On Set: Scarborough 900AD

(Update)

Bringing characters to life with facial animation is one of the most challenging aspects of shooting this film. We started nearly a year ago without there being a convincing technological solution - the ability to bring this to fruition has just emerged in the past few weeks.

Below is a screen test of Steingerðr Þórkelsdóttir's soliloquy read by Indya from Canberra. Steingerðr's story is central to Kormak's Saga - the story of a young couple that agree to marry, but are fated to remain apart.  At this point, Steingerðr has bleached her hair and has dyed her face with symbology of mourning.

We have shot this short film on the South Sands of Scarborough, the supposed site of a 10th century Icelandic settlement founded by Kormak and his brother (this account is contested by some modern local historians - but as Steingerðr opens "We have different memories of that time".)

While Danish control over Yorkshire would have been a dim memory by 1264 (the time of the main story), we imagine Danish/Icelandic traders coming into the port knew the outline of the Saga, and repeated it when the opportunity presented.