Trial Run

Tomorrow we start shooting for the Unmerciful campaign video, a video that's going to help get the word out online. It's only a very small shoot but we have a lot to do in a short space of time. So I've drew up a schedule to keep us going throughout the day - I've also had to allow time for Bills tutorials as they were re-arranged to this date after we had already booked the studio/actress.

I based this timetable off the timetable used by the 1st AD on my last film My Daughter, I've changed a few things here and there to match our shoot but this is mainly a trial run to see what would have to change on the official shoot dates in March.

Merlin: A History

Is Merlin the pinnacle point of wisdom we don't wish to have ourselves, we would just like access too it? Pandoras box of knowledge and power that is the most terrifying yet awe inspiring sight, demanding to be investigated yet at the same time with caution.

These powers, together with apparently unlimited knowledge of past, present and future, enable him to guide the destinies of kings, to provide magical weapons and to prophesy the future of kingdoms. With his powers he ensures the birth of King Arthur, and then shapes him into an ideal, if tragically fated, ruler. Yet Merlin is human enough to be fallible, and to feel love and desire – and it is this capacity which makes him vulnerable to the seductions of the ‘damsel of the lake’, even though he knows that she will destroy him once she has learnt all his secrets.

Lawrence-Mathers, Anne. The True History of Merlin the Magician. : Yale University Press, 2012. ProQuest Ebook Central. Web. 19 October 2016.

Stories of the wonder child Ambrosias (Translated into Welsh as Emrys ) and the bard Myrddin Wyllt came together to create the archetype Merlin Emrys (Myrddin Emrys) by Geoffrey of Monmouth in 1136. Becoming popular when a story of him advising a king of the Dragons that lived beneath his land causing a tower to constantly fall down. The Dragons each representing the British and the Saxtons were fighting in a hidden underground cave, Merlin informs the king of their existence and that it is a metaphor for the creation of a great nation. The Saxtons would be Britain's greatest opposition in becoming a united nation - Merlin informed the King and went on his way.

Illumination of a 15th century manuscript of Historia Regum Britanniae showing king of the Britons Vortigern and Ambros watching the fight between two dragons.
 Merlin is pictured to the right of the King.

A mixture of welsh and celtic history, Merlin was created by Geoffrey of Monmouth as a character in Historia Regum Britannia (c.1136) to in short, give the French a reason to invade Britain. It's within these books that Arthurian legends became known and book 7 of Historia Regum Britannia was in fact dedicated to telling the prophesies of Merlin. When writing the book he claimed that he had merely translated the stories into Latin after receiving them in 'a very ancient book in the British tongue' given to him by Walter, Archdeacon of Oxford. However a lot of the stories are in fact derived from Welsh poetry and celtic legends, so most scholars today don't take the claim seriously. 

When the legends eventually brought him together with King Arthur (he made Uther look like the husband of Irgaine so he could sleep with her on the condition if there was a child, Merlin would take the child and raise him to be the 'Once and Future King' of Albion - it was all rather dramatic) he served by Arthurs side as his advisor before Arthur perished in battle. Legend says The Giants Dance (Stonehenge to the everyday reader) was built by Merlin as the resting place for Ambrosius Aurelianus, then Uther Pendragon, and finally Constantine III. Built using stones from the Celtic Goddess Erin (the goddess of Ireland) the stones were said to have healing powers. But there was never anything in literature confirming how Merlin got the stones from Ireland to Wiltshire. In fact there isn't ever a mention of Merlin having magic at all - deciding how the stones got there was left entirely down to the audience.

The Giants Dance (Stonehenge) in 2014

Merlins next incarnation is in the first entirely Welsh manuscript 'The Black Book of Carmarthen' a book of poetry from just before 1250. In the poem The Elegy of Gereint son of Erbin Merlin joins Arthur in the battle of Llongborth a battle which drove Merlin to the point of insanity. The poems Yr Afallennau and Yr Oianau bring fourth the Merlin suffering from what we would call today PTSD. He's talking to apple trees and pigs, he's a tortured man holding up a tragic character. He speaks of icicles and snow in his hair, he lives amongst the trees and shuns human company. However it is this tragic story that gives him the wisdom he is now known for. It is from this incarnation of Merlin that we get his most famous prophesies as he became a wild man in a poetic frenzy, writing anything that came to mind. All of this before the end of the 14th century.

It was these prophesies and the invention of the printing press (1450?) that made Merlins story into the legend he became. The character of Merlin and the Arthurian legends became a part of mainstream Christian Europe being translated into French, telling the stories for the first time not in Welsh. It was here that arthurian romance began to take off, the birth of Merlin was re-told using a Pagan tradition but within a Christian concept (his birth has never really had a solid storyline, but the christians use of the Pagan religion was known). It was given no historian context and morphed into love stories between Merlin and a lady magician who stole all of his secrets and used them against him, eventually resulting in his demise. 

Merlin however lived on. In 1485 William Claxton wrote La Morte D'Arthur, a retelling of the arthurian legends in English and the most well known versions of the stories to date. It was here that the round table and excalibur became known and there is also a more detailed telling of Arthurs birth (the Uther drama but in more detail really). It is also the first incarnation of old man merlin. Dressed in a hooded coat with long white beard - the archetype began forming.

The Death of King Arthur by James Archer (1823–1904), who began painting Arthurian subjects in about 1859.
Merlin can be seen on the right, at the back.

Many men have claimed to be Merlin (or have had the idea thrust upon them) in tudor times a man named John Dee a physician and astrologer. He was known to practice ritual magic, something that at the time hadn't completely been debunked, he had a seemingly magical knowledge and angelic presence. As if he was assessing knowledge that was beyond human capabilities. This was also during the renaissance so plays such as Shakespeare's The Tempest were just being performed - magic was cool back then basically. Today it is more widely known that Merlin would be a troubled artist, gaining knowledge from his amazing yet painful art work. Well that's what 'Merlin' says aka a guy in Wales who believes he's Merlin reincarnated. There is some truth to his world however.

In Celtic history Merlin was depicted as either a druid or a bard (or both), he was known as the chief druid who also wrote poetry that carried the nation.

Richard Wilson 'Solitude' depicting Merlin (bottom left) as a druid by the lake. 1750s

The Bard by Thomas Jones. Based off the the poem The Bard by Thomas Gray. Showing a Merlin like figure place a curse on the English after their war against Welsh Bards leaves one standing. 1774

'The Last Bard' John Martin. 1817 Again depicting the last bard (a Merlin incarnation) placing a curse on the English after the massacre of Welsh Bards by Edward I

'The Last Bard' is my personal favourite. Post-apocolypic in it's colours. Merlin rising above the army. Showing off the countryside in it's basic beauty as Merlin seeks revenge on those who seek to destroy it. It's an amazing painting and I hope to see it when I head home as it's currently on display in Newcastle - I may have to take a trip there! Merlin has not always been used for good however, he was actually used by Nazi Germany as part of propaganda to rally support. He was used as a symbol for the light that would lead them out of the forest....but let's pretend that didn't happen for a second.

Merlin is omnipresent within media as 'Powerful Merlin' is always the extreme example of good within the good v evil argument. Today we have incarnations of him in Gandalf, Dumbledore and Harry Potter - the person who has a great destiny and access to this vast history, knowledge that will help the incarnation in question out of whatever situation they find themselves in. He is always more than what is brought to argument. He is more than christian knowledge, more than science, more than religion and today more than art. As a society we turn to Merlin (and his incarnations) to explain things we have no answer for. He is our back up plan for when things go wrong. 'It doesn't matter if we can't figure it out, Merlin will have the answer'.

Harry Potter, Dumbledore and Gandalf. Modern day examples of Melin within the media.

We all want access to Merlin. We don't want to be him, we don't want that pressure. We just want his knowledge, his wisdom and his power. To another a person we could be 'Merlin'. You reading this could be 'a Merlin' to someone else for Merlin becomes anything we need him to be, in any form and at anytime.

So there's my brief history lesson on Merlin. I've got some books on order from the British Library that should be able to tell me more but this is what I've found online and in the BBC Documentary Merlin: The Legend. It's very interesting seeing all of his incarnations at once, how I'm going to use those incarnations is still a mystery... rather like the man himself.

Citizen with a Movie Camera

As part of my research for Unmerciful I've been looking at actual footage shot during war, this time in Syria rather than Lebanon but they offer similar effects. I've been watching the Youtube/film series Citizen with a Movie Camera which offers a complication of civilian footage recorded within Syria around 3 years ago showing audiences aspects of the war not seen on News channels. As the sound designer I want this world to be as believable as possible and also as close to the truth as I can possibly make it. 

'Bring justice to all those whose blood is wasted like this'

'What's life if we don't stand up for protection'

Women getting kidnapped at gunpoint in the street.

Shells. Guns. Explosions. Shallow breathing. Missiles.

Rumble of the ground after an explosion.

Aftershock of the initial impact. 

Bullet casing hitting the ground. 

At 13 minutes you see bodies lying along the river.

You just hear wind and footsteps.

No reaction.

Stop, stop and go away.

They say it's a fight to the death. Fullstop.

In these clips you hear how unaffected the civilians are. They're breathing doesn't hitch when a bomb goes off. They don't say a word when faced with a row of dead bodies. They go out and brick by brick pick up the destruction left behind. They shout their loyalty and pray amongst the carnage.

It's so bizarre watching this from an outside perspective because it seems fake. It doesn't seem real and as a Sound Designer I'm not sure I'm going to be able to make it real. I can however make the audience empathise with the characters and I think that's going to be my aim rather than re-creating a war zone perfectly.

More blogs on this too come..... 

Prepping ahead

Based of Draft 4 of the script

As things start to finalise here is a provisional version of the shoot plan - currently I working on getting a re-draft of the script before I finalise any dates but the shoot is currently scheduled to start March 6th. The day after the shoot for Wallpaper is due to finish, so it's going to be an intense few weeks for me an the crew but needs must. I'm planning shoot dates based on scene and actors needs right now but once I get storyboards/equipment needs etc in place this could change. Right now it's just nice to have an outline to work towards. 

Merlin's Enclosure

After trying and failing to advance the Shakespeare project I've decided that it was in my best interest to change topics. Still remaining with the inspiration of literature I've gone down a different route and I've chosen a particular character (or archetype in this case): Merlin. 

Merlin as a Old Man, his most recognisable appearance in media.

I'm a huge fan of arthurian legends and I find them very interesting so that's what I'm going to spend my time researching. The downside to this project is right now there is an outcome idea but it's a very vague one and it won't become apparent until I have that moment of 'clarity' - I guess is what you could call it. At the moment the idea of Merlins Enclosure is in reference to how Britain (and British influenced media) have represented the idea of Merlin throughout history. At one point Britain was actually nicknamed Merlins Enclosure. I want to explore what that means, why was it called that? Why Britain and not Italy? Why's Merlin so special? 

When I imagine the project I think of 'something' representing the magic and knowledge that make the archetype what it is, a camera moving through this sea of particles - almost like a galactic adventure. The particles are coming of of 'something' and with each new colour or shape you get a new representation of Merlin so anything from a popular character like Gandalf (very much an incarnation of Merlin) to a mention of him in Medieval literature (Sir Gawain and the Green Knight). The camera travels through this space but never get's close enough to see the object producing the magic because we don't have a solid idea of who or what Merlin the 'person' was. So instead of satisfying the audience with the knowledge of who this person is they get the essence of incarnations instead. Before eventually zooming back through the galaxy to show that it's all neatly kept within a box (note: for now anyway I need to do so further research into iconography) hence - Merlins Enclosure.

Painting by Tracie Cheng. 

I want the magic/knowledge to be abstract, as demonstrated by Tracie Cheng's painting, when I look at this painting I see something that is solid but also free, whimsical but structured and ethereal yet present. These are the qualities I want for the animation. The idea of magic being real is crazy yet for some reason when you mention Merlin to anyone in Britain the have an image in their head of a wizard, they all have a different image in their head depending on their generation or sheer interest in mythology but they will never question the structure in which this character is placed. I want to explore that structure and divulge the essence of this archetype, have the audience captivated in something new but at the same time nostalgic. 

As per the title I'm narrowing my search area by keeping the research within a British context simply due to time, the amount of research need and because the idea came from the discovery of 'Merlins Enclosure' being a name for Britain in academic texts. 

Researching Merlin is a bit like a rabbit hole - you never know what you're going to find.

A theory I like is one in which they say that Merlin represented the morning star whilst his sister Ganieda represented the evening star. Reaffirming my idea of the galaxy but also giving him a status however this does bring in more characters something that other theories do but they don't give as much leverage to them as they do Merlin. 

Then you have stories of the sword and the stone, lady of the lake, the wild man, Glastonbury tor ..... there's so much I've just got the tip of the iceberg. 

So for now I'm going to read and research. Learn a bit of Maya and come back with a wider understanding of what this crazy idea actually is and what I'm getting myself in for. But right now I'm truly interested and invested in learning more which can only mean good things. 

The New Globe

When I was approached to work with Seeper I was at a complete loss for ideas then I remembered that the Shakespeare festival is still happening. So following on from my last installation I went with that idea - mainly because I didn't have any other ideas at the time. 

However I'm still holding onto The Tempest because it's my favourite Shakespeare play. The RSC have been working on this new adaptation for a few years and the fact that I can't see it kills me. So I'm going to play around with technology and create something as well. So I went on the RSC company website searching for ideas. I originally had a plan to create a large elaborate stage production of Richard III but as a video game, complete with kinect cameras, holograms and live actors. But then I realised that I actually wanted to work on multiple projects this year and as seen within Intel and Imaginarium, you need all the time you can get to make Shakespeare go digital.

As I was looking through Seepers website and I saw a project called Geosphere and wondered if it was possible to project 3D images onto a sphere - turns out it is. So I instantly made the connection.

Sphere = Globe = Shakespeare's Globe. 

My original idea was to ask members of the public what they're favourite Shakespeare quote was, record it and place it in a soundscape. Then whenever a line from The Tempest played out water would appear in time to the speech, projected onto the globe. It would then build up until the words would be practically inaudible, as if everyone was speaking at once, followed by a projected globe layering plays and sonnets. During the 450th anniversary the literary community have focused on re-creating the legacy he left behind when he died. However they haven't really paid much attention to the legacy that currently exists. By creating this piece it will be populating the globe in Shakespeare's new audience.

But how do I make that 'fun' or 'new'? How do I bring the embodiment of his work into the 21st century? To be honest. I don't really have to do anything. We quote Shakespeare every other day.

Psssst if you haven't noticed, the bits in black are Shakespearian quotes.
Image: Royal Shakespeare Company

Why not populate this new globe with the things we actually say in modern day society and pair it with the eras it's transcending. One animation to represent the original production. One animation to represent the play now. To add to the soundscape there will also be two juxtaposing soundtracks, as well as the voice over. One set in modern day London other set in 16 century London. Once again the idea remains the same, members of the public speak the line, then one by one they build up. However this time the 16th Century track will slowly die out leaving only the modern day perception of his work left to view.

I consider this a fairly big move in the right direction. Whilst the project is still very much in development/ experimental phase. I think it could be good.

Also Seeper recommended taking it to the National Theatre or the RSC themselves.

Originally sent to Seeper Arts for an Internship 

The original proposal document for 'Shakespeare's New Globe'

Below is a video I found when researching Shakespeare based art/experiments, there is an entire science study around how Shakespearian language effects our lives. This video shows how the heart rate changes when hearing some of the quotes.

Living Shakespeare (art installation) from Peter Hofmann on Vimeo.

Cut with purpose

I see editing is a huge aspect of my future, it's something I enjoy doing and it's one of the things that came most naturally to me when I started University. It's also something that recently became part of my professional life - like a proper paying job, so I can't be that bad at it. For Year 3 I'll be editing Megan's film 'Wallpaper' as well as being the 1st AD on set, but before we get to Monday I need to do some research which is what this post will be about.

'The film editor is responsible for what you see, and how long you see it, for what you hear, and how long you hear it. We are orchestrators of picture and sound. That's pretty overwhelming, but infact that is what we do and it starts to give you an idea of the significance of the contribution' - Craig McKay (Editor of Silence of the Lambs)

Case Study 1 | Fargo.

Reccomened by Megan as an inspiration for the split screen aspect of the script. Having watched the first two episodes of season 2 all the way through I can see the appeal, whilst I was a bit confused (probably due to missing a season) I do like the use of split screen throughout the show. 

Fargo Season 2 Episode 2

In this particular scene you see two characters who have just committed the same crime yet one of them is a bit better at cover up their guilt than the other. The split screen gives the audience different perspectives on the situation whilst still driving the story at the same pace it would have gone had their only been one character in this situation.  

Within Wallpaper I want the split screen to appear within reason,  for instance I feel that currently most of scene 4 could be in split screen. Within the scene Logan set's up her investigation through a montage yet I imagine it as a montage within a split screen. One side showing the actual 'evidence' and papers whilst the other side shows her body language, her eyes, her face something showing the person behind the madness. Yet when she picks up the play papers (script) she picks it up in the left frame as a close up yet it turns into a long/medium shot showing her and the script, with the right frame going black until her phone rings when her father calls her and appears in frame.  When the phone call ends the left (with Logan in shot) goes black as she abruptly hangs up with her father remaining in the right frame as he sighs before having up and going to a full frame black-out. 

Case Study 2 | The Fall

First airing on BBC in 2013 The Fall see's crime drama favourite Gillian Anderson return to her iconic role of police detective and just ingulf you in this mind-blowing physiological mystery in which you start relating to the bad guy. That's exactly what they want you do because 'he's far too human' which is what makes him terrifying. 

I've been waiting for Season 3 of The Fall for 2 years and now it's here I can barely contain my excitement so if I talk about it too much - I'm not even sorry. The storyline is impeccable and the editing is amazing. I say the editing amazing because crime dramas tend to be very dialogue heavy, as this show is, but you never get bored. A lot of the time dialogue has this tendency to tell and not show however that's not the case here, they tell the audience enough for them to make their own educated opinion on the visuals they are about to see. Which as I mentioned earlier makes it scary. Human minds have this ability to jump to the worst possible conclusion when coerced into it, the editing of this show puts you in the mindset of a serial killer driven by the compulsion to feel god-like, when given that power your brain can make scarily accurate connections to motivation and even show empathy towards the guy. All signs of which are shown through Anderson's character wether she likes to admit it or not.

There is also a strong use of metaphorical imagery (for a BBC primetime slot) some obvious ones, between life and death and imagining the light at the end of a tunnel, but also some interesting ones as seen above. This episode hasn't aired yet but knowing the character I can imagine this is her stress release but also her drowning under pressure. Visuals of evidence are used a lot within the show but in Season 3 Episode 1 the is a prolonged montage of an empty hospital room that (SPOILER) the killer had just been in. It lingers a bit too long and in that moment you just see the brutality of attempted murder seemingly forgetting that the guy almost killed is a serial murderer himself.

The Fall Season 3 Episode 1

I speak of empathy a lot because I think it's key to telling a good story, if you get the audience in the mind of your protagonist then you're set. Empathy and observation can get you far in life, especially as a storyteller. Here the shot of the empty room looks in itself like a crime scene which is why it lingers so long - Steve Singleton (Editor) always shows you close-ups of evidence. At this point the audience has forgotten why he was injured in the first place because they've become caught up in the fast pace 'gotta-save-his-life' montage. They need this moment of reflection to come to terms with the fact they're sympathising with the man that get's a kick out of strangling women to death.

Also this TV show came out with my favourite quote, when a detective suggests that Stella is sexually attracted to the killer her response is;

"A woman, I forget who, once asked a male friend why men felt threatened by women. He replied that they were afraid that women might laugh at them. When she asked a group of women why women felt threatened by men, they said, 'We're afraid they might kill us.' He might fascinate you. I despise him with every fiber of my being."

But that's a different conversation, this article 'Woman, Subject: The Fall Is The Feminist Crime Show We've Been Wanting' may be of interest however.

On being an editor

Reading interviews with editors is always a nice thing to do, especially when you're in the limbo I'm in currently where I know there's an idea but there's no material for me to physically work with. So I'm preparing for it instead. 

I think something that a filmmaker can get caught up in is the production itself and because of this we  (as a production team) don't really give editors the recognition they deserve or the power they have earned. So the realisation that post-production is where I felt most comfortable came with a whole new set of rules and a new way to communicate with directors/producers. As an editor you feel a certain ownership of a film and that can be taken away from you very quickly if you gloat about it to the wrong person. Something I want to be sure of this year is making my opinion heard at the same volume of the director/producer/talent, obviously I know that people are higher than me in the grand scale of things but this is my thing. I don't have an extortionate amount of talent but I can tell a story.

And that is essentially what an editor is a story teller, someone who takes pieces film and brings out the narrative. So right now I'm annotating the script, I'm watching films and TV shows, passing ideas to different people and all in all preparing for the day I get the rushes in my hand. Until then it's back to AVID and lynda.com to prepare for the madness that ensues after filming wraps.