This leads me to think how by if I was to apply the qualities of a genre such as horror (i.e colours, scales, featured expression) I would be able to heighten the fearful characteristics depicted through the Lion's personality status within the play.
So lets have a look into some of these elements....
The face of terror
The expression in this single individual just represents the way in which our faces can depict horror. The raised eye brows, open jaw, widened eyes give a sense of shock and disturbance. These features could be used in my design of the castle - the door being a great focus could be the Lion's mouth wide open to depict this essence of fear and a devouring entrance.
The Clutching Hand
The withering, boney, elongated features could be mirrored in my tree design to give that overall chilling feel!
Ok so the hands seen in Pan's Labyrinth aren't clutching (I just love this character, from costume design through to on screen acting) but it still holds onto the attributes seen in horror. :)
Minuscule
From this screenshot of 'The Devil Doll (1936) I can see how scale is used to give that same feeling of terror and misfortune felt within the horror genre.I could take this concept of scale and somehow introduce this to translate a certain obscurity over my set design. Or contrast this style - something which is colossal may have a similar affect with just an alternate approach. So lets just play with scale!
Vampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence (generally in the form of blood) of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person.
From the 'traditional' portrayal of a vampire, key features can be used to translate the same meaning.
This image is closer to my visualization of my Lion - if it was transformed to have Vampire qualities the teeth still hold on to the Lion like qualities e.g. sharp and uninviting.
Science fiction (cross-genre)
Science fiction film is a film genre that uses science fiction: speculative, science-based depictions of phenomena that are not necessarily accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial life forms, alien worlds, ESP, and time travel, often along with futuristic elements such as spacecraft, robots, or other technologies.
Science fiction films have often been used to focus on political or social issues, and to explore philosophical issues like the human condition.
Scene from Metropolis 1927
There is a hard focus in futurism here and a heavy focus on the metal material. These factors I feel would perhaps change the narrative of my chosen play. In playing with adaptation the results could be interesting, I could change the Lion into a robotic metal creation yet still hold on to the Lion like qualities in figure shape and stance. The castle and forest would also need to change into something more scifi! I wonder if a forest made a boiling tubes and bunsen burners would communicate the same narrative of the Lion's forest as well as animals tails? I think not...although it could be interesting to adapt the design to fit the genre.
MOOD BOARD
From this board I can gain a sense of colour and feeling within this genre.
Quick ideas: Burning lion tails (decaying and rotting - results of fire on rest of skin, having bodies in the ground.
So I just had to find a image to help me visualise this....
Gothic Revival Castle
To design the castle in the horror genre - a tower type structure would be better in translation.
Idea of inspiration: a gargoyle like this one over the door way of the castle - the wings forming eyebrows of the lions face. Over sized of course to fit castle wall.
Fitting in with this narrative - should the beautiful garden be changed into a unwelcoming churchyard? Covering a grave stone (was the fountain in original design) in snow for winter and shining bright, uneasy, daybreak colours over the object for the summertime effect.
Or better idea, to mirror the words of 'beautiful garden' through a beautiful Gothic garden centre piece, such as this one I whipped up in photoshop!
A lion gargoyle on a Gothic style plinth...perfect!
Initial Set Design
Details: Colour cloth - light is projected on to create the scene. Here I have gone for a generic colour to depict horror - a murky, green mysterious sky surrounding the stage setting. The castle is created stylistically using the elements of surrealism yet horror in colour and some of its form. Take for example the Gothic revival architectural style and the gargoyle entrance piece (also translating as the nose for the symbolic representation of a lion's head) Cross slitted windows for eyes and pointy edges on the castle top to combine horror qualities with the relative lion representations. And obviously the open jaw representing the castles unwelcoming entrance.
The forest in this design is on fire, sticking with the concept of the forest of Lions tails, having ignited tips symbolises blazing torches, those associated with man hunters in medieval times. This concept in my eyes translates the feeling of fear and danger in an instant to an on looking audience.
The main stage floor for this design is a simple colour and shape representation of a magical forest floor - inspiration taken from this floor painting by Connie Tom.
The use of shape, texture shown through painting style and colour depicts the non-perfect forest ground I was hoping for.
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