| |
BYRTH |
|
Byrth is the leader and thinker in the Myrth-Byrth partnership.
It should be implicit in Byrth’s clothing and his behaviour
that he is a prince of the Earth who has been cast out of his
kingdom. He carries a responsibility: to inform the people of
the Earth about what happened at the Feedback shelter, and to
act against the destruction and exploitation being carried out
by D’Earth Foodstuffs Multinational. While Myrth shares
this responsibility, it weighs heavier on the shoulders of Byrth,
who has a more pensive, melancholy presence. His
clothing could suggest his royal heritage: while he is raggedly
dressed, his rags are of fine quality, perhaps made of a sought-after
East African kikoyi cloth. He wears a copper armband, a cowrie
shell necklace, and various other found and recycled ornaments.
His rhino-horn hairstyle ( a single horn-shaped dreadlock
on the forehead with the rest of the head shaved ) is distinctive,
and suggestive of both a rebellious punk edge and a regal
demeanour.
Byrth’s action requirements throughout
the screenplay are varied and demanding, from the dance and
acrobatics of his and Myrth’s theatre performance in
the opening scenes, to the all-out action of the climactic
train scene. His physique needs to be agile and flexible,
with a wiry but clearly defined musculature. He is a teenager,
perhaps 14 years old, and this is suggested by his height
in relation to adult characters, and by his head-to-body size
ratio ( The head size will be more exaggerated than an actual
teenager’s would be; Alan Cameron has pointed out that
a large head generates a basic appeal to young audiences.
) His hands and feet are larger than is anatomically normal;
and his knees and elbows are pronounced. His chest is muscular
but narrow and compressed, in the way that a lightweight boxer’s
is.
Byrth’s facial structure is designed
to communicate his intelligence and strength of character.
Large eyes like his are universally interpreted as signifying
trustworthiness. His features are typically southern African,
with a rounded nose, small ears, full lips and a round head.
His eyelids are angled upwards towards the bridge of the noise,
which generally suggests benevolence and, if exaggerated,
bemusement. I have attempted to strike a balance between a
naturalistic face and a strongly cartooned face – and
tried to avoid the excessively cute cliches that recur in
youthful Disney and anime characters. ( I was recently very
impressed by the child character in Disney’s The Iron
Giant, who is cute while also having strongly defined, individualised
features. )
Byrth’s
is not a child’s face, but that of a young man, but
this is tempered by his build and stature, and by the size
ratio of his head to body.
|
|
