Research and Tests: Castles

If I do manage to get the spell effects looking good, then I will obviously need to place the character in some kind of environment and storyline. This will require a certain amount of matte painting and/or 3D structure. I have a few ideas for matte paintings, all requiring a castle and so I have undertaken some research on castle structure, both in real life and tv/film.

The castle closest to my location is obviously Cardiff Castle which would be ideal for base images for the matte painting. There are also a number of churches in Cardiff which are also useful. Particularly one just off the high street which has gorgeous arch windows which could be taken advantage of for looking through onto scenes or creating the sense on a hall way.

I have also been watching Harry Potter and Merlin avidly to get a sense of what a castle in a magical/wizard setting would look like. Camelot in the early series of Merlin for example is all spires and bright white stone surrounded my trees and greenery. Yet in later series, it is much darker, and in a state of disrepair.

Similarly, Hogwarts started out much like Camelot in the series of Merlin, and as the films have gone on this has become darker and moodier. This is emphasised by the dark clouds and stormy weather.  I believe this is to suggest the increased level of danger and also the maturing of the characters within. It certainly creates a higher level of intensity which keeps viewers on the edge of their seats.

My own ideas for the Wizard sequence would involve an external shot, perhaps a wizard in flight around the spire of a castle, and also an internal shot perhaps creeping down dark hallways and casting spells that light up the ceilings and cast shadows against the walls. I particularly like the dark and frightening sense of danger that is present in the later episodes of Merlin and Harry Potter and would like to try and recreate this in my own design, perhaps with destruction and disrepair evident on the castle itself.

My VFX shots still require work, however I also need to start developing a few other ideas I have, including an advert for a Student Counselling Service, and one or two other stand alone VFX shots.