Clothing

The protagonist's clothing will be very simple, as he doesn't care about the way he dresses obviously because he deals with Schizophrenia. His clothes will be quite baggy to show that he doesn't fit in them, emphasising perhaps a more drawn out body, which is stereotypical of a person who looks ill, however I thought it would help get the message that he is ill through to the viewer further. 

Props

Chess Board: The key prop in my short film is a chess board. This is used to act as a connection between the protagonist and his hallucination, as when he plays chess with them, the voices in his head disappear. Also, the 2 different colours on the board can represent his 'split mind', therefore an effective use of iconography to represent his mental illness.

Mugs: Simple use of mugs so that the protagonist can make cups of tea. The 2 mugs will be used in the same shot to again represent the idea of his 'split mind'.

Locations

The predominant location will be my own house, where the protagonist lives, to get more personal with the character and also because it is an enclosed environment. 

Another location I am using is on a bridge overlooking the main road. It is a small area and easy to get to. This location is key as I would like the character looking over the bridge in thought, contemplating his life and whether he can live with his condition. This location is good because it is very secluded therefore it is not busy. 

Also, I will be filming a park down the road from my house, as it has a swing set which will be useful when getting across his Schizophrenia, where he will be sitting on one swing, talking to the empty swing next to him. This is good in my opinion because it will be an effective image to get across his illness. 

Film Title...

The title of my film is 'Salience'. This generally means being noticeable and important, which I believe people who suffer from Schizophrenia are in society. In neuroscience, 'salience' means the perceptual quality by which an observable thing stands out relative to its environment. This relates to my protagonist because I want him to stand out to the audience to help them understand his condition. 'Aberrant salience' in the sense of Schizophrenia, means the positive symptoms of the condition - the hallucinations and delusions - come about because patients see meaning where there is none. This relates to my film because the protagonist has a hallucination that brings positivity to his life.