personify an animal?!

[cameronproductions]

How would you go about personifying an animal in a film?

I mean I've got a scene, where the protagonist has her life saved by a panther, by it 'taking out' somebody who was attempting to shoot her. I want this action to provoke her (and the audience) to question whether the panther was indeed her close friend who had passed earlier on in the film.

Bit random I know , happy to hear peoples opinions!!

Thanks

Cam

 

[Murdock]

So you want a character, earlier in the film, to be "panther-like"? Then when dies and she gets saved by a panther later, she/we think of him??

If this is the case, I would have the actor study the movements of the large cats. I would think you would want fluid movement, combined with explosive potential. The things that come to mind when I think of cats are eyes, shoulders, and hips.

Hope that helps.

 

[cameronproductions]

So you want a character, earlier in the film, to be "panther-like"? Then when dies and she gets saved by a panther later, she/we think of him??

Not quite

All characters are human throughout. Theres a lot of mysterious things going on in this film may I add - I guess the best comparison (where anything goes) is 'Lost'. Basically this guy has a crush on this gal, although this is the one things he never actually told her. They were good friends. So I want the girl to think that the boy took the form of the panther (which is possible in this supernatural environment) and thus saved her.

But I'm just trying to figure out how to do this - its not like its feasible for the panther looking at the girl, winking and saying 'there you go love!'. It needs to be a personal connection between them both. But without any dramatically obvious sign it is the boy.

Another example where something un-human represents something with human traits is the white feather at the end of forrest gump - just googled it and alot of people see the white feather representing Jenny!

 

[Tinalera]

That's something you have to build up and associate the character with the animal/object. When done right it doesn't take much, kind of like pavlov's experiment

I think it's a matter of whenever you have a "related" event, then you could cut/pan to that animal-IE when someone gets attacked, pan to a nearby animal (say a wolf for example), if you do that even two or three times, people will come to associate/personify that animal with the person/act.


I admit, I was hoping this was a thread about someone doing a CGI Redwall film, I would have been all over that

 

[FantasySciFi]

How would you go about personifying an animal in a film? I mean I've got a scene, where the protagonist has her life saved by a panther, by it 'taking out' somebody who was attempting to shoot her. I want this action to provoke her (and the audience) to question whether the panther was indeed her close friend who had passed earlier on in the film.

Bit random I know , happy to hear peoples opinions!!
Thanks
Cam

The key for most identification is setting up visual anchors throughout the script. Making it very innocuous, have him waiting for her or reading and set down a National Geographic which has a panther on the cover. Later he and she are walking past a store or are sitting at home and they flip on the TV and there is a nature documentary with panthers. At some point later, a black cat jumps onto his lap that he strokes.

Just like in advertising, there are now three links to panthers though it was all suggested subliminally.

Not quite

All characters are human throughout. Theres a lot of mysterious things going on in this film may I add - I guess the best comparison (where anything goes) is 'Lost'. Basically this guy has a crush on this gal, although this is the one things he never actually told her. They were good friends. So I want the girl to think that the boy took the form of the panther (which is possible in this supernatural environment) and thus saved her.

But I'm just trying to figure out how to do this - its not like its feasible for the panther looking at the girl, winking and saying 'there you go love!'. It needs to be a personal connection between them both. But without any dramatically obvious sign it is the boy.

Another example where something un-human represents something with human traits is the white feather at the end of forrest gump - just googled it and alot of people see the white feather representing Jenny!

If possible, have it move from the slain bad guy towards her with a certain air of menace, the pregnant pause, it flips its tail and heads off. With the set visual anchors and the puzzling drop of tension, the audience is left wondering and the chain of associations is triggered.

 

[Murdock]

But I'm just trying to figure out how to do this - its not like its feasible for the panther looking at the girl, winking and saying 'there you go love!'. It needs to be a personal connection between them both. But without any dramatically obvious sign it is the boy.

Then I would go with eyes. Change the eye color of the panther to the eye color of the guy or vice versa.??

 

[cameronproductions]

The key for most identification is setting up visual anchors throughout the script. Making it very innocuous, have him waiting for her or reading and set down a National Geographic which has a panther on the cover. Later he and she are walking past a store or are sitting at home and they flip on the TV and there is a nature documentary with panthers. At some point later, a black cat jumps onto his lap that he strokes.

Nice ideas thanks - see what you mean, I like the idea of presenting subtle visuals.

Then I would go with eyes. Change the eye color of the panther to the eye color of the guy or vice versa.??

Another great suggestion. Hadn't thought of that at all, but could fit in really well.

 

[Murdock]

Nice ideas thanks - see what you mean, I like the idea of presenting subtle visuals.



Another great suggestion. Hadn't thought of that at all, but could fit in really well.

Thank you. That will be 5000 pounds...the dollar is weak right now,

 

[cameronproductions]

Thank you. That will be 5000 pounds...the dollar is weak right now,

I'll Fed Ex you a cold one mate!

 

[Murdock]

I'll Fed Ex you a cold one mate!

Good enough.

 

[indietalk]

Is the whole story fantasy, or just this scene? The reason I ask is, it may look cheesy with a fantastic scene in a drama, and you may just want to leave the personification out, and let people analyze it themselves. If the whole story is fantasy, well, you have all the room in thew world. Have the panther wink, lol.

 

[cameronproductions]

Is the whole story fantasy, or just this scene? The reason I ask is, it may look cheesy with a fantastic scene in a drama, and you may just want to leave the personification out, and let people analyze it themselves. If the whole story is fantasy, well, you have all the room in thew world. Have the panther wink, lol.

although I wouldn't put it specifically in the genre of fantasy, the whole story gives opportunity for elements of fantasy or supernatural occurrences!

Just thinking about the whole wink thing... got me thinking of the talking dog in Road Trip... and the cow in Shrooms... don't think it will work in this instance though, unfortunately

 

[wheatgrinder]

purely expository approach might work here..

They panther character in human form is talking about.. "when I die, I want to come back a a panther"

Boom done.

 

[Jack Lynt]

I think the key is what FantasySciFi wrote:

The key for most identification is setting up visual anchors throughout the script. Making it very innocuous, have him waiting for her or reading and set down a National Geographic which has a panther on the cover. Later he and she are walking past a store or are sitting at home and they flip on the TV and there is a nature documentary with panthers. At some point later, a black cat jumps onto his lap that he strokes.

Just like in advertising, there are now three links to panthers though it was all suggested subliminally.

So in that case it's all about foreshadowing. For that you can't hardly beat wheatgrinder's suggestion:

purely expository approach might work here..

They panther character in human form is talking about.. "when I die, I want to come back a a panther"

Boom done.

Having no idea what sort of things you have room for in your story, can you drop in or pepper your story with these sort of foreshadowing elements in order to lead your character and audience to make the connection you want?

Well, how many times have I heard friends and family say something like, "Yep, I think it was Mom (deceased) watching over me that time," when something beneficial or fortuitous happens. They like to think that it wasn't simply chance, but rather some passed loved one guarding them or actively helping them out. So I think that the good news is that people are inclined to make those sorts of connections. If your story allows for that kind of magical thinking, which it sounds like it does, I hope it wouldn't be too difficult to get what you want.

So, reading this thread I was trying to think of different foreshadowing elements that might work to lead your audience to make that connection.

Earlier in your story, is it possible to have one of the shared experiences your couple has be something like going to a spiritualist, perhaps on a lark on a fun day out together, in which the spiritualist tells each of them (or at least him) what their spirit animal guides are (ala something like Clan of the Cave Bear, for example...not that they need take a grueling hallucination inducing hike to the top of a magic mountain!)? Maybe they even have a dialogue about it afterwards. Maybe, he likes that his is a panther, and, like wheatgrinder wrote, he even says he'd like to be reincarnated as one.

Maybe we see that he has a panther on his keychain. Maybe he has photos or paintings of panthers around his flat. Maybe conversations happen about them letting us know he loves panthers or wants to come back as one, etc. Maybe at some point he describes -or you show- how as a child an interest in panthers was impressed upon him.

Anyway, that sort of foreshadowing might be the way to go.

 

[Michael Allen]

Have the panther wink, lol.

Funny, while I was reading this thread I was having a giggle to myself thinking this exact same thing.

 

[cameronproductions]

Having no idea what sort of things you have room for in your story, can you drop in or pepper your story with these sort of foreshadowing elements in order to lead your character and audience to make the connection you want?

Well, how many times have I heard friends and family say something like, "Yep, I think it was Mom (deceased) watching over me that time," when something beneficial or fortuitous happens. They like to think that it wasn't simply chance, but rather some passed loved one guarding them or actively helping them out.

Right on Richy

I think thats the best way for me to do things. I'll have a little play around with the script and see how it comes across.