Female Character Shortlist

Here are some of the actresses that got back to us from PCR about playing the parts of 'Daphne' and 'Naomi.'



For their auditon, we have called back two girls for 'Naomi' and two girls for 'Daphne.' We are going to have them go in pairs and read the roles they are auditioning for. The scene we will give them tomorrow is the street scene where Naomi first approaches Daphne. This is when the equilibrium of the film is disturbed.

'The Price of Beauty' Script.

int. master bedroom. day

An incredibly large bedroom. Chippendale furniture rests on axminster carpet. On the walls hangs contemporary art. Beautiful pieces that suggest an element of fantasy. In the middle of this room is a large bed like a flowering iris as ruffled white sheets fall across the edges. In the middle of this rose of sheets is Daphne a young woman in her twenties. She wakes up.

Feet glide into luxurious slippers. Next to them lies a book (Philip Roth)

TITLE: THE PRICE OT BEAUTY

INT.MASTER BEDROOM. DAY

Daphne sitting at the dressing table with maid combing her hair, Daphne playing with her face trying to make herself look prettier.

A long pause as Daphne reflects. The maid continues to comb.


Daphne:

How are the plans coming along for the party tomorrow night? Has Martin confirmed for 6 o'clock? We need something exquisitely different, it's my trademark.

Pause.


Pygmies! Yes, Pygmies serving supper, how wonderful! We can have them serving supper! Gerald can fly them over.

Maid says nothing.

int. fLOWEr shop. day.

Daphne standing in front of a sea of flowers. She is pointing in all directions.

DAPHNE:

Give me four bunches of those. And that jar or roses. Yes, I'll have all the roses in the jar. No, no lilac. I hate lilac. It's got no shape. (Under her breath) Lilac is so dreadfully shapeless. (Louder again) Give me those stumpy little tulips. Those red and white ones.

INT. CAR. DAY.

INT. JEWELERY SHOP. DAY.

Daphne sitting alone in a room, at a desk. She is drinking champagne, the bottle in a ice bucket by the desk. She is smoking a cigarette? The sound of footsteps can be heard. They carry on, getting louder and closer for around six seconds.

Shop Assistant:

(Opening a small box, handing it to her.)

Here you are Madam. This is brand new, just flown over from Dubai. The clarity is perfection.

DAPHNE:

Oh Ivan, this is the most beautiful, precious thing I have ever seen. I must have it!

Daphne is admiring it, noting every detail.

But what is the price?

SHOP Assistant:

This, Madam, comes to a total of fifteen thousand pounds.

DAPHNE:

Fifteen thousand pounds. Well, could you keep it for me?

SHOP Assistant:

Of course Madam.

Bows. Takes the box and leaves the room. Daphne puts her coat back on and leaves the shop.

EXT. STREET. Day.

Daphne steps out of shop. She is gazing at the world around her curiously, showing that she is realizing there is a world outside of her own. Suddenly, she feels a tap on her shoulder.

Naomi:

Excuse me Madam, may I speak to you a moment?

Daphne stops and stares at the girl.

Daphne:

Speak to me?

The girl pulls her coat around her.

NAOMI:

M-madam, please could I have some money for a cup of tea?

DAPHNE:

You have no money at all?

NAOMI:

None, Madam.

DAPHNE:

How extraordinary!

Daphne is still staring at the girl. Her eyes begin to move with ideas, she starts taking in the girl from top to bottom. She smiles.

DAPHNE:

Why don't you come home to tea with me?

Naomi's mouth drops open in shock. She looks confused.

DAPHNE:

(Smiling.)

Why won't you? Do. come home with me now in my car and have tea.

NAOMI:

You - you don't mean it, Madam.

She begins to stutter.

You must be mistaken.

DAPHNE:

Her voice gets quick and excited, yet still reassuring.

But I do! I want you to. Please, please come along.

Naomi puts her fingers to her lips. She looks at Daphne longingly.

NAOMI:

You're - you're not taking me to the police station? Please don't...I'll leave you alone.

Begins to turn to walk away. Rosemary touches her arm, getting her to turn back around.

DAPHNE:

The police station!

She laughs.

Why should I be so cruel? No, I only want to get you into a warm house and give you something to ear and hear...anything you wish to tell me.

Naomi smiles and nervously nods. They begin to walk to the car and the chauffeur, dressed in a suit and hat, opens the door. Daphne offers for Naomi to get in first, Daphne follows. Daphne turns to Naomi as they set off.

DAPHNE:

Don't be frightened. After all, why shouldn't you come back with me? I'll look after you...I will.

int. day. sitting room.

Daphne is walking around the room as Naomi stands in the doorway, gazing at the room.

DAPHNE:

Come and sit down in this big, comfy chair. It's delightful here by the fire, come and get warm.

Naomi doesn't move.

Oh please, you mustn't be frightened.

Naomi makes her way, very slowly, over to the chair and cautiously sits down.

DAPHNE:

Oh how thoughtless of me! We must have tea...tea at once!

She goes over to the side where a pot of tea is waiting and fills two teacups. She then goes over to the door.

Mary! Bring the brandy at once!

NAOMI:

No...no! Please, I don't want brandy, I never drink brandy. All I want is a cup of tea please Madam.

Her voice is shaking and she begins to cry. Daphne rushes over and puts her arm around Naomi's shoulders. Naomi forgets herself for a moment and sobs.

I can't go on no longer like this. I can't bear it...I cannot bear it! I shall do away with myself. I can't bear this any longer.

DAPHNE:

You shan't have to and you won't! I will look after you, please don't cry anymore. Don't you see what a good thing it was that you met me? We'll have tea and you'll tell me everything. And I shall arrange something. I promise...I promise I will! Do stop crying...please.

Naomi stops crying, wiping her eyes. Mary comes in with a tray filled with sandwiches and a bottle of brandy. She sets it down on the table and Daphne goes over to the window as the tea is brought over. Naomi begins to eat and Daphne starts to smoke a cigarette.

Mary comes back a little while later and removes the tray of food. Just the teacups, an ashtray and coffee table book remain on the table. Daphne goes over and sits down as Naomi leans back in her chair. Daphne lights another cigarette.

DAPHNE:

(Speaking softly)

When did you have your last meal?

At that moment there is a knock at the door. Philip puts his head round the door.

Philip:

May I come in Daphne?

DAPHNE:

Of course darling.

Philip comes in.

PHILIP:

Oh, I'm so sorry.

He stops and stares at Naomi in the chair.

DAPHNE:

It's quite alright.

She smiles.

This is my friend...

She stops and turns to Naomi.

I haven't even asked your name?

NAOMI:

Naomi, Madam.

DAPHNE:

This is Naomi.

Daphne turns back to Philip.

We are going to have a little talk, darling.

PHILIP:

Oh yes, dear...we most certainly are.

Philip looks down and sees Naomi's coat on the floor. He goes over to the fire and turns his back to it.

It's a beastly afternoon.

He looks down at Naomi's boots and then looks at Daphne.

DAPHNE:

Yes, isn't it? Absolutely vile.

Philip smiles, a very charming smile.

PHILIP:

As a matter of fact, could you come into my study with me for a moment? Naomi, will you excuse us?

DAPHNE:

Of course she will.

Daphne and Philip leave the room. Naomi picks up the book and flicks through it.

int. day. philip's study.

Philip is sitting behind his desk with Daphne in the chair opposite.

PHILIP:

I say, Daphne. Please explain to me who this girl is? What does it all mean.

Begins to chuckle.

I'm a little confused darling.

DAPHNE:

(Laughing lightly)

I picked her up in Curzon Street. Really. She's a real pick-up. She asked me if I had any money for a cup of tea and I felt so sorry for her, So I told her to come home with me.

PHILIP:

(His voice is raised)

But what on earth are you going to do with her?

DAPHNE:

(Answers quickly)

Be nice to her...be so very nice to her. I'm going to look after her. I don't know how, we haven't talked yet. But I want to show her - treat her - make her feel...

PHILIP:

My darling girl, you're quite mad, you know that? I really don't think this is the best idea, although she is lovely.

DAPHNE:

I knew you'd say that. Why not? I want to! Isn't that a good enough reason? Besides, I am always reading about these things. I decided-

PHILIP:

She is just so astonishingly pretty.

DAPHNE:

(Begins to stutter)

Her face drops a little.

Pretty? Do you think so? I-I hadn't even noticed.

(Her voice trails off)


PHILIP:

Good Lord! She's absolutely lovely.

He lights a cigarette.

Just look at her. I was blown away when I came into your room just now.

Daphne looks away from him.

However...I think you're making a ghastly mistake. Sorry, darling, if I'm crude and all that. Just let me know if Naomi is going to dine with us tonight?

Daphne doesn't say anything, gets up and walks out the door. Philip picks up the newspaper on his desk and starts to read, smoking his cigarette.

int. day. Daphne's study.

Daphne goes over to her desk and sits down. She takes out an envelope and writes 'Naomi' on it. She then takes out two twenty pound notes and one ten pound note. She puts in the envelope and goes out the room.

int. day. philip's study.

Daphne enters Philips study, he is sitting reading the newspaper like before. Daphne goes over to him and sits on the arm of his chair. He turns to her and strokes her head.

DAPHNE:

Darling, I found the most beautiful ring today, but it costs fifteen thousand pounds. May I have it?

PHILIP:

Of course you may, you little wasteful thing. Anything you like.

DAPHNE:

(Speaks softly)

Darling, can I ask you something? Do you like me?

PHILIP:

I like you very much, you know how much I adore you.

DAPHNE:

Do you think I'm pretty?

The camera pans back to show Daphne still sitting on the arm of Philips chair and Philip with his arm around her waist and stroking her head. The screen fades to black.

(Scenes 8, 9 and 10 are going to be shown using cross cutting.)

More Pre-Production Work.

I have taken on the role of producer and next week we will hopefully start filming. Our last stages at the moment are auditioning our actors and finalising our locations. To find out actors for our production, we advertised on PCR which is an organisation actors join to find work. We got numerous responses from actresses wanting to play the parts of 'Daphne' and 'Naomi.' The reason we decided to employ actors who are older is because our story calls for people in their twenties and thirties and we felt it would benefit out final production if we used people older than ourselves.

We have written out our full script and have lists of things such as props and shooting schedule's.

This is our production schedule for 'The Price of Beauty.'

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This is a summary of our scheduled scenes:

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This is our shooting schedule:

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Here is a snapshot of part of our script:

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Most of our pre-production was done on Celtx. We have also drawn up shot lists and storyboards to help the filming of 'The Price of Beauty' go more smoothly.

Ideas for Locations and Casting.

Locations:

As our film opens we want the audience to get a very clear idea of who the character of Rosemary is. We are hoping to do this by having our actress walking down Bond Street holding lots of shopping bags as this is how she fills her days. So one of our locations is going to be Bond Street and we are planning on filming this scene early in the morning as we can't have too many people in the shot. Another location is going to be a flower shop. In Katherine Mansfield's story, Rosemary goes into a flower shop and picks out many flowers to take home. We want to show this in our film. A friend of ours' parents own a flower shop so we are going to see if we can get permission to film in there. The next location is a shop where Rosemary finds something she wants but it is very expensive. She will need to ask her husband first if she can buy it, so the shop assistant will hold the item for her. In Mansfield's version, this is an antique shop, however, since we are doing this in a modern style we will need to think along the lines of more of a boutique. The last and main location will be the house of Rosemary and Philip Fell. We are hoping to be able to film in my aunt's house which is situated on Stormont Road in Highgate, North London. This house is the perfect setting for a young, well-off couple. These are the locations we currently have in mind.

Casting:

We have three main characters in our story and two minor ones. The two minor ones will be the shop assistant's in the flower shop and boutique. Our main characters are Philip Fell, Rosemary Fell and Miss Smith. In Mansfield's story, Rosemary is described as having pretty features but when put all together, not beautiful. Miss Smith is described as being quite mesmorisingly beautiful. We are not told a lot about Philip, although he has a "charming smile."

For Philip, we would like to portray him as something similar to the character of Chuck Bass from the American tv program Gossip Girl. Chuck's style is eccentric at times but always sends out the signals of wealth. His style is preppy but also classic with a slight twist, he wears bright colours and interesting suits.

For Rosemary , we want to portray her as something similar to Victoria Beckham; someone who is obsessed with her looks, both body and fashion wise. Victoria Beckham dresses in quite a classic style with plain tops, blazers and then adds a twist with leather trousers and killer heels. Her handbags are always the latest and her Rolex watch is classic and eye-catching.



For Miss Smith, I think it will be slightly harder to find someone who looks just right. The girl we choose needs to be naturally beautiful with "tangled hair, dark lips, deep, lighted eyes." We want someone with long hair, a beautiful face, and quite small in order for the audience to empathise with her vulnerability. Miss Smith will be dressed in poor and dirty clothes as she is homeless. We have not yet decided who we would like her looks to resemble.

Pre-Production.

After looking through our first screen list and discussing it more, we decided that we need to split the work between the three of us. I am working with Claudia Humphreys and Kate Shurgaia.

We have decided to adapt a short story by Katherine Mansfield called 'A Cup of Tea.' We have decided to do this in a modern, 21st century style. If this story had to be described in a single sentence I would say that it is about a woman dealing with her own insecurities. There are three main characters in it, a husband and wife called Philip and Rosemary Fell, and a poor woman called Miss Smith. Rosemary discovers Miss Smith, takes a strong liking to her and takes her home. When her husband returns, he is "bowled over" by this girls beauty. When he informs his wife of this, her insecurities come out and she decides to dismiss Miss Smith. Rosemary didn't think that she would have any competition from this girl as she was of a lower class.

The work we need to begin with is figuring out the costumes, casting and locations of filming. We also need to do a breakdown of the story by using the book.

I am figuring out the locations for where we are going to film and looking at the casting; for example finding pictures of actors who are similar to what we want to portray our characters as.

First Screen List Draft.

Scene List:

Scene 1, ext, day.
Show she’s a rich yet ugly bitch. She can afford everything but not looks. Her features are nice but not pretty put together. Walking down the road.

Scene 2, int, day.
Flower shop.

Scene 3, int, day.
Boutique.

Scene 4, ext, day.
Meets Miss Smith. Street scene, outside the shop.

Scene 5, int, day.
Arrive at the house and set out tea, conversation between the two.

Scene 6, int, afternoon.
Husband comes in “bowled over”, dialogue.

Scene 7, int, afternoon.
Rosemary and Phillip. Rosemary goes to her writing room, money.

Scene 8, int, afternoon/early evening.
Dismissing Miss Smith.

Scene 9, int, early evening.
Rosemary and Phillip – end scene – her insecurities come out.

Cast:
Miss Smith/Naomi – Claudia R.
Rosemary/ Daphne -
Phillip/ Andreas – Andreas H.

Style:
-Modern.
-21st century.
-Contemporary.

-Daphne has pretty features but when put all together is not beautiful.
-Naomi is “a light, frail creature with tangled hair, dark lips, deep, lighted eyes.”
-Andreas has a “charming smile.”

Research on Short Films

The Black Hole (Future Shorts.)



This short film is about a man who works in an office and comes across a photocopy of a big black circle. The subtext of the narrative is about greed. The man realises that things disappear when put through this black hole and he puts the paper onto the office safe and starts taking the money. He then crawls into the safe and gets stuck. The moral of the story is that greed will you land in trouble. The office is typically portrayed as dull with plain colours and a blue filter over the camera and the man looks typically bored at his office job.

Occupied (Future Shorts.)



The short film 'Occupied' is about a girl on an aeroplane who is desperate to have a cigarette. She locks herself into the toilet and we are shown a montage sequence of the things she has hidden about her person in order to disable the smoke alarm, block the vents and put her Zippo lighter together.

Lovefield.



This film was directed by someone called Mathieu Ratthe. This film contains the element of surpirse. Ratthe described this film by saying "Lovefield combines elements of horror, suspense and drama to create a story that takes the audience on a roller coaster ride of emotions." The short film demonstrates how music can create tension and it plays a big part in convincing the audience to feel different emotions. Mathieu Ratthe obviously had more of a budget when creating this short film and therefore could afford to spend money on a crew and on special effects. The narrative of this story is leading the audience to believe one thing when actually the complete opposite is happening. This film could also be an example of Claude Levi-Strauss's approach to narrative with the use of binary opposites; the idea of death vs birth. The narrative uses the enigmatic code, a simple story which turns out to be a guy who finds a woman having a baby. The cornfield and black crow usually signify a horror film as you imagine deserted ranches with strange people who live on their own, isolated from the world. The man in the film is dressed in a way that fits this stereotype as he is dressed in a pair of dirty overalls with a vest underneath. The fact that we see a dirty foot and the phone beeping leads the audience to believe that someone has been murdered. However, this turns out to be quite the opposite.

Lucky.



I would say that the genre of this film is action. It has a quick pace and involves the audience. The short film uses Todorov's approach to narrative; the use of equilibrium and disequilibrium. The beginning of the film is when the man is in the truck. The middle of the film is when the man is on the car and the end of the film is the explosion. The story is mainly told through image. There is no soundtrack and no talking. The only sound is the music at the beginning, establishing the mood. The location is in the middle of the desert. This usually signifies where bodies are buried or where people go to die. The make up and costume helps tell us the situation with the blood on the tape across his mouth and the old western style red car. The camera is handheld and shaky, it makes everything seem more real and gives a sense of urgency.

Post-It Love.



This film's genre is romantic comedy. It has a moderate to slow pace. The basic narrative is a shy boy meets girl and falls in love. There is no real narrative/arc. The characters are unable to express emotions and therefore express them through post-it note pictures. The location is a bland office with bright post-its as props. The camera work can be described as static and it is kept extremely simple. The music dominates the film and is childish in a way, making it sound like an advert.

Bitch.



The genre of the film 'Bitch' is a comedy. The narrative of the film is a boy shopping. The casting uses Levi-Strauss's approach of binary opposites. The film also uses Todorov's theory of narrative. The beginning is the single man shopping, the middle is the woman showing the photo of her son and the end is the realisation of what the woman has done. It is the suspense of disbelief which holds the audience. The woman gets away with doing something that would never happen in everyday life. The camera shows an over the shoulder dialogue sequence with close ups and shallow depth of field. The framing is using a wide angle. The film's credits reinforce the film's genre and are done in a receipt style supporting the storyline.

Research of Three Directors for Short Film

Blake Edwards:

Blake Edwards is one of my favourite directors. Breakfast at Tiffany's, the Pink Panther films and The Great Race are all favourite films of mine. The style of Breakfast at Tiffany's is extremely memorable and this is partly down to the direction of Blake Edwards. The audience feel involved in the love story between the two characters and are kept entertained. The Great Race is another memorable film as Blake Edwards keeps the audience hooked with the twists and turns of the stories.

Steven Spielburg:

Steven Spielburg is one of the most iconic filmmakers in history. All the classic films we watch today are because of his great direction. My personal favourites include Jaws, ET, The Colour Purple and Hook. His films involve many themes and genre's. He is considered to be one of the most influential filmmakers in the history of cinema.

Stanley Donen:

Stanley Donen directed classic films such as Funny Face, Blame It On Rio and Singin' in the Rain. What's interesting about Stanley Donen is that he was also a choreographer and this made his films even more memorable as he had a say in both the direction and choreography in the film. I really like Donen's film styles as they make for interesting films and really hold the audience's attention. The choreography he used at the times of each film was different to a lot of things people were used to and that made him intriguing as a director.

Research of Film Styles for Short Film

What is an auteur?
Auteur theory is when a film reflects the director’s personal creative vision, as if he were the author. It is often easy to tell when a certain director has directed a film, as their ‘auteur’ is similar to other films of theirs. Auteur theory has had a major impact on film criticism since it was advocated by Francois Truffaut, a film director and critic, in 1954. It is the analysis of a film’s theory or characteristics of a director’s work that makes them an auteur. Auteurism is often associated with the French New Wave.

What is Cinema Verite?
Cinema verite is a style of documentary filmmaking which combines naturalistc techniques with stylized cinematic devices of editing, camerawork, the use of the camera to provoke subjects and staged set-ups. Cinema verite is associated with taking a provocative stance toward its topics. Differences in cinema verite include whether the audience are aware of the camera or not.

What is avant-garde film?
Avant-garde film is a range of filmmaking styles that differ from the practices of mainstream commercial and documentary filmmaking. This is also known as experimental film. An avant-garde film can be noted by the absence of linear narrative and the use of various abstracting techniques such as out of focus, scratching on the film or rapid editing. The uses of non-diegetic sound or having no sound track at all are also characteristics of avant-garde film. Avant-garde films are usually low budget with little crew.

What is film noir?
Film noir is a term which describes Hollywood crime dramas. These films can include emphasis on cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. The film noir period was from the early 1940’s to the late 1950’s. These films involved a low key black and white visual style with roots in German Expressionist cinematography. The ideas of film noir products derive from the crime fiction that emerged during the Depression in the USA.

What is French New Wave about?
The French new wave was a term given by critics to a group of French filmmakers from the late 1950’s and 1960’s. They were influenced by Italian Neorealism and classical Hollywood cinema. Filmmakers were linked by their self-conscious rejection of classical cinematic form and youthful iconoclasm. Iconoclasm is the deliberate destruction of a culture’s religious icons and other symbols by the culture itself. The French New Wave is an example of European art cinema.