Screen Test

This is the screen test that we did in order to determine the best candidates to act for our music video. This was done by the entirety of our media class.

Advantages of this screen test:

- It was quite efficient so we were able to get the maximum amount of actor candidates to audition in just one song.

- We were able to observe if any candidates had the aptitude to represent our star’s persona through little things such as their lipsync habits and attitude.

- This screen test can also measure the synergy between two different actor candidates so that in the music video, we’ll be able to have more realistic cinematic scenes in order to illustrate the meaning of our song visually and clearly. In our music video this will be very important as it mainly surrounds the theme of friendship, a bond that is described to potentially involve two people's soul and entire being.

Here is a more in-depth evaluation of the screen-test that my teammate, Beatrice wrote:

By doing this screen test, there are some advantages and disadvantages. On the plus side, it was highly efficient; testing everyone at once allowed us to save time and review a large number of candidates within just one song. This approach also enabled direct comparisons between candidates, as we could observe them side by side, assessing their on-screen presence, body language, and facial expressions to determine who could best embody the star persona we envision. Additionally, this screen test allows us to see how candidates interact with each other, which is important given our music video's focus on themes of friendship. It helped us identify pairs who visually and energetically complement each other on screen. However, there were some disadvantages, such as, candidates might unintentionally adjust their style and tone to align with others, leading to less authentic performances and potentially masking their unique qualities. There’s also the risk of unequal attention when there are many candidates, which can result in varying screen time and limit some candidates’ ability to showcase their full potential. Lastly, it feels less polished due to a more cluttered, chaotic atmosphere, compared to the focused environment of individual screen tests.

This part was written by me, Jasmine.

We decided to cast the actors with the penguin hat (Jasmine) and the one to her left (Rachelle). We decided after watching the screen-test again that both of the actors seemed to have a connection and synergy. Jasmine seems to be a bit more uplifted while Rachelle seems a bit more shy and reserved which is exactly what we were looking for to represent our stars in the music video. Rachelle will be our star, Viola, who is represented as someone who is shy to strangers but opens up to those she is close to. Jasmine will also be our star, keeping her name as the stage name. Her uplifting acting and energy will transfer well when representing our other star whose star persona is constructed to make her seem extroverted.

Extra notes: We plan to make a more specific screen-test with just these two actors with the song we are planning to use (Birds of a Feather), however due to the time constraint, we will do that in around 2 weeks.

Self-reflection:

Being completely honest, this screen test was a completely new experience to me so it was definitely very awkward at first. However, even if it was, I realized that it was necessary if we were going to try and find actors that would suit the performances that we planned to include in our music video. Knowing that only a single screen test wouldn't be enough to determine an actor's potential, we had set up another screen test so that we would be able to see who would be the best fit to represent our star's persona. I think that this song was definitely not a match so I think that we'll see the two actor's potential bloom in a more specific screen test with the song that they will be more comfortable with (Birds of a Feather). I think that we could have invested more time into the screen test and our time management was a bit unsatisfactory so I hope that we'll get the chance to do a better screen test soon.