The Client: I was approached by the wonderful conductor/composer, Simone Manfredini, to collaborate on a short film project, one we could distribute to film festivals around the world. Previously we had collaborated on West End productions.
The Directive: I pitched a swashbuckling film à la Robin Hood, Court Jester, and The Princess Bride. The sword fights in these films are always accompanied by bespoke orchestral scores that were a perfect way to feature Simone’s expertise. I created a script that transported a young man, lost in the reading of a pirate tale, to the world of high-stakes swordplay.
The Process: Budgets for this genre of film can quickly skyrocket so I chose to set the story in contemporary London where we had access to talent and ready-to-go-locations. The main cost was a convincing costume for the pirate swordsmen and fight rehearsals. To keep the shoot moving quickly and efficiently I drew storyboards with specific cut points and camera angles/moves in order to start the editing process even before we did our first take.
View a short video, below. I am credited as M.J. Arthur in this project.
I believe we ended up with a thrilling short with a wonderful twist ending and fantastic original score!
A few of the storyboards, below.
Comments
Post a Comment