Vitruvius: Building a Prologue, Establishing Authority

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The secondary set (aka the Serlio Set) is almost done. Part of this secondary set development includes another minimal set that will be used for my prologue. I want to include some form of introductory segment in the Vitruvius film. The idea for a prologue emerged after listening to comments from people who saw my Man Drawing… film and the need to perhaps begin my films with some cursory information to inform the viewer about the nature of the film they are about to view.

This idea also falls in line with Chuck Palahniuk’s advice on establishing authority in writing. He calls this action the “heart method” or the “head method”.

…Next is the Head Method for establishing authority. This is where you use interesting facts and tidbits of knowledge to impress the reader that your narrator is smart. To do this effectively, you need to do some research. Then, find a way to work this information into your story. Don’t try to impress the reader with mere cleverness. Instead, invite the reader to share in a special world of insider knowledge, with facts that actually move the story forward.
– Source: Chuck Palahniuk’s web site.

I’m leaning toward the head method by introducing historic writers in the field of architecture, specifically Serlio and his work. The photo for this posting is a test shot for introducing the 5 books of architecture by Serlio.

3 responses to “Vitruvius: Building a Prologue, Establishing Authority”

  1. Great stuff, Grant! I bet you know math!!!

  2. Cool idea, I love prologues (every once and awhile I put on Lord of the Rings just to watch the first 10 minutes)…the pic looks great, can’t wait to see it in action…

  3. Thanks you two.

    @Shelly – I enjoyed geometry in high school. But I also like your organic approach to building a set that you describe in recent posts on your blog. Sometimes developing volumes and shapes “by eye” works very well. You then have a template, like you describe, for making the final versions.

    @Ubatuber – I love the opening to LOTR: FOTR. So efficient and yet it sets an epic tone. I think Lucas should have introduced a similar convention instead of the text crawl for his prequels.