being an important character in the development of the plot is Carol. She is the innocent bystander that is made out to be our protagonist as she saves Brittany from committing suicide. She is sown is be a older, wiser, sisterly like figure. She is a kind character who as presented being always smiling and wearing comforting clothes. Due to this we instantly like her and support her. This relationship built has a great effect on the viewers. We feel attached to her and her kindness and she sets a sense of calmness through her presence. The fact she dies so quickly is a great shock to the audience. They are engaged by this  and worried about the innocent vulnerable girl. The audience is left at the edge of their seats as the clip ends forcing them to want to watch on.