Research for short film.

Actor Research.

For our male protagonist - Patrick Maloney.We intend to use a local professional actor.We intend him to look extremely average and have nothing out of the ordinary about his  appearance. This is in order to effectively portray the shock that the viewer should experience when he kills Mary Maloney.

For our female protagonist/victim, Mary Maloney we intend to use an actress between the ages of 25-35 with previous acting experience, We intend for her to look very average and not have anything out of the ordinary about her appearance either.

We will also require two adult males to play the detectives, similarly aged to the actors playing Mary and Patrick Maloney, ideally aged between 25-35. We would also prefer to get actors with previous experience as there is a significant amount of dialogue within our short film and if the actor had no previous experience I believe our short film would be reduced in the overall quality.

Prop research.

A frozen leg of lamb- This is the item used to commit the murder, which is the central aspect to the

play, Patrick Maloney will later cook this leg of lamb and feed it to the detectives on the case of his wives murder in order to destroy the evidence, this means we will actually have to source a real leg of lamb as opposed to a plastic one.

An Analogue clock- During the opening few seconds of the film we intend to have a shot in which Patrick Maloney stares at the clock whilst waiting for his wife to return from work. It is important that this clock is visible as it is a focal point in the film.

Phone- A mobile or landline phone is a vital part to the film, this will be what Patrick Maloney uses to contact the detectives to report the death of his wife.

Crockery- This will be used in the kitchen to show Patrick Maloney preparing the dinner for the detectives, this is a essential prop as without kitchen and household items our location will not look believable.

Costume Research

Patrick Maloney-
Patrick should be dressed for house hold work, this may include a cardigan or jumper and trousers,
clothes that are comfortable but don't appear slobby. This will give Patrick a comfortable aesthetic whilst not seeming over dressed. It is important we don't not allow him to appear overly formal or to casual as if he appears to be dressed in a way that is to casual, it may take away from the image of him being eager to please his wife and if he is dressed in an overly formal manner, it will take away from the idea that he is a house husband.

Mary Maloney- As Mary Maloney is a detective we intend to have her dressed for work, this may include a suit or formal clothes such as a dress or a skirt, however it is vital she appears professional.. It is important she is neither overly formal or not formal enough as if she were to be overly formal, it would immediately create a sense of abnormality within the marriage, and we intend to convey this idea without actually saying it.

Detectives- We imagine the detectives to be dressed also in professional clothing, this may include a shirt and tie and possibly an overcoat. Again, this is an outfit that is typically worn by detectives so I believe it will increase the realism within the short film.

We intend to source these costumes through gathering from our own possessions or from borrowing items of clothing from friends and family or from the actors themselves, this is due to our limited budget which would not stretch to buying new costumes for each of the actors.


Location Research

We intend for our short film to be filmed in a terrace house or cottage, a small house with little or no garden in a relatively rural area but not secluded. We imagine the interior to be cosy and with relatively small rooms.

We are most likely going to use a house belonging to one of the group members or one of our family members  due to the convenience of this, however we did discuss the idea of making use of services such as Airbnb. This however is difficult due to our limited financial resources. We will most likely film in one of the group members house, however it is vital that we can find a house that conveys the right idea, Mary and Patrick Maloney's house is seen to be a cosy, terrace house therefore we have to make sure the house we use matches this description. However as we are filming in a group members house, there are several pros and cons attached to this, some include:

Pros.

• It will not cost anything
• We will know when the house is available for how long.

Cons

• The house may only be available for limited amounts of time 
• The space may be limited due to the large amount of actors and crew.