ACTORS, PROPS & COSTUMES

Actors – Faegan WhiteI have cast Faegan in the role of Jive. Jive is the protagonist who we follow on his attempts to retrace his drunken footsteps from the night before. The role requires a lot of physical endurance (such as falling down a hill or walking into the sea) and I know that he will be able to perform these well. I know his limitations because I have worked with him before in my films; I also know his strengths and can play towards them when filming. In addition he is very reliable so I have no qualms about organising times to film.

I want him to play the role very straight; the only emotion or expression required from him will be acting hungover. He is of a similar age as the target audience for my music video, so they will be able to relate to him and the situation his character is in.

He has a good face for film; a good complexion and no distracting features that imply anything other than his character.

Actors – Chris MatthewsMy brother Chris will be playing the “Self Portrait With Badges” man. Although he studies Drama at Manchester University, the role requires no acting skill. It only requires for him to stand still and speak one of the lyrics so my casting decision was based more off looks. He has to be able to look like the painting his character is based on and his face is closer than anyone else’s I could think of. The decision also came down to reliability, since at the time of filming he will be living in the same house as me; this will make filming much easier.

Actors – Picket MobI have organised a group of my friends to be in the picketing mob, these people are:

-Matt Holley-Amy Matthews-Georgia Stickley-Rowan Elwell-Peter Fleetwood-Oscar Jenkinson

I only asked people that I thought would be able to perform up to standard, however the above people were only chosen because they would be able to film on a set date.

Props – Toy DinosaurMy original intent was to have a snail following the protagonist to enhance the idea that there’s no escape, even from something as slow as a snail. However it would be very impractical to catch a snail and try and film it, especially in Winter since they are in hibernation. So I decided to substitute the snail for something as small but a lot more pragmatic and easier to film. With the ‘living animal’ element removed, I will be able to position the toy dinosaur exactly how I want to. I also chose it because it is a lot more threatening and malicious than a snail, which will contribute to Jive’s feelings of fear and isolation in the film.

Props - BicycleIn my music video Jive sees a crashed bike up a tree, which triggers his memory of the night before when he fell off it and tumbled down a massive hill. I am going to be using my Dad’s mountain bike because it is very hard wearing and old enough that it doesn’t matter if it gets damaged. I also like the colour scheme of this bike and think it will go well against the colours of the tree and the (hopefully) blue sky in the background.I will need to get the bike up the tree and so have recruited my sister Amy to help me out on the day of the shoot.

Props – Elvis Magazine The “Self Portrait With Badges” character needs to look as much like the original painting as possible. To achieve this Chris will require an ‘Elvis magazine’ prop, like in the image. I don’t know whether Peter Blake painted it from an actual magazine or not, but I decided to recreate the front image myself, using a similar photograph of Elvis Presley and the pen tool in Adobe Photoshop to create the text (pictured right).

Chris will hold the magazine in the same way as the man in the painting does; it is purely a case of replication.

Props – MegaphoneIn order for the picket mob to look more threatening and more convincing, I have managed to acquire a megaphone for one member to use. They won’t actually have to use it obviously because it’s a music video and the only audio will come from the song itself and not the actors. However from a solely visual stance, I think this will help sell the gang of protestors and add some more credibility and menace to them. It relates to the genre of rock n roll in this sense because it is big and loud and is just about making lots of noise; making your voice heard.

Costume - JiveThe song has quite a dark feel to it, which I will reflect in Jive’s costume. I’ve decided for Faegan to be wearing all black: a V neck t-shirt, jeans and boots. The colour doesn’t project any inferences or assumptions about his character and is the least distracting colour. The clothes have an old fashioned, quite traditional feel that suits the rock n roll genre; brutally practical. Because he is the only character that will be wearing black he will stand out against the mob, and also against the bright colourful backgrounds of the forest and the beach. When researching The Doors I found loads of images of Jim Morrison wearing all black, a seemingly ubiquitous style at the time.

Costume – “Self Portrait With Badges” Man

As I mentioned before, it is just a case of replication with this character. In the painting he is wearing a red polo shirt, a denim jacket covered in badges, blue turned up jeans and some blue converse-type shoes.

I have already sourced these items, along with about 20 badges to put on his jacket.