SG/GK Section 1 notes

[nakedbee]

Trip report

• Escapade was FANTASTIC! I think it'll be a while before I can be any more coherent than that; it was just that great. I'll be going on a friending frenzy soon with all the wonderful people whose LJ names I can remember so I can attempt to keep tabs on all the mind-bogglingly amazing people I was introduced to this weekend.
  
• The MOCA was lame (LA's Museum of Contemporary Art). It was pretty much a bust in terms of SG/GK research, but the day was made worthwhile when I stumbled into Jungle, which is perhaps best described as a Japanese Hot Topic. I had an infinitely better time browsing the art there than at the MOCA, even though the presentation of objects was much more cluttered. ;) I also picked up a cute skeleton bunny patch to add to my suitcase.
  
• The MOLAA was awesome (Long Beach's Museum of Latin American Art). I came away with several new favorite artists and a stack of art books that will be heavy influences on Camelot's aesthetic.
  

SG/GK update
I had planned to post a photo collage of inspirations for the visual look of the book, but I have more to add and am not quite ready to share. In its place here's an expanded look at Section 1 of the poem. Under each stanza summary line I've listed:

• the core idea that I want to communicate with the visuals for that stanza, and
  
• a description of what that image might look like. The little stick figure storyboards I've been drawing are too embarrassing to ever see the light of day, so these descriptions will just have to serve until I can start the Barbie doll storyboards.

Section 1
1-1 Destruction of Troy and subsequent settlement of Britain and other lands

• establish the post-apocolyptic world
  
• A map of the US, with a mushroom cloud over the east coast or California splitting along the San Andreas fault so it turns into a Britain-sized island, little dotted lines showing people migrating to/settling new place in the wake of the disaster. Newspaper headlines are also a time-honored way to give backstory.
  

1-2 Civilization flourished and there was lots of fighting; King Arthur was awesome; let me tell you a story

• show the passage of time since the disaster
  
• A timeline/series of kings, evolving in appearance from immediately post-apocolyptic to 1000 years later. Maybe the timeline is being spun out by a storyteller in front of an audience.
  

1-3 15 days of Christmas-time revels at Camelot; eating, singing, dancing, jousting

• introduce the current world: the look, the level of technology, the slaves and horse-people, the festive tone; stanzas 3, 4, 5, and 6 need to firmly establish the Camelot aesthetic, so that when the Green Knight bursts in later we can see how his look contrasts with Camelot (wild, untamed and edgy; not bones and animal skins (a natural/primitive wildness) and more odd color and unusual shapes (high tech/alien/foreign/scary beauty)
  
• Cross-section of the castle (like a doll house) showing all these different activities happening simultaneously. Castle looks like a Spanish mission (more on the grand cathedral end than the primitive adobe end though)
  

1-4 New Year's Day: they play a game and someone wins; they wash up and sit down to dinner, mention of Queen Guinevere

• transitioning from the introduction into more of a real time narrative; the game is a good excuse for some smut
  
• left hand side of the page spread
  - enter Arthur and the knights
  - clerics/monks cheer and leave the chapel
  - nobles run to prepare their gifts for the gift exchange
  - the game (whatever it is), with the losers looking happy and the winner even happier
  
• right hand side of the page spread
  - Queen G sits down for the feast, people are streaming in, dressed up fancy for dinner
  

1-5 Arthur won't sit down until he gets an adventure

• a big establishing shot of the feast hall & the round table; focus on Arthur as the jovial host
  
• Time panorama, Arthur as he moves about the hall
  - formally greets an honored guest
  - pets a (human) dog lying in front of the fire
  - laughs with some of the knights
  - flirts with a group of ladies
  

1-6 Arthur chats with knights and food is described

• first look at Gawain, showing he's part of the inner circle; introduce fancy food and the fetish servants
  
• left: 6 people seated on one side of a table, King Arthur leaning on the other and chatting to them
  
• right: a procession of servants bring in the food and start laying it out on the table, preceded by some with trumpets and drums; the food is extravagant: large pastry sculptures, extensively carved fruits, artfully arranged platters of colorful vegetables, towering structures of ribs, rack of lamb, etc
  

1-7 The Green Knight (GK) bursts in and he's really big and good looking

• action! also visuals of winter (snow, GK's warm clothes, skis rather than wheels on the horse cart)
  
• we see the silhouette of the GK and his horse in the doorway, backlit so we don't notice the green yet; view as if we're standing behind the head table looking over their shoulders
  

1-8 He was green all over with fancy clothes in green and gold and had a green horse with fancy trappings

• still don't get a full view of the GK; drawing things out
  
• left: collage of close-ups on the GK: tight coat, cloak trimmed in fur, long hair, tight hose, gold spurs, slippers, belt buckle, embroidered birds and butterflies
  
• right: ditto of the horse: tassels, crupper, bit, stirrups, saddle, bridle
  

1-9 describes GK's hair and his horse's hair

• focus on their fabulous hair, still being coy with a full face view
  
• left: GK's long, elbow-length hair, multi-colored green dreds and a big beard with little braids and beads in it
  
• right: Horse's hair, knotted with gold cord, decorated with bells and green ribbon; either long hair pulled back into a ponytail or maybe a mohawk/mane on the head and then a separate horse tail
  

1-10 GK holds an axe and a holly branch; he says "take me to your leader"

• continue slow reveal of the GK
  
• left: GK's torso, he's holding a holly branch and the axe (the blade is 4+ feet long and decorated)
  
• right: our first real view of the GK, still mounted in his sled/cart; pretty wide show showing him and his horse and cart in full as well as lots of background
  

1-11 everyone is shocked silent

• reaction shot from the audience, slightly comic
  
• a wide shot of the round table
  - servant still pouring and overflowing a wine glass
  - person with fork half raised to their mouth
  - Arthur towards the right hand side of the page, also frozen mid-gesture
  

1-12 Arthur welcomes him and they exchange macho words

• Arthur regains his composure; the GK is still mounted and he has burst in uninvited, but this rudenss is in contrast with his words and his posture, which are otherwise civilized and polite
  
• Arthur looking up and the GK looking down at him
  

1-13 GK issues the challenge

• focus on the GK
  
• full double page of him and his axe
  

1-14 Everyone is silent, GK mocks them for being chicken

• the GK is totally manipulating them and the Camelot folk just have no idea how to react
  
• left: two panels
  - reaction shot of the crowd, no one is volunteering
  - the GK raises an eyebrow, mockingly
  
• right: Arthur is pop-eyed with frustration and the GK is leaning down and laughing in his face
  

1-15 Arthur steps up, GK gets ready, then Gawain interrupts

• the plot moves forward, tension builds
  
• left:
  - Arthur's hand reaches for the axe
  - GK dismounts
  
• right: GK removes his cloak as Arthur stands ready with the axe
  

1-16 Gawain volunteers, all smug and slouchy, and everyone cheers him on

• Gawain's big moment; he's young and cocky (with no idea what's in store)
  
• He's slouched in his chair with his feet up on the table and gesturing with a wine goblet, totally cool (he'll get flustered later when things turn supernatural and he's out of his element, but for now he's confident)
  

1-17 Arthur hands the axe to Gawain, GK asks his name

• more of Gawain's relationship with Arthur (who's a protective but proud uncle) and more of Gawain's fearlessness and confidence, also the GK's amusement/good humor
  
• left: Arthur hands the axe, gives an encouraging nod; now that he can step back from the situation, he's looking forward to seeing Gawain handle this
  
• right: Gawain gives a mocking bow to the GK, meeting his cockiness and arrogance with equal force
  

1-18 Gawain and GK talk

• showing off the chemistry/sparks/tension between these two; not outright flirtation, but they are definitely sizing each other up
  
• left: GK does a little grandstanding as he inspects Gawain, maybe circling around him
  
• right: Gawain strokes the axe, close-up on his hands; maybe we see the GK eyeing the axe from a distance in the background
  

1-19 Gawain chops off GK's head, the GK picks it up, and gets on his horse

• surprise!
  
• left: GK kneels and bends forward, pulling his hair up off his neck; Gawain raises the axe
  
• right:
  - the axe cuts through GK's neck with blood splattering off the axe
  - the head rolls under a table to people's feet, there's blood pouring everywhere
  - GK picks up the head, we notice the wires/sparks
  - GK climbs up onto the cart/sled, still holding the head in one hand
  

1-20 GK says "See you in a year!" and rides off

• more excuse for special effects
  
• left: the head speaks! blood (hydraulic fluid) still dripping out of the neck, head in the center of the frame with the hand & arm extending out of the frame; should look very Christmasy with all that red and green
  
• right: we see the retreating figures of GK and his horse, as well as the Back to the Future-style flaming tracks left by the sled
  

1-21 Arthur tells Guinevere not to worry & Gawain to hang up the axe; they feast the rest of the day

• the episode comes to a close; there's a little time for everything to sink in
  
• left: Arthur takes Guenevere's hand and gives his speech, but is perhaps looking at Gawain (who's still standing there stunned with the bloody axe)
  
• right:
  - Arthur goes to Gawain and lowers the axe,shakes him out of it
  - Gawain sits among the others as the feast continues with music and the servants bringing in more food; everyone else looks pretty recovered; the axe is hanging on the wall behind Gawain; maybe a servant is still scrubbing up the blood stains from the floor
  

Comments

[chalgaryn.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad that the MOLAA was good.