Title: Merlin’s Enclosure
Log Line: Follow some of the many incarnations of Merlin through British History from concept to modern day sorcerer.
Synopsis: Merlin’s Enclosure is inspired by the ancient Welsh tales of Emrys and follows the many incarnations of Merlin that have followed since the publication of Geoffrey of Monmouth's stories. This abstract animation, made for gallery installation, follows from the original middle Welsh poetry of the wild man of the woods all the way to the modern world's idea of Merlin within popular fiction such as Harry Potter and the BBC show Merlin. Within the 5 minute piece the audience will be introduced to the wild man of the woods, Shakespearean magic (and John Dee), Gandalf and Dumbledore and young bumbling Merlin. Before eventually have a quick run through of the entire story again, highlighting the connections between the incarnations ending the piece back where it started, wild man of the woods ready to start all over again.
Treatment : Merlin’s Enclosure starts with Merlin the Wild Man of the Woods. A incarnation of Merlin from the original 14th Century documents of Geoffrey of Monmouth speaking of a crazed man who has been wandering the woods for years alone. Following the battle of Arfderydd, a battle in which killed King Gwenddoleu, the first incarnation of Merlin, a bard named Myrridin, ran into the forest in a frenzy scared of what he had just witnessed. From here he is described as eating grass like an oxen ‘his body wet with the dew of heaven, tell hairs were grown like eagles feathers and his like birds’ claws’. Within the animation it will explore classic poems such as Yr Afallennau (The Apple Trees) a poem written from Myriddins perspective adding ‘After Gewnddoleu, no lords revere me, ano sport delights me, no lover seeks me out. In the battle of Arderydd, my torque gold, today I am no treasure for the swan-like girl’. Along with other poetry including Peiryan Faban (commanding Youth) in which the line ‘Myrddin son of Morfyn was a white hawk’ is written giving the audience a bold, commanding images of the hawk. It is this incarnation of Merlin that goes through turmoil and devastation that leads to the wisdom future incarnations become known for.
Next it time jumps to the British Renaissance and the age of John Dee and Shakespearean Magic. John Dee is the second incarnation of Merlin due to looks but also due to his closeness to royalty (mimicking the relationship between Merlin and King Arthur). A mathematician and astrologer by day and a magician by night, he would read the stars for Queen Elizabeth I to give her advice on when to schedule things including the day of her coronation. However he did also practice magic of the old Celtic Religion but was never sent to trial due to the fact he avoided the common give away signs of being a sorcerer which at the time included; flying on a broom, being old and haggered, being a woman who lived on her own, keeping an animal or brewing potions over a cauldron. Having successfully avoided the tell-tale signs he went about life speaking to angels and predicting the future. It was also the era of the magical spectacle and of people being amazed yet still scared of magic would lead the way for Shakespeare and his magical characters including that of The Tempest’s Ariel. This is the first incarnation of Merlin to include magic.
Bringing it closer to modern day the most recognisable face of Merlin is that of a combination of the characters Gandalf and Dumbledore. Both old with a long white beard, wise and powerful, the voice of reason in all the chaos. Gandalf is the creation of J R R Tolkien within his series Lord of the Rings. Gandalf has a similar origin story to that of Merlin including learning more about life and power by traveling in unknown lands, learning from those around him, in this case elves. He uses a staff to conduct magic similar to that of druid paintings ans he moulds himself to be that of which is needed of him at the time. The main difference between Gandalf and Dumbledore is that he lacks faith in himself and requires company to make the biggest difference. Dumbledore, the creation of J K Rowling in the Harry Potter series, is similar in looks and power but is also the safety net that the audience grow to love and depend on along the characters. There’s a familiarity of the overarching archetype which let’s him get away with things other characters couldn’t do, then when he dies the series turns darker leaving Harry and the audience to fend for themselves. These versions of Merlin already have the knowledge and tell you the right thing at the right time, the audience miss the hard part that got them too this position yet the only way the story can continue is if they are no longer there.
Finally the latest version of Merlin from the BBC’s TV show Merlin is the insight to what would have happened if Merlin had arrived in Camelot before he was strictly needed or ready. A bumbling young boy with no control over his powers in a world that wishes him to suppress them, working under the now Prince Arthur as they work together to fulfil the destiny the world knows they must do. Speaking in a mixture of Old Welsh and Gaelic to practice magic, Merlin has his own Merlin’s (the archetype) to help him along the way in the form of Gaius and The Great Dragon. It isn’t until nearing the end of the show that he finally starts to take form of the Merlin the world has came to know, where he can make his own decisions based of wisdom and not impulse, questions the intentions of those around and uses his now honed powers to protect Arthur and the Kingdom. This Merlin is significantly smaller than the rest and audiences need to be on their side, rooting for the underdog to come full circle.
This animation is made for a large scale gallery projection with surround sound speakers in a hope of creating a total art piece that will immerse the audience. Audience target ages is between 15 - 30 hooking onto the feeling of nostalgia and comfort that comes with growing up with the Merlin archetype within the mainstream media. Each phase will have a different abstract incarnation of Merlin which reacts to a carefully curated soundscape but cannot move outside of the designated space given to it by a structure, the structure representing the British historical timeline. At the end of the piece, when all incarnations have been shown, the animation will reverse paying close attention to the connections between incarnations before finishing, with a bit of cinematic flair, back at the beginning with WIld Man of the Woods ready to loop.
Is it too long? It's long. Shortened version coming soon.
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