20/09/11 - Character research

When thinking about our film trailer, we decided that our characters needed names so that not only could we identify each one, but so that the audience would be able to as well. We originally thought that our main girl who goes missing would need a name that suited her personality. As we had agreed that she would need to appear quite innocent and vulnerable, we researched into names that are commonly associated with those traits.

Below are a few names that we thought would be quite suitable, and their meanings:

• Emily - Meaning: rival. Having already discussed the fact that this character would appear to be innocent and quiet, we feel that this name wouldn't quite suit her characteristics.
• Alice - Meaning: of a noble kin/noble. The meaning for this name also fails to describe our character, despite the name sounding as though it belongs to a shy and harmless person.
• Isabel - Meaning: God's promise/My God is a vow. This name is incredibly spiritual, and having researched into its meaning, we feel that it would not really stick in the mind of the audience as a name for someone who is very gentle and almost powerless, having no control over what happens to her.
• Kate - Meaning: pure/blessed. As our characters is kidnapped, we feel a name that means 'blessed' would not suit someone who experiences something that makes her seem the complete opposite, almost as if she is cursed.
• Lily - Meaning: innocence/purity/beauty. This is the name that we decided truly represented the character that we wanted to present to our audience. When we first began thinking about her characters characteristics, we imagined a girl who could be viewed as innocent and vulnerable.

Below I have included a printscreen of the webpage that provided us with the information concerning the meaning of the name 'Lily'. Doing this research really allowed us to gain a clearer image of how we wanted our actress to act, and what we thought her character should act like.

Lily (played by our friend Georgi) is the films protagonist, and is also the girl that disappears at the very beginning. She's an ordinary 17 year old girl, who enjoys meeting her friends regularly at social events, such as parties. When we are first introduced to her at the beginning of the trailer, although the audience has not been given a description, it is clear that she is walking home from a party. She is seen walking down a trail in a secluded, forest area, away from the houses and street lights. She is still in her outfit, meaning that her shoes are hard for her to walk in down the bumpy trail. Additionally, her outfit, which is a dress and a small jacket fail to keep her warm at night, resulting in her looking considerably more vulnerable, as she hugs herself to keep her warm.