Have at Ye..! Sword Research

Some preliminary sword research for my nightwatchman character:


I decided fairly early on that it was important that the sword be wooden because of several reasons.

First, that it makes the character of the nightwatchman seem less threatening and more comical. Without a real sword he is really quite harmless.

Second, it shows his ineptitude in combat and his unsuitability for the position he's in. Wood denotes his training rank, that he isn't fully competant enough yet to handle a real sword.

Finally, it makes his dramatic turn all the more impactful in that he appears harmless for two thirds of the film, before finally revealing he has no need for a weapon when it comes to displaying his aggression.

(And lastly I've always liked wooden swords).

Yawn...

A practise stretch and yawn from my armature, not very convincing but it was a fun little distraction from hoovering my bedroom.

Costume Design

Here is the basic costume design for my character. The general attire has been quite carefully researched to be period accurate, but I have taken minor artistic liberties to suit my needs. Details follow:


Outer tunic: Woven cotton material, akin to a modern t-shirt but rougher. The colour scheme comes from my intention to make the castle guards more like (to use a modern frame of reference) community support officers rather than policemen, by which I mean they are chiefly not employed as defenders of the realm and warriors, but rather a visible source of support for residents of the walled city. Because of this I have chosen the Medieval equivilant to high-visibility clothing, a bright orange and yellow colour scheme. This would mean that the castle guards were easily spotted from a distance to act as a deterant to foe, and as support for citizens, especially at night where their position along the walls could be guaged with ease.

Under-garment: Thick hessian like material, stuffed with straw. Being on watch all night is a chilly affair, especially during the winter. Hence it makes perfect sense that the guards need to keep as warm as possible by means of a thick undergarment which insulates and keeps their body heat in (at least as much as possible with Medieval materials and methods). Think itchy pajamas.

Wrapped twine: Crudely woven thread. Being stuffed full of straw as it is, the undergarment needs to be sealed at the wrists and ankles to keep the straw in. Further, the tightly interwoven twine compacts the straw, providing improved insulation.

Rope belt: Thick rope. Used as a makeshift belt to keep the long tunic held up about the waist and prevent flapping. Similarly keeps the trousers up. Wound round the waist a single time and knotted at the front/side.

Trousers: Woven cotton material, brown. Trousers that are semi-ill fitting and somewhat worn They are also too short. Worn on top of the under-garment and beneath the tunic. Typical peasant-wear, practical and simple.

Sack shoes: Formed from hessian sacking. Stitched to form the shape. Simple shoes, offer little in the way of foot protection but moreso than barefoot. Easily worn, most notably on the soles and heels.


The choice of this costume is meant to portray an amalgamation of both peasantry, and the uniform in service of the king. Being only very newly employed, I like to think that the night-guard has yet to receive his full uniform. He has been presented with the mandatory high-visibility tunic but has had to further makedo with only his typical peasant day attire in conjuntion. This then is just cause for his desire to stay warm, wearing as he is only meagre and thinly woven clothes.

More Tests

This test encompasses several practises that I need to work on for my final film, including:

Armature acting and general movement
Integration of sound effects
Motion blur (to use or not?)



In particular, this test was meant to highlight the importance of a realistic soundscape for my film.

Adding sound effects really grounds the motion nicely in reality, gives it a sense of weight and firm presence. Without it the motion is acceptable, but you are aware that the motion is being carried out by a 6 inch masking tape man with a small piece of metal. With sound added however it brings a presence and physicality to the character which really brings him to life that bit more, adds that extra dimension needed to really sell the shot.

It's true when they say that well produced sound design makes good animation great.


I hope to spend a fair proportion of time on creating a soundscape for my film, one that will bring it up a notch and make it that bit more professional.

How Illuminating

Here is a rough mock up of my film's title, taking inspiration from 15th century Medieval illuminated manuscripts, in which the first letter is elaborately illustrated with subjects from the passage of text, and is embellished with gold leaf.


And here are two variatons on the above - I've yet to choose my favourite:



There are clues in the illumination as to affairs that'll occur in the plot, chiefly the depiction of an owl. Further, the apparent leaves that adorn the F are in fact feathers (which will be more obvious on the final version), while the structured base of the F illustrates the castle setting.
The design above was largely based on the following:

and is typical of illuminationsdating from around that period. So too is the owl illustration based on real Medieval illustrations of the time, most specifically these: