This scene examines intimacy, and plays with how actions can be expressed. The tapestry this scene follows is ‘The Unicorn Purifies the Water’, where the unicorn purifies the fountain. The people do not attack it here, because of the belief the unicorn cannot be killed whilst performing a miracle. The knight reaches the fountain in reverse - after having already been attacked, but as this story takes place after the unicorn tapestries, the fountain has already been blessed. The knight, aided by the hunter, then uses the fountain to heal their wound.
I wanted to keep the mystery surrounding the idea of ‘miracles’ - something which is met with skepticism in the modern world. To contrast this, I wanted to amplify this element of mysticism in miracles. To do so, I wanted to make the miracle partially obscured, and instead use the language of the tapestry to show this, with plants which were believed to have healing patterns - sage, orange and pot marigolds. This understanding of these plants isn’t common in modern audiences, but I find that amplifies the magic and mystery of the miracle.
I also wanted to go further into what this moment means to the characters, and create something personal to them. The miracle isn’t explicit, and is instead alluded to through the plants shown. In the same way, the characters are shown through close up, hiding their faces to illustrate their actions are meant for the two of them. These plants are intercut with movements of the body, the characters holding hands and touching each other - as if to communicate the camera keeps turning away from the characters, and is trying not to intrude. This creates an atmosphere of intimacy, and makes the scene a personal moment, tucked away in the world of the tapestry.
My understanding of intimacy in animation and film is inspired by Agnes Varda, specifically ‘The Beaches of Agnes’ (2008). Varda is a master at making films feel personal, and it is specifically her use of close up capturing her husband in this film which inspired me. Varda communicates the language of intimacy in film is the close up, but while Varda opens the door to the viewers, I wanted to let the audience peep through the curtains.
In my first storyboard of this scene, I did not have the shot at the end where a hand clasps someone's face. However, when looking at the first draft of the scene I felt the rhythm wasn’t quite right and there wasn’t enough emphasis on the character’s relationship, so I added it in. Overall, I’m happy with the sequence of the scene, but I’d like to play with timing more and extend this portion of the film, as well as make the first two shots transition more smoothly.
Yotube link: https://youtu.be/HJY3c6JdMlA