Witches -
There's a lot of witch-lore and history, good and bad, in Blackenrock. Saxton has a dark past, when it comes to persecution, much like any English town. There were barbaric trials and executions, normally around the area now called 'Maiden Square'.
A couple of years ago, I recorded Emma Harry (Lucy Reubans) in my studio, on the hottest day of the year. It's was 38 degrees (or something), so we sweated our am-dram wigs off!! It was awful. We took breaks, every hour or so, but still! There was us, spouting lines like 'It's freezing in here!' while dripping all over our scripts. Yuck.
This year, it was my turn. There have been several days in the booth, chipping away at a mountain of dialogues, but the last day of June was a scorcher! The studio is in the attic of my house, which is lovely with the windows open, and intolerable when closed. It's like a tin can. SO… a quick dip, fully clothed, was needed, at the end of the day. Phew, it was lovely.
No digging! No digging 'ere!
William Ager is back. He's a loose end, if you remember, from the first game. Nigel eventually appeared in the actual Ager portrait, too, if you strain your mind back. What's that all about?! All will become clear, in Blackenrock.
Pareidolia -
To bring things up-to-date, I'm currently polishing some scenes, and adding some cool supernatural elements. The ghosts in Blackenrock are a really mixed bunch.
There are smugglers, witches, animals, elementals, serial killers… and now some pirates too, in the form of the Krippen Gang! I've written a shanty, especially for the game, which is loaded with clues about Blackenrock. It's a raucous ditty, sung by yours truly, so be ready to wince when in full swing. Singing is not a strong point, but I doubt that ever stopped the pirates.
Jonathan
There's a lot of witch-lore and history, good and bad, in Blackenrock. Saxton has a dark past, when it comes to persecution, much like any English town. There were barbaric trials and executions, normally around the area now called 'Maiden Square'.
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There are some, in Saxton, who are less keen to go digging
up details about who the witches were, and what happened to them. Unlike much
of England, some Saxton folk continued to persecute wiccans long after the 17th
century witch-hunting heyday. In fact, there are some (boo, hiss) that still
think we 'shouldn't suffer a witch to live'. Troubling times for those who
practise 'the art'.
A Polperro Voyage -
A Polperro Voyage -
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| Jonathan Boakes
Departing Looe in search of new lands. Hopefully I won't be needing the tiny noose.
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| Jonathan Boakes
Land ahoy!
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Polperro, (the nearby Cornish village utilised as a backdrop
for the Crown games), is no stranger to talk of witches and weird goings on. Joan
the Wad is a piskie wood sprite, whose image is depicted on ornaments and art,
from door knockers to coat hooks. Also, quite famous, is the ghost of Willy Wilcox,
who reputedly haunts the cave on the beach (Saxton Caverns, in the games).
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| Matt Clark and Julie Gerber, Willy Wilcox Cave |
I made a visit to Polperro, recently, to show a Crown fan
around the locations and take in a bit of sunshine. It was a glorious day, arriving
by boat, in full hot sun. The atmosphere couldn't be any different to the fog
shrouded streets that Nigel Danvers is used to. But, even so, Polperro is
always up for a bit of spooky fun. Just days earlier, a major newspaper had
carried a story about Willy, accompanied by (a not very convincing) photo of
the ghostly pirate. Cool.
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| Mirror Newspaper Article - http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/ghost-pirate-willy-wilcox-spotted-5896508 |
The light patches, that appear to create a humanoid shapes,
are, in fact, mostly bits of old polystyrene (ice packing boxes for fresh fish).
They get trapped in the crevice, to a height of 8 feet or more. So, as exciting
as ghost-snaps are, there's always the disappointing reality.
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| Jonathan Boakes
Weird light quality in the caves, at
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Camera rigs -
Something I am determined to do more of, in Blackenrock, is dedicated conversation scenes. There were a lot of conversations in The Lost Crown, which could have been a lot more interesting if we had seen a few camera cuts and expressions. Time, budget, experience was the problem. None of those problems have gone away, but I'm certainly trying to make it look more dynamic.
Something I am determined to do more of, in Blackenrock, is dedicated conversation scenes. There were a lot of conversations in The Lost Crown, which could have been a lot more interesting if we had seen a few camera cuts and expressions. Time, budget, experience was the problem. None of those problems have gone away, but I'm certainly trying to make it look more dynamic.
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| Jonathan Boakes
Working with 'conversation cameras' today, trying not to break the 180 degree rule, unless the scene calls for it.
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I approached the issue as if it were a film, or better
still, a bit of old television (studio based stuff). I created a rig, several
cameras, that can 'cut' during the chats. For example, there are some
over-the-shoulder shots, big-close-ups for expressions and long shots for scene
setting. It's a lot more interesting to watch, even if the lip-sync reminds me
of old foreign telly like Heidi! That's always going to be an issue, until I
change game engine, which I'm not keen to do until I'm ready. But, most of the
time, it's a definite improvement.
Old Dark Fall -
Old Dark Fall -
My first game, Dark Fall, had a brief splash of media, which
is always a surprise. I'm really proud of it, so it's gratifying to see it's
capable of finding a new audience. It's a bit of an 'evergreen' really. It's a
pity it always gets dumped in the horror section, 'cos it's not a horror. I'd
prefer 'Chiller' or 'Mystery', but I don't create the boxes all things get
plonked in.
It's true to state that I made Dark Fall because I missed
the point'n'click games I'd enjoyed, which seem to stop, or disappear from
shelves in the UK. A few franchises continued, like Atlantis, and Journeyman,
but most games had to be imported from Dreamcatcher, in Canada. Shipping was
expensive, the games were expensive, and come 2004, pretty much nonexistent. A
shame.
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Jonathan Boakes
An old notepad, from 15 years ago. Plans were scribbled on my waiters pad, thanks to indecisive customers.
Always
surprised to see Dark Fall popping up. It's 15 years old! I made it for
family and mates, originally, while working in a sushi bar.
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Dark Fall 4 -
I'm making another Dark Fall, next year. It's going to be full 3d, rather than static, point and click. It's also NOT going to be about aliens or Rendlesham Forest. I've gone off the idea. There didn't seem to be much interest, compared to ghosts, and the 'ideas' have been covered in fiction and non-fiction(unknown to me at the time). Visitors from the future was the general idea, with a huge craft hidden under the North Sea, near the weird 'Nuclear Pagodas'. But, like I said, it's not going to happen.
Instead, I'm going back to my roots, with plans to serve up an eerie tale, rather than a horror experience, which will offer exploration, experimentation and atmosphere. It's a period piece too, so expect Edwardian ghost-hunting gear to play with. You're on your own too, so it's an isolating experience… until, of course, the ghosts materialise.
Recording -
I'm making another Dark Fall, next year. It's going to be full 3d, rather than static, point and click. It's also NOT going to be about aliens or Rendlesham Forest. I've gone off the idea. There didn't seem to be much interest, compared to ghosts, and the 'ideas' have been covered in fiction and non-fiction(unknown to me at the time). Visitors from the future was the general idea, with a huge craft hidden under the North Sea, near the weird 'Nuclear Pagodas'. But, like I said, it's not going to happen.
Instead, I'm going back to my roots, with plans to serve up an eerie tale, rather than a horror experience, which will offer exploration, experimentation and atmosphere. It's a period piece too, so expect Edwardian ghost-hunting gear to play with. You're on your own too, so it's an isolating experience… until, of course, the ghosts materialise.
Recording -
A couple of years ago, I recorded Emma Harry (Lucy Reubans) in my studio, on the hottest day of the year. It's was 38 degrees (or something), so we sweated our am-dram wigs off!! It was awful. We took breaks, every hour or so, but still! There was us, spouting lines like 'It's freezing in here!' while dripping all over our scripts. Yuck.
This year, it was my turn. There have been several days in the booth, chipping away at a mountain of dialogues, but the last day of June was a scorcher! The studio is in the attic of my house, which is lovely with the windows open, and intolerable when closed. It's like a tin can. SO… a quick dip, fully clothed, was needed, at the end of the day. Phew, it was lovely.
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| Jonathan Boakes
Phew! Boiling hot afternoon in the sound booth, time to cool off
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No digging! No digging 'ere!
William Ager is back. He's a loose end, if you remember, from the first game. Nigel eventually appeared in the actual Ager portrait, too, if you strain your mind back. What's that all about?! All will become clear, in Blackenrock.
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| Jonathan Boakes
Creating a new face for William Ager. Heavy brow and sunken cheeks.
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William has a new face, a better face, this time round. I
blame the artist of the original portrait (me) for making him look too weasely.
Instead, he needs the heavy brow and bleached white face, the nightmarish Mr.Punch
that M.R.James talked about, when describing his ghostly creations. He's a
figure of the landscape, a dark vertical, always visible, inescapable, and the
new features should help make him more menacing. Oh, and be warned, he has a
habit of suddenly dashing into scenes, especially along the coast, with that
wicked scythe held high. Here comes a chopper, to chop off your head.
Welcome back William, I've missed you.
Welcome back William, I've missed you.
Pareidolia -
More weirdness, I'm afraid. I spent a good half hour cutting
out a seaweed texture, for use in the caves and beachy areas. It was towards
the end of the job that I noticed the nasty little skull face with the fangs.
Seeing faces in 'things' has a lovely name - Pareidolia. The Fortean Times
often features some of the stranger ones, and I seem to remember something about
'Cat Face in my Chicken Ball', in Barrow Hill. It's a fun phenomenon, and
explored on this BBC page:
To bring things up-to-date, I'm currently polishing some scenes, and adding some cool supernatural elements. The ghosts in Blackenrock are a really mixed bunch.
 |
| Jonathan Boakes
As for me, today is all about lines and lines and lines... and pirates.
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There are smugglers, witches, animals, elementals, serial killers… and now some pirates too, in the form of the Krippen Gang! I've written a shanty, especially for the game, which is loaded with clues about Blackenrock. It's a raucous ditty, sung by yours truly, so be ready to wince when in full swing. Singing is not a strong point, but I doubt that ever stopped the pirates.
Jonathan