Nicholas Palazzo
Well-Known Member
We're back, baby! Once again late, script discussion will be tonight, 9/13 around 8 PM ET. Contact me if you would like to participate live and I can send you a link.
Script Discussion: S07E08
- Thread starter Nicholas Palazzo
- Start date
Here is the link to the script discussion:
And the outline for Episode 8.
The Silmarillion Film Project
Season 7, Episode 8: Lalaith (Laughter)
Central conflict:
Protagonist: Ulfang
A-Plot: Arrival of the Easterlings in Beleriand. Fëanoreans recruit them to the cause of the Union. Galadriel honored for her diplomatic success and foresight in raising a giant human army at the perfect time.
B-Plot: The Dwarves consider the developments in East Beleriand - reaction to the arrival of the Men, and their thoughts on Maedhros' plan to attack Angband.
C-Plot: . Life of Lalaith (0-3) and young Túrin(3-6) as backdrop to Dor-lómin preparing for war. Wedding of Huor and Rían.
Frame:.
FA 468-471
Episode Outline
Teaser: Frame
Act I : FA 468
Scene 1: Bree - Ulfang introduces Bor to Galadriel and Galathil. Bor has brought his army of chariots (10K strong) and charioteers/soldiers (20K) to Bree to join with Ulfang for the expedition. Ulfang and Bor greet one another as old friends. Bor is gregarious and lighthearted.
Scene 2: Dor-lómin - Intimate family setting. Laughter as we meet baby Lalaith. Huor and Rían announce their engagement. Rían is super excited and wants to get married as soon as possible. She shares her excitement with Morwen about uniting their families even more! Morwen is happy for her, and we see that she is in a peaceful place herself. Huor and Húrin discuss this news. Huor knows that Elves don’t marry in wartime, and wonders if now is the time? Would he be condemning Rían to an unhappy, cursed marriage? Should he wait until after the war? Húrin looks at his own young children and is thoughtful.
Scene 3: Dwarven Logging Outpost - Those two dwarf guys react in surprise when their outpost is attacked by Morgoth’s forces. Cut to throne room of Belegost, where the two survivors are telling young King Azaghal what happened. This is not the first attack. Curufin and Caranthir in the throne room. Dwarven shade against the failure of the Noldor to defend the north from these attacks. Caranthir takes that personally, and Curufin steps in to re-establish unity in fighting Morgoth as the common goal.
Scene 4:. Bree - Sauron meets with Ulfang to warn him of the perils of working with Elves. He prepares him to close his mind off from intervention. Ulfang rejects the warning and says he knows how to run his own army.
Act II :
Scene 5: Belegost - Test of prototypes of Dwarven research for the Noldor. Crossbow model (Caranthir thinks it clumsy), New anti-dragon ballista. First test very impressive! Second test repeatable! Third test goes through the target and takes out whatever is behind it. Dwarven panic. Azaghal takes charge and quickly brings order in the emergency - calm under pressure. Curufin is pleased with the test, and impressed with the king.
Scene 6: Bree - One of Bor’s charioteers invites Galadriel to ride in his chariot, as his fighter is unable to go on the march. She takes him up on it, and the army leaves the city. Ulfang moves to interpret for her, but she says she understood. He’s puzzled, because the language of Bor’s people is not often spoken in Bree. She says she saw his meaning in his mind, and goes to demonstrate. Ulfang shuts that down fast.
Scene 7: Belegost - Request from Maedhros for a meeting. Some dwarven advisors think it wise to refuse - any refusal in person can be seen as a diplomatic incident. If Azaghal is not there, there are diplomatic solutions. He will be put in a position where he may be forced to agree to more requests. The dwarves have concerns over the danger of their continued relationship with the Noldor. For the safety of Belegost, he must know all the information there is to know, and he should meet and take the measure of their neighbor. The problem could get much worse depending on the actions the Noldor take. He decides to attend the meeting.
Scene 8: Eriador Interlude - Galadriel and Galathiel stop by the hill in what will become Hobbiton and watch the armies march by. Galadriel plants a tree with hope for the future, and Galathil expresses how impressed she is to see this idea play out so quickly. Contrast of swift human timeline with slow elven timeline.
Act III :
Scene 9: Belegost - Farewell of Azaghal to his younger brother and heir. Since he is leaving Belegost, he is leaving him with the responsibility of the throne. The younger brother says he could never be Azaghal, and that the people follow him because he has been so dedicated to leading their people and protecting Belegost. He’s wise for his age.
Scene 10: Ered Lindon (Blue Mountains) - Cross on the Dwarf road. Ulfang and Uldor get their first glimpse of Beleriand - beautiful land! What opportunities are here….Uldor suggests that Ulfang can set up on his own, because who could gainsay him so far from Bree? This alliance with the Elves is a means to an end of gaining access to these new lands. Ulfang dismisses Uldor’s ideas as too grandiose - if I were king of Beleriand, who would I leave it to? You could not rule such a realm. Ulfang’s disappointment in Uldor is made explicit here.
Scene 11: Ered Lindon (Blue Mountains) - Dwarf messengers sent to warn Belegost and Nogrod….and to Keep Helevorn where Azaghal is. We see the messenger arrive at Keep Helevorn and tell Azaghal about the very large army of humans that crossed the mountains and has camped in Beleriand.
Scene 12: Road to Keep Helevorn - Caranthir was out scouting to see what is up with this human army. He sees Galadriel among the Men and, surprised, engages her in conversation. Caranthir tells her about the meeting between Maedhros and the dwarves. Galadriel gets herself (and Ulfang) invited back to this meeting.
Act IV:
Scene 13: Keep Helevorn - Meeting of Azaghal and Maedhros. Frank discussion about the plan for the dragon. Maedhros insists that he must fight this battle, and he will use all the strength available to him. He could use more. If the dwarven engineers and technicians could accompany the siege equipment into battle, the chances of success improve. Azaghal could do one better….
Scene 14: Keep Helevorn - Meeting of Dwarves and Fëanoreans Azaghal pledges his support. Our neighbors will use all their strength to defeat this dragon, as will we. Ulfang is impressed by this union, and tells Bor there must be something to this Union if Elves and Dwarves are in agreement. Bor wants to know what his verdict is on the Elves now - and Ulfang is feeling pretty confident. Praise for Galadriel by Maedhros. Galadriel admits that she’d rather be working with Fingon, but..logistics brought her here. Maedhros points out that she would be a great commander of the chariot army, and he hopes she will ride with them in the battle.
Scene 15: Dor-lómin - Wedding of Huor and Rían. Húrin gives a speech showing he has grown into his role as king. Trust and hope against the darkness. Unity of our families. We defend our homes and families, we sacrifice, and we fight, so that our families will have a future. And our families give us the strength to carry on. Congratulate the couple on their courage to face the darkness together.
Scene 16: Keep Helevorn - Ulfang speaks with Galadriel. She asks him for his impression now that he is in Beleriand and has met her allies. He admits that he had not made up his mind about her. He acknowledges that the threat is real, and so her plea was genuine. He trusts her more now than he did in Bree. He sees that she is in this for a bigger cause. She’s not even friends with the allies she’s aiding! This is a different type of war.
Tag: Frame
And the outline for Episode 8.
The Silmarillion Film Project
Season 7, Episode 8: Lalaith (Laughter)
Central conflict:
Protagonist: Ulfang
A-Plot: Arrival of the Easterlings in Beleriand. Fëanoreans recruit them to the cause of the Union. Galadriel honored for her diplomatic success and foresight in raising a giant human army at the perfect time.
B-Plot: The Dwarves consider the developments in East Beleriand - reaction to the arrival of the Men, and their thoughts on Maedhros' plan to attack Angband.
C-Plot: . Life of Lalaith (0-3) and young Túrin(3-6) as backdrop to Dor-lómin preparing for war. Wedding of Huor and Rían.
Frame:.
FA 468-471
Episode Outline
Teaser: Frame
Act I : FA 468
Scene 1: Bree - Ulfang introduces Bor to Galadriel and Galathil. Bor has brought his army of chariots (10K strong) and charioteers/soldiers (20K) to Bree to join with Ulfang for the expedition. Ulfang and Bor greet one another as old friends. Bor is gregarious and lighthearted.
Scene 2: Dor-lómin - Intimate family setting. Laughter as we meet baby Lalaith. Huor and Rían announce their engagement. Rían is super excited and wants to get married as soon as possible. She shares her excitement with Morwen about uniting their families even more! Morwen is happy for her, and we see that she is in a peaceful place herself. Huor and Húrin discuss this news. Huor knows that Elves don’t marry in wartime, and wonders if now is the time? Would he be condemning Rían to an unhappy, cursed marriage? Should he wait until after the war? Húrin looks at his own young children and is thoughtful.
Scene 3: Dwarven Logging Outpost - Those two dwarf guys react in surprise when their outpost is attacked by Morgoth’s forces. Cut to throne room of Belegost, where the two survivors are telling young King Azaghal what happened. This is not the first attack. Curufin and Caranthir in the throne room. Dwarven shade against the failure of the Noldor to defend the north from these attacks. Caranthir takes that personally, and Curufin steps in to re-establish unity in fighting Morgoth as the common goal.
Scene 4:. Bree - Sauron meets with Ulfang to warn him of the perils of working with Elves. He prepares him to close his mind off from intervention. Ulfang rejects the warning and says he knows how to run his own army.
Act II :
Scene 5: Belegost - Test of prototypes of Dwarven research for the Noldor. Crossbow model (Caranthir thinks it clumsy), New anti-dragon ballista. First test very impressive! Second test repeatable! Third test goes through the target and takes out whatever is behind it. Dwarven panic. Azaghal takes charge and quickly brings order in the emergency - calm under pressure. Curufin is pleased with the test, and impressed with the king.
Scene 6: Bree - One of Bor’s charioteers invites Galadriel to ride in his chariot, as his fighter is unable to go on the march. She takes him up on it, and the army leaves the city. Ulfang moves to interpret for her, but she says she understood. He’s puzzled, because the language of Bor’s people is not often spoken in Bree. She says she saw his meaning in his mind, and goes to demonstrate. Ulfang shuts that down fast.
Scene 7: Belegost - Request from Maedhros for a meeting. Some dwarven advisors think it wise to refuse - any refusal in person can be seen as a diplomatic incident. If Azaghal is not there, there are diplomatic solutions. He will be put in a position where he may be forced to agree to more requests. The dwarves have concerns over the danger of their continued relationship with the Noldor. For the safety of Belegost, he must know all the information there is to know, and he should meet and take the measure of their neighbor. The problem could get much worse depending on the actions the Noldor take. He decides to attend the meeting.
Scene 8: Eriador Interlude - Galadriel and Galathiel stop by the hill in what will become Hobbiton and watch the armies march by. Galadriel plants a tree with hope for the future, and Galathil expresses how impressed she is to see this idea play out so quickly. Contrast of swift human timeline with slow elven timeline.
Act III :
Scene 9: Belegost - Farewell of Azaghal to his younger brother and heir. Since he is leaving Belegost, he is leaving him with the responsibility of the throne. The younger brother says he could never be Azaghal, and that the people follow him because he has been so dedicated to leading their people and protecting Belegost. He’s wise for his age.
Scene 10: Ered Lindon (Blue Mountains) - Cross on the Dwarf road. Ulfang and Uldor get their first glimpse of Beleriand - beautiful land! What opportunities are here….Uldor suggests that Ulfang can set up on his own, because who could gainsay him so far from Bree? This alliance with the Elves is a means to an end of gaining access to these new lands. Ulfang dismisses Uldor’s ideas as too grandiose - if I were king of Beleriand, who would I leave it to? You could not rule such a realm. Ulfang’s disappointment in Uldor is made explicit here.
Scene 11: Ered Lindon (Blue Mountains) - Dwarf messengers sent to warn Belegost and Nogrod….and to Keep Helevorn where Azaghal is. We see the messenger arrive at Keep Helevorn and tell Azaghal about the very large army of humans that crossed the mountains and has camped in Beleriand.
Scene 12: Road to Keep Helevorn - Caranthir was out scouting to see what is up with this human army. He sees Galadriel among the Men and, surprised, engages her in conversation. Caranthir tells her about the meeting between Maedhros and the dwarves. Galadriel gets herself (and Ulfang) invited back to this meeting.
Act IV:
Scene 13: Keep Helevorn - Meeting of Azaghal and Maedhros. Frank discussion about the plan for the dragon. Maedhros insists that he must fight this battle, and he will use all the strength available to him. He could use more. If the dwarven engineers and technicians could accompany the siege equipment into battle, the chances of success improve. Azaghal could do one better….
Scene 14: Keep Helevorn - Meeting of Dwarves and Fëanoreans Azaghal pledges his support. Our neighbors will use all their strength to defeat this dragon, as will we. Ulfang is impressed by this union, and tells Bor there must be something to this Union if Elves and Dwarves are in agreement. Bor wants to know what his verdict is on the Elves now - and Ulfang is feeling pretty confident. Praise for Galadriel by Maedhros. Galadriel admits that she’d rather be working with Fingon, but..logistics brought her here. Maedhros points out that she would be a great commander of the chariot army, and he hopes she will ride with them in the battle.
Scene 15: Dor-lómin - Wedding of Huor and Rían. Húrin gives a speech showing he has grown into his role as king. Trust and hope against the darkness. Unity of our families. We defend our homes and families, we sacrifice, and we fight, so that our families will have a future. And our families give us the strength to carry on. Congratulate the couple on their courage to face the darkness together.
Scene 16: Keep Helevorn - Ulfang speaks with Galadriel. She asks him for his impression now that he is in Beleriand and has met her allies. He admits that he had not made up his mind about her. He acknowledges that the threat is real, and so her plea was genuine. He trusts her more now than he did in Bree. He sees that she is in this for a bigger cause. She’s not even friends with the allies she’s aiding! This is a different type of war.
Tag: Frame
Now, regarding the title...I suggested "Lalaith" because she is introduced in this episode, but we might want to save "The Death of Laughter" as the title for the next episode. So any alternative suggestions for the title?
Also, regarding the Dwarven storyline - this is the introduction of Azaghâl, and it's important that we get his characterization right. I did want to make sure that we see him as king of Belegost, but there was an alternative suggestion to tell this storyline from the elven perspective. Ie, to have Curufin or Maedhros be the point of view character. The idea would be that the dwarven character who has served as a liason between Belegost and Himring (Thornli) would ostensibly be the leader through negotiations and weapon testing and everything else, whereas Azaghâl would be a background dwarf who would only be revealed to be the king of Belegost towards the end of the episode. This would be a more dramatic way to introduce the character, so if the story plotted during the script discussion doesn't work, we could reconsider this version. The scenes would (perforce) be set at Himring or Keep Helevorn, not Belegost.
Also, regarding the Dwarven storyline - this is the introduction of Azaghâl, and it's important that we get his characterization right. I did want to make sure that we see him as king of Belegost, but there was an alternative suggestion to tell this storyline from the elven perspective. Ie, to have Curufin or Maedhros be the point of view character. The idea would be that the dwarven character who has served as a liason between Belegost and Himring (Thornli) would ostensibly be the leader through negotiations and weapon testing and everything else, whereas Azaghâl would be a background dwarf who would only be revealed to be the king of Belegost towards the end of the episode. This would be a more dramatic way to introduce the character, so if the story plotted during the script discussion doesn't work, we could reconsider this version. The scenes would (perforce) be set at Himring or Keep Helevorn, not Belegost.
Ah, sorry! Sometimes the old title goes out with the announcements. No writer's space on Friday nights, though.....
Part of the issue is that it's hard not to think of Handel's Messiah blaring KING OF KINGS and LORD OF LORDS with that choice....so King above Kings at least cuts some of the musicality of it. I think that it's better to have something reminiscent of real historical references rather than the same as.
Some song samples.....
Part of the issue is that it's hard not to think of Handel's Messiah blaring KING OF KINGS and LORD OF LORDS with that choice....so King above Kings at least cuts some of the musicality of it. I think that it's better to have something reminiscent of real historical references rather than the same as.
Some song samples.....
Last edited:
When Nick was talking about the characterization of Bor, he referenced Brian Blessed.
Here is Brian Blessed's 1995 performance of Cluny MacPherson in Kidnapped:
(Brian Blessed's role begins at 2:21 and ends at 2:28)
What's interesting about this performance is that he's not merely gregarious and laughing. There's a tension and calculation behind his boistrousness. The political difference here is between Highland scotsmen who are loyal to Bonny Prince Charlie in France, vs Lowlander scotsmen whose loyalty after the defeat of Culloden is to King George II of England. But more importantly, the portrayal of someone with strong emotion is certainly larger than life, and arguably likeable, but at the same time not exactly trustworthy.
Here is Brian Blessed's 1995 performance of Cluny MacPherson in Kidnapped:
What's interesting about this performance is that he's not merely gregarious and laughing. There's a tension and calculation behind his boistrousness. The political difference here is between Highland scotsmen who are loyal to Bonny Prince Charlie in France, vs Lowlander scotsmen whose loyalty after the defeat of Culloden is to King George II of England. But more importantly, the portrayal of someone with strong emotion is certainly larger than life, and arguably likeable, but at the same time not exactly trustworthy.
Last edited: