BEREN AND LUTHIEN (THE ADAPTATION)

Odo Banks

Oh Tin (if I may be so familiar?) you have me a mite confused.

When you said "Wilmington" did you actually mean "Wellington"? If it was just a spelling error, I think it was a nice one. "Wilmington" has a really friendly sound to it somehow. If it's not actually "Wellington", I'd like to go there!
It sounds like it could be in The Shire.

You're probably right about Russia. Would we have to become Bolsheviks?

Odo

Tinuviel

ahgklaj! I was thinking of Wilmington North Carolina, sorry, I meant Wellington. And it is a very nice place in the U.S.
And besides, I've ALWAYS wanted to go to NZ just to see the locations and everything, and Australia to see Steve Irwin (he and Tolkein are my heroes) but he's now dead...
None the less, we need to find somewhere with plenty of woodlands of different types, mountains, rivers, you name it.
And right now, NZ (and possibly the U.S.????) are my only options.

Odo Banks

Should we really be getting you American folk involved, Tin? Don't you all live at Disneyland?

Odo

Gandalfs Beard

Well, as we are considering this as an Independent Film, we don't have to worry about any of Jackson's contracts.

And Russia has all the kinds of landscapes you mentioned in Spades Odo 8-) . I'd love to visit NZ too Tinuviel, but as Sam Raimi has also filmed all his Fantasy shows (Hercules, Xena, Legend of the Seeker) there, I think it's time for a new location. NZ is starting to become a little too familiar on-screen, as gorgeous as it is.

Odo Banks

All we need is a place that looks exactly like Beleriand!

Something else comes to mind. Did the sun and moon exist in Beren and Luthien's time? Or was it a kind of 'twilight' world? It's a serious question.

Odo

Gandalfs Beard

Good question Odo. I think they did by that time, but I'll have to double-check my copy of the Silmarillion tomorrow.

Odo Banks

Yes, I might have to pull my finger out and look (at the book, not my finger!) I need to know the answer before I start planning 'lighting'.

Tinuviel

If this helps, I always pictured it as a twilight world, or maybe dawn, something not complete, but in a wonderous beginning...
Perhaps in the northern UK? like Ireland or scotland? Then it will really be true to the book!

Gandalfs Beard

Well, much of Beleriand was later submerged, so it wouldn't necessarily be Shire-ish (which is most intended to represent Britain).

Odo Banks

The landscape I guess could be anything, but the lighting situation is important to get right!

As to northern UK, Ireland and Scotland, Tin: are you suggesting those places are always kind of gray and dreary?

Odo

Tinuviel

No, but it has that kind of feel... the... (for lack of a better term,) archaicness of it, like the beginning of Middle earth would feel? Or, like I said, somewhere with alot of forests.

Odo Banks

I guess a northern European type forest - but a clearly primeval one.

Odo

Gandalfs Beard

That's why Russia might be the best bet. British and Western European forests have been whittled away by civilization. But Russia still has vast tracts of unadulterated (and Gorgeous) Wilderness. Google Lake Baikal for a small sample.

Odo Banks

Maybe we have our location then!

Where are we with the script?

Odo

Tinuviel


o dear!

Gandalfs Beard

Don't panic. We were still discussing the Opening Sequences when we digressed to Locations. We should revisit that and try to map out from there on. After we've hammered out the basic structure, Odo can start writing up some scenes and dialogue, and then I can start storyboarding, and then we can confab, revise scenes that need it and move on.

If we actually get that far , we should approach CT and get his blessing (if he hasn't already sold the rights). Then we can start seriously hitting people up for funding. If we get that, then we can start hiring production and acting talent, and line up distributors (though finding distributors may also have to be done during the Funding phase).

If none of that pans out then we can just whistle Dixie in the Wind .

Tinuviel

I quite enjoy screen writing actually. Just give me and idea and away I go. How do we want it to start? proluge or no?

Odo Banks

This "Whistling Dixie to the wind" GB, is it some kind of incantation? We're still at $100.00 (though DK has gone decidedly quiet lately) and your 50 is but a twinkle in your eye, unless your circumstances have changed! An incantation might be an option!

Tin, I reckon start with Gorlim and fill in background stuff as we go, integrated into the plot, either in conversation or flashback!

Odo

Gandalfs Beard

I still like the idea of narration free prologue while the opening credits are rolling showing the fashioning of the Silmarils. Then jumping to Beren's silent Orc Hunt.

Night Falls, Beren slumbers restlessly. His sleep distubed by his dreams. Through his dreams we see Gorlim informing Beren of his betrayal of Barahir, which we get to see as Gorlim tells his story.

Beren's second dream the following night, shows him finding his dying handless father. His third dream the night after that shows him finding his father's murderers and taking back his ring, and embarking on his Orc Slaying Spree.

Then we have a sequence showing Beren killing Orcs in Summer under a Blazing Yellow Sun, then hacking Orcs among a flurry of Golden Autumn Leaves swirling about, then lopping Orc limbs and spraying Red Blood across the White Snow. Then it's Spring, Forest Flowers are Blooming in a Rainbow of Colour, animals and birds happily gambol around Beren in a scene evocative of Snow White (probably Disney's best film).

As he and the Forest Creatures make their way through the forest they come to cheerful Bubbling Brook. Something catches Beren's attention, He startles, drawing his sword. Then spying across the stream and up the Rocky rapids, he catches his first glimpse of Radiant Beauty, with her own flurry of birds about Her. His features soften, his jaw drops. After a Pregnant Pause, finally we hear Beren's voice, calling out "Tinuviel".

Odo Banks

Um... that's about ten to eighteen(ish) scenes sketched!

Hey! "Snow White" and "Beren and Luthien" in the same breath?!

And birds and beasts gamboling around Beren!!!

The irony of it all! TH becomes LOTR, B+L become TH. Wow! And I mean, WOW!!!)

As to Prologue over credits - that would become, in a sense, BEREN AND LUTHIEN (SCENE ONE) Maybe you could refashion it into Script Material and post it there GB. It would be a start!

Go for it Tin!

Odo

Gandalfs Beard

Yes indeedy . I don't think the "gamboling" would be as silly as it probably sounds. I just thought it would be a lovely way to introduce Beren's rapport with the birds and beasts .

Disney's version of Snow White really captures a lot of the Mythic qualities of the Grimms' Fairy Tale. Both in it's terror and it's beauty. I know the whole "One with the Animals" thing has become a trope ripe for Parody (see Shrek), but with an artistic touch, such a scene can still be done in a lushly visual way that doesn't seem completely ridiculous.

I might indeed take a whack at actually scripting this stuff out, but I tend to work a bit more loosely by roughly sketching and fleshing out the details as I go along, usually visually--which is why I'd be better off story-boarding. If someone were able to take my sketches and mock them up into a verbal script, that might work. Directors often work very closely with writers and artists to have them map out their vision. This really would require more of a team effort to even come up with just one script, let alone several individual scripts.

Odo Banks

I'm not thinking multiple scripts, that's why I suggested starting with SCENE ONE versions - choosing one after discussion - then moving on to SCENE TWO. A gradual process. Doing it over a forum would otherwise become a big old mess. Maybe if we stay motivated long enough, we could have an AGREED SCRIPT thread where each Agreed Scene could go, one post after another as we Agree them!

As to our Beastly friends, I think we should try and make this aspect of our story as realistic as possible. Of course there will have to be things that need suspension of disbelief - we don't want to limit ourselves too much! I think the best time to introduce our Beasts is after Barahir is killed and Beren gets his ring back by killing the Orc. This then will follow the proper story arc as laid out in the text. I do have something concrete in mind about how we use our beasts, but that can wait...

One of the trickiest things will be all our sub-creating. The story is told swiftly and briefly and we'll need to make up dialogue and create scenes and "interpret" quite a lot. So long as we stay as true to the spirit of T's text as possible, I think it'll be okay. Can't avoid it anyway.

Anyway, head down, bum up...

Odo

Odo banks

Read your post on the SCRIPT thread old chum. I'm not totally against your idea, but it's not how I would start!

Odo

Tinuviel

I've put up something for scene one. It's very rough, a brain pour as I like to call it. Sometimes it doesn't really flow, but it's my thoughts in words, so it's more than likely to sound like hoggwash!

What do u thinK?

Odo banks

Tin, you could knock me down with a feather! Your SCENE ONE was really really good!

If you don't mind, I'll try to download what you've got to a Word doc and maybe work it a little. There's a couple of things I think I might be able to fiddle with or rejig to make it a bit closer to Tolkien's text, I think. And maybe fiddle a little with some of your dialogue too. This is to do with 'my' interpretative process, and not so much to do with what you've done, which I think is pretty darn good.

Would you mind if I tried? If you don't mind, let me know. I'll then try and get my 'take' done quickly and post it on the SCENE ONE thread. We might then compare.

If this is your first attempt, well, all I can say is: "Wow!"

Odo