The Shroud on 25/10/2009 at 16:02
The first bit I can add. Can't put in too much though as it's just an establishing shot as Garrett enters the inn.
Namdrol on 25/10/2009 at 16:58
Quote Posted by The Shroud
Although there is one thing I'm wondering if someone can enlighten me on - does anyone know what sort of contraption the Keeper in the Bafford intro actually uses to secure the book? I ended up just saying "wall-safe" but that's clearly not what it really is in the intro. It appears to be some odd kind of chain-and-leather binding with a heavy lock.
The only thing I can think of is a (
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chained_library) chained library.
.
Inline Image:
http://i565.photobucket.com/albums/ss97/KarmaNamdrol/800px-Wimborne_Minster_9.jpg(This is from the church in my home town.)
In the Middle Ages when books were valuable, they were kept locked and chained with the chains long enough to reach a table and be read.
I know this isn't what it looks like but the concept of it may have inspired the devs
The Shroud on 25/10/2009 at 17:26
Thanks, Namdrol. My hope is that after approaching Eidos with the script, I can consult with members of the original LGS team - namely Dan Thron, Mark Lizotte, Teri Brosius, and Laura Baldwin - to not only clear up unanswered mysteries but perhaps assist in editing the screenplay.
The Shroud on 26/10/2009 at 18:06
Quote Posted by MrMunkeepants
*after writing, the Keeper should blow on the ink or sprinkle sand to dry it before closing the book so the ink doesn't smudge.
Fixed it:
[INDENT][INDENT][INDENT]Sitting alone at a table, a black-robed monk (1ST KEEPER, 60)
wearing a KEYHOLE-EMBLEM RING writes in a large tome. Penning
the last of several paragraphs in arcane script, he sets his
quill in an inkwell, blots the page, and closes the book.
Shutting the tome in a large safe, he turns a key in the
central lock and heavy bolts crank into place. As he removes
the key, OUR VIEW OF THE SAFE BLURS AND FADES TO BLACK,
EXCEPT FOR THE KEYHOLE WHICH EMITS BRIGHT LIGHT.[/INDENT][/INDENT][/INDENT]
Blue Sky on 26/10/2009 at 20:10
I've been thinking about a Thief film a lot recently so reading your extracts is really interesting!
Personally I was thinking that a lot of stuff would have to be really shaken up to eek more story out. You really couldn't just take everything exactly as it appears in the game because it wouldn't make a satisfying film.
Although I would want a lot of sneaking in the film, it couldn't just be Garrett moving around on his own all the time... So I was thinking of expanding the characters of Basso and Viktoria... Also I was wondering if there could be another Thief, possibly female, who Garrett dislikes because she's actually technically a lot better than him and "ghosts" jobs (she could even be called Lytha!), whereas Garrett quite enjoys the thrill of being spotted. (Garrett really couldn't do perfect thieving or it would make for repetitive scenes!) But the idea would be that there would be a rivaly between them and they might occasionally bump into each other on some missions. Would be fun to have Basso reluctantly have to join in with Garrett on some venture as well. Ultimately it is just an excuse to have dialogue during the stealth scenes!
I was also thinking of having Bafford in league with Constantine, in so much as he thinks Constantine is helping to catch Garrett for him, although it turns out that Constantine has his own agenda. The idea really is to make Bafford more integral to the plot to justify spending some time in his manor near the start.
It's difficult though. I think there could be a really good film based around Thief, but I don't think following the exact specifics of the game is the way to go. Maybe as a fan-pleasing exercise, but not necessarily to make a good film.
The Shroud on 26/10/2009 at 20:57
Quote Posted by Blue Sky
Personally I was thinking that a lot of stuff would have to be really shaken up to eek more story out. You really couldn't just take everything exactly as it appears in the game because it wouldn't make a satisfying film.
Yes and no. On the one hand, you're right - merely converting a bunch of gameplay sequences from Thief to live action would leave something to be desired as a movie goes. On the other hand, there's a lot of potential within the TDP missions for exciting visuals, engrossing atmosphere, suspense-driven action, and dramatic adventure.
Take Constantine's mansion, for instance. You have a wealth of bizarre, spectacular visuals, lots of suspense (did the guard hear him? Will he pass it off and keep looking the other way?), and plenty of heart-racing action when the taff hits the fan and Garrett's struggling to outwit the guards and escape.
Another example is the walled-off section of the Olde Quarter. All around are these desolate ruins of a once-thriving village, now fallen into disrepair and decay. It's dark. And quiet...so quiet that it's unnerving as the audience waits tensed for some zombie to leap out at Garrett from the shadows. We feel utterly alone and unsafe - just like Garrett must be feeling. This movie has the potential to bring us right there with the main character, going through his experiences with him and feeling almost as if it's happening to us as well - which is the essence of what made Thief gameplay so compelling in the first place.
Quote Posted by Blue Sky
The idea really is to make Bafford more integral to the plot to justify spending some time in his manor near the start.
Garrett actually doesn't spend more than a few minutes of screen-time in Bafford's manor. It's just a way of introducing Garrett as a master thief who makes a living robbing noblemen's mansions of their priceless trinkets and pawning them off to fences. Then the plot gets moving quickly.
Quote Posted by Blue Sky
It's difficult though. I think there could be a really good film based around Thief, but I don't think following the exact specifics of the game is the way to go. Maybe as a fan-pleasing exercise, but not necessarily to make a good film.
Well, it's for that reason that some details here and there were altered - but the main story itself was preserved. This is feasible in part because TDP really was designed as a story first, and as playable missions second. TMA would be a lot harder to do as a proper movie, since the priority went first to the missions, and second to the overall plot.
Anyhow, my objective is to adapt TDP to a movie, rather than fabricate a story based on Thief. If I fail and it doesn't pan out, then...so be it. But I'd rather fail at an authentic adaptation than succeed at a non-authentic recreation. ;)
Namdrol on 26/10/2009 at 21:18
I would of thought the hard part in doing a faithful adaptation must be writing enough conversation to tell the story, without straying into conjecture.
I guess there's going to be a lot of silence and atmosphere, but if the cinematography can hold it all together, fantastic.
Beleg Cúthalion on 26/10/2009 at 21:24
I think the whole sneaking thing requires an artistic way of film making, but honestly I cannot think of another way I would like to see it being done at all.
The Shroud on 26/10/2009 at 21:53
Quote Posted by Namdrol
I would of thought the hard part in doing a faithful adaptation must be writing enough conversation to tell the story, without straying into conjecture.
I guess there's going to be a lot of silence and atmosphere, but if the cinematography can hold it all together, fantastic.
Most of the storytelling (apart from visuals and overheard snippets of conversations) is conveyed via two major methods - first and foremost, Garrett's Marlowe-style, self-narrated voice-overs which were taken straight from the mission briefings; and second, notes and parchment scrolls he finds (read in their respective authors' voice-overs). Examples of the latter occur in manuscripts in the abandoned Keeper library of the Olde Quarter, the Keeper expedition's journals in the Lost City, a notice in the Hammer Temple's office, a few notes in the haunted cathedral, and the Trickster's diary in the treehouse beneath Constantine's mansion.
Quote Posted by Beleg Cúthalion
I think the whole sneaking thing requires an artistic way of film making, but honestly I cannot think of another way I would like to see it being done at all.
Agreed. In many ways it will be a very artistic, 'silent' film - utilizing visuals and sound to tell the story over a lot of dialogue. I firmly believe it can be done though.
Namdrol on 26/10/2009 at 22:06
I want to read more. ;)
