Year 3 - Research

A lot of my inspirations and reference points writing the script came from other big Fantasy films and TV shows such as Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, Game of Thrones and The Witcher. The world for each of these properties is rich and I really wanted to capture that with my writing.

As I began writing for my initial concept/idea, I decided to make one clear rule for myself, no plot armor. In nearly all films that I can think of, main characters tend to make plot armor, a device used by writers to well, protect their characters in order to advance the plot. While this may make a believable moment where the character gets up from a fight, it does also create moments that aren't so believable. An example is from Game of Thrones from season 8, 'Battle of Winterfell when the Wights have broken into the castle and have Sam, Jamie, Brienne and Podrick pinned down and surrounded. If these were any other characters (not part of the main cast) they then would most likely be dead.

So, I decided early on that if something gets to you that should kill you in real life, you are dead, my characters aren't superhuman. Yes, they have magic abilities, but there are still normal people.

I decided to work my heritage (Irish) in the script using elements using as the Crann Bethadh - which is the Celtic tree of life. This tree of life represents the three stages of life: birth, death and reincarnation into the next life. I decided to have this element only seen in scenes including Odella, as I have the belief that even if someone you love passes away then they are not truly gone, physically they are no longer here, but they are part of your spirit every day. So, that's what I wanted to show for Odella, even though she is no longer physically with the group, she's still there with them, guiding and helping.

Another influence for me came from the video game, God of War 4, a game focused on a God and his son as they bring the boy's mother to the highest peak in the realm. Not only are their characters incredibly well written, with clear development and drive to them, but the fights are also incredible. One of the ones that inspired the ending fight between Aria and her Shadow is the first fight between Kratos and Baldur. while Kratos can send Baldur flying, knocking him away with a full tree trunk, getting crushed by a large stone carving, and getting his neck snapped, all of which he survives as he's the son of Thor - The God of Thunder. 

While my characters are not God's and would not survive anything close to that, it's that fight that set the tone for how grisly and brutal the ending fight in my film would be.

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