Production: Casting

Our opening film sequence  features 3 characters played by 4 different people. This is because the scene with Jamie Thompson and Lily Butler is a flashback scene so the young girl represents a younger version of the girl seen at the start, (Jasmine Croft).

Jasmine Croft stars as the antagonist in this psychological horror. As shown above, she is portrayed to be 17 years of age and thus an older version of the girl in the flashback. We choose Jasmine Croft as her white pale skin makes her ideal for being a visual representation of false innocence whilst having connotations of cold which is seen n her behaviour and lack of facial expression/emotion. It is almost reflecting on what she has done in the past. Meanwhile her clothes are subtle, plain black and not detailed as this draws attention to the characters face and helps to blend in with the room she is in. Also, age was important to stay below adulthood as the intended target audience for our film is young teenagers at Sixth form/college age category who can relate to the antagonists current age. In particular, students who are interested in Psychological horror and those who enjoy the supernatural.

                            

A serious appearance was vital for the role of a psychologist so Matt Wills was dressed in dark colours,  (a burgundy jumper with Navy shirt). Wearing an Apple Watch and active body language all help to portray his high socio economic class and the actor was able to deliver this as his tone of voice was concerning and his face expressing deep interest into the pictures the girl drew at a far younger age. His stern facial expressions contrast to Jasmine Crofts and is presented to be a stern, knowledgeable person. Matt Wills is 17 years and capable of delivering his lines with authority- his stern build also indicated power.

Matching the two actors was a difficult task as they needed to resemble one another at varying ages of childhood but Lily Butler matched well with blonde hair and pale skin. We choose Lily Butler as she has experience in acting with PQA (Pauline Quirke Academy of Performing Arts) so was confident on screen. The pale skin is also maintained and we choose grey to be consistent with a plaint outfit but added a red ribbon to her hair which forebodes danger as red stereotypically has connotations of danger/blood.

The actor Jamie Thompson is 17 years old and was the second choice to play the babysitter. We knew Jamie well prior to filming and had a greta rapport so this strong relationship off-screen meant he was flexible to filming dates as he lived near by and he was keen to undertake the role of male babysitter. At first the plan was to use a female actor for the babysitter but we decided to alter the synopsis and go against codes and conventions of horror where the victim is expected to often be a young female entering early stages of adulthood.

Production crews: Roles & Responsibilities

1.The role of our writer would be to conjure ideas on a screenplay for the film including dialogue for a script. They must have an understanding of what the films synopsis is and adapt the narrative. The writer would have to make a script suitable for each character with stage directions to follow. In preproduction, the writer could rely on storyboards as we have done depicting the layout of the films plot to know what the screenplay will be like.

2. A composer will provide the sound of the film in form of soundtracks which may be a personal piece or an orchestra assembled themselves.  They work with the director to see where in the film the music should be placed


3. The camera person is in charge of operating the camera and equipment with it such as tripod. They will be using a wide range of camera angles such as over the shoulder shot and close ups to create atmosphere within the film. As a result, they will be commanding actors to move making adjustments to make sure they are in shot and capturing footage.

4. Head of casting will search for cast members making sure the actor will be most suitable for the roles in accordance with the writer and the directors ideas. They willl be in charge of picking actors perhaps through auditions where actors audition for the role or interviews. In order to fulfil this, they must follow the directors vision and know the narrative whilst being able to pick out details which may help to perfect the film such as an actors accent or hair colour/appearance.


5. The producer of the film will organise all roles and making sure the filming takes place which can be done by using a production schedule. This will cover the dates of filming, what actors will be filmed, props as well as providing a risk assessment for any possible dangers whilst filming. A producer will also be in charge of acquiring locations and manoeuvring equipment to and from the location of filming.

6.

Film directors co ordinate the films narrative and manage actors to make sure they are right for the role; They may host auditions for roles within the film before eventually deciding on the most  appropiate person to fulfil the cast member. Directors will decide on the storyboard and create ideas on the personalities/ appearance of the actors such as their costume. In post production, they will ensure the film is still maintaining the plot created  in pre production or the direcotr has agreed on adjustments. To do this, they will work with the editing team/person, writer, and composer and give them guidance on how they want the film to be presented in final proudction (editing of the film).

Main Task - Final Film

The finished opening sequence for our film "My Friend Charlie".

13.Studio Logos: Similarities & Differences

As seen above, studio logos have unique characteristics which enable them to stand out. This may be an iconic figure resembling power or importance such as the summit of a mountain (the Ben Lomand mountain) as seen in "Paramount" or the woman holding a torch in "Colombia Pictures" which is shining a bright light at the top of the picture which could be a metaphor for a beacon of hope as torches are associated with brightness and can have connotations of a bright future when held by people; perhaps a figure to act as guidance. This type of icon is evident throughout a variety of studio logos.

In "Castle Rock entertainment", the image shows a lighthouse in the distance which shares similar visual metaphors to that of "Columbia Pictures"as both use light in different forms to create a visually attraction drawing the viewer in as well as displaying an image that resembles hope. Another studio logo that uses iconic figures is "Tristar" which displays a white horse with wings as this is eye catching and white is a colour associated with purity (Pelicans for opportunity, Swans for loyalty) so gives the studio a positive appearance. As Tristar is an American distribution studio, the white colours of the horse would be familiar with the symbol of the pelican and the eagle which are icon wic in American culture. Both Tristar and Columbia Pictures have clouds in their background which gives the impression of a figure bursting through dark times (clouds and rainfall) to a clearer future. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer or MGM is a studio which features an animal on their studio logo; Similar to "Tristar Studios", a powerful creature is used as the main feature of the logo. The tiger roaring in MGM shows fierceness and we recognise this animal to be courageous and near the top of the food chain so we can infer the studio means to be successful and be one of the best.

Frequently, a black background acts as a canvas for the studio logo which can be seen in MGM studio, Telescope Entertainment, United Artist, Hollywood Picture and perhaps most noticeably New Line cinema. The colours are then minimal often dark or metallic which si evident in "The Weinstein company" which is a metallic grey and New Line Cinema which is a black shape in front of a blue light. These are noticeably dark and mysterious.

However, some of the studio logos are bright from a white background such as Screen gems and Sony Pictures. These two are completely different background colours to other sstudiossuch as New Line Cinema. Also, Screen Gems contains a simple red shape whereas Columbia contains a portrait which shows how studios may create a logo that can be easily identified as it is visually easy to recall. By comparing Tristar and Sony Pictures, we can see the studios have opted for diffferent designs with the first opting to create a scene and the latter a shape.

14. Studio Logo