Through casting me and my group made sure each character portrayed a specific vibe/aura to conform or subvert representations in the Horror industry. For example in terms of Flora through the casting of several Yr 7s we agreed Jalisiya would be perfect for the role as she was a natural when performing the script, as she highlighted the innocence but hidden bitterness we wanted Flora to have. Not only does she conform to the traditional Gothic creepy children portrayed in novels such as The Turn of the Screw, she is also a subversion of the lack ethnic minorities getting roles in Horror.
Reasoning behind Decisions
Me and my group felt it was necessary to include ethnic minorities in our Horror trailer as audiences are generally more interested when something unique and different is portrayed in Horror, this was evident in my market research (Qualitative questionnaire) on final girls as most participants felt they should be portrayed more compared to "damsels" and "slut" trops. Are whole cast are ethnic minorities which is a statement we hope to make as postmodernist film makers, as "encoders" we place a diverse cast for a positive reaction and more interest hoping our target audience will "decode" with good intentions.
Summary of all Characters
I used Bubbl.us.com to create this mindmap of all the choices and consideration which went into the casting of each sub character minus Flora who was described above.
*Please click image to see a more zoomed in version
Conclusion
I believe it is important to consider what you want each character to portray pre-production so that decisions you make communicates effectively to the audience in terms of what you make them wear, what they say in the trailer and how they look (make up, clothes, hair, ethnic background ext) as these elements can impact the audiences perspectives on the characters but also their understanding of the narrative which needs to be clear. In our Horror trailer everything presented on the screen needs to have a purpose whether it makes the audience feel relaxed or uncomfortable, which is why putting great effort in the casting process can contribute to how successful our trailer is in terms of conveying a clear narrative, the genre of Horror and the main protagonists appropriately.
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