Tuesday 1 February 2011

More Circus sketches

Possible panel - encountering one of the shark blimp adverts

Possible panel - entry into the big top

Trying a 'rawer' style

again, quicker, rawer

The best piece of work I did all day

Mid Point pages and more

Still struggling with the style to go with.







Circus sketches

Earlier design for ring master

Ring Master

Seal-boy acrobat

cannibalistic birds

Mantis woman

possible panel for after the tigers get burned on the bridge

Capturing an audience member

transformed audience members, perhaps

more seal-boys

Thumbnails

Thumbnails

Tigers burning on the bridge

Circus script

P = puppet
S = skeleton
RM = Ring Master

Not sure if I'll illustrate all of this, a lot of the scenes I have drawn out for this script are not working as well as the last one. Maybe a change in style is needed.
--------------------------

P and S move across the desert until they meet the edge of a forest. They enter and eventually find a clearing that looks acceptable for a fire. They start a fire and sit close to it – more out of habit or boredom than need.

They gunshots and scuffling.  After a moments hesitation, they decide to search for the source of the disturbance .

They push through some under growth until they come across the RM and some circus performers who are wrestling an injured deer into a bag. It takes a while to do so and one of the performers breaks their mask/nose in the process.

S
“What’s going on!”
P
“Lunch time?!”

RM notices S and P, smiles and approaches them. While they converse the now bagged deer is put into a large barred carriage, still kicking. Strange noises come from the mysterious container.

RM
“We’re preparing for our show tonight. You must come; it’ll be a treat”
S
“what kind of preparation is this?!”
P
“Yeah! What sort of show is it?”
RM (Bows)
“We’re the greatest show on earth.”
P
“hahaha, I’ll be the judge of that!”
S
“why… are you--?”
RM
“The beasts? They’re our audience. Will you join them?”
P
“Do I have to sit next them?”
RM
“ Private booths are available…for a little extra.”
P
“OK”
S
….
RM (smiles widely)
“You wont regret it”

A gunshot is heard and RM’s head snaps towards the sound.

RM
“We got another one – come on! Come on! Chop chop!”

RM rallies the performers as they grab the edges of the carriage and push it toward the direction RM is pointing. The huge carriage trundles past S and P emitting unnerving noises. S and P exchange glance.

Later that evening, the circus has been set up and the ‘audience’ is queuing to get in. there is hustle and bustle outside with last minute arrangements. The mantis women are chain smoking by some crates. S and P arrive, slightly elevated on a ridge of the forest. They make their way down to a large clearing where the big top sits. Flying sharks are tethered to the top of the big top. They have adverts painted onto the side of them. They circle each other dangerously. One swoops low enough to cast S and P into shadow. They say nothing. And continue cautiously towards the entrance and the queue.

S (whispers)
“That’s the audience? They’ve changed a lot since this morning”
P (dismissive)
“No they haven’t. They still have scared animal eyes”
Their slow approach to big top is quickened with the aid of two seal-boy ushers. They are dragged and pushed to the front of the queue where RM greets them.

RM
“So glad you came. Welcome to the Greatest show on Earth.” (Quickly extends a hand) “Payment first”

S and P search themselves. P removes his gloves, revealing wooden hands. S still has nothing. P extends the gloves. There is a cracking sound and S extends a molar.

RM smiles at the payment and gestures them inside. Another one of the seal-boy ushers joins them and leads them upstairs into a VIP booth. S and P lean out over the balcony and see the stage for the first time.

RM walks out into the centre – whip in hand.
“Welcome. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls.”
P
(Sniggering)
RM
“-to the greatest show on earth.”

The audience wildly applaud. Seal-boy acrobats come out and perform a formation around RM, envelop him and miraculously lift him up into the rafters to observe and control from above.
The seal –boys conclude their formations, the crowd applauses and the next act is brought out.

Gigantic, dumb, scared bovine creature – maybe a God (?); in chains, paraded around the big top like a trophy, kept alive with an I.V. drip. A high diver in diamonds dives off the gods face into a pool and disappears.

Mantis women as contortionists; devouring, predatory, diamond wearing. They accept roses from their audience without grace. Their shadows show more of their true selves than their make-up would prefer.

Birds and horses with human faces. Birds eat volunteers from audience. Bones (leftovers) get swept into a pile that gets shunted slowly towards a furnace. P “Ha ha ha just like you!”  The cannibalisation of parts of the audience is met with over zealous and hysterical applause.

Two tigers dance onto a bridge the bridge is set alight (by fire breathers) and the tigers burn. Their bones exchange a quick conversation before they are swept away.

One lone trapeze artist swings and often fails his tricks, lolling in the worn and holy net after each failure. He wears an old aviator helmet with broken goggles. His name badge reads ‘Icarus’.

The climax of the show – all the acts are brought out together and dance in a hypnotic fashion, the whirling speeds up and the audience joins in. The birds and other performers start to devour the rest of the audience.
The big top starts to fall apart. Pieces of the top crush the remaining audience members. The performers work hurriedly in the manor of firemen and the like (people who are used to the disasters they find themselves in, and can control their fear) to collect the pieces of the big top and pack it away.  The usher retrieves S and P just as the booth crumbles.

We and S and P are the only witness. The circus is gone. Leaving only a crater of scorched earth and a bemused P and S.




More Castle in Spain images