Casting CallsAuditions for ‘Crooked Rain’

15/11/12

CO-DIRECTOR Shane MeadowsVirgin Army

Lenny Lavers

Dolby Digital

Shivie Mistry

Casting Call Auditions:

Audition results:

Main Cast

AlexMr Vorhees

Harry Raquel

Ellie Chahak

Alex’s Mom

Lenny Lavers Stuart Sharp

Harry AdebeyoRaquel TomeEllie NugentChahak PatelSusan Windigo

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Out of the many that auditioned, the point of this was to narrow it down and ultimately find people that can play as well as look the part. Therefore in the auditioning process, the casting director

had to choose those who did not only contain the talent but shared similar characteristics with their character/that their role required (facial,

build, hair etc). They were allocated according to these, as in many slasher/horror films certain

characters tend to have conventional features. This allows it to be easier for the audience to identify those characters within these kinds of films e.g. the innocent saviour girl, usually has mousy brown hair, simple clothing and hardly

any make up. However, overtime this has changed to create a more realistic representation

of these characters but all in all it is still a convention which can be found today.

Alex

We chose Lenny to be Alex because his facial features fit the characteristics of a final girl. The last character remaining is usually white and seen as middle class. The final girl has mousey hair and wears simple clothes to portray her innocence. Lenny fits most of these characteristics as he looks innocent and wears simple clothing. However, he does challenge some of the characteristics of a final girl. For one, he is a boy, masculine and slightly built. We didn’t want to portray Alex as camp because we did not want to stick to the stereotypical view of homosexuals. We wanted to challenge the convention by making him more masculine and portraying him as a heterosexual.

Mr Vorhees

Stuart Sharp was chosen to be the killer –Mr Vorhees– as we wanted someone who could be passed off for being a benefactor, and yet because they are seen to convey such trusting features the fact that they are the killer too would cause for an uneasiness within the audience. The fact he wears glasses can be seen as a weakness as the audience would underestimate his ability seeing him as more fragile. In a sense the idea of appearance vs reality is brought into it as we want this character to make the audience question their securities and if a success then the film would have affected the audience in an unsettling way.

Harry

We chose Harry as normally the first person to be killed is part of an ethnic minority. It is a stereotypical convention for a black person to be one of the first people to be killed in a slasher film. This was said out loud in the movie ‘Scream’. Due to this, we are following this custom as Harry fits this convention. He is seen as a typical ‘lad’ as he is the most sexual out of the group of boys objectifying women in the way he speaks and acts. Also, he is aggressive as he would start fights randomly. We initially chose Harry because his character was better suited for the role. However, with further examination we realised that we have followed the convention and created a cliché and stereotypical type of character.

Raquel

We chose Raquel as the first girl as she looks like she has a seductive hidden personality. Her hair cut is short and edgy which has connotations of a rebellious nature. Without the scarf, her clothes are tight as they show off her figure. This is a typical archetype of the first girl. They are the most promiscuous and confident out of the girls in the group. Her clothes usually emphasis her sexuality. She is typically blonde and very attractive. Raquel is an attractive girl, however she is not blonde. We have challenged this convention as she has black hair. Black has mostly negative connotations. This fits in with our movie as she is seen as the ‘bad influence’ in the group. Her sexual nature has repercussions leading to her being the first one killed.

Ellie

Ellie can be seen as the substitute final girl. Although Alex was chosen to challenge the convention by being male, we still wanted to allow the audience to relate in some sense . She is quite petite and slim and in many aspects could share characteristics with the Raquel who is the provocative character. She is conveyed within the film to be innocent and virginal but her unconventional character (possessing red hair and piercings) celebrates a type of freedom teens are thought to abuse.

AlexMr VorheesHarryRaquelEllieChahak