PROTAGONIST RESEARCH
What is a protagonist?
A protagonist is the leading character of a film that is usually morally good or the hero of the story. As we want an actor with experience, we will be casting a good friend of our's who takes Drama as a subject. However, due to Covid-19, our protagonist is not able to be in Bangkok and finish filming. Hence, I have volunteered to portray the lead protagonist. As I helped to write the script, I know exactly what we want and how we want to portray this character.
Part of Coming of Age film is that the main characters are young, adolescent teens often going from naivety to self discovery, embarking on emotional and spiritual journeys. Often in films, the characters face a sexual awakening, which is one of the many issues and emotions that make up a Coming of Age film.
In our short film, we aim to portray our protagonist, Ash, as a relatively average teenager who has trouble accepting that her best friend is missing and doesn't want to be found. This allows us the audience to relate to the character, as most teenagers may struggle with this.
Examples:
The Edge of Seventeen (2016) : Nadine
Kelly Fremon Craig's dark comedy is one of the most realistic depictions of what it's like to grow up as a 21st century high schooler. Hailee Steinfeld imbues the the teenage outcast Nadine with a sardonic spikiness, whether she's trading insults with a teacher or talking graphically about sex. However underneath all that sarcasm, is an ordinary teenager with an ineffective mother. She feels alone most of the time, having no one to turn to until she encounters an unexpected friendship with a boy.
The Half of It (2020) : Ellie Chu
Seventeen year old Ellie Chu is no loner by choice. It's just hard to make friends in her neighborhood when you're the only girl of Asian descent. So when jock Paul Munsky approaches her with a strange request (and payment) she quickly agrees to help him woo his crush, writing his love letters and texts. What Paul doesn't know is that Aster Flores is also Ellie's crush. In fact, Ellie finds it hard to admit this. Not only is it hard to be the loner Asian girl, she finds ti hard to admit that she's into girls. This film clearly shows her emotional journey and the character's growth.
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