Thuvaaragan Kuruparan

Screen Test with notes

For my AS Level Film Studies project portfolio, I have developed my planning even further following
my textual analysis on two contemporary film, Johnny English Reborn (2011) and Mission
Impossible: Ghost Protocol (2011). Using the theme Hero VS Villain, the binary oppositions theory
by Levi Strauss, which I found central in both films, I will plan a creative artefact in which my
character will also be represented this way through the micro elements, using protagonists and
antagonists. My intentions are to create 9 key frames which shows the most important moments in
a 2 minute sequence. The 9 frames will be annotated and explained. I will be trying to mainly follow
Mission Impossible, where Ethan Hunt is fighting Kurt Hendricks, where Ethan is represented heroic
and powerful. This can be seen my artefact where James is fighting the antagonist Vladmir. The
protagonist however follows Johnny English as the protagonist is not played by a muscular
stereotypical character. This way, I could gain important ideas from both films, and follow them
both.
For the character of James, it was important that it was played by a male who was light skinned and
also around 57 to 510 and also has a slim body. This way, the character doesnt look threatening
and doesnt look like a stereotypical action hero which makes the artefact even more dramatic as
the protagonist goes on to defeat the antagonist against all odds. The character also needs to be
able to command attention on camera to suit the role of the protagonist. He needs to be photogenic
and should be able to quickly get into character when action is called and photos of each frame are
about to be taken.
The character of Vladmir need to be a male actor who is around 511 60. They need to clearly be
more built than the antagonist and also lighter than the protagonist. To make the character look
more vulnerable towards the end of the key frames. The physical attributes of the character in
important as the character is meant to be manipulative and threatening as well as a dangerous
person. The costume of this character will be all black clothes. This is to represent the danger and
evilness in him. Also, the character face is half covered throughout the sequence to have some
suspense.
Once I had done my character profiles and the script written, I had a clearer idea of who would
perfectly fit the roles of James and Vladmir. I held auditions and auditioned some actors to choose
who really suited the roles.

Thuvaaragan Kuruparan
The following extract was chosen for the auditions of the character James. In the screen test, I was
looking for someone that had a strong presence on stage as well as being easy going.

----------(In a serious voice)

JAMES
Alright. I need you guys to be hundred percent sure on whether you
want to do this or not. Im giving you the chance to say no so take
it if you want but dont say yes and then decide to pull out mid-way
through. Once youre in, youre in. Im not going to sell you fake
dreams and tell you everything will be fine but one thing that I can
tell you is that we will stick together as a team till the end. Are
you with me or not?
----------Actor 1 - Aron Maher

Aron seemed to be confidence whilst talking and seemed to project his voice. However, he did seem
to be a bit over confident which could be helpful but didnt really suite the character at that exact
point. This would be a bit of a problem, as he couldnt give me a clear indication on how suitable he
was for my film. Although, throughout the performance he seemed to get more into the role of the
character and was able to express the serious emotion the way I wanted him to. He also had a habit
of looking elsewhere whilst talking, even though he was indicated to look right at me whilst
speaking. I also felt that he wouldnt be physically right for the role of James as he was around 60
as well as being quite well built. Moreover, the over confidence might be a put-off. Because of these
reasons, I decided that he doesnt suite the role of James and Aron was not casted.

Thuvaaragan Kuruparan
Actor 2 - Hassan Shahid

Hassan seemed a lot more comfortable in the role and seemed to have good body language. He
wasnt over confident and he also physically suited the role of James as he was around 59 and also
was light skinned. He being quite slim made his physical appearance perfect for the role of the
protagonist. It was quite evident that he was really serious about playing the role of James as he was
powerful on the stage and fitted the frame quite well. He had a strong clear voice and his acting was
very convincing. He expressed his emotions clearly through his body language and played the
character in the perfect way. Unlike Aron, he looked directly at me whilst playing the character. He
seemed as if he understood the character and the characters emotions and was perfect for the role
of James in my opinion. Hassan was casted for the role of James
The following extract was chosen for the auditions of the character James. In the screen test, I was
particularly looking for someone that appeared to be threatening and also for someone that had a
very strong presence on stage. Also, it was important that he had a very deep voice to sound
threatening.
----------VLADMIR
(In a serious voice)
Listen up you two. This is the plan. You go and find him. And when
you do, you kill him. No ifs or buts. Kill him as soon as you find
him. If you dont, dont bother coming back. Ill do it my self
after I kill both of you useless idiots.

-----------

Thuvaaragan Kuruparan

Actor 1 - Suleman Mohamed

Suleman was really comfortable as well as having a very good energy and immediately showed why
he should be chosen for the role. He was confident and very well prepared for the audition as well as
having a very strong presence on stage. Throughout the audition, he had a threatening look on his
face which indicated that he understood the character. Throughout the casting, he looked me right
in the eye while delivering the lines. Also, as he was light skinned, well built and also around 511
which made his physical appearance perfect for the role of Vladmir. I was extremely happy with the
audition as Suleman perfectly suited the role of Vladmir and I didnt have to audition anyone else.
Suleman was casted for the role of Vladmir.