Casting Decisions
(Cast)
Name: Caitlin Fenton
Character: Victim 1 Age: 18 Decisions: I chose Caitlin as one of the un-named Victims as I've worked with her before on acting productions, namely a school play, and can rely on her to follow the script without extensive pauses for debate. I also was keen to have Caitlin on the project as I felt that some diversity was required in the cast which, before her and Coral were cast, was entirely male. Finally, I knew that having recently had her hair dyed blonde, it would be a decent nod to classic horror movie territory to include her, even if her part was restricted by the need to shoot fast. With the shoot taking place over the course of one night and Caitlin having to leave after only a few hours, we were slightly rushed but her acting experience made this process a lot easier. |
Name: Frank Parker
Character: Synth Killer Age: 17 Decisions: I chose Frank as our killer for several reasons; for starters, Frank and I have worked before on projects so he is naturally inclined towards my directing, not only that but Frank is one of the few people I know who was both capable of shooting the whole night and who had a car we could use for some of the first few scenes. You'll also notice that in the OTS, the killer has a tall, looming physicality with a hidden face whilst everyone else is relatively short in comparison but not shied away from the camera. Couple his frame with his easy access to equipment such as the gas mask made him a great choice for the Synth Killer. |
Name: Jason Greaves
Character: Victim 4 Age: 17 Decisions: I chose Jason to be one of my cast for the main reason that I knew he'd be free for an entire night's shoot and that he too would follow my directing to the letter. Having been friends a long time and knowing his schedule with college, he was ideal for a small role. |
Name: Coral Deane
Character: Alex Age: 17 Decisions: I chose Coral as the protagonist, Alex, due to the fact that she both defied and adhered to horror convention. Coral is the beautiful blonde archetype in many ways, however, she is also very intelligent and reflects this in the way she speaks and acts, never striking up as completely defenseless whilst also holding up the mantle of fragile female lead. On top of this, she is also very capable of listening to specific direction and was able to adapt to the time constraints of the shoot very well, never losing out to stress or fear in front of the lens. |
Name: Callum Hunt
Character: Victim 3 Age: 18 Decisions: I chose Callum, as kind as he was to let us use his house as a location for filming, as he could contributed a great deal more to the shoot with his experience as a fantastic drama student capable of very strong visual expression through his body language and face. Having worked with him several times before, I knew Callum would work well under the pressure as well as instill enough character into his limited dialog that he could carry the majority of the scenes he was in. Finally, Callum's charismatic nature meant he would easily sooth the woes of some of the other cast members that suffer from camera fright, keeping the production on track. |
Name: Benjamin Tarrant
Character: Victim 2 Age: 17 Decisions: Finally, I chose Ben as my final victim for the main reason that he's surprisingly good at screaming! As another drama student, I knew he'd manage with the small assortment of dialogue he was given but the fact that he can play panicked and scared well spoke to something inherent to the horror genre in that the audience could relate to his fear. |
(Crew)
Name: Mikey Thompson
Role: Lighting and Sound Engineer Age: 17 Decisions: I chose Mikey as my partner in all manners technical as he is both fantastic at responding to instructions and has a good eye for aesthetically engaging imagery such as a spinning lighting or a camera mounted lamp, spotting good angles or shots that I missed and providing some more flare to the primarily iconography based video. |
Name: Matthew Stevens (me)
Role: Cameraman, Director and Editor Age: 17 Decisions: Finally, I was on set with a decent amount of camera equipment perfect for the shoot with multiple lenses and lighting equipment that could provide us with the best final product. Not only that but as the script writer and general lead, I knew specifically what I wanted from the shots and how it would serve the overall structure. |