Character Development and Casting.

I always tend to lean more towards serious subject matters when writing up my pieces, and this script is no exception. I'm looking for someone that can really explore and revel in the depth's of my main character's personality and story. Having looked at several profiles on casting call pro, I decided Sophie Airdien was a decent choice for my casting. She was talented, had the look I was after (more exotic and different) and more importantly, had the experience in the type of role I was casting for.

Below is a character analysis outlining important details about my character and how I expect my cast to reflect my character's traits and story.

Emily (Main character/protagonist), 22, Female: 

Body: Slim and slender in a seductive, Bond girl kind of way. Long legs and small waist. For negligee or night slip/underwear.

Personality: A learned sophistication, educated. charming, eloquent, funny, well mannered // Polar opposite// Lazy, messy, clumsy,

Lifestyle: 70's elegance, life of the party, Travelling, In and out of hotels etc

Types of clothing I hope to use for my character Emily:

This type of set will be worn in my second scene where she sits on the edge of her bed and we see a past altercation come up as a memory on screen. I think this will work well in describing my kind of character as it boasts an ease in seduction yet a dark side to her that is more than just a cute set. It's in the way she walks talks and behaves and we will see this when she wears this piece.

Other clothing sets I had in mind all follow along with the seductive theme and adult nature of my story. This is mainly because I want to put my character in the minds of the audience as someone who wears sensuality on her shoulders in a graceful manner. This will be a good way of unraveling her character when things take a left turn with a client. We will then see that this calculated perfection doesn't come as easy as we think it does, I'm aiming for everything about her to be so perfect that it is imperfect in the way it is all so well composed and held together, Her clothing style and home interior will reflect a quintessential fashionable manner in the way she carries herself and deals with things. I will be using my friends home as it has not been refurbished since it was redone in the 70's and still holds a unique charm that is no longer found in modern homes. My inspiration to use his place came from the directions unit project and the image I used for the sound direction aspect of the project. It had a very cute and sweet feel to it, yet it was also intriguing and aged in a way that completely hindered its sweetness.

I will be adding props to my boyfriend's room to dress it up in a more feminine way - makeup, mirror, female underwear in a dresser and jewelry and accessories - and will add some cute touches to also make it better suited to the personality of my main character. I hoping that the choice of black for her clothing won't take away from the warm atmosphere of the room so in case of this.

Gianbruno, will be my vocal artist/narrator for the piece and will play the role of a previous lover in Emily's flashbacks. I chose him because he seemed suitable for my role with vast experience in student productions from other universities. In addition,his voice reel was good and gave me a clear idea of what my project would sound like. I understand that Anthony would prefer to be the vocal artisrt for his poems and have reached out to him to ask if he is okay with this.

Fiction Adaptation - Poem adaptation style and visual inspiration and reference to themes

Lana Del Rey is an american model, songwriter and singer who is known for her cinematic music style and impeccable vocal range. Her music is also praised for its religious, social and psychological references which introduce a refreshing sound and depth that has been absent in the current music industry. I was particularly inspired by her 2013 short film Tropico which makes reference to the story of creation, sin and redemption. It also loosely engages with references to pop culture and modern day society. I will be analyzing the video which will help me understand how to include references in my own visual work in a way that is metaphorical and  not literal to the eyes.

The story of creation is one that has been known by many almost since the beginning of mankind, and with various opinions on the story already Lana Del Rey's short film could have been just another interpretation or opinion like others. But what I find rather intriguing in this piece is the way in which it contradicts itself and yet still makes perfect sense pieced together. In the short film, she and Shaun can be seen dressed as Adam and Eve which implies that their characters where once innocent and unknowing of  evil in fact, her skin glows, Shaun's as well and it is almost angelic, watching them cradle each other in a setting that boasts freedom, serenity and a quintessential sense of romance in the air. But not too long after the dream like image of what could be heaven it morphs into a dark scene where she is seen embracing the charm of the serpent (Satan in the bible) and giving into temptation with a bite into an apple. The serpent is a symbol of Sin and her character's innocent mind still unknowing of the world's evils gave in to what she thought was more than the beauty of the garden she was 'trapped' in.

After biting the apple she falls to the ground unconscious and when her back hits the floor we are taken into an entirely different setting. She is in a strip club, sweaty and filthy she moves with seduction and ease like the sway of a snake whilst being covered in money.  She is now completely different to the previous image of her we were introduced to. She belongs to the world and no longer embodies the reflection of her creator. Her innocence is gone and she now craves the danger and excitement the bad side offers, she's completely taken by it and unashamed by her desire to revel in darkness. This transition is significant as it can be seen as a reference to Satan's fall from grace. In the biblical story, Satan (also known as Lucifer) was once an angel who was closest to God's heart, but after a while he pondered on the idea of being God or even greater than him and eventually he rounded up a following and rebelled against him. God retaliated by casting Satan and his followers out of the heavens, so they descended from Zion to a bottomless pit (the earth). This separation is that which created the divide between Good and Evil.

In the story of Adam and Eve, the serpent approaches eve saying: (Genesis 3: 1-5) Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?" The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.'" "You will not certainly die," the serpent said to the woman. "For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." Knowing that it is in the nature of all those not in the position of God to lust after power when not content with their position, Satan lured Eve into eating the fruit of the forbidden tree causing her to know of all things good and bad. She gave the fruit to Adam and told him to eat of it and he did despite being told directly from God that he would surely die if he ate from it. When God realised what they had done after seeing them clothed, likewise, they too were cast away, from the Garden of Eden and condemned to a life of pain, suffering, loss and turmoil for themselves and generations following after them. 

This concept of being condemned to a lifetime of turmoil and disruption is seen in the short film when we transition to Lana in the strip club and Shaun by the till of a corner store. They have suddenly gone from paradise to perdition in the blink of an eye. It is clear from this point that they too desired to be more than what they were, but uncertain of the potential consequence of eating the fruit they both decided to anyway which is the key aspect to understanding why they were cast down to the earth. As in the bible, Eve was deceived by the serpent in  her uncertainty and momentary distrust in God's command whilst Adam gave into Eve's temptation knowing already what God had told him.

In this new world they both indulge in deadly sins that seem to push them both further down the line, but this revelation doesn't seem to frighten them. They now find themselves in a constant cycle of sinning and trying to redeem themselves. LA has now become the garden of evil. It is the Eden they turned into a seemingly divine hell. Here they do anything to satisfy the desire to be godly and iconic. For instance, as she works in the strip club, she wears red the colour of sacrifice. This is a symbol of her sacrificing her youth, beauty and innocence for money and fame. Measures that would normally cause one to be ashamed but knowing that the end result will be that she is praised highly like others idols e.g. Elvis, Marilyn, etc is more than enough for her. 

In conclusion, All these themes tie together to explore a Journey through sin and redemption to find oneself completely. From the beginning through to the end of this piece her character has gone through a number of trials which she succeeded by selling her soul to the devil for successive worldly achievement. Unraveling the essence of this story has shown me that story telling has many layers that rely on visual communication to the audience. Most of the themes unraveled in this story have been told visually and have not been mentioned through word. This can be considered a subliminal message or a vague way of allowing the audience to come up with their own opinion on the themes explored, making the piece a marvel of speculation and diverseness. In my piece I hope to explore many themes such as self worth, love, pain and emotion. I will also be addressing smaller personal and cultural issues such as prostitution, money, domination, body language and communication. I hope to tell and play on these themes visually as when adapting the poem, I will have creative to interpret the story in a way that expresses my thoughts on it. 

I really like the dark and fantasy imagery applied in her video and although my story is a short piece I do hope to make it magical in a charming but thrilling way. Other inspirations I will also look at are Rihanna's B*tch better have my money, The Black Swan, and of course the main inspiration behind my story idea The Secret Diary Of A London Call Girl. 

Sources: Anthony Mandler Interview, Genesis Chapter 3:1-5

Digital News Production ( News Package Plan Outline and Reflections)

Below I will be entailing the final conclusion to my brand, story, direction and over all plan for this news-package including it's shoot location, presenters and people that are part of the story.

Brand: Trendz Tv

 

Trendz Tv is a lifestyle news channel that will target an audience of 18+ providing them with news in Technology, Entertainment, Music, Fashion, Beauty, and interesting world affair topics. Given that lifestyle news is a vast and endless collection of categories and topics, I've had to narrow down what I'm focusing on for the news-package to avoid confusion and losing the attention of the audience. This will draw the viewer more towards my channel as they will feel it is specific to them, given that my topics are about lifestyle.

Now according to Kissmetrics ,  there is a way colour can be used to draw in your audience, this is referred to as colour psychology - basically using the right colours to send the right message and more importantly to appeal to your target audience. Now given that my potential audience would be 18+, creative and very out-going, I must use colours that they also would like to draw them in. If I'm looking for a certain type of crowd I have to intergrate the qualities I want in my audience in my channel and website in order for them to feel a connection and liking for it. I chose to make a simple logo as I don't feel people rely on this alone to determine what makes a good news channel. According to a recent study by the university of British Colombia, Red and Blue are the two most useful colours in informative and advertisement aspects.

When you see red thoughts that come to mind tend to be danger, warnings, or maybe a violation of some sort. So Using a colour like red for a news package with an informative nature and serious topics would be ideal e.g. Sky News, BBC etc.

However, Blue is a rather more cool ,calm and collected colour. When I see blue I think about pretty clear waters in Fiji, Oceans, the sky, the sea. These are all things that evoke a certain calm in those that are receptive to the image. I chose pastel colours because they are bright, cheerful and calming and I feel these colours are relevant to my subject material for the news package.

News Package:
The news package will feature a short look at love letters in the past and their comparison to dating apps today. The whole aim of this news package is to highlight the culture and difference in communication between then (1917, First World War)  and (The new Millennium, 2015,  Today). It will also play on the introduction to communication technology i.e. The internet - emailing, Messaging, Video calling and conferencing and how it has changed people's perception of love and its communication.


Professionals being interviewed:
I sent an Email to the Imperial War Museum London that requests from their press department a curator to be interviewed for my project. However, IWM weren't open to being interviewed by a student and given that I was running out of time I had to make do without an interview section. The package will be presented by Mark Adeyeye a student on the university of Kent's Film and Drama course. His presentation of the package is ultimately what will string my piece together given that I no longer have access nor time to interview a professional from the museum.

Location: The news Package will be filmed at the Imperial War Museum as it is an essential and main part of this program .

Digital News Production (Break Down of inspiration, Ideas, and Research Materials)

Lifestyle news comprises of many things in different aspects of life that interest people. Ranging from health to entertainment, travel and interior design and much, much more. Below I have created a diagram that highlights the types and what you're likely to see/read/hear alongside them. Doing this made it easy for me to be clear and concise about my story for the news package. As I know what direction I 'm going in, who my audience is and also the style and branding too.
(Click on photo to enlarge)

After reading through our brief we decided to look at different ways we could come up with Ideas for our news package. I did some exploration online after we decided to focus in on a Technology - fused with a fun and personal aspect - story. So after thinking of ways to narrow down our scope on technology in a way that still expands on its use, we decided dating apps would be an informative yet interesting and trendy topic that could relate to a wide range of audience as technology is commonly used today for the necessary and personal. 

I continued to source research online relevant to our subject that we could use to support and create the basis of our story and stumbled across some interesting facts that might help with the direction of our news package. Evan Marckatz is a relationship expert and blogger who helps women understand the order of all things lust and love. On his website, there is a detailed section that goes deep into the dos and donts, the why's and how's of Online dating which I feel might be in relation to our news package.

Below are some of our ideas for the package. I will include details of our source material from which we drew our ideas under each potential news package idea.

• From Love Letters to Selfies and Crude Texts we look at how love communications have changed over time.

Back in the day a lot of social rules put a hinge on the way men and women communicate. For instance, a man and women would usually not speak unless formally introduced to one another by Family or people with a high social standing. However, this practice is now completely irrelevant to how men and women associate themselves with one another today. With the introduction of communication technology (Mobile phones e.g.- iPhone, Email e.g-  gmail, chatting services e.g- whatsapp and blackberry Messenger) dating has evolved in measures that allow personal feelings, and thoughts to be conveyed online. With the dating scene growing rapidly through apps and websites, it has become the norm to find partners on the internet.

Now tinder is the perfect case study if we want to talk about the change in love communication in the past century. It has a wide range of audience from 16 all the way up to 64, and of all these people only 42% of them are single. From writing love letters to swiping left or right on selfies we look at the change in demands from a relationship then and now and the effects of modern communication on dating. The news package will focus on the growth of dating from its humble beginnings where age wasn't just a number and texts didn't exist.
Sources: Wired, B.O.A

• A quick look at statistics of use and success in Big Dating websites and Apps like Tinder, Eharmony and Match.com

This would be a story that looks at the financial gain of successful dating Apps like Tinder, Match.com and Eharmony. I would focus on three key aspects of their profit e.g. audience, purchases, popularity, success stories etc. In order to get a nice tight story. I would include the audience in my story as they would be watching and it would be interesting and in a way vital for them to know more of what they're potentially a part of. Given that the age group of uTrend Tv's Audience is 18+, it is likely that they would appreciate in this interesting and informative package, as 38% of tinder users are between the ages of 16-24.

Sources: Wired

Other News Package ideas 

• A summary of the pros and cons of new technology in love communications e.g. online dating websites and apps. 
• Whether it has furthered success in finding a partner or worsened face to face communication. 
• Opinions of people younger who have used the website and older couples more used to former means of communication e.g. love letters and secret visits. 
• Advice and top ten safety tips from a renown sex, love and relationship blogger. 

After looking through my ideas, I decided it would be interesting to focus on the evolution of dating and how modern communication technology turned courting into a hook up culture. I think this subject matter will appeal to a wide audience as dating is something that everyone has done even 13 year old kids!  This subject will focus on key aspects of dating that have changed its nature and social meaning ( by this I mean a new dating culture) that only existed a while (not so long) after the millennium. With this subject I hope to inform and entertain my target audience by using fun yet informative language and also by having interesting presenters with a comedic, bubbly and light personality.