Planning : Casting

Why is Casting important?

I believe casting is one of the most important tasks in Pre-Production and requires a high amount of care when taking on this challenge. Casting involves auditioning potential actors to find the most suitable person for your film. It is important that you find someone who is not shy in front of a camera, someone who will not burst out with laughter when filming, and someone who can create verisimilitude within the production.

To find suitable actors for our production, our group will run short auditions for the potential actors. We will give the actors short scripts to perform, and use these performances to decide whether they will be suitable.

The Female Character:

Below are the two females that auditioned for the role of Erica in our two minute opening. Our female character is a girl that enjoys using social media and texting her friends. She is a bubbly person who is still at school doing her GCSE's. She walks home with Ben (our male character) after school everyday as they live close to each other. 

India is a 16 year old female and is still at school studying for her A-Levels which are Art, Business and English Literature. She has a strong personality and is not camera shy. She has two pet dogs who are named Candy and Eric. India dislikes people who moan and don't grab every experience that comes her way. However, she does not like walking and has a part time job which she does after school and some weekends. 

Toyah Jones is 18 years old and is doing her second year of A-Levels. She is studying English, Business and History. Toyah likes watching horror films with friends and going to parties. She loves to be in front of the lens and is a very confident person with a bubbly attitude. She also took Drama as a GCSE.

Black widow productions chose Toyah over India because Toyah fits the description of the part more because of her height and the age she looks. She lives near the location and wouldn't need travel and has clothes that will suit the role. She also is more confident than India and will be able to easily act out the role of Erica. India also has a part time job which she does most weekend unlike Toyah who does not. This means that Toyah would be available for filming more easily. 

The Male Character:

Ben is a 16 year old male who loves to play xbox at home. He is currently studying for his GCSE's and is a very sociable person however, can be quite shy when around people she doesn't know. 

Ashley is a 16 year old male whois studying for his first year of A Levels. Ashley is very bubbly and is always up for a laugh. Ashley loves hiking and camping out in the wild. He has completed 1 out of 3 of the three peaks challenges. He took drama as a GCSE and is very confident in front of a camera.

Dan Smith is a 17 year old male who like to attend the gym with his friends. Dan likes keeping up with the fashion and socialisng with friends and family.  Dan is also a clean freak and doesn't like things being messy or disorgaised.

Black Widow Productions chose Ashley to play the part of Ben because he will need to get dirty and Dan said he wouldn't do that. Ashley also looks close to the age of Ben. Ashley does live further from the location but one of our group lives near by and said they will give him a lift. He is also more confident that Dan and will be able to use skills from his GCSE drama to play the part of Ben. 

The Lumberjack

The lumberjack will be a scary and mysterious figure that will stalk Ben and Erica. He has a troubled past and has become an outcast from society and now lives in a old abandoned house. 

Kye is 17 years old and enjoys playing games on his computer and Xbox. He looks after his little sister on Saturdays and spends a lot of time revising for his exams. Kye enjoys watching football and supports Man United. He try to go and watch as many games as he can. 

Aaron  likes going to local music venues as he enjoys heavy metal. Aaron is in a band and likes to record new songs that he creates. He attends venues on a weekly basis and likes to go with his friends. Arron also takes part in amateur dramatics from July to November every year, performing at a local theatre. 

Black Window Productions chose Aaron because his hair would suit the part and he said he wouldn't mind having make up on where as Kye was more hesitant. Aaron lives less then five minutes away from our filming location which makes him an ideal actor for our role. His acting experience will also mean he will be able to play the role of the Lumberjack easily and has spare time during the weekends for filming.