Planning: Props

Throughout our short film, we will use props to portray certain traits amongst our character. These props will also be conventional to the coming of age genre we have chosen. These traits will add a sense of realism to the film and will make make our protagonist more relatable. Some examples of these props are:

One main prop we will use throughout different scenes in our short film is the mobile phone the character will be carrying. In the scenes where the character is younger we will be using an older version of the iPhone e.g the iPhone 4s as this was a popular make a few years ago, our target audience will likely notice this device and associate it with the period. The phone we will use for when she is older is the newest version of the iPhone, this will be a clear indication of the modern time period these scenes will be set in. This model of phone will also relate to our audience as its teenagers and young adults, this is a common phone within this generation. Also as our target audience is more localised than international, this would also appeal to that audience as the area we are targeting it to is a middle and upper class region, therefore this more expensive phone would be popular amongst the younger generation. These props would be used in a scene of her taking pictures with friends, or recording a concert etc. 

Another prop we will use is a birthday cake. We will include a scene where the camera rotates around our protagonist as she ages up throughout her birthdays. We will likely use the same cake as a prop, de to our limited budget, however we will use decorations to make it seem different. We will use different numbered candles to present her age as well. 

We will use fast food such as McDonalds in our short film. We will use this in the scene where our protagonist is binge eating or ordering fast food. This is an extremely recognisable brand within the younger and older generation, therefore the audience will be able to relate more. 

We will use earphones in our short film. One of the main shots we will use is a close up/mid shot of our protagonist listening to music as the background behind her changes. These will be an easy way to establish the idea of her being a music lover, without making it too obvious to the audience. We will use the Apple brand of earphones as this is a common, recognisable brand within our target audience. 

We will also use various different props in the background of certain scenes to add a sense of realism to the short film. The examples above are a school bag, a makeup organiser and a laptop. We could also use things like exercise books and a pencil case for scenes set at school.