Support Characters Profile

One of the supporting characters is named Katherine Miller. Katherine, who is known as Kathy, represents her individuality as well as her lack of conformation in society by shortening her name. By choosing her name as Kathy, it highlights the difference in personality between her and her brother, Rhys; the main character. Kathy is the younger sister of Rhys, and is in her early twenties or late teens, reinforcing the protectiveness that Rhys has over his younger sibling. Kathy contrasts Rhys in almost every aspect of their personality. She is over confident and highly social, making her loud and unique. She enjoys being the centre of attention and doesn’t behave or dress subtlety. By wearing bright colours such as red and purple but often with muted tones, it symbolises the danger and the risks she takes in her life. This references help to reinforce her character to the audience without including a back story or by dialogue. This helps to add depth to the character and makes them easier to sympathise with and to understand, it also represents the temperamental personality she has. Purple conveys her position and social status within society, as both her and her brother are classified as upper class. This is represented by both Rhys’ and Kathy’s clothing. 


Kathy is also very intelligent and this offers her the chance to be as reckless and immature as she is, by not holding down a respectable job or position within society. By detailing this information to the audience by her costume and her behaviour it does not remove attention away from the moral content of the film. This behaviour also helps to convey her lack of emotional ties and her lack of care when considering others. A trait that she believes she shares with her brother. Kathy places importance over her appearance and looks well cared for as well as pleasing, helping her to manipulate people for her own personal gain. Unlike her brother, Kathy has no romantic ties, conveyed to the audience by her lack of wedding ring and her personality that would make this sort of relationship difficult, shown throughout the film to the audience.  


The other victim within the narrative is called Lucy Morgan. Lucy is the colleague of Rhys Moriarty. Lucy is a very average character compared to Kathy the other causality in this situation. Lucy is aged around the early 30’s. This age gives her youth and room for development but also signifies that she has experience and intelligence in her profession. Her appearance relates the importance her career. She is a professional, wearing stereotypical clothes for the unknown career she shares with Rhys. The colours of her costume are greys and dark blues, representing the serious tone and the importance of rising through the ranks of her job. Her personality and youth is conveyed by the accessories that she wears, representing to the audience that no matter how important her career is, she is an individual and has her own personal tastes. Her appearance, such as hairstyle and make up convey her importance and her personality. She is strong willed character, who gives the impression of being emotionally hardened, due to the competitive nature of her work.  She is socially adept and deals with interactions and problems easily. When put in the location of the warehouse, she reacts differently from normal, giving her recognisable human characteristics making her easier to relate too and understand for the audience. Lucy wears a ring around her neck, signifying an important relationship in her life, but as it is hidden by her clothing, shows that work is most vital to her but that she has the ability to love and show compassion.  


Both of these characters help to relate to the social drama that the film is classified in. The two characters of Kathy and Lucy help to broaden the section of society and social groups that the genre can be deemed to use. They offer opinions and stereotypes of humanities existence. They also help to convey aspects of the horror genre as they are both victims of the perpetrator. The characters here are used to convey important genre aspects to the audience as well as to convey the theme of the short film.

Rough Costume Idea - Lucy

Costume is an important factor for representing a character to the audience. The clothing and appearance of a character helps to convey their personality, lifestyle and even their social status. By conveying these factors non- verbally, it gives the audience the ability to become involved with the narrative. It also adds more depth to the characters, making the plot more intriguing and it aids the consumption of the moral message. Costume and appearances also help an audience to relate to characters within a production.

The character of Lucy is a high profile business women and her clothing needs to represent this as well as her personality to the short films audience, without detracting from the theme of the overall narrative. Below are some of the first ideas of the style and colours of the clothing that the character of Lucy should wear. The features found in this articles of clothing are importnat to her character, and will be used and conisdered when producing the actual costume for this character.

This coat portrays a selection of important factors about the character of Lucy. The colour of the coat (Black) conveys the formal tone of her profession and of her personality. The colour allows her to blend into a variety of situations but also represents the authority that she posses. The dark colour also shows how often this coat could be worn, as it would be suitable to wear with a variety of outfits which can convey the importance appearance has for her. The length of the coat is also traditional for heroes and saviours. Long coats are synonymous for representing authoritative characters in a variety of media products. The length of the coat also protects her femininity from being largely apparent, representing how hard she works for an industry that could be deemed predominantly male. The cut and style of the coat are also highly relevant for conveying Lucy’s character. The long black coat is a traditional and stereotypical symbol for power, as are the majority of Lucy’s costume items.This can suggest to the audience the Horror genre of the film, because of the dark tone is possesses.  The cut of her coat offers a small glimpse to the personality that she represses in order to conform to her job description. The detail at the bottom of this coat represents the flare of individuality that Lucy has in her work, conveying to the audience that she is more rounded as a character and has outside interests of her work.

The necklace is simple design and therefore could be worn with a variety of items. The design and colours within the necklace mean that it would suit the professional and formal tone of Lucy’s outfit. The necklace conveys the femininity that is not often shown by Lucy. The design is simple but offers another example of the individuality that Lucy keeps throughout her outfit, showing a small rebellion in a career that needs conformation. The colour hue on the pearl features adds to the clear simplicity that her outfit is designed for. The connotations associated with “Pearls” represent her importance and ranking she has within society and her job. The fact that this design could appear expensive and may not match the rest of her plain outfit, could represent a gift, that conveys that she has relationships in her life. The fact she is capable of emotion, connotes this to that the audience allowing relation to be easier.

Once again a blouse of this design creates the simplicity and the formal features that make up the outfit of Lucy. The colour of this item is vital in conveying information about Lucy to the audience. White often symbolises purity and innocence but another important factor is that it conveys perfection, which is something Lucy holds crucial in her life as well as in her appearance. White is also representational of cleanliness, which is a feature that Lucy could pride herself on in order to achieve her position at work. The white blouse is a common and often stereotypical item of clothing worn by those who work in offices and high powered jobs; by keeping this feature in the costume, it allows the audience to relate to her as a character and offers them the chance to understand her behaviour and actions.  There are also aspects of this item of clothing that convey the individuality that is subtly used in the entire outfit.  The ruffle details on the sleeves and the central seam are the flare of personality that is found throughout her costume. The polka dot details on the blouse are also there to convey a sense of individualism, in what could normally be deemed a bland or uninteresting ensemble worn by many. It helps to create Lucy as an individual character as well as making her easier to remember from the audiences perspective.  

The skirt that helps to create Lucy’s character is a part of attempting to show the normality and the business position she holds. Black skirts and trousers are stereotypical components of professional’s outfits, making it easier for the audience to relate and understand her. The choice of colour in this item of clothing is also important. Black as a colour is representational of elegance and sophistication which are important concepts for a character, which has power and control, such as Lucy. Black is also recognised as a colour that changes the perception of people’s body style. This effect could be seen as important because of Lucy’s femininity but also reinforces other visual interpretations; that she cares about her appearance and the importance it holds.  Another important feature linked to the colour of this costume, is that black can also be interpreted as a colour of rebellion, which a theme running throughout Lucy’s outfit and her personality. This subtle use of colour reference allows the audience to connect with the character on a variety of levels as well as over a period of viewings. By using a skirt it reinforces her feminine nature, as it allows her shape and natural curves to be seen. The skirt also reinforces that this isn’t the most important feature due to its length. The skirt also allows for both genders to connect with the character, as men could see her as a portrayal of a female stereotype and women can see her as an inspiration and admire her. The cut and style of the skirt, is also important to show conformity in the position that Lucy holds, as the style is one that can be worn by many and has no extravagancies.

The shoes are the final piece of costume that helps to give a visual representation of Lucy’s character.  The most important piece of information represented by this feature is her personality and rebellion against the conformist society she faces. The colour of these shoes is purple and therefore represents mystery and royalty. Mystery is a key aspect of the horror genre of this short film and by linking it into the costume, is strengths the importance and knowledge to the audience. Mystery is also an important factor of Lucy’s personality, as specific details are never given; her job and her reasons for being in the location of the film.  The royalty aspect of this colour again conveys subtly to the audience that she is an important character, with high status and large amounts of power.  The height of the heel and the style of the shoes are there to convey her femininity once again. The height of the shoe shows her confidence and ability to walk in them, which can convey that, she does it often. The style of the shoe also conveys that comfort is also important as they can be deemed practical when looking at the type of heel and the strap used. This can also convey that she spends a lot of time, sat or still, due to the height of the shoe. This connotes to the fact that she has authority and importance and has control over others and does not need to partake in activities herself. The material that the shoes are constructed from is also an unusual choice so it represents her individuality, which is referenced to throughout her outfit.

These factors found throughout the costume, are important in conveying Lucy as a character and allowing the audience to connect with her and the narrative.  Each of them is important in representing the genre, an example being the Social Drama that is conveyed by the normality of her costume, making it easy to relate to everyone, but also to important issues that societies can face. By representing personality traits and the moral of the film in the costume it reinforces it in the audience’s minds and also means that important screen time is not wasted by unnecessary dialogue. Even though these are not the actual pieces of the costume, the character of Lucy will wear, the features will be attempted to be replicated, in order to make Lucy as strong and interesting character.

Main Character Profile

The protagonist within my short film is named Rhys Miller. He is a dominant male character and takes the main focus of the film and its narrative. He is a professional and is often deemed inexpressive; his serious nature when dealing with business and his family are crucial to representing this. Even though he is perceived as inexpressive or emotionless, he cares deeply for his family and friends around him; mainly for his younger sister. By hiding his emotions he perceives it at saving his family from the danger his job brings, when in fact it just makes them cold towards him. This character flaw helps to make the audience sympathise and connect with him, making this an important feature. It makes him appear more human, as this is a common trait shown throughout characterisation and in reality. The only expressive features about him are his eyes, making him easier to relate to by adding more human characteristics.

The professional tone of Rhys’ personality is also conveyed and supported by his costume. His clothing is plain and doesn’t contain specific details. The unremarkable nature of his costume, allows him to blend into the background, which is important for his profession but also is a symbol of his actions. His clothes are well fitting, and his appearance is well cared for conveying his importance as well as his status and wealth, these are vital factors in representing his character to the audience.  The colours and tones used within his costume are also important. Dark blues, greys and blacks are used to support his professional stance, but also to reinforce his masculinity. His posture is also important in creating a strong character. He is straight backed and his posture connotes the power and authority he posses. His actions are relevant and considerate, detailing the amount of care and grace he puts into life, helping to support his intelligence and the depth of his personality. His posture is also relevant to conveying how guarded he is, the lines he creates are straight and harsh, but small movements such as the emotive eyes, convey his ability to be sociable. Age is also a crucial feature, the youth of the character, age being between late 20’s- early 30’s shows what should be his innocence but how it is lost, by the cold, harsh life that the character of Rhys posses, helping the audience relate to him.

Due to the fact that this is a short film, development of character is not shown on screen because of the time constraint. It also doesn’t hinder the moral message being conveyed to the audience, by distracting them, Keeping specific details such as his job title and marital status from the audience it doesn’t over load them with information, and keeps the main focus of the audience clear. By representing these facts through visual imagery, such as the wearing of a wedding ring, it conveys there is more about the characters than is shown on screen, allowing more belief in them from the audience, helping the moral messages of the film to come across stronger.

Narrative Structure

Although in a short film there is not a lot of time for equilibrium to be established, it is important to consider the narrative structure in order to make the film understandable and represent key features of the plot that cannot be changed. The equilibrium is established within “two” is the relationships between Rhys and Kathy, brother and sister and Rhys and Lucy, two good friends and colleagues. The connections between Kathy, Lucy and the films protagonist Rhys are standard and relatable relationships for the audience. Even the troubles that later become evident between both Rhys and Kathy are commonly found in society. The clothing that all the characters wear also represents normality. They are all well kept and each of them shows pride in their appearance. The style of clothing is also a common feature of young adults and makes them easier to relate to.

The disequilibrium for this film is the decision that Rhys has to make. It threatens his normal life and holds the possibility of breaking his heart and therefore hurting him.  The choice disrupts their everyday lives and forces them to exist outside the boundaries set by society.  The fact that Rhys is forced into a decision between saving Kathy and Lucy destroys his previous life as it does not allow anything to return to as it was previously. The disequilibrium is featured at the start of the film and is carried through until the end. There are a variety of aspects that portray this change. Rhys’ behaviour alters dramatically. He begins the narrative frightened but managing to hide it behind a façade of confidence. By the end after deciding upon Kathy’s death his posture is no longer rigid but slumped as if he no longer as the will to live. His voice and language are lacking emotion and are cold as the decision appears to have hurt Rhys to the point where he is psychologically removed from the situation.

The resolution of the piece is when the equilibrium is returned to the narrative. In the case of “two” the death of Kathy brings the end of the film to what could be interpreted as a return to normality; both Lucy and Rhys are free to return to the world. The decision has been made so for now there is no danger to the characters. It helps to represent to the audience that although normality has not always been carried through this episode of their lives that it has always been present in the world around them. This is not a strong return to equilibrium as both Lucy and Rhys will never be the same as they were previously but it does reinforce that the danger and fear that encompassed the decision Rhys had to make has now diminished.

Action and Enigma codes are also an important feature of a film. The enigma codes are crucial as they pose questions to the audience about the narrative and keep them interested in the film. The action codes are how the enigma codes are portrayed to the audience. Within my idea for “two” the largest enigma code possessed is about who will Rhys choose and that is not answered until the final moments of the film. There are also a lot of questions posed that are never answered and is left to the audience to decide, allowing them to engage with the film on personal levels. These questions are Why Rhys? Where are they? Who is Lance? There are also enigma codes that answered as soon as they are posed; an example being, wondering who Kathy is. Through dialogue it will become clear that she is Rhys’ sister. Knowing this information helps to give audiences a sense of power as they know more about the characters in the narrative.  

My Short Film - First Idea

The basis of the theme for my short film is about choices. The first concept for my plot is about one character by the name of Rhys. Rhys, works in a high profile job, that is never specified, but has a large amount of security and secrecy that accompany it. Rhys, receives a message informing him to go to warehouse, where he finds his sister Kathy and his business associate Lucy standing on a trap door, both with nooses around their necks. His staff and police are already on scene and inform him that a decision has to be made about who can survive; removing one body, tips the counter weight for the trap door, hanging the other victim. Time is ticking away as he struggles between the decision that will benefit the world (saving Lucy) or the decision that will save his heart (Kathy). Rhys eventually decides to over rule his heart and save Lucy. The end of the narrative, is watching both Kathy's and Rhys' reaction as they both know when the time runs out that she will die. The final moments of the plot are revealed by focusing on the Rhys' face as his sister is killed and the anguish he faces at not choosing to save her.

The extreme decisions that Rhys has to face are exaggerated beyond anything that would occur naturally, but this plot has an important moral message, about the right decisions not always being those which are easiest to make. This narrative, also conveys to the audience the strength of love and bonds between characters. Both Rhys and Kathy are very different in personality and lifestyle choices, but they still care about each other and respect them, an important message to convey to the audience. Moral messages are also an important convention of the short film genre and therefore are crucial within my work.  

Research - Film Posters

Posters, are an important advertising tool for a film. Posters are used to intrigue the audience, by representing a key concept of the narrative. They also supply important information such as the cast and crew and the release date and occasionally the location. These conventions are commonly found in both Short and full length films. For Short films, that will not have the budget or marketing that full length films will have put into them, so the poster has to represent the concepts behind the film. Examples of this in the short film sector are the creative aspects as well as the theme of the film. It helps signify its content to the audience of these productions.

The poster for the short film "Unstoppable". It is creative and visually attractive. The use of the vivid blues and the imagery contained and layered within in it are unique and appealing to an audience. The use of this creativity is representative of the perspective that short films contain. The focus of the poster is the central image. The layering of images, colours and textures make it unique and stand out to the audience. The use of it against black background, conveys a large contrast. The names of the cast and director are at the top of the poster are traits shared with posters of full length feature films. The information underneath the title, means that attention is not removed from the representational image but details to the perspective audience the films key information. These features are found in both a short film as well as feature length film posters. The use of these conventions allows the audience to understand and retain information about it.

The 2008 short film "Purge"; winner of a variety of awards such as Best dramatic short film, AOF festival is featured around the struggle of a young women named Joy, and the sexual abuse she has come under and her escape from it. The use of the image of the young girl is representative to the audience that she is the main focus and character of the film. The fact that only half of her face is shown, can signify the portrayal of her hiding, wearing a mask and therefore trying to protect herself. It is open to a variety of interpretations. The creativity and difference of opinion this offers is crucial to the audience type as well as the category of short film itself. The typography on this piece is feminine due to the shape and curve of the font. Again connoting the link to the young women which the narrative focuses upon. The fact that the font is simple, can also represent the importance of theme and creativity of the film. The simplicity can also convey the title of the film "Purge". Again, like the majority of film posters, details about the cast, crew and other information are detail at the bottom in order not to detract from the main focal point. The choice of background is plain, conveying the importance of the young female character, but the choice of green, can represent nature and freedom, linking to the theme of the title. Green is also representative of modern existence, as it is a calm and focused colour.The background on the original picture is blurred, creating a focal point of the young girl, instead of her location. By keeping it out of focus it can suggest the changes and development of the main character that are needed to make her life clearer. This is a tool used in order to successfully convey the theme and focus of the film to its audience.

Although, this film poster is not one from the category of short films, I feel that it offers a wide range of important conventions that could be used within my product in order for it represent and market a short film successfully. This is the film poster from Tim Burton's, Alice in Wonderland. The choice of background and imagery are important as it is a strong connection with the film. The iconic imagery is bright, and the key focal point of the poster. This feature would be important in a short film poster, due to the common conventions found in them. This poster, although for a feature film, is creative and artistic in its style and approach to the narrative and imagery, an important link to short films. This poster, does change the perception of film posters, as the name of the film is at the bottom in the right hand corner. This feature would be used to make sure attention is drawn first by the image, and that the audience is forced to take in the entire poster in order to receive this information. The font and colours used throughout this poster, are crucial in portraying the theme of the film. One trait this poster does share with other film posters is that important information is once again shown at the bottom of the poster, keeping the attention of the perspective audience.

Each of the posters above, uses a variety of different conventions in order to successfully demonstrate to a perspective audience, the theme of the film. Iconic images of the film, are used as the main focal point and attraction of the poster. This helps to market the film clearly, without the need for a large quantity of text. The positioning of the title and the typography are also important in representing the content of the film. Films in which creativity and the unique content they posses such as "The Alice in Wonderland" poster are represented by the lack of conventions shown on it. Colours and tones are also an important aspect to be considered when producing a successful poster. In order to make the poster for my short film successful, I will have to apply the conventions of posters in the genre of my piece, such as dark colours, unusual fonts and dark imagery. The conventions of varying short film and feature length films posters will also be used within my work. Images that represent the film, typography and the choice of colours are all important in making sure that the poster can represent my film accurately and successfully to its audience.

Audience Research

Audience is an important aspect to consider when considering aspects for a film. Knowing the target audience means that it is successful within its genre, as it is interesting and easily understood by them. If the film is targeted at the wrong audience, it would make it unsuccessful as the content would be inappropriate and possibly uninteresting to them. The audience for short films is very specific due to the content and style that they deal with.  Due to the fact short films aren’t often sold, or classified, there are no customer reviews or BBFC classifications, the research on audience interests will have to be conducted by a questionnaire.

A stereotypical audience for them would often be of higher education, often to University level. The manner in which short films convey their content through metaphors and strong creative imagery would require a large degree of interest in content similar to it, like literature. Due to the education level of a typical audience member and the importance of imagery and visuals for the moral message the audience members would typically be middle to upper class, to represent the well educated creative society. Gender is an important category to consider, unlike films of stereotypical gender genres such as Romantic Comedy and Action, the morals and content of a short film can be deemed suitable for both genders.  After analysing and viewing a variety of comments on video sharing sites such as YouTube the mainstream television shows and films mentioned convey the theme’s ad content that that the typical audience are interested in.

From comments they have shown an interest in shows such as “Sherlock”, “Doctor Who” and “Silent Witness”.  These shows convey the passion for imagery and unique content, due to the strange cases that are solved in the majority of the productions. “Sherlock” and “Silent Witness” also show the interest in programmes that require thought and concentration, an aspect that is heavily involved in short films.  Films that they may also have an interest in are supernatural and have content that is unique and carries a moral message to the audience such as “Donnie Darko” and ”The Secret Window” they are also films that have certificates and content that are suitable for the age category stated above.