Storyboarding Process

Having now officially drafted my script (which will be posted once finalised) I have now started storyboarding for my short film. Having done this before for my coursework last year 'Black Sands' I have pretty good idea as to what I am doing. However, I did come across this interesting video which I thought was a lot of use:

The Silmarillion

[ Maedhros and Maglor (or perhaps Fingon) ]

Recently I bought 'The Silmarillion' which I have been dying to read after I read 'Lord of the Rings' when I was twelve. It is very intriguing with all the backstory to everything that happened to the elves starting at the beginning of time with the creation of Middle Earth by Iluvatar and then surging through the betrayal and the lifetime of the elves, the creation of Man and entire history of Middle Earth.

I took the book on holiday with me and by the time the week was out I was more than a third way through. It intrigued me as Tolkien took the idea of Light and Dark Elves from Norse Mythology and transformed the idea of being light and dark to elves that have seen the light and those that have not. In this way I suppose I saw a similarity between my ideas that are in 'Halfbreed' as the Woodland Queen is supposed to be seen as a Dark Elf having not accepted modern ways (as mentioned briefly in a previous post).

As you may know, I love the 'Lord of the Rings' series and a lot of inspiration for the style and design of the nymphs has come from the elves. I therefor began looking at elven cosplay for further inspiration for the nymphs ranging from their style to their mannerisms. Elves are known to be exceptionally graceful, one with nature and extremely intelligent. I wish to weave this into the fibres of the nymphs in my coursework.

[ Thingol ]

I'm still very interested in having the character of the Woodland Queen wear a crown or some form of headpiece. Therefor I began looking into the design of characters (via cosplay) such as Thingol, Feanor, the seven sons of Feanor (Maedhros, Maglor, Celegorm, Caranthir, Curufin, Amras and Amrod), and many other High Elves (Gil-Galad, Galadriel etc.). Some I discovered to have woven bands of metal similar to crowns (as seen in the picture above with Maedhros and Maglor) whilst others had branches (i.e. Thranduil) or even antlers (see picture to the right of Thingol). I noted that only characters of great importance or high ranking seem to wear these sort of headpieces such as Maedhros or Thingol whilst elves such as Tauriel in 'The Hobbit' films is never seen with any such headpiece and even Legolas is never seen with anything worn upon his brow until late in 'The Return of the King'. This made me think that having the Woodland Queen wear a headpiece was even more vital to her character's power.

[ Thranduil and the Queen of Mirkwood ]

After having done further research into the appearance of the elves as inspiration for the nymphs, I then decided to attempt to design the Woodland Queen's headpiece. I looked at numerous designs ranging from plain woven bands to nature based and more extravagant pieces (such as the ones to the left). I came to the conclusion that I wanted the Woodland Queen's crown to be made from rough twigs that exaggerate her nature based heritage and her dark nature. Having looked further into the design, I decided that that I would like to create a Thranduil-like style headpiece that seems jagged and perhaps even darker and creepier than that worn by Thranduil in 'The Hobbit' films.

Audience Expectations

Recently, I asked members of my target audience what they expect or would like to have included in my short film, 'Halfbreed'. I asked them the following questions:

- Would you expect a female villain in a fantasy genre short film?

- What do you stereotypically think of about a fantasy villain?

- What would you expect from the hero of a fantasy film?

- Would expect the film to have an anti-hero?

- Does it concern you that I am not planning on using elements of magic in my short film?

Would you expect a female villain in a fantasy genre short film?
In regards to the results of this question I got an answer which was 50/50. Half of the members of my target audience answered that they did not expect to see a female villain in a fantasy film, although one stated that even though they did not expect to see a female villain in a fantasy film it is a new concept that is used in modern day films and it would be an interesting addition to a fantasy film. On the other side, some mentioned that female villains are already part of the fantasy film culture such as the Wicked Witch of the West from the Wizard of Oz and the White Queen (aka Jadis) in the Chronicles of Narnia. Another mentioned that female villains or dark characters are definitely part of fantasy films, mentioning that evil queens and strict female rulers are in many fantasy films. However, they did later mention that most female villains use their sex to do it or to get away with it, such as the Red Woman from the HBO television series Game of Thrones.

What do you stereotypically think of about a fantasy villain?
In regards to a stereotypical fantasy villain many of the answers were very similar. My target audience told me that they would expect an evil wizard, a demon, or an evil orc king (alike to Sauron/Mairon in Lord of the Rings) that wants to rule them all. One stated that she expected a villains with a "really dark, painful or cruel backstory" and another just plainly stated that the villain would be "green" - whether that's in reference to their ruling ability or the fact that they might actually be green. Interestingly it was also mentioned by another that to stereotypically expect something from a fantasy villain depends on their gender. She stated that normally a female villain is regarded as "sexy" and usually uses weapons such as poisons such as the Seele Queen in The Mortal Instruments. However, when she compared it to a male villain she stated that he would be an "evil psychopath" usually with a "master plan and the belief that he infallible".

What would you expect from the hero of a fantasy film?
Again the answers were pretty predictable for a fantasy hero. Some suggest a prince or connection to royalty who makes wrong decisions and learns from his mistakes or a nobody, someone who's pretty useless who happens to stumbled into an adventure (Frodo from Lord of the Rings for instance). But one of my target audience also went very deep into this answer, stating that she expected a white male hero aged between 15 and 30 who uses his authority of being a white male to overcome a "creepy psychopath" before the hero defeats villains and rides valiantly away, or is rewarded by the woman.

Would you expect the film to have an anti-hero?
Similar to the first question I asked my target audience, this question got a 50/50 response. Half answered that they would not expect an anti-hero in a fantasy film but were "willing to see a film with one" and another said that "it would be different". Others were more borderline saying that they might expect to see an anti-hero in films with it becoming a more interesting aspect of modern films such as Deadpool and Guardians of the Galaxy. Whilst others clearly stated that if there was an anti-hero in the film then that person would have the role as the traitor or a deus ex machina. 

Does it concern you that I am not planning on using elements of magic in my short film?
One of my target audience answered this question in stating that they were "not entirely" concerned that the film would not contain elements of magic. They stated that they liked how the film will be in the fantasy genre and that it "doesn't have the full magical element" which normally overpowers films whilst another stated that magic was implied by using the nymphs as they are mythical creatures. The rest of my target audience answered that not using elements of magic did not concern them at all, with one stating that "not all fantasy is about magic".

An Insight Into Nymphs

This idea of the nymphs being part of my short film was not only taken from my love of the elves in Tolkien's novels but also from the Greek Mythology of the nymphs.

Different from the goddesses in Greek Mythology, nymphs are generally regarded as divine spirits who control and shape nature, bound to one particular place. Interestingly the Ancient Greek belief in nymphs survived in many parts of Greece into the early years of the twentieth century. This had a large impact on the development of my story due to the perhaps lingering belief in such stories.

Nymphs are supposedly meant to isolate themselves from human interaction but were known to encounter lone travellers or be seen dancing or bathing in a stream or pool. The nymphs seemingly had mystical abilities with some being known to appear in a whirlwind. An encounter with a nymph for humans was also considered dangerous as it could bring dumbness, besotted infatuation, madness or stroke. Nymphs were also believed to kidnap children which can be seen in other mythology as the job of fairies or pixies.

However, nymphs are most commonly thought of as water spirits. This therefor led me to look into more detail at dryads which are woodland spirits or woodland nymphs. The word "dryad" comes from the word "drys" meaning oak and dryads are specifically associated with being the nymphs of oak trees. The oak is associated as the tree of England and therefor fits in well with my coursework being set in England. They were considered to be very shy creatures, except around the goddess Artemis.

There are very little modern interpretations of dryads in fiction or in filmography aside from their role in 'The Chronicles of Narnia' where they are seen various parts of the story by Lucy Pevensie.

Flashbacks

I am interested in using the aspect of flashbacks during some of the scenes - especially when Melodie and Sienna are imprisoned.

One particular flashback I would like to focus on is the punishment of Melodie and Sienna's father. This would preferably occur during Melodie's monologue:

"And what has my family ever done for me! They abandoned me to rot in the forest, framed as a traitor and spy after our father left for the modern world. Do you really think that because we share the same blood that I should have felt something? I don’t even know you. I was unaware of your existence until the Woodland Queen spoke to me of you and issued me to track you down...Our father defied her rule and she tortured him. He escaped and she doesn’t know how. She’s been trying to get me to tell for years. I have no idea what he did. He left before I could talk, leaving my mother to raise me on her own. "

I would like to present Melodie and Sienna's father (aka the Darkened One) as a cloaked figure as neither Melodie or Sienna knew their father and he is therefor a mystery to both of them. However, similar to the image of the dark nymph above, I would like the audience to be able to see his hands which I am planning to be covered in blood.

Another possible flashback I am considering is one during the last scene when Melodie kills the Woodland Queen. However I am not quite sure this would work with the flashback on the screen. Instead I think it would be very effective if Melodie hears her mother's begging and pleading voice in the background whilst she stands above the Woodland Queen. I also think it would be very effective to have the voices stop as soon as the Woodland Queen is dead.

Studying Elven Portrayals - Tolkien

One of the most famous portrayals of elves is in the film adaptations of Tolkien's novels varying from 'The Hobbit" trilogy to the 'Lord of The Rings' trilogy. Therefore, when I started to design the characters of the nymphs, I immediately had a look at the best place to start: Peter Jackson's interpretation. Again some elements which I think I can see in the Woodland Queen have possibly come from the Elvenking, Thranduil. She is bitter and has actually pulled her own people away from the world. I also really like all the different types of concept art and interpretations in the art provided throughout the clip. This hopefully should help me design the nymphs as a species on their own and also help me cast the actresses for the roles.

I think it was very interesting in designing the attitudes of the characters. Although this is part of finding an actor who can get into the personality of the character, I think this is also very important for the basis of character design in the fantasy genre. Another element which I love that I have already mentioned in my blog is the aspect of Thranduil's crown. I like the idea of having the Woodland Queen wearing a crown that highlights her superiority as well as cruel nature. This could possibly take inspiration from two of the most famous crowns/helmets in the interpretations of Tolkien's novels: Sauron's spiky helmet and Thranduil's branch root-like crown.

After having looked at Thranduil and Legolas, I decided to look at the other elf from 'The Hobbit' called Tauriel, who stimulated the love triangle in the film between Legolas, Tauriel and the dwarf, Kili.

I am aiming to follow Tolkien's ideas of developing a race of almost super-human creatures as the nymphs (taking inspiration from Tolkien's elves instead of the small elves and fairies that has become part of children's literature). I believe this might add more a sense of realism to the characters as well as perhaps a creepy element to them as they are more human-like and increasingly more powerful. The interesting ideas of Tolkien towards the Light Elves and Dark Elves will also hopefully be seen in the portrayal of the nymphs in 'Halfbreed', differing between the characters of the Woodland Queen with her bitter and manipulative personality and Melodie with her obedient and perhaps earthy personality. I also took a lot of inspiration from this video extract for the strong female characters and the develop of nature of the nymphs.

Studying Elven Portrayals - Nuada

For inspiration to design the characters of the nymphs in 'Halfbreed' I have been taking a lot of inspiration from the fantasy species of elves.

I firstly looked at the portrayal of Prince Nuada from the film 'Hellboy II: The Golden Army'. I took a lot of inspiration for my cosplay at comic-con this year from the representation of Nuada and hoped that perhaps I could take some from him for my coursework this year as well. Although the only elves met in the short film are female I like the idea of adding a surreal darkness to the Woodland Queen. Alike to Nuada she has a dislike towards humanity and similarly isn't the kindest soul either. I think it would be very interesting to experiment with dark makeup for the Woodland Queen, especially around her eyes and lips.

Background Info

If you have read my previous blog on my coursework for my short film opening 'Black Sands', then you will probably know that I tend to write a long backstory to go with the entire plot of the short film I am about to produce. This is the background info for the plot line of 'Halfbreed'.

The background information surrounding the plot revolves around the characters of Melodie and Sienna. The nymphs or woodland folk are led by a single line of royal blood taking it's roots all the way to the first ever woodland folk. After the passing of the Woodland King his crown fell to his eldest heir and only son, Melodie and Sienna's father. However, he broke the woodland law after he fell in love with a mortal woman. He was framed as a traitor by his own people and his younger sister became the Woodland Queen. She punished her brother brutally until he escaped, enraging his sister. In attempt to punish her brother further, the Woodland Queen took her niece, Melodie as her prisoner when Melodie was still a child. She punished Melodie until the girl obeyed her every command and Melodie's mother attempted to escape and find Melodie's father. Also framed as a traitor, Melodie's mother was executed on the spot in front of Melodie herself.

In the mortal world, Melodie's father married a mortal woman who bore him another daughter named Sienna. The two sister's existed without ever knowing of the other's existence but when Sienna turned nine their father was murdered by the Woodland Queen's men who learnt of Sienna's existence and set about the path of destruction when it resulted with the Woodland Queen sending Melodie to capture Sienna years later.