Contexutal Studies Presentation

The Questions we have to answer
 

So recently we were emailed by our tutor, Sharon about our contextual studied presentation and in this email there were four questions that we have been asked to address during presentation. These questions are a way of moulding our presentation into one that will keep an audience interested and also are starting points which we can branch off from with other ideas if need be, altogether moulding everything into relevant piece of work.

I decided that it would be important to have a look at these questions fully and then work out what my answer would be to them, putting down points that are relevant and interesting.
 

 1. What is 'Haroun and the Sea of Stories' really about: can you show that meaning through selected quotations?

 A.  I found that if you look deeply into this story you will find many hidden messages and meanings littered through the pages but there was one that stood out for me the most and this was freedom of speech. I feel like Salman Rushdie was constantly hinting at the repressive world that he is used throughout the story and giving away little hints about how he truly felt about it all. One of these hints for example is, "but but but what is the point of giving persons Freedom of Speech,’ declaimed Butt the Hoopoe, ‘if you then say they must not utilise same? And is not the Power of Speech the greatest Power of all?". I feel like he is trying to tell people, through his story, that you are allowed to express yourself and your opinion and to try not to let anyone belittle and silence you.

I feel this message is strongly shown in relation to Blabbermouth. Throughout the story she constantly has to hide who she is and keep her opinions of Prince Bolo and Princess Batcheat to herself in fear that she may be punished and fired from her role as a page. But slowly as her tolerance and character grew, she has the confidence to reveal herself and stand up for herself.

 

2. What has influenced your choice of characters?

A. I have to admit that the book, Haroun and the sea of stories, wasn’t really my cup of tea and I was struggling a little with it as it just didn’t hold my interest. So far none of the characters I had ‘met’ were really making me want to keep reading, I found them all a little dull to be brutally honest but this changed when I got to page 98. I met a character who, as soon as I heard them ‘speak’, instantly peeked my interest and actually made me want to keep reading. This character was the page Blabber mouth.

 

I had finally found the character I was looking for. She managed to cover a few criteria I had in my head that I was looking for in a character and a few of these were.

 

1.   She was mysterious. We didn’t even know if Blabbermouth was a really a boy or a girl to begin with which was something that I wanted to find out and forced me to keep reading. (‘This page, who didn’t look much older than Haroun, introduced himself as ‘Blabbermouth’, which, as it turned out, was a popular name in Gup for both girls and boys’ – Page 98)

2.   She had a good sense of humour. I usually always warm to characters who are able to make me laugh as I always enjoy a bit of comedy and it was just what the book needed to make it interesting for me again. (‘Were are lost aren’t we? Haroun said. ‘So it’s a complicated palace and we’re a little lost,’ Blabbermouth admitted. ‘But aren’t we having a nice chat?’)

3.   She is a romantic interest of the main character. Now I am a sucker for romance, requited or unrequited, I absolutely love it! So finding out that Haroun was developing a crush on her was definitely a factor that kept me interested in the story as I wanted to find out how it ended. (‘-by the way,’ she added, blushing slightly, ‘isn’t he something? Isn’t he wicked, awesome, sharp? - Mudra, I mean.’ ‘I know who you mean,’ said Haroun, with a pang of what might have been jealously’)
 

 
3.     What factors have influenced your design?

A.     One of the main things that influenced my design were the written descriptions of Blabbermouth in the book. Salman Rushdie wrote that Blabbermouth was a young female page who wore a regulation rectangular tunic which had text from the story 'Bolo and the golden fleece' printed on it. She also has long silky black hair that she keeps hidden by wearing a maroon velvet cap. Also in her pockets she keeps balls made of golden silk that she likes to juggle in her spare time.

This was a fairly basic description of her but it was something that I felt was really important to stick to when I was coming up with design ideas and I didn't really want to take too much away from her as then it would ruin Salman Rushdie's portrayal of this strong female character.

After discussing design ideas with my partner for this project, Andrew, we decided that we both wanted to stick to a similar art style as each other. He was very keen on working in the style of the game 'Journey' as it had a very simplistic yet visually stunning design so I was really happy with that idea as I think this art style is very effective. We both started out doing a bunch of silhouettes to get the hang of the style which worked out nicely and we both seemed to have picked up other influences along the way, such as the art style from the game 'Limbo' and the cartoon series 'Adventure time'.

 

4. How will your characters give a player a fun and interesting experience?


A.    Blabbermouth as a character in a video game would be a side character, a companion, someone who follows the main character and can be utilised when the need arises.

I have based her gameplay and role off of the 2008 Prince of Persia video game. In this game the main character, who has always worked alone in the previous games he has appeared in, finds himself with a new companion, a young women called Elika. Throughout the story the pair must work together, battling demons and finding their way around the ruined cities of Persia. Elika is actually controlled by a CPU so there is no option for the player to actually play as her themselves but she does have some abilities that you are able to utilise that come in handy throughout the game. For example, Elika has a very strong magical aura and, when she focuses it, she can create a burst of energy which quickly races off in front of the duo and shows them which way to go, like a path way.

 

 

 

 

I am definitely using Elika’s style and gameplay as influence and I really like the aspect of her helping the hero along the path. Researching into Elika has lead me to a couple of different qualities that will make this character fun and interesting to play alongside. I would like in the game for the player to be able to switch between the different characters present but only in certain circumstances so that you do remain as Haroun for the majority of the game, as he is the hero after all. So for example you will be travelling along with your companions and you come across an object that only one of the characters if able to interact with. You then be able to switch to them, and them alone to clear the path and let the story roll on. This is a similar concept to what is used in the gameplay of nearly all the Lego video games and is an aspect I would love to include so the player gets a little taste of what each of the side characters are like.

For Blabbermouth she will have a similar role as Elika does, she aids the hero along their quest using magic although her magic won’t come from her, it will come from the objects she possess, and these are the balls made of golden silk that she likes to juggle. The balls will be capable of many things as they have an enchanted curst on then, so for example, when she throws one it will create a golden pathway showing the player where they need to go, similar to that of what Elika does. Also she will be able to use them as weapons for when player comes across a group of enemies which will be a way of aiding them. This will help give variety for the player and keep them interested in the game play as you aren’t just sticking with one character all the time, you are able, on occasion, to pick and choose. 



Blabber mouth's sphere of action: The helper and The Princess