Meet the team
Meet the team
Name: Neil
Portrayed by: Jack Cullen
Role in story: Protagonist
Personality traits: Neil is a highly competitive individual, who’s easily wound up if challenged or made to feel inferior. Whilst his temper can lose control, he is the most mature of the group and is able to calm himself down and stay in control.
Background: Neil is the most successful of the group, landing a job as an estate agent this has resulted in him maturing faster than the rest but also becoming slightly disconnected from the group and his previous best mate Dave, leaving an awkward tension between the pair. Neil had previously helped Dave land a job however Dave left furthering this rift, as Neil feels Dave disregarded his help.
Name: Dave
Portrayed by: George Sherlock
Role in story: Antagonist
Personality traits: Dave mirrors Neil in terms of his competitive nature, however Dave antagonises the group far more often, looking to get reactions out of the group for
entertainment.
Background: Dave has struggled with jobs due to mental health issues whilst maintaining a cocky and loud spoken front amongst his friends, antagonizing the group through the fact he’s undefeated status in the game ‘shithead’, an act which crumbles in their last game together. Dave struggles to find his place in life, the game offers an escape from feeling like he has no success in life with nothing to offer.
Name: John
Portrayed by: Romeo Thando
Role in story: Supporting
Personality traits: John is a strong character mentally as whilst often being the brunt of the jokes, he’s able to brush it off and enjoy his time with the group. He’s almost seen as the glue of the group often biting the bullet and caving, stopping arguments from breaking out.
Background: John is currently at university and decided to host the group’s tradition of playing shithead one more time before he graduates. Whilst John is moving forward with his life this friendship is something he always turns back to, as he's grown up with them and sees them as family hence why he decided to host.
Name: Boris
Portrayed by: Evan Eckley
Role in story: Supporting
Personality traits: Boris is the most laid back of the group often not getting as round up as the rest of the group, whilst enjoying the chaos of the game he doesn’t hold a grudge to the extent that Neil does.
Background: Boris’s personal life is the least known in the group with his chilled and slow personality causing the group to not question how he is. He’s often slow to react or get lost in certain situations due to a lack of concentration, however shithead’s chaotic energy draws him in.
cAST
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CREW
CREW
Director: Tom Collister
Role: Having written the script, the role was now to bring it to life. To do this, it involved a lot of planning providing storyboards and director script breakdowns to create an efficient and smooth shoot, whilst also collaborating with the producer on setting realistic and achievable shooting schedules. On set, it was important to draw out the characters' distinct personalities from the actors. Overseeing the shot set up and framing alongside the first AD, ensuring the lighting is correct for the scene and the sound crew aren’t affecting the shot were all jobs that the director must oversee.
Producer: Toby Ainscough
Role: Toby took on the essential roles of providing a cast, a set and booking equipment. Sending out casting calls on numerous social media platforms saw all four roles covered, whilst using his personal connections to source a set, providing the film the key building blocks to begin shooting. This led to finding dates which both cast and crew agreed on, providing shooting schedules for each shoot day and securing reshoot days with actors and cast. On set it was key that we stuck to the schedule and didn’t fall behind with others focussed on their own roles, Toby ensured we were aware of the time and what we have to cover.
1st AD: Bradley Dearnley
Role: Whilst working in sync with the director in creating a visually engaging film, the 1st AD was involved directly with the set up and framing of the shot, going off the storyboards the director had drawn up and spoken to them through. Brad saw the directors vision come to life shooting on the Sony fx6, providing an insight on lens choice, and working the dolly track, Brad brought a range of skills which helped with the visual creativity of the film.
Gaffer: Josh Vollero-Correy
Role: With the film being based in one room Josh had the challenge to bring it to life, creating a dramatic atmosphere to match the film's tone. Through the use of panel lights and spotlights, Josh found the warm and dramatic aesthetic that was aimed for the film. Working alongside the director and 1st AD in controlling the light in each shot he was able to bring further life to every shot.
Sound: Tom Hunt
Role: Tom had begun collecting a sound archive for the film prior to filming, capturing vital sounds such as cards sliding on tables and shuffling, putting the group in good stead for the edit. During the shoot, his focus shifted to boom work, finding the precise spot in the room which offered good range for sound and movement without affecting the lighting in the scene. He allowed the film's world to come to life providing enough layers of sound to create a well textured room that doesn’t seem flat and empty.
Editor: Leo Stockley
Role: Leo took control of the edit with focus set on creating a cohesive film, ensuring the film encapsulates the pace of the night, keeping a natural and gradual pace which matches the film's tone and atmosphere. Through colour grading he gave the film a distinct look and aesthetic which gives the film its own identity and catches the eye of the audience, exaggerating the yellow lighting of the room to add to the tension. With the film remaining set within one room, ensuring the film is built up of seamless and consistent cuts saw him ensure the film doesn’t become flat and lose its momentum.