Character Profile

Actress: Zoe Greenway

Character Name: Jess
Age: 17
Gender: Female
Features: Blonde hair, blue eyes, 57, freckles
Representation: Zoe is an individual who is down to earth and upfront, and is very
easy going. She is a bubbly individual who is fairly sociable. Zoe is a lesbian in
reality, which is perfect for my production as she will be able to deliver her role of
prime female character on set without feeling uncomfortable. Throughout the film, I
aim to illustrate a clear representation of Zoes identity through the use of different
microelements. For example, spoken dialogue will be a prime factor of my
representation. When conversing with her girlfriend after revealing her face from
under the duvet, terms such as baby and back to bed will make the relationship
between both females clearer. As well as this, although Zoe will be a homosexual
character, she will not be represented stereotypically. For example, in film, lesbian
characters are often expected to have short hair, piercings, wear male clothing,
illustrated in The new orange is black. Jess, Zoes character will have her long
blonde hair out as Ebonys will be tied up. Zoe will be wearing red pyjama shorts and
a white vest top, to emphasize to romance between both characters and her love
towards Ebony, making it more interesting for the audience. Therefore, the fact that
Zoe is homosexual will support the development of female representation in
contemporary film. Zoe will be positioned under the bed covers, shown through the
use of a medium shot, in order to help hide her identity, relating to Roland Barthes
narrative theory, as the audience will be left wondering who is under the duvet. Miseen-scene will also be incorporated to present emotion and to set each scene during
the film. For example, I will use extreme close up shots during both Zoe and Ebony
talking to each other as this will emphasize on their emotions during the moment as
well as making it clear to the audience what the topic of their conversation is.
Film Influences: Whilst researching different films focusing on female representation,
I came across Bend It Like Beckham. This is because, whilst analysing this film, I
realised that they use a diverse representation of women and the protagonist herself
is an Asian female who loves to play football. The fact that she is an Asian female
who plays football, defies the stereotype of what an audience would expect to see as
a typical female footballer when referring to women in film. This relates to my
representation of Zoes character as she contrasts the expected representation of a
gay female. Another influence was Orange is the New Black. This is because, my
short film will be illustrating the opposite representation of Orange is the new black as
both characters are not costumed like a stereotyped lesbian, and their surrounding
environment is more comforting rather than being in prison.
Character influences: I decided to create my characters representation, focusing in
relation to Bend it like Beckhams female lesbian protagonist Juliet. Zoe is a
footballer, which made it easier for me to relate her character to Juliet from bend it
like Beckham, as they are fairly similar.