Final Cast and Costumes

Due to several members of cast being unable to film when we needed them or through illness, we had to re-cast. These are our final choices;

Helen - Jasmine Lee

Jasmine was our first choice for Helen Howe, because she has the confidence and mannerisms we all imagined for her. This is the photo of her in her costume for the trailer and she looks very striking and authoritative, which is fitting for her role. The black dress connotes mystery and deception, which hints at future story lines which will surround Helen. Her red lipstick and shoes comply with the Male Gaze Theory as proposed by Laura Mulvey in which the assumption is that an audience is male, and so an attractive woman is used to advertise something, in our case, Helen is the focus of the trailer. The colour red is often associated with lust and sexuality also.

Deano - Lewis Spaul

Lewis was originally auditioned for the role of JJ but we decided he would be better suited to being Deano, especially after Tamer was unable to be that part anymore. The costume we decided on for him was skinny jeans, a trendy coat and a scarf. The reason we chose this is because the character of Deano is trying hard to fit in and be cool, and so his dressing trendy helps connote this. The black of his coat also connotes secrecy, which would perhaps be extended in a future storyline.




Courtney - Hannah Cullen

Hannah was our first choice for the character of Courtney because we wanted a pretty girl who came across as quite shy at the same time. The final costume we decided on for Hannah was skinny jeans, ugg boots and a fitted green and white jumper, with the white connoting her innocence and naivety, which would be explored in the first few episodes of our soap opera. The reason we chose this costume is because it is quite fashionable but understated, which emphasises the characters personality.




Danielle - Jo Peplow

When our actor who played the part of Danielle dropped out, we had to re-cast her quickly to ensure that our filming timetable was not affected. Because of this, and the fact that she had very similar looks to our original actor, we cast Jo as Danielle. The costume we decided on for Danielle was an over sized hoody, tracksuit bottoms and trainers, because this complies with the stereotype many people have of young teenage mothers. The heart on her jumper can be seen as connoting her trying to find love, which resulted in her pregnancy. The over sized clothing she is wearing connotes that she is trying to hide herself from people.


Richard - Matthew Bigg
Our original actor for the role of Richard dropped out due to other responsibilities and so we re-cast Matt as Richard. The reason for this is because he was available for each of our filming dates and he was able to portray Richard in the way we wanted him to. The character of Richard complies with the "Villain" character in Propp's Theory of Narrative who disrupts order because he is the suspected father of Danielle's baby even though he is married, and in the trailer he is seen winking at Helen. The costume we decided on for him was almost entirely black to connote the mystery and secrecy that surrounds him and how he is constantly deceiving his wife. The colour purple is traditionally a colour symbolising royalty and so connotes how he perceives himself in the community.

JJ - Lewis Montague

Our original actor for JJ also dropped out due to other commitments and so we cast Lewis Montague instead. The reason for this choice is because he was able to portray the slightly cocky and arrogant mannerisms we wanted for the character and interacted well with the rest of the 'jack-the-lad' actors. The costume we chose for him was a leather jacket, skinny jeans and trendy trainers; the leather jacket is symbolic of films such as "Grease" where the jackets show you as being part of a certain gang. The over all effect of the outfit makes him appear cool and connotes that he is the leader of the group.


Aaron - Tim Bousfield
Lewis Spaul was originally cast for the role of Aaron but as explained previously, he was re-cast for the role of Deano. The reason we chose Tim for the part is because he was able to be available when we needed him and because he portrayed the awkwardness we imagined Aaron to feel. Aaron is the character who feels out of place in the group of lads, and so we chose a costume for him that was slightly different to the others; a large hoody and wider jeans connote that while he looks similar to the other lads, there is something different about him, which will be explored in later episodes of the soap opera.



Paul - James Garrod

Paul is another of the 'Jack-the-lad' characters and the final costume we chose for him connotes how he is accepted amongst the lads. He is also wearing a leather jacket and skinny jeans which denotes his status in the group as being on a level with JJ. His character is similar to that of JJ in that he is confident and slightly arrogant, and so believes he is popular with girls; a later episode would see both him and JJ going after newly arrived Courtney.




Nathan - James Hancock

Due to the issues we had with casting, we decided to introduce a fourth 'Jack-the-lad' character so that we had a reserve if one of the other boys was unavailable. However, having four lads in the group actually worked better than having three and so we were happy with our decision. Nathan's character is included and accepted, but slightly on the outside of the group, and the costume we finalised on represents this.