Thriller Planning // Characters

With such a short time limit available to produce the piece, there was unfortunately little or no room for characterisation and back story, as attempting to flesh out the characters would distract too much from the action and leave little time for other more thrilling aspects of the piece. Also, the limited pool for acting talent restricted our options at more emotionally intense scenes. These factors limited the piece to characters who had to be immediate and simple, which was unfortunate. This made it harder for to write interesting, engaging, and unclichéd characters to set the piece apart. To counter this, we had to think about character types that were by definition, different and engaging, rather than building upon other ones, something we're not able to do. 3 character types were developed in mind of these guidelines, with many possible ideas being discussed.

The Photographer/Voyeur-Grace Weiss(Witness):

• Called Grace in reference to Grace Kelly in 'Rear Window' (1954) who plays a similar, innocent witness character. and also peaceful, calm nature of the name. Surname Weiss in reference to white, the colour of purity and innocence.
• Innocent and unknowing? stumbles upon murder accidentally, doesn't want to get involved in incident but is drawn in.
• male or female, unimportant, but vulnerable to female character, so must have feminine qualities. could be male to challenge stereotypes (man weaker than woman) but female should be used, as harder to present man as feminine to audience.
• has quality photographers equipment, devoted to photography, skilled in photography but less so in other things.
• less carefully dressed, more vulnerable and weak.
• can see the murder happening and want to pry into it, cause own fate by staying and attracting attention.
• Accidentally photographs/witnesses murder like Thomas in Blow up or Jeffries in Rear window.
• Teenage, similar age to target audience, relatable.
•  Protagonist, easy for audience to relate with and fear for character.

The Unexpected killer-Lizzie Bateman(Murderer):

• Called Lizzie in reference to Lisbeth Salander, strong female protagonist from 'Man Som Hatar Kvinnor' ['The girl With The Dragon Tattoo'] (2009) as well Queen Elizabeth I, Strong Female Tudor Monarch. Lisbeth Salander is a similarly strong female as well as representative of the noir femme-fatale archetype. Bateman in reference to character of Patrick Bateman From 'American Psycho'.
• Avoid clichés of killers/psychopaths (i.e. middle aged male)
• Female killer, challenges and subverts stereotypes and adds interest to the piece. may be unrealistic
• Well dressed; not dressed for rural setting but not dressed impractically, calm and in control, but still chaotic and dangerous. outside peaceful appearance, contrasts violent actions and consequences.
• Could be protagonist? interesting and different, but difficult to represent within short 2 minute time-frame and hard to make audience empathise for the character.
• teenage? Relatable to target audience.
• could use a knife as murder weapon, planned and dangerous or could use improvised weapon such as a branch or a stone, crime of passion, lack of control
• how could a woman overpower a man? attack him when he least expects it, drop an object such as gloves or purse, when man goes to pick it up, stab/hit them? during an embrace? when man least expects it.
• Possible origins/backgrounds:
  -Ideal, perfect person with hidden psychopathic side. Good student, runner, productive, law abiding, popular and charming. could kill victims when out running? uses killing as an outlet? Serial killer? Similar to Patrick Bateman in American Psycho.
  -Forced into violence, doesn't really want to commit violence but has to. Family, friends, environment like Billy in 'Essex Boys' or J in 'Animal Kingdom
  -Organised crime, gang member, hit-man, like in Nikita. Could be 'Honey Trap' lures boys out to isolated location before murdering them, may be difficult to establish within time limit, clashes with peaceful setting.
  -Crime of passion/self defence. Abusive boyfriend, father?
• Looks up after murder and lights cigarette, apathetic and un-phased, see's witness waves casually as if nothings wrong. contrasts chaos of violence.
• red fingernails, like blood on their hands, draws attention to the hands 

The foolish Everyman-Fred Ferdinand(victim):

• Called Fred in reference to Fred Macmurray, who play the character Walter Neff in 'Double Indemnity' (1944) who is seduced by a femme fatale and as a result, becomes involved with a murder. connotes foolishness of character, single syllable nickname, foolish. Also many comedy characters called Fred (i.e. Drop Dead Fred). Surname Ferdinand in reference to Ferdyschenko, A jester from Dostoyevsky's The Idiot
• Jogger/cyclist/dog walker? dogs could be hard to control, so ruled out. locations may be hard to cycle along, cyclist may easily escape, cyclist ruled out.
• photographer? out photographing nature (later developed for witness character)
• anonymous and bland, normal teenage boy, identity unimportant
• male killed by female, reinforces strength of female, challenges stereotype.
• killed during embrace, when least expected.
• could be abusive towards girl, gets punished and killed as a result
• could be brash, jock type, overconfident and defeated by female killer, irony.

Revision:01/03/14

• final iteration of character was more of a prop than a character, dying immediately without characterisation. coubld be characterised in feature length film.