Casting Calls/Character

ProfilesIn this document I will discuss the auditioning process and as to why I

chose certain actors over others. I will also give a character profile with a description of the role. The objective of this task was to filter the

candidates in the auditions as to whether they were suitable for a role in ‘The Return’. This was assessed via the actual talent displayed in the audition and the likeliness to the role of the character auditioned for.

Also conventions within the Slasher genre determined audition success for example a “innocent” looking girl or an “older” benefactor.

Audition Candidates

Characters

• Ruby – Roma Nair• Frankie – Alex Kelly Lambert• Amy – Mia Kelly Lambert• Chelsea – Rosie Jacobs• Trey – Harry Adebayo• Jay – Nitin Kapoor• Jason – Dilan Patel• Alex – Henry Davine

Ruby (Roma Nair)

We chose Roma Nair as Ruby the main villain for various reasons. Firstly her eyes were sharp and large similar to a child’s eyes but also whenher eyes were made wide it created a eerie lookwhich pleased my group. Also her long hairprovided a perfect “mask” to abide by the codes and conventions of a masked killer in the Slasher genre yet catering to a female killer role. We felt that having a female killer yet masked abided yet subverted the conventions of the Slasher genre in a healthy and interesting way. Roma is also a mixture of a petite and large build so it implied dominance with an element of a smaller childish Nature. Acting wise Roma displayed eerie stares and sluggish and scary movements which fell into the role of a villain hence her selection for the role of Ruby

Frankie (Alex Kelly LambertFrankie who is played by Alex Kelly Lambert provided the

role of the ‘Final Girl’. We felt she was perfect for this role as she did not have too much make up on and was soft spoken yet in a fast paced scene she could raise her voice quite high, which catered to the ‘innocent’ aspects of the Final Girl role. She could utilise her facial expressions well, imitating effective confused or overwhelmed expressions which would work well in scenes where Frankie is being attacked. She is attractive and good looking yet does not display a overly flirty demeanour which implies promiscuousity and defeats the formulaic aspects of the virginal elements of the final girl in her acting. This was perfect for the conventional aspects of the role of the final girl in a formulaic manner. Also the role required a sister and due to Mia being a monozygotic twin (identical twin) this allowed a realistic portrayal of a biological sister in our film. Her sister provided an area to apply Claude Levi Strauss’s binary opposites theory as she (Amy/Mia) could display everything Frankie is not, making good utilisation of narrative theory.

Amy (Mia Kelly Lambert)Mia provided the role of the final girl’s/Frankie’s sister

which opened up an opportunity for usage of Binary Opposites. She could display a flirty, playful and a sexually accessible demeanour in her acting which subverted Frankie’s behaviour of being the formulaic innocent and virginal. Her blonde hair reinforced dominant hegemonic values of Blondes being sexually active which fitted into her role as her character is killed with the wider meaning implying punishment because of this. In addition to this attributes displayed she also bears Frankie’s likeliness which creates a more realistic representation of a biological sister on screen. This vast personality difference allowed the main character (Frankie, final girl) to be clearly displayed and easily identifiable in comparison to Amy, otherwise the likeliness between the two actors would have been a hindrance however the binary opposite application gets rid of this possible complication.

Trey (Harry Adebayo)

Harry played the role of Trey, who demonstrates a typical generic or formulaic representation of the conventional black character within Slasher films. It is conventional for this character to die first as ethic minorities are formulaically displayed this way. Harry suited the role with a good build and in the audition displayed a sexually active demeanour which reinforces the reason for him dying first. This is useful as Trey engages in sexual activity with his girlfriend Chelsea. We felt this sexually active demeanour can be used as an area for relation in terms of the teenage demographic ‘The Return’ is aimed at, who may relate to his behaviour which thus provides a more immersive and engrossing viewing experience for the audience. In addition Trey is quite aggressive towards his peers and when being hunted down by Ruby, this was a quality prominent in Harry’s audition hence our selection of him for the role.

Chelsea (Rosie Jacobs)

Rosie plays Chelsea who characterises the role of the formulaic and conventional sexually active girl. Similar to Mia’s performance, she too provided a flirty and sexually accessible performance in her audition which suited the conventional role in addition displayed seductive behaviour. This is useful as when analysing ‘The Return’ genre wise in a wider meaning, Chelsea is punished for her sexual activity. She is attractive and wears moderate amount of make up to be deemed or identified as sexually active by the viewer and also provided a realistic ‘drunk’ performance for the party scene which reinforces dominant hegemonic ideology of teenagers living recklessly. She and Harry’s role epitomise the wider meaning of ‘The Return’ hence why she and Harry were chosen.

Jay (Nitin Kapoor)

Nitin provides further reinforcement for the dominant hegemonic values of the general reckless teenage lifestyle. He provided a outgoing, bubbly and ultra lively performance which implies a drunk state when juxtaposed in a party scene with surrounding entailed alcohol and music. Through the slight humour displayed in his performance he could provide an entry point for the audience to relate to, and the role of Jay is close to Frankie therefore viewers will be rooting for his survival and expect him to live. These qualities further hone and boost audience engrossment with the character and provides a more richer viewing experience. Nitin provided these qualities which as a result obtained him the role of Jay.

Jason (Dilan Patel)

Similar to Jay and Trey, Dilan provided in his performance qualities that collectively, when accumulated with Jay and Trey, reinforces typical teenage behaviour. Dilan beholds a driver’s license which allows utilisation of a vehicle which creates a more realistic verisimilitude for the audience to become engaged with. His clothing worn during the audition provided the reinforcement of dominant ideology of the generic teenage materialism via brand wear ‘Hollister’, this brand is also worn by Trey (Harry) which again provides reinforcement of this materialistic representation of teenagers when working in conjunction with each other. This idea of materialism shown in his performance displays a desire to be identified with a group or a gang which targets pressing social issues seen today such as gang warfare which demonstrates socio-historic context and commentary in ‘The Return’. This also may provided a focal point of relation for the teenage demographic this film is targeted for. The name Jason provides a direct intertextual reference to Jason from Friday The 13th, this provides viewer gratification as Slasher fans will be pleased to identify the link catering to the wants and needs of the audience obtained through my Audience Research.

Alex (Henry Davine)

The qualities displayed by Dilan’s performance with its gang connotations and commentary of social issues can be seen in Henry’s performance and visual appearance. His shaved head and heavy black hoodie/puffy coat reinforce the dominant hegemony of the that entailed teenage attire. It again provides a deep wider analysis of ‘The Return’ as it focusses on the pressing social and socio-historic context that the film was made in. In addition, performance wise; Henry could verbally fulfil the typical teenage role with the use of colloquialisms or slang which the audience can relate to hence gratifying the audience and catering to their wants and needs due to ‘The Return’ having many relatable aspects for the teenage demographic it is aimed for.

Barbara/Ruby, Frankie & Amy’s Mother (Sharon Malins)

Sharon performed as Ruby, Frankie and Amy’s mother. Her performance was very solemn, calm and collected. These factors fit perfectly into the role of an older benefactor who is wise or beholds a greater level of intelligence to the teenage characters which may be regarded as a ‘gift’ (Vladimir Propp Narrative Theory Application). With the utilisation of Sharon as the Mother she can fulfil the formulaic aspects of the wiser older characters which are a conventional aspect in Slasher films.