CHARACTER ANALYSIS AND CAST LIST

Faiza Wasim

Within our horror, we will be featuring only two main characters; one of which is our final girl, Jenna Johnson and the other her mother, Rachel Johnson. I therefore decided to create a mood board in order to visually convey to the audience and give them a slight idea of the way in which we would like to portray our characters. This is as through the mood board, we are able to; present the characteristics which each character holds, what we as a group are aiming for them to look like and how they will be presented throughout our trailer.

CHARACTER 1: JENNIFER (JENNA) JOHNSON-

We believe that casting Estina as the role of Jenna is extremely effective in differentiating our film from others horrors as Estina comes from a philippine background. Hollywood films tend to favour caucasian characters to be the lead of their films however it is extremely uncommon for ethnic minority to hold the same position. Instead, ethnic minorities within films are seen as jokers, the sidekicks or irrelevant characters. Therefore, by casting a female ethnic minority may intrigue the audience as this is different from something they are use to seeing.

Played by Estina Lauretta

Jennifer “Jenna” Johnson, is a 16 year old girl who takes the role of the main female protagonist within our horror film and is portrayed by actress Estina Lauretta. The character also takes on the role of the ‘final girl’ within the film which is made apparent to the audience through her use of name and clothing.

The name Jenna is a pet form of Jennifer, which is a name composed from the elements such as white, blessed, smooth and soft. Throughout our horror film, the character will be referred to as her pet name, Jenna, rather than her full name in order to decrease the character’s femininity. This conforms to Carol Clover’s idea of the ‘final girl’ as Clover states that the ‘final girl’ sometimes has a unisex name so that the audience’s identification is fluid across gender lines.

Jenna can be seen to hold similar characteristics to the character of “Bella Swan” from the Twilight Saga series. This is as both characters hold similarities in that they are seen as independent, mysterious and curious individuals who find themselves in trouble however always come out stronger at the end of it. Within the Twilight series, Bella Swan, despite being the final girl, dresses in everyday clothing which are commonly dark in colour. Similarly, Jenna within our horror, although being the final girl, also is mostly dressed in dark coloured clothing. This subverts Clover’s notion of the final girl as she states the final girl is established to the audience through the use of white clothing as this colour holds connotations to themes such as purity, innocence and victory.

The use of dark coloured clothing directly clashes with the meanings behind the name of the character. This is as the character’s name, ‘Jenna’, holds associations to words such as white and soft. However, the character is dressed in mostly in black and grey coloured clothing which traditionally connote to themes such as darkness and mystery. This is in order to convey the two conflicting sides which the character holds; goodness and innocence vs darkness, mystery and corruption. My group and I aim to show that although the character at first glance may look as a conventional antagonist, deep down she is still a clean-hearted, good girl.

The image presented above is dominated with dark toned colours such as red, black and grey however in contrast also features lighter toned colours such as white, gold, bronze and silver. The theme overall within the mood board is quite dark and mysterious which is a direct representation of the main character, Jenna, which will be presented through her use of clothing, vamp style make-up look and jewellery. Traditionally,the darker toned colours within the mood board such as red and black, both hold connotations to danger, death, mystery and darkness. By creating a dark toned colour scheme for this character-for example through the use of make-up, clothing and jewellery- we aim to foreshadow to the audience that there is something that isn't right about this character which overall makes our trailer more effective as this creates an unsettling and eerie atmosphere amongst the audience.The image above also incorporates fashion related items such as jewellery, make-up and nail varnish. These objects traditionally connote to the idea of being feminine which is important as we would like to convey to the audience that although Jenna may have a dark and mysterious side, she also has a sense of normality to her.

Character 1: Jenna Johnson mood board-

Played by Sakura Suzuki

CHARACTER 2: RACHEL JOHNSON- Rachel Johnson, is an 40 year old women who takes the role of Jenna Johnson’s mother within our horror film and is portrayed by actress Sakura Suzuki. Rachel like her daughter and the previous females of the Jacobson family, is also cursed with the power to foresee the dark future. However, unlike her daughter, Rachel has learnt to accept her unfortunate fate after many failed attempts of trying to defeat the curse which was inflicted upon her. Instead, Rachel tries to live a normal life through independently caring for her daughter and at the same time working a full-time job. Within our horror film, she will attempt to help her daughter find the ultimate solution to stop the curse once and for all however in the process, Rachel finds herself as the next target on Valar’s death list.

Rachel is a Hebrew name which comes from the word “ewe”, meaning female sheep. Sheep traditionally hold reference to the idea of vulnerability, despair or fear, and could also suggest feelings of weakness and powerlessness. However, the word could also hold positive connotations such as tolerance, innocence, compassion and self-acceptance. The name Rachel, therefore is a direct representation of our character as although being compassionate, caring and holding a sense of innocence, the character will still find herself in positions of weakness and powerlessness within certain situations in the film.

The making of Rachel Johnson was inspired by the character of Ashely Marin from the hit television series, Pretty Little Liars. Within the television series, Ashely is presented as an independent, single mother who always wants the best for her daughter and will ensure that she does anything within her power to keep her safe. Within the series, when Ashely comes to realise that her daughter is the victim of online harassment by an unknown bully named "A", she helps take care of the situation in any way that she can, even if it means that she would need to commit a criminal offence. In comparison, Rachel also holds this protective motherly characteristic however like Ashely, in some situations she finds herself to be powerless in helping her daughter.

Character 2: Rachel Johnson mood board-

By looking at the mood board above, we can instantly see a difference in personality, interest and style between both Jenna Johnson and her mother, Rachel Johnson. The colour scheme on this mood board follows a pattern of red, black, white and gold which is significant in presenting the personality traits of the character. Rachel Johnson is shown as a classy, stylish individual with a hint of mystery which can be presented through the use of her light and dark coloured clothing and makeup choice. The main colours featured within her wardrobe are black and red which both traditionally hold dark and negative connotations. This is as the colour black often links to themes such as mystery, danger and death, and the colour red often links to themes such as blood, injury and hurt. Despite this, the colour red could also hold connotations to themes such as seductiveness and sexiness. This links to Laura Mulvey’s idea of the male gaze which is the way in which film present women from a masculine point of view by objectifying females for male pleasure. We have decided that the character should be presented wearing a subtle amount of makeup such as coral coloured eyeshadow and blush however also a bright red coloured lipstick. This is as a red coloured lipstick can display attractiveness, dominance and in some cases can be seen as form of power. This is important as we aim to show that although Rachel is a mother, she is also a strong, independent and hard-working business woman. Furthermore, the wardrobe choice of both characters is extremely vital in displaying the age gap between them; whilst Jenna will be dressed in traditional teenage clothing such as a casual set of T-shirt and jeans, Rachel will be dressed within professional, smart and mature clothing such as a fitted dress, trousers and a skirt to make apparent to the audience that she is a working woman.