Issues tackled in our short film.

2.  Gender is a main focus of the supernatural films, as the final survivor is usually a
girl. Within our short film, we don’t challenge stereotypes. The protagonist, Irene,
is a young woman, isolated in various locations throughout the film. This
emphasises how women can be lonely and vulnerable at the same time. She
encounters Kharon several times and always follows him without complaints, as
women are known to always follow the men. When she answers the phone, she
doesn’t speak a word and only listens. This reinforces the stereotype that women
are quieter and submissive.
 On the other hand we have Kharon, that also reinforces men stereotypes. He is a
threat to Irene, as he violently covers her eyes and approaches her, emphasizing
how men can make women feel vulnerable. In every location Kharon knows
exactly where to go and he’s confident, indicating that men always lead and are
dominant. The manly voice on the phone proves the stereotype that men can be
patronising.
 Through gender, the two characters are presented as binary oppositions.

3.  Age is not obviously represented in our film, although we don’t challenge
stereotypes. Irene is a young woman, wandering the different locations in our film.
She is confused and always follows Kharon. This highlights the stereotype that
young people are at the beginning of their adult life and don’t have a direction.
They tend to follow and listen to older people. We use this as a metaphor for the
narrative of the film. Through her actions, Irene is shown as innocent and curious,
as the youth likes to discover and experiment.
 Kharon is an immortal character, as he is mythological. He always guides Irene
until her grave by the end of the film. This emphasizes that elders are more
experienced and wiser to guide the young people. He is also portrayed as being
lonely because of him being the only antagonist and always appears alone. Elders
are stereotyped as being lonely and a burden for their children. The end scene
shows him alone a the graveyard, reinforcing that old people are fearful about
death.

4.  With the help of iconography and props we reinforce the binary opposition. Being
the ferryman of Hades, Kharon is portrayed as mysterious and deathly. The actor
will wear all black to keep the negative connotations of the character. We will also
include a mask as prop to hide the identity of the actor and make it a mystery for
the audience. In contrast, the actor for Irene will wear a white dress to connote
peace and innocence.
 A more subtle representation is the scarves that Irene will wear for every outdoor
location. Each has a different colour and the meaning links to the location and
narrative. For Pergola Hill, she’ll wear a red scarf, associated with danger. She is
in danger encountering Kharon and she also makes rather quick decisions about
the directions she’s going to. For Brent Park, she’ll wear a blue scarf, associated
with calmness. This layer of the dream is peaceful, as Irene is now that she is
starting to figure out what happened to her and that Kharon is not a threat. For
St. Mary’s Cemetery, she’ll wear a yellow scarf, associated with remembrance.
Reaching the final point of the narrative, she realises that she died in the dream
and Kharon comforts her.

5.  Our short film is based on the Greek legend about Kharon. The legend goes that
Kharon carries the newly deceased souls across the river Styx and Acheron, that
divide the land of the living from the world of the dead. A coin was usually placed
in the mouth of the deceased, to pay the ferryman for the journey. Some authors
say that those who couldn't pay the fee had to wander the shores for a hundred
years. We tackle the afterlife issue, as Irene is roaming around the different layers
of the Purgatory; with Kharon guiding her.
 A white lily is used a prop to support the narrative. It symbolises that the soul of
the departed has received restored innocence after death. Irene carries the lily
until her grave, to suggest that she found inner piece at last. Kharon places the
flower on the grave suggesting that his job as the messenger is fulfilled.

6.  We also look at how dreams are portrayed, as the whole film is based around
Irene dreaming. 80% of the population dreams in colour while the rest 20% in
black and white. We’ll go with the majority and portray the dream in colours. In
post-production we’ll add filters and change the colours to make the locations
more dreamy, to suit the supernatural visuals. The coloured film is a gate to
Irene’s imagination and fears, as she may fear death. It will start with a shot of
Irene sleeping and end with the same shot of her opening her eyes. The action will
represent the layers of her dream.
 It can be argued that the short film represents Irene’s premonition about an
accident that’ll happen in the near future. The film depicts the girl’s journey
through Purgatory, looking for answers of why she’s there. Towards the end, she
reaches a grave that is hers. She then suddenly disappears and opens her eyes to
wake up in real life, realising it was a dream. Kharon can be seen as her guide
through the dream, but also as someone who warns her. By showing her the grave
and how the possible accident can end, she can be more aware of her life.