After Meadow sent out emails to our two possible choices for the role of the man in the opening sequence, we quickly gained responses. Both Ezra and Lee said that they would be happy to act in our sequence. However, they said it was important that they were aware of the date of our shot, which we are not yet aware of.
Below is a screenshot of an email exchange between Meadow and Lee:
Within a couple of days of sending out our email, we received some responses to the emails that Meadow sent out asking if our desired actors would be interested in acting in our opening sequence. One problem we experienced was that some teachers weren't so comfortable with the idea of having a funnel taped to their mouth. Additionally one of the teachers is several months into her pregnancy and so she didn't feel comfortable acting in our scene. However, Meadow had a discussion with Hana who agreed that if we were unable to find anyone else, she would be happy to appear in our opening sequence. Due to the issue of some of our casting choices being uncomfortable with the funnel, we decided to redraft our email template so that we could explain this aspect of the opening sequence in person, as we were finding it quite hard to accurately describe via email. Therefore, Meadow wrote an email to our new choice for the role of the woman, Susannah who is a dance teacher.
Below are some screenshots of the new email template:
Today, Meadow and I went to the studio which is located right by the media classrooms to have a look around the studio. Matthew was unable to come due to being absent from school with Covid. However, he has been in the studio before, and we will show him the pictures we took when he returns next week. We confirmed that the room would be a suitable space to build a set in which we could film our opening sequence if there is some reason we are unable to use the Beatrice Webb garden room.
Below are some pictures of the studio, including Meadow looking around:
Today, Meadow and I started thinking about who to cast as the man in our opening sequence. We compiled a list of those who we believed would play the role of a mysterious character well. We needed the man to appear as an adult, around at least forty years old so we decided that we should cast a teacher as opposed to a student. However, the man's appearance, like the woman's is not highly important as the man's face will never be revealed. However, small details such as shots of his hands at the beginning will help to reveal that this man is an adult. We decided on Ezra, a teacher in the drama department as our first choice for the role, and we decided on Lee who also works for the drama department as our second choice for the role. The fact that both of these teachers are skilled in acting will help us to ensure that our actor provides a convincing portrayal of the character.
Meadow created an email template to send to both teachers, substituting their name into the start of the email. This email can be seen below:
Whilst Matthew was absent from school with Covid, Meadow and I began composing a list of who we might cast as the woman in our opening sequence. We decided that our first choice would be Claire, who is part of the drama department. If she is unable to play the role, we will cast either Louise from the English department or Hana, an A1 student who is in Meadow's media class. We decided on Claire and Louise as we feel that both would look like the appropriate age for the role. Furthermore, Claire has acting experience which would be a significant benefit. Although Hana is slightly young for the role, the character would be wearing a funnel on their face so this would not be a huge issue. Additionally, Meadow has seen her act before and feels that she could deliver a convincing performance.
Meadow contacted all of our possible choices for the role via email. Meadow used the same template to contact each person, making sure to substitute in the correct name. Below are some screenshots of the email she sent to Louise:
Our group decided on the Beatrice Webb garden room as a location for filming our opening sequence. We decided that this would be a good location for filming as it would fit the theme of using natural ingredients that the murderer has perhaps grown in his garden to kill the victim, his sister. We also feel that it would be a good location due to the fact that there is lots of light available. This would help us to film a range of interesting shots including silhouettes of the man, fitting in with the mysterious atmosphere that we are hoping to create.
