Week 3 and 4: Brainstorm and Design Task

Week 3

3/05/17

On that day, I have gotten an idea for the trailer. My idea was about a girl with prophetic dreams/visions power. There are two types of vision she receives, one where the future can be averted while the second is the future cannot be averted.

From there on, I have research and brainstorm to expand my idea. While we brainstorm, we were told that the trailer must show:

• The primary elements of the Hero's Journey
• Protagonist 
• Antagonist 
• Mentor/Goddess
• Oracle
• The hero must have or be in a journey

For the rest of the week, I continue brainstorming my ideas while Mr Andrews broke down the task for us. Our first task is to come up a concept for a film in which will turns into a trailer. While researching, I came across a mythology that I became interested. It is called Walpurgisnacht, which is German for Walpurgis Night where on the eve of May Day, witches comes around to celebrate. I then decide to use that for my inspiration for my idea. 

I then have a concept which is about a battle between mages and magic does exist but it is hidden. I then continue brainstorming while I came up with the history behind my concept. 

Here is my concept for the trailer in which I have decided to name it Magia. 

Concept for trailer: Magia

Overview: Morgan Haywood is an ordinary high school student who is going through her life in school. However, on the 30th of April, she encounters a mysterious woman who tells her that the cycle had restart again. This lead to Morgan being chosen as one of the candidate for the  magical battle royal round 50.

Characters:

• Morgan Haywood
• Kayla Brigham
• Black Witch
• The mage that chases Morgan
• Other mages
• Victims of the Black Witch

History of Magia:

During the era of middle ages, there was a woman who discovered that she was different from others as she displayed abilities never seen before. She knew she was not like other people she knows and then she encounters people like her who have powers similar like hers. She decided that she would help the people by establishing an organisation called Magia based in Germany. That woman is now the chief or founder of this organisation and wanted to pass the legacy. She also is the most powerful mages than others so they call her The Sorceress of All. However, like other problems, they face discrimination from some people as they believe they are evil people but the organisation still proving that they are helping people even with the hate. Some people hate them for bad things to occur such as disease, war and so on. They were still manage to go through even with the hate by proving them wrong through their good actions. However, when the Black Plague strike Europe, this was the final straw and people thinks that it was the Mages that caused it so they hunt for them and kill them all. Not wanting to hurt those people since it is against what they hold, they hide from that massacre. As time goes by the organisation was disbanded as the survivors thought it was hopeless to help humanity as they all fight and so on after the Sorceress died. Some still believes to help people but it is hard to do one by themselves.

Walpurgisnacht

Walpurgisnacht or Walpurgis Night is a celebration going on the 30th of April before May day where all Mages around Europe come together and celebrate their existence. However, as time passes, after the Witch Hunt, they were celebrate less frequent and now it is a mere myth. Now after the rise of the Black Witch, it is now twisted for the start of the Cycle of the Deadly Battle Royale magic.

The Black Witch

This evil witch was once a normal mage who got bullied and discriminate from the normal humans due to her powers. However, she did nothing as she followed the rules of Magia and let all people discriminate her. However, when she saw the Witch Hunt and the following events after that such as War, she saw that humanity is useless to save. This let her hatred and all negative emotions inside her let it out and now hates the humanity and the organisation also. Humanity for being useless and hypocrites and mages for not doing anything and let the humans use them especially The Sorceress and her stupid legacy. Her negative emotions are so large that she master the arts of Dark Magic that kills all people in her way. She decided to cast a spell that will wipe out all humanity by creating a powerful ritual. This ritual requires about 500 mages’ soul as they are powerful enough to activate the ritual. Therefore in order to do that, instead kill them herself, she’ll let them killing each other by deciding to twist the very existence of the organisation from helping people to kill them. She created a powerful cycle of a war where every ten years, 10 candidates are chosen to battle each other in battle royale where they have to survive. If they are not willing to fight, they are killed by The Black Witch anyway. Usually, she intended that they are no victors but if they are, she’ll kill them herself. Those who oppose her will meet their doom. Extra souls will not bother her or she drains out their mana for her powers.

The Cycle of Magia

Ever since the existence of The Cycle of Magia and the Black Witch, all Mages in the world have to hope that they are not chosen for the brutal game as they no they have no choice but to obey. The location of the battle royale are chosen randomly in the world in each round. The mages abandon their life and fight to the death.

Resistance:

There is a resistance who their job is to stop the cycle and want to revive the organisation as it was as they receive a prophecy where the spirit of The Sorceress will come to the fiftieth cycle to stop the dreadful cycle on Walpurgisnacht.


After brainstorming, I have finally came up with a film overview with the elements of the Hero's Journey:

Ordinary World

• Morgan Haywood is staying at school to study for upcoming tests and shows her normal life, the date is April 30th in the afternoon

Call to Adventure  

• After school, she finishes up her studies and walks to home. Upon walking, she finds a person laying down unconscious in which makes her to go to help that person up (the sky is a bit dark by 5pm)
• Morgan tries to call emergency since the person is unconscious but before she does, the person wakes up and tells her that she finally found her and tells her end the cycle and finishes with the word Magia
• This suddenly causes Morgan to have a headache and sees a vision of two people bumping into each other in a specific colour
• After recovering from the headache, she sees that the person that collapsed is gone   
• The night of the Walpurgis Night has begun and the Cycle of Magia has begun where all participants were chosen and the game has begun

Refusal of the call

• On the next day, Morgan sees the same event happens in reality that was in her vision in which it is strange but she ignores it saying that it is merely coincidence and she must be illusioned from studying too late
• Few hours later another vision is seen in which is a person tripping from the stairs and having an injured ankle which leads to later on where she saves that person from tripping reluctantly  
• She then meets someone who will be her mentor and tells about how she have use her powers to save people which is a good start. The mysterious woman then tells her that she is the chosen one to destroy the cycle by the prophesy and ask her to come with her to discuss the war and not be dead but Morgan does not believe in her since the person is a young girl and thinks she is playing with her so she went to the other way but heard the girl saying I warned you

Supernatural Aid

• Then one of the contestant is here to kill her but the mentor saves her and Morgan slowly believes the reality of magic or she shows her magic in which Morgan thinks she is hallucinating and the mentor flicks her forehead to show if she is hallucinating, it would not hurt this way
• Morgan then reluctantly follows her, the girl introduce herself as Kayla who is actually older than her by three years but got cursed to not age physically
• Then Kayla explains the Cycle of Magia and about the game that Morgan is involved and that she saves people from danger through her visions, also the history of mages and how it used to be people helping instead of killing each other also the person that she encountered was the original contestant for the game but was in the resistence to find Morgan in which was injured from the Black Witch and this result Morgan becoming the next contestant (her powers unlock)
• Hearing about it, Morgan do not want to be in the cycle or any part of it but Kayla says that she have no choice as either way she’ll die
• Knowing she have no choice, she decides to tag with Kayla to learn about the world of magic

Crossing Threshold

• Kal then trains Morgan to defend from other contestants for the game (Montage of training such as saving people through visions)
• Kayla says that she has yet more powers to unlock

The Belly of The Whale

• In a mission, another vision is seen but it is an unavoidable future but she doesn’t know until she does so she tries but fail as the outcome is inevitable so Kayla tells that that there are two types of visions: changeable and unchangeable future. She then tells that Morgan can know the difference by seeing what colour there are. If it is yellow then it is changeable but blue not changeable. Even though she cannot change the future sometimes, at least she know what will happen to be prepared for that event.

The Road of Trials

• Kayla wants Morgan to master that power so she can anticipates the opponent's next movement and maybe change it if possible.
• More montage of her training and saving people
• Then her fighting other contestants but not killing them as the others did
• Along the way she made three friends that are against the cycle

The Meeting with The Goddess

• When everyone is gone except four left which is Morgan and her other three friends
• They do not want to kill each other and delayed the game by finding a way to destroy it by finding the main cause: The Black Witch
• They heard that there are people being killed by the witch. Black Witch is introduced and sucks out energy (Life energy) from the people
• Before they were able to succeed, The Black Witch kills the other three friends as she hated waiting for long time to kill each other and they rebel against her but Morgan escapes  
• They confront each other and The Black Witch reveals the truth about The Cycle of Magia and Morgan nearly get herself killed until Kayla saves her and escapes
• Kayla then tells the history of the Sorceress and the actual Magia, an organisation of mages helping humanity in secret

Atonement with The Father

• After learning about The Dark Witch’s past and truth about the Cycle, she decides to stop the Witch of creating the ritual to destroy the world and also stop the cycle from making people suffer anymore as she saw the deaths of people around her
• So she decide to accept her destiny and this ables her to unlock her full powers such as conjuring lighting or fire
• She then sets out for the Witch as she is ready to confront her
• She sees the Witch and they fight since the Witch cannot complete the ritual as Morgan is still alive and hates her for having The Sorceress’ spirit

The Ultimate Boon

• Morgan finally destroys the Black Witch and stopping the ritual. The cycle is broken and no more suffering

Refusal of the Return

• Now she returns to her daily life but now helps people through her magic in secret, reviving the legacy of the Sorceress and continue to work for Magia  

I then showed the overview to Mr Andrews and he said it was good. I then took some of the elements to form a trailer overview. 

Trailer Overview:

• The date April 30th is shown on the calendar with Walpurgis Night written underneath and the diary is close  
• Morgan walks to home after school with headphone in her head and then sees a person collapsed on the side
• Morgan picking up the hooded person and have phone in her hand to call emergency but the hooded person’s hand stops her
• A shot of the hooded person turns out to be a teenage girl who speaks weakly “I’ve finally found you...The cycle will begin tonight on Walpurgis Night...Magia”
• Morgan then suddenly have a headache then a vision appears with two people bumping into each other in a morning”
• Vision ended and so headache and morgan sees the hooded person in gone
• Fades to black
• Morgan is at a classroom writing down studying while there is a voice-over of her name
• The first vision happens when two people bump into each other and Morgan is surprised it happen
• Another vision is shown of a girl falling down the stairs
• Reluctantly, Morgan saves the girl from falling in the real life
• Kayla is then introduced to her saying that she already uses her powers to save people but it’s not enough
• Morgan asks how do you me and who are you and Kayla says that she is here to teach her and she is here to guide her for the war in the park and she have to fight
• Kayla then explains the Cycle of Magia
• Mages fight against each other
• Kayla said to Morgan that she can stop the cycle and have less bloodshed
• A shot of another contestant trying to kill Morgan while she tries to run away
• A shot of Morgan saying that she does not believe in her and that Kayla is just a child imagining things while Kayla said I may look like a child but I’m not. Listen I’ve warn you
• Morgan falls to the floor as the contestant tries to kill her but Kayla comes in and saves her
• Kayla turns to Morgan saying “Now do you believe”
• A shot of Kayla and Morgan walking and Morgan ask “what i need to do”
• A montage of Morgan saving people and training for the game while Kalya says that she need to be prepare for the battle as she needs to be in there in order to stop the source of this chaos
• Morgan asks what is the source? And Kalya respond “Her”
• A shot of the Black Witch is introduced killing people “the one who created it, she calls herself The Black Witch” and she will kill anyone who goes in her way
• But Kayla said you will not be alone as there are people with her helping her (the resistance is shown-her best friend who is fighting with Morgan against other people)
• A montage of magical fight and also a shot of Morgan having a vision of her opponents fight movement and use that to predict her opponent or outrun them
• A shot of the Black Witch walking down while The best friend says that has a feeling that the witch is creating something big and i don’t like this feeling (voice-over)
• A shot of Morgan and the Black Witch facing each other saying well well well, it isn’t the chosen one and a dark magic appears while Morgan have her own magic in her hand
• Now die while the witch and morgan jump for each other or the witch swipes to the frame
• Black out

Title: Magia

Date: 30/04/18

Week 4

During this week, after we have our concept finalise, we start the design component of the trailer. We had to write down the treatment which includes introduction of the film, sypnosis of the trailer, resources and justification. With the treatment is the storyboard in which we need to have 10 to 12 frames from the trailer to draw. Both of these are due on the following week.