Phantom of the Opera

Following our discussions about the opening of our piece and how the boat containing Arthur docks there, these images are to help Lydia with her section.

The first image is here because I really like the arms holding the candles and wondered what the rest of the group think? As I am animating the candle/torch flickers I would like to try something like this... so what do you reckon team?? This one shows a basic torch I could also model, obviously giving a larger flame and will light up our environment more.

The candles give an eerie ambiance to the piece and the lighting makes it seem like a different world to the glitz of the stage above. This could be a good contrast in our piece of the reality of the crumbling castle and the magic of the Sword held above. I also liked the shape of the arches, and the stairs being centred and frames in the middle of the shot.

Ok this is the bit for Lydia, I like this image as it shows the relationship between the structure of the building and the rocks that surround it. As the Phantom gets closer to his lair the structure is lost and their is more rock surrounding, we could reverse this to make the Castle seem to be built into the rock back from the entrance, seeming to go from nature to the man-made building. I also like the lighting again and the fact that the boat must follow a narrow path, as if there is no turning back.

The next two images show a castle-like gateway rising to reveal the Phantom's lair. I like it as you cannot quite see the environment behind to begin with and I feel this would make a strong opening for our piece for wondering what is going to happen next. It is also evident this way that this is the entrance. We could use this as a point of view shot as shown here, or show Matt's 2D Arthur in the boat to one side (I think the left side going from the theory that we perceive that as good due to reading from left to right etc.)

I also like that the gate is carved into the natural rock, making it seem like a not easy place to find. In our story it would show that Arthur has had to search for this mythical island and also gives part of the reason why the sword has not been taken beforehand.

This final shot shows the Phantom's Lair, built into the natural rock. I like the idea of the shallow pool being where the boat comes to rest as the castle would not be expecting visitors and therefore would not need a proper built dock area- it would want to keep away visitors not particularly welcome them- I also like the sheer amount of candles and light here, it almost looks like a church or a holy untouched place.