Actors

After my target audience expectations research it was made clear that having characters that are a similar age to the audience would be more appealing as they can relate and from a connection. Therefore the actors I have chosen are all of the age of my target audience.

Toby Matthews, age 17, will play the role of ALEX. I have chosen him due to his previous acting experience therefore I know he can portray the character effectively. His age means he is within the age of my target audience but it is also believable to the audience that he can survive on his own. His appearance is messy perfect for the dystopian genre therefore it will be easy fro him to fit in with the derelict surroundings.Rowan Elwell, age 16, will play BOY. I have chosen him also due to his past acting experience and the fact he can project his voice which will be effective when arguing. He has a distinct look that is also messy and informal so will easily fit in with the dystopian surroundings.

Mabel Collins, age 18, will play the role of GIRL. I have chosen her as she is tall and so won’t look small against BOY in the argument so it will not appear dominant on Rowan’s side. She also doesn’t have any distinguishing features so can easily be made to look like she has been living in a derelict building for months.

Max Silver, age 17, playing another survivor in the derelict building. He is of the same age as the other characters so will fit in well with the group.

Oscar Jenkinson, age 17, will play BOY2. I have chosen him for his naturalistic acting ability and he doesn’t have any distracting features that may imply a certain personality trait.

Faegan White, age 17, will play another survivor. His clothing style and appearance is informal and dystopian and therefore will fit in with the surroundings.

Eve Solomon, age 17, another survivor, and female voice over. I have chosen her for the voice over due to her formal, sophisticated voice that will fit the role perfectly.Robyn Stickley, age 14, will be a reserve survivor in case any of my actors are absent on the shoot.

Daryl Stickley, age 50, will be the male voice over. I felt having an older male would fit the part as a lower voice will imply more authority than a younger voice

Costume

Clothing – As they believe they are alone in the world and are living in a rural area there will be no place for them to find new, fitting clothes therefore I felt having clothes that are either oversized or too small will indicate their struggle to find essentials and imply they have been living in these conditions for some time. I demonstrated this in some example costumes below. The first image on the left shows dark oversized clothing that could be unisex as the survivors would have to share clothing, the middle image has a waistcoat in it as I felt if they are searching for any clothing they can find they may have unusual pieces that don’t go with the rest of the outfit such as a waistcoat, this links to a dystopian theme.

Due to the fact they possibly will be sharing clothes and will be wearing dark colours I feel there will be little difference between the male costumes and the female costumes. They will be wearing either dark coloured jeans or leggings as both the items of clothing are an understatement so won’t be distracting or stand out they also are fairly modern and therefore may reinforce the fact it is set in the future. This will also appeal to my teenage target audience as these items are something they may wear. They will then wear oversized shirts/tshirts/jumpers in dull colours as this will fit in with surroundings of a derelict room and will not stand out in the forest. They will wear layers of these as it will be shot in winter. I will then rip some of the clothing to enhance the idea they are ‘surviving’ and by doing this it will show they have little possessions.

For costume I feel to be in keeping with the derelict surroundings the clothing should be dirty or ripped. I can use brown paint or tea bags to give old clothes a dirty effect. I can then use brown paint or dirt to rub into the actors hands and necks to give the impression they are living in a dirty environment and to fit in with the rest of the costume. I will make the clothing have little or next to no colour and instead be dull greys and browns and blacks I feel this will link into the dystopian genre and it is similar to other films I have looked at but the dark colours will also have connotations of sadness and isolation. Although I want the main characters to stand out they will do this physically rather than visually in costume, wearing similar clothes will show they are part of a group.

Make up – For make up although I want them to look normal under the lights I will not have the girls wearing lots of makeup as this would not be in keeping with the plot as they are living in an abandoned building therefore they will wear minimum amounts just for under lights such as foundation and mascara, as well as being covered in various places with dirt. I may also include FX makeup on one or two of the survivors such as a cut to imply their unhygienic, dangerous conditions.

Props

The first key prop I will be using is an old pocket watch, this I will borrow from a friend. This is significant as it is used in key scenes to reinforce the theme of time that is referred to in the opening monologue. It is an object that by having close ups of it, indicating it’s importance will lead the audience to question it’s significance and want to know more. Having an old pocket watch is also an abstract thing to have amongst the derelict surroundings and lack of possessions of the survivors so is eye catching. Also from my genre analysis I have found that many dystopian films possess a symbol or symbolic object so having one in my film will be I keeping with the genre.

Contact lenses, a unique feature that I have found to be used in many dystopian films such as ‘Lucy’ as it indicates supernatural and therefore an alternative society. I will use it in my film at the beginning when ALEX first opens his eyes to indicate to the audience his significance as well as an element of supernatural. The contacts I will use will be similar to the human eye but with an element of supernatural such as an unusual colour. This will be an element of mystery and draw the audience in as well as linking to the genre.

A significant prop for the opening scene is a mattress, I feel I should use a mattress rather than a bed as it immediately tells the audience of their deprivation of essential items and sets the scene fro the derelict building therefore being in keeping with the genre. The mattress I will use will be possibly held up by a few boxes so it is slightly off the ground making the shot more effective it will be further away from the ground, I may also add dirt or paint to give it a dirty, old feel.

Linking to the mattress I will need blankets to add to the impression they have been living here. The blankets I will use will be plain and dirty in dull colours to reflect their clothing and fit in with the derelict surroundings. I will either purchase these from a charity shop so that I can make them appear old and dirty or will use old sheets and cloth. I will drape them around the room and actors and across the bed in the opening scene.

In the script the actors refer to running out of tins of food, to support this idea I will have old food tins scattered around the room, some may be in the hands of a survivor which will imply they are hungry and have finished the tin of food reinforcing what is being said. I will use tins from mine and my friends houses so they are realistic, I may also scratch the labels off and distort them to enhance the derelict feel and fit in with the environment.