Wednesday, October 30, 2013

"Soft" Villain

This guy is a total creep. This assignment was to exercise shape language.  We were instructed to design a "soft villain."  I quickly abandoned the go-to and overdone Cruella deVilles in their plush furs and went for something more akin to "pudgy." I remember Ralph Fiennes once describing his creepy Nazi character in Schindler's List as "soft-bodied."  Then I had it.  My guy would be soft-bodied, subtle and oh-so-scary.  Saggy skin, thinning hair and bright reflective coke-bottle glasses to conceal his beady eyes all combined to create the monster below.  Part of the assignment was also to assign our character a backstory which is also included below:


"This man has no name.  He is the faceless predator that haunts the nightmares of every parent. He blends easily, the eye passes over him undeterred.  Non-descript, soft-bodied, nothing ostentatiously menacing about him.  You have to be on your guard to even realize what's wrong with him loitering at a schoolyard.  His eyes are hidden behind the gleam of thick glasses.  A slight paunch hangs over his belt.  His clothes aren't flashy.  He is seen and then quickly forgotten.  A villain like him wreaks his havoc before anyone realizes what happened."




Circus Character - Ringmistress