Tuesday 25 June 2013

How To Film Mirkheim?

(i) Three members of the Polesotechnic League:

Freelady Hanny Lennart, a vice president of Global Cybernetics, one of the Home Companies of the Solar Commonwealth;

Freeman Bayard Story, a director of Galactic Developments, one of the Seven In Space;

Freeman Nicholas van Rijn, owner of the Solar Spice & Liquors Company, the most powerful of the independent companies -

- dine in the Hotel Universe, Lunograd, during a meeting of the League Council.

In any screen dramatization, we should of course see the faces and hear the voices of all three delegates.

(ii) Sandra Tamarin-Asmundesn, Grand Duchess of Hermes, meets Benoni Strang, High Commissioner of Hermes for the Baburite occupation force. We should see the back of Strang's head and hear his voice - like the treatment of Ernst Stavro Blofeld in the early James Bond films. Voice and initials might alert viewers to Strang's identity.

(iii) Sandra shows van Rijn's agent, David Falkayn, a tape of her recent conversation with Strang. We should not see the screen. Falkayn yells, asks whether Strang has a twin brother or a double, then explains. While he explains, the camera should pull back so that we do not hear what he is saying.

(iv) Eventually comes the dialogue in which van Rijn affirms the identity of Story and Strang.

(v) When, after fighting on Hermes, Strang dies in Adzel's arms, we should at last see for ourselves that Strang is Story.

I think that this would be very effective as a dramatic sequence in a feature film or TV series. See also here.

3 comments:

Sean M. Brooks said...

Hi, Paul!

Interesting, I never thought of filming MIRKHEIM before. But I do see what you mean about it having dramatic possibilities, esp. in the gradual revealing of Story/Strang.

I do wonder about how to convincingly depict or show nonhumans like the Cynthians, Wodenites, and Baburites. I don't think I've EVER seen a non human in a movie which didn't look obviously fake.

Sean

Paul Shackley said...

CGI.

Sean M. Brooks said...

Hi, Paul!

If CGI was used for movies like Peter Jackson's LORD OF THE RINGS films, then I see what you mean. I hope if a filmed version of MIRKHEIM is ever made, that the director and his staff manage to creat CONVINCING Cynthians, Wodenites, Baburites, etc.

Sean