The poem we had to read was about 4 young women and 4 young men, who in an attempt to escape the black plague, flee the city of Florence to a country home, miles away, and secluded from the pestilence. The characters I chose to design were the two middle aged characters, a servant, and the young man's pet Falcon. As for the city shots, I based my story in Venice in the later 16th century, and they escape to a country home up in northern Italy, where Filostrato builds a home that is full of modern day amenities, using technology based on the inventions of the late Leonardo. It was definitely a challenging project, but fun nonetheless.
This is my establishing shot of the plagued city of Venice. The characters on the bridge are the Plague doctors, who dressed in a long cloak, and wore a long bird-like beak-mask. I was attempting to show a city that has lost hope, is in ruins almost, but not sure if I quite nailed that...
Establishing shot of the country home that the characters escape to. The location I chose was above a river, in the middle of the forest. The idea was that the house was equipped with a type of hydraulic lift that could lift it from the ground, making it difficult for intruders to disturb them. Although they have escaped to the country, there is still a fear of the plague catching up to them.
My designs for the country home. Filostrato was highly inspired by Leonardo, and incorporated things like a water tower, an elevator, a cable car that trnsports people from above using a cable, heating and cool, and a drawbridge to name a few. These would all be made possible by engineering a set of gears and pulleys, operated by the main windmill, dipped in the river below the house. Kinda crazy, but fun. I had some trouble getting the perspective right, so I mocked up a 3D model for reference...
A line up of my four main characters.
As I mentioned before, Filostrato was highly inspired by Leonardo's genius inventions, and attempted to build upon them by incorporating them into his own home creations. He is also a bit of a clutz, a la Tim the Toolman Taylor, and has an overall optimistic view of the plague,.
Filomena is a bit of an alcoholic, as she is always seen with her goblet, always topped with a fine wine. She does not believe they will be able to evade the plague much longer, and has become a bit of a depressing person to be around. A woman who takes advantage of her royalty status among the household, Filomena is not the most liked in the country home, but also can care less about what the others say or think.
Licisa is Filomena's servant, and hates everyone and everything. She hates her life, and is even more depressing than Filomena. I picture her as an Eeyore character, just waiting to be noticed someday, or even cared about...
Ettore is Filostrato's best friend, his right hand man. Confident, and very strong, Ettore is the lookout for the household, making sure to spot all invaders from an aerial view.
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