UTA

He is the main ‘antagonist’ in Kala’s story.

His clothes hold many similarities to the current style of Kala’s tribe suggesting he is the newest spirit to join the Devoid. He has huge black hoofed feet and the carvings within his skin glow with a red pulse. The reds in his robes are slightly faded and worn.

He is the most frequently spotted Ghast and has had many encounters with Luka – prompting the catlike creature to seek a willing member of the Sikari to aid him in eradicating the Devoid for good.

Kala has often seen him on the edge of the forest and speculated at the intentions of silent watchers. Uta himself is hostile to any Sikari who try to approach, this has led to growing hostility between the tribe and the Devoid.

He is bound to the duties of keeping the forest but he is unique in his tendencies to rebel against his spectral brothers and directly interact with people of the Sikari.

Through this story he works to stop Kala from going through the gate and is willing to jeopardise the rocky peace of the land to stop her.

DEVOID. GHAST’S

Archaic spirits that live in the Red Wood. They are feared and believed to be the stolen souls of past tribe members that stalk their descendants.

The Sikari also consider them as the shepherds to the next life.

They are shrouded in thick draping fabrics aged with centuries of wandering the woods. Each Ghast is decorated with the robes reflecting the style worn by the tribe when it is ‘born’. What is beneath the robes is a mystery, they emit smoke and dust between floating limbs and empty burning eyes under their hoods.

 

LUKA

Luka is the bizarre creature who appears out of the forest and leads Kala on a path to find out the truth of her people and her family.

He communicates with the individual through morphing the runes that appear in his fur. He himself is a shape-shifter and is very careful never to be seen without intending it.

He is rather cunning by nature. He is a free spirit and wanders the woods alone. However, he knows to avoid the Ghast’s and the creatures further up the mountain.

His spirited nature prompts him to tease unsuspecting tribe members with playful tricks but is careful never to interfere with the Kyr too often as not to offend the Ghast’s.

JANGALA ENTITIES

Here are some of the native creatures that are sealed away behind the gate. They each have unique abilities that help with the preservation of the forest. The Sikari have never actually seen these creatures before but they have seen old drawings and books written about them by generations long past.

HERD KYR

They are cared for by the Sikari. It is believed that centuries ago that the herd was vast and populated the whole mountain.

The Sikari prospered as a thriving civilisation, however they became careless and allowed the herd to almost be wiped out. The Sikari were then punished and the forest consumed the cities. Later the Devoid threatened to eradicate them but offered them redemption if they could rebuild the herd then they may rebuild their society.

They are worshiped because wherever they graze will flourish with natural life.

They decorate the cattle with the same red thread in their hair as a symbol of protection and kinship connecting them to the forest.

RUNES

Developing a script.

OKAHN

 

The name Okahn Is derived from Mōcana – मोचन a Nepali word meaning ‘liberation’ and ‘redemption’. The village is built using mainly the red bark trees surrounding the settlement. Each individual building is carved and decorated with unique superstitious heraldry with historic meanings that echo stories from past generations

Every building presents runes that are specific to each family, they are bound together using ancient woven fabrics. This symbolises the oath taken centuries ago to rebuild the lifeblood of the mountain.

Within the redwood is an elusive portal. What is within?

Kala will have to find out.

5 Weeks Story Board

For the first vfx post production brief we are asked to create a teaser trailer to a new anthology series based on the works of Jules Verne.

•Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
•Journey to the Centre of the Earth
•From the Earth to the Moon
•Around the World in Eighty Days
•The Mysterious Island
•Five Weeks in a Balloon

I liked the concept of a balloon as a focal to a short scene integrating into a title. I considered what kind of imagery each title would convey and could be interpreted by an audience and I thought Five Weeks seemed to have a strong focal point (that of a balloon) that could be worked onto a world – I would only have to use a few elements to tell the essence of the story and give enough information to speculate on a narrative but also hold back and encourage the audience to want to find out more.

This is an early idea on how I could introduce imagery in a cinematic way using few elements that could be layered with blending effects and create something otherworldly.

Narrative Map. Alice’s Adventures

In light of value.

Experimental piece. Using the black/white spectrum to distribute values for later colour composition.