Screen Tests

Before we started filming for our final opening scene, I invited Charlotte, the actress to play our lead character, over to do some screen tests. A screen test is a filmed test to determine whether an actor is suitable for a film role. The aim of these tests were to therefore ensure we had chosen the right actress that would work well with us to produce a successful horror opening scene.

The first test I conducted was asking her to stare blankly at the camera while I took photographs of her from different angles. My reasoning behind this was to see how she looked on camera and from what angle the light captures her features best, ect. This would therefore enable to me know which angles to film her from on the final filming days.

The next test I carried out was asking her to gasp at the camera as if she had seen something terrible. The idea behind this was to ensure that her gasp was believable as, if it was not, the ominous atmosphere that we spent a lot of time trying to produce would be hindered.

The last test was to look at the camera and scream as if she had just seen a demon. The reason I asked her to do this was firstly to ensure she is confident in front of the camera but also to hear how her voice sounds when played back so that I know if I needed to record the scream separately and add it on in post production.

Overall I would say that the screen tests were a success. Charlotte was very confident in front of the camera and was able to transform herself into the character we asked her to become very naturally. During the screen tests I found out that her voice being recorded when she screams during a close-up shot reduced the sound quality and took away from the eerie atmosphere. As a result I was able to set aside a day to record her voice separately which I added on in post production.