I knew I had to find a suitable title for this project. A title that would encapsulate the whole spectrum and scope of the project. I did some brainstorming exercises trying to come up with a suitable name, making numerous lists. In the end the title found me when I wasn't looking for it (as is so often the case).
Miasma.
I stumbled upon this word one day a few months ago whilst playing the video game Dark Souls on my PlayStation 3. A character mentioned the phrase, "A miasma of death and disease" during an opening cinematic cut-scene. I liked how the word sounded (plus it's morose connotations) so in my usual curious way I decided to research the word's meaning and history. I found the below quote from Wikipedia.
Miasma - 'In Greek mythology, a miasma is a contagious power that has an independent life of its own. Until purged by the sacrificial death of the wrongdoer, society would be chronically infected by catastrophe.'
This instantly it sent my imagination into overdrive. What could cause the Miasma? What could it represent? How could it be defeated? All these questions flowed through my mind during the initial idea and writing process. I realised I could fit my existing ideas into this title whilst developing the concept even further. The title informed the story as much as the story informed the title.
I designed a haphazard, hand-written style logo then made a few test screens (placing the logo on top of various photographs and backdrops) to see how the title could look in a visual sense at the start of the short film. I wanted to test it's impact and tone, set in the realistic space and ratio of the screen.
Initially I was not so impressed with how it looked on-screen but it has grown on me considerably since I first researched it months ago. I can't imagine calling this project by any other name.
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