Character Profiles

In Films similar to ours, I found that there was a typical rule of the characters in the groups. These are:

• The "Alpha male": This character typically takes charge of the group and is either the self-elected or voted leader of the Group.
• The "Opposing male": This character will be in constant competition with the Alpha male, wanting power over the group, and contesting The Alphas instructions/ decisions.
• The "Alpha female": This girl is usually the equal, but also opposite of the alpha male; wanting to help the group and take control, but will be oppressed by he rest of the group for being a female. This can lead to her becoming bitter/ being seen as a bit of a bitch.
• The "Hunter": This character tends to be very physically powerful, being the one who is the fighter/ hunter of the group, so tends to be very physically fit and strong. Although physically more powerful than the alpha male, the hunter does not lead the group, as He tends not to want the responsibility.
• The "Mother" of the group: This character is a female, who has the stereotypical traits of what a mother should be: caring, kind, thoughtful, and so takes care of the group as a whole, she differs from the alpha male, as cares more about how they are feeling, rather than that of their physical survival.
• The "New Generation": Some groups will contain children, who the rest of the group take it upon themselves to take care of.
• The "Weak Link": This character does not tend to conform with the rest of the group, often causing problems for the group and their survival.

This is very similar to Propps Theory of Character:

1. Hero: Reacts to the donor and saves the princess, often resulting in them falling in love with the princess.  
2. The villain: Is in a constant struggle with the hero, often trying to harm "princess". 
3. The donor: Gives the hero an objective or information that aids the Hero's quest.
4. The helper: Assists the hero with their quest, often referred to as their 'sidekick'.
5. The princess: Needs "saving" from the hero, usually because they are in some form of danger, typically the princess is the victim.
6. The dispatcher: Is the character who sends the hero on their mission or quest.  
7. False hero: May appear good but has an ulterior motive, or attempts to take credit for the hero's actions. An example of this type of character is a double agent in a spy movie.

 In Films, not all of these characters are in the survival groups, for example, in "I Am Legend" until quite a while into the film, the lead character believes himself to be the only living survivor (although he hopes otherwise) and so there is a lack of any other characters, he is the only member of the group. However, in some films, there are additional characters, with there being more than one character for each "role".

In Survival films, there also tends to be separate groups, with there being conflicts when they come together, thus these other survivors being seen as "The Enemy".

In our film, we want to stick to these stereotypical roles, as we want to set the audience up in believing that they are going to see a typical survival film, but then we will have a twist, and so, due to the expectations they had, will shock them.

The protagonist of our film is the Lead, "Alpha" male. This is due to the fact that our target audience will be mainly males, and so we want to appeal to them, as the audience will want to relate to the lead character.