CLEA ANTONIOU 902525
ASSIGNMET 1
Relevant Characterisation for a Fantasy Film
What is a mermaid? A human fish that swims in the water? A woman with a tale who breathes underwater? A mythical sea-creature who portrays itself as a woman? maybe even someone you’ve met. We’ll never truly know.
Mermaids have been known to deliberately sing to sailors in order to enchant them, with the malevolent intent of distracting them from their work, causing their ship to crash. They sometimes squeeze the last breaths out of drowning men during an attempt to rescue them, or just out of spite.
British folklore noted Mermaids as being distinctly unlucky omens- foretelling disaster and maliciously provoking it too.
Sir Patrick Spens depict a mermaid speaking to the doomed ships. In some, she tells the crews that they will never see land again, in others; she lies to them and says that they are near shore.
The Japanese culture has a long tradition of mermaids one known as Ningyo (Human Fish), they were believed to cry tears of pearl. Eternal youth, immortality, and beauty would be imparted upon any human being who consumed Ningyo’s flesh.
Mermaids are said to have shape-shifting abilities. There are stories of mermaids taking form of humans as well as other creatures.
MERMAID 1
As Ningyo was said to cry tears pearls my first mermaid will be created and photographed with a bite mark wound on her shoulder, symbolizing a hunters attempt to eat her flesh to achieve immortality, as she cries tears of pearls. I will make the wound using a band aid, red lipstick and eye shadow. The tears of pearls will be recreated using stickers and in her hand will be a handful of pearls. The colour palette I aim to achieve is that of gold, beige, white, silver and brown.
MERMAID 2
As British folklore noted mermaids to be unlucky omens, my second mermaid will be a symbol of havoc. She will symbolize bad luck by being photographed under a ladder with the number 13 drawn on her arm. The model will be wearing a short dress, her hair will be died blue and her eye make-up will be eccentric and over- exaggerated. The colour palette I aim to achieve is that of blacks, whites, reds and blues
MERMAID 3:
My third mermaid will be portrayed as a surfer. As mermaids are said to be highly territorial, so are surfers and both are spirits of the ocean. To emphasize the love of the ocean I will stick glitter on the side of my models neck and face as a symbol sea salt and referring to both being one. Her hair will be curly and sun-kissed with a flower in; she will be lying on a surfboard in a white dress covered in sand. Her make-up will be done naturally as she lays with her eyes closed in complete om and relaxation. The colour palette I aim to achieve is that of yellow, blue, orange, brown, silver.
WORDS: 500
REFERENCES:
- Sailor Twain: A Sensual Graphic Novel About Mermaids and Secrets | (The) Absolute. 2015. Sailor Twain: A Sensual Graphic Novel About Mermaids and Secrets | (The) Absolute. [ONLINE] Available at:http://theabsolutemag.com/7405/books/mark-siegels-sailor-twain-is-a-must-have-for-any-reader/. [Accessed 20 February 2015].
- A Cult of Mermaids | Mysterious Universe. 2015.A Cult of Mermaids | Mysterious Universe. [ONLINE] Available at:http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2013/07/a-cult-of-mermaids/. [Accessed 20 February 2015].
- The Mysterious Mermaids of Japan | Mysterious Universe. 2015.The Mysterious Mermaids of Japan | Mysterious Universe. [ONLINE] Available at: http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2015/02/the-mysterious-mermaids-of-japan/. [Accessed 20 February 2015].
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