Question 2

Conors Character:

Good actor /easy to work with- We needed someone who was very good at acting and following instructions. When we needed him to pose for the “mugshots” on the wanted poster, he did it perfectly first time. Conor fitted right into this role as the protagonist.

Sporty- we needed the protagonist to be fit and healthy for his character to be right and so that we could run long distances in the actual film. But you don’t see much running in the opening sequence.

Curious- the actor needed to be curious, so that he would have a better understanding of how to act like a detective.

Connor’s character is similar to that of Mark Wahlberg’s character in the film shooter; they are both wrongly accused of committing a crime they didn’t commit. Conor’s character just like Mark Wahlberg’s, they both want to clear their names and are curious to find out the truth in their films stories. This would appeal to the psychographic groups of explorers, because they want to find out things and the truth behind the mystery. Strugglers will watch this to escape reality. Conor is very casual and when it came to discovering the truth at the end of the film he would walk out, in the end as a free man and be a little smug. 

In a lot of thrillers normally they have a villain, a hero and a damsel. Typically in a thriller a hero I will save the damsel and would defeat the villain. The villain and hero are mainly male and a female is normally the damsel. Very stereotypically men are seen as more powerful.

We decided that conor’s character should be wearing clothing that would be very easy for the audience to identify him and they could relate to him. We had him wear a red hoodie, very visible in the dark grey back drops. The colour of his hoodie connotes danger and blood. Even though he is the protagonist we wanted him to seem mysterious, so we blurred out his face any we didn’t have any shots that showed off his entire body, to keep that sense of mystery. But you finally see his face on the wanted poster making the audience wonder if he is the murder.

During the opening sequence you don’t see conor’s character use any props, because the film opening is very prop base. In one of the shots we see a knife in a tree and conor’s red hoodie in the background this makes the audience feel nervous, because they are unsure if he is the killer. This shot, the knife, will show the audience a piece of evidence key to the film, and it connotes the words and ideas of death, murder and weapon. Also we didn’t have any make up for conors character because it wasn’t needed. And the lighting for the character is same for the rest of the film; there is no change in the lighting.

Harry’s character

Smart- we needed Harry’s character to be smart, well dressed and clever. Harry was perfect for this role because he is a very well dress and smart man. We was good as playing the villain because he could really get into the role.

Movements- Harry’s movements needed to be sinister when filming the on top of the hill shot, the black silhouette. He did this very well. Harry’s movements were very typical of the thriller genre, at times they were sinister and other times very suave.

Hitman- we wanted Harry’s character to give of the hitman vibe. We did this by wearing black clothes, which in many thrillers are very typical for the antagonist to wear, because it conceals their identity and it also connotes death.

Harry is our second character and he is the antagonist or villain. We wanted someone who could place this role well, in a suave and sinister way. Harry’s ticked both of these boxes because he is a good actor and can play many roles. His character is very similar to that of   Hans Gruber from Die Hard.

Harry’s character is seen as very powerful. At the start of most thrillers the antagonists are very well off and powerful. Also him being a male stereotypically males him appear strong to the audience. In one of the shots in the opening sequence you can see harry stood on top of a hill but with his identity concealed, making the audience feel less powerful than him. This is done by using a low angle shot.

Harry’s character in this opening sequence is dressed similarly to a stereotypical hitman. He has dark/black clothing on, of which connotes death. He is wearing also a red tie, so that the audience can identify him with authority and it is red with connotes blood or danger. From what we have researched, in many thrillers the antagonists wear black, this is done to create a sense of mystery or to conceal their identity.

I think that our audience could relate with conor’s character because he looks and seems like the typical every day person. Our opening sequence doesn’t represent females at all because we don’t have any in the opening, this may or may not be offensive to females. Our actors are younger than most actors today, but I don’t think this would affect how the film is being present. But then again maybe the older generation would like to see an actor they know, who is key to the thriller genre. But all in all I believe that it well appeal to a wide ranged audience.