Claudia is a girl in her twenties. As a child she was
left alone to develop with little parental guidance and through her
relationship with T.V. movies developed an unhealthy relationship with Horror
films, believing this to be the way life really is.
All the scenes take place in various parts of
Claudia’s apartment, which is European in style with a great deal of kitsch décor. She is agoraphobic and is kept in touch with the
outside world by her neighbours who provide her with her every day
requirements. She models herself on a
variety of girls often twisting her look to suit whichever film she is watching
at the time and there is often a nod to the main character in the current film within her appearance.
The script portrays her as psychotic and there is
always the feeling that although her character is scripted/can be seen as humorous,
danger is just around the corner. However all this is normal to Claudia and she is of a cheerful
disposition in this mad world of hers.
Development Claudia
The first thing that we have to consider is that although Claudia is in her twenties however she has very little parental guidance. I feel like this could mean she won't be as mentally developed as most twenty year olds. Without proper parents guidance I feel that it would be harder for someone to mature. Her childish personality is one of the main reasons she is so cheerful in life.
The next point states that she has a close relationship with T.V. movies, however Penny Dreadful was set in the Victorian Era, therefore I wanted to twist this to fit my chosen show. With the Grand Guignol Theatre being such a popular location in the programme I wanted to have Claudia obsessed with the horror shows rather than TV. This also built up my back story to Claudia, as the Theatre is where I wanted her to be introduced to the show. This can also help bring in the issue of her Agrophobia. Agrophobia is the fear of not having an escape from a situation, this can mean they are scared of open spaces, travelling and leaving their home. I want to show that this character is so passionate for the Theatre that this is the only place she will happily go without panicking. This is because the Theatre is very personal, once you are there, there isn't a necessity for doing anything but sit and watch. This also links to her fashion choices, rather than being influenced by the main character of the film, she dresses like the leading lady in the theatre production. I am basing this on the one performance that is seen in the first series of Penny Dreadful, although her fashion is only influenced, not a replica of the character.
I want my character to live on the same road as Sir Malcolm's mansion, once again I don't think an apartment fits into the era of the show, so I also want Claudia's house to be a mansion. However I want the decor to be like the description given as I feel that Claudia wouldn't stick to the norm of the Victorian Era and would have her own individual style. Her neighbour Mrs Laderman (who I'm not actually re creating but mentioning in Claudia's back story) is who keeps her up to date with the outside world. However I don't feel that Mrs Laderman will always feed her the truth and maybe shield her from some of the horrors in the real world, which is why she has such a cheerful disposition.
Finally linking to her psychotic outbreaks, I feel that Quentin will be the main cause of these. This is because I want him to be like her alter ego and with her constantly imagining him she is risking her sanity at times, not that there was much there to begin with.
My characters introduction to the show
For Claudia's first scene I wanted her to be at the theatre where a lot of main characters have gone to watch the new horror being performed. Along with the characters Vanessa Ives, Sir Malcolm and Dorian Gray, Claudia watches from the balcony, as she is of the higher class. Usually she goes un noticed however during this visit after a fight with her imaginary boyfriend Quentin, she has an attack. This reveals her big secret, that she is hiding a demon within much like the character Vanessa. Vanessa then feels drawn to help her, as she always felt she was alone with this battle to constantly be good, therefore she takes Claudia under her wing. This can lead onto further story lines with Quentin, who is basically a imaginary form of this demon and also Mrs Laderman who kept the secret of Claudia's attacks a secret throughout her life, even from Claudia herself. Is Mrs Laderman just protecting this otherwise innocent girl? Or, is she in partnership with the demon/Quentin and plotting something bigger? This can also lead to an episode in which we learn about Claudia's past much like the show does with Frankenstein's monster, this makes the character ambiguous for a couple of episodes and therefore would keep the audience in anticipation.
Key word
We were given a list of key words that were used in the opening of the popular horror series, American Horror Story. Once picking one we had to use it to draw inspiration for our character. Instantly I chose the word white rose as it added to my initial idea of Claudia. I wanted Claudia to be innocent and pure on the outside, a beautiful young girl who would never be expected of such horror. My initial thoughts were for her to have pale skin, long brown hair and freckles. However beauty can be tainted, much like a white rose with blood running down it's petals. While Claudia has a horror within her which is her big secret that not even she knows of.
Reference:
NHS (2014) Agoraphobia - NHS Choices. Available at: http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Agoraphobia/Pages/Introduction.aspx (Accessed: 3 May 2015)
Anon. (no date) FMS408_1652894148. Available at: http://mycourse.solent.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=13130 (Accessed: 3 May 2015)
The next point states that she has a close relationship with T.V. movies, however Penny Dreadful was set in the Victorian Era, therefore I wanted to twist this to fit my chosen show. With the Grand Guignol Theatre being such a popular location in the programme I wanted to have Claudia obsessed with the horror shows rather than TV. This also built up my back story to Claudia, as the Theatre is where I wanted her to be introduced to the show. This can also help bring in the issue of her Agrophobia. Agrophobia is the fear of not having an escape from a situation, this can mean they are scared of open spaces, travelling and leaving their home. I want to show that this character is so passionate for the Theatre that this is the only place she will happily go without panicking. This is because the Theatre is very personal, once you are there, there isn't a necessity for doing anything but sit and watch. This also links to her fashion choices, rather than being influenced by the main character of the film, she dresses like the leading lady in the theatre production. I am basing this on the one performance that is seen in the first series of Penny Dreadful, although her fashion is only influenced, not a replica of the character.
I want my character to live on the same road as Sir Malcolm's mansion, once again I don't think an apartment fits into the era of the show, so I also want Claudia's house to be a mansion. However I want the decor to be like the description given as I feel that Claudia wouldn't stick to the norm of the Victorian Era and would have her own individual style. Her neighbour Mrs Laderman (who I'm not actually re creating but mentioning in Claudia's back story) is who keeps her up to date with the outside world. However I don't feel that Mrs Laderman will always feed her the truth and maybe shield her from some of the horrors in the real world, which is why she has such a cheerful disposition.
Finally linking to her psychotic outbreaks, I feel that Quentin will be the main cause of these. This is because I want him to be like her alter ego and with her constantly imagining him she is risking her sanity at times, not that there was much there to begin with.
My characters introduction to the show
For Claudia's first scene I wanted her to be at the theatre where a lot of main characters have gone to watch the new horror being performed. Along with the characters Vanessa Ives, Sir Malcolm and Dorian Gray, Claudia watches from the balcony, as she is of the higher class. Usually she goes un noticed however during this visit after a fight with her imaginary boyfriend Quentin, she has an attack. This reveals her big secret, that she is hiding a demon within much like the character Vanessa. Vanessa then feels drawn to help her, as she always felt she was alone with this battle to constantly be good, therefore she takes Claudia under her wing. This can lead onto further story lines with Quentin, who is basically a imaginary form of this demon and also Mrs Laderman who kept the secret of Claudia's attacks a secret throughout her life, even from Claudia herself. Is Mrs Laderman just protecting this otherwise innocent girl? Or, is she in partnership with the demon/Quentin and plotting something bigger? This can also lead to an episode in which we learn about Claudia's past much like the show does with Frankenstein's monster, this makes the character ambiguous for a couple of episodes and therefore would keep the audience in anticipation.
Key word
We were given a list of key words that were used in the opening of the popular horror series, American Horror Story. Once picking one we had to use it to draw inspiration for our character. Instantly I chose the word white rose as it added to my initial idea of Claudia. I wanted Claudia to be innocent and pure on the outside, a beautiful young girl who would never be expected of such horror. My initial thoughts were for her to have pale skin, long brown hair and freckles. However beauty can be tainted, much like a white rose with blood running down it's petals. While Claudia has a horror within her which is her big secret that not even she knows of.
Anon. (no date) Images For > Bleeding White Rose. Available at: http://imgkid.com/bleeding-white-rose.shtml (Accessed: 3 May 2015)
Reference:
NHS (2014) Agoraphobia - NHS Choices. Available at: http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Agoraphobia/Pages/Introduction.aspx (Accessed: 3 May 2015)
Anon. (no date) FMS408_1652894148. Available at: http://mycourse.solent.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=13130 (Accessed: 3 May 2015)
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