WATCH US BURN
a short film envisioned by alexis neels
The Storyboard
© All Rights Reserved.
EXT. MIDDLE OF THE DESERT - DAY
Three knights are heading towards a door.
Two women. One with blue hair, the other one with red hair.
A man is guiding the horses.
VOICE OVER - BLACK SCREEN
“At this day it is indifferent to say in the English tongue, ‘she is a witch’ or ‘she is a wise woman.’” Reginald Scott, 1584
They arrive in front of the door.
A giant white door.
View from the other side.
The door handle, submarine-style, turns 90 degrees.
The door then opens by sliding to the right, creating a loud metallic sound.
We can now see their faces, as they gaze to the other side.
The man carries an amphora in his arms.
On the other side, an old king is seated on a throne.
Behind him, five women make levitate cameras towards three pyres.
The three knights pass the door, leaving the horses.
We hear the door closing as they walk towards the old king.
They surround him.
Raising their arms in a synchronized gesture, they lift the amphora above his head, and pour its content over him.
The crown falls under the weight of the liquid.
The old king struggles to breathe.
They leave and head towards the pyres.
They go to the pyres to climb onto them.
Once on top, they stand with one hand behind their back and the other in their pocket.
A flash occurs. The camera returns to the old king, who is gazing at the sky with white eyes.
The camera advances slowly towards the pyres, passing through the arms of the middle camerawoman. Another flash occurs.
They are about to deliver a message in front of cameras.
As i want a rhythmic speech, spoken by the three as if they are one, l’ve added colors to indicate who is speaking. Purple represents when their collective speech.
They speak in a deep tone and with a fluidity showing their voices uniting in sentences by their common will.
So here we are, the children of the witches they couldn’t burn.
For centuries we had only two options: to hide or to die.
And to hide during generations means to forget.
That means being forced to assimilate, to swallow their spiritual porridge, with preconceived answers and forbidden questions.
As they speak, a crowd of people arrives from the dunes. These people will run until they reach the base of the pyres, acting as fanatics and haters.
If you believe in yourself more than they believe in god, you are a threat to them.
If you believe that each person know who they are better than everyone else, you also are a threat to them.
And if you believe that the wealth of this world lies in the differences of each human being, guess what? YOU are a threat to them.
By “them”, we are referring to this part of us, of humanity, that once declared we all needed to live under the same rules, the same way and that we should all look like each other.
In the human body, cells who are acting like this are called a Cancer.
So let’s be a threat to their system of thinking.
We are witnessing evolution as the heralds of change, and all we have to do is to show them the way, with love, compassion, and the feather as our blade.
We were killed, and we still are, because of our uniqueness, our will to evolve, our love for each other.
Reduced to silence. Forced to slow down our rotations.
But the bond that unites us is stronger than anything, and we have continued to move forward, slowly, spreading our wisdom through the ages, knowing that one day, love would return to his throne.
Now that our voices can be heard worldwilde the instant we open our mouths, we need to use this gift to express ourselves fearlessly, loudly and proactively.
Utilizing all forms of Art we can to aware everyone of what they truly are: Magical beings.
By doing so we will heal generational trauma, release our ancestors and nurture our children.
The people arriving from the dunes are the flames. If they begin to touch them in a chaotic way, akin to a crowd in front celebrities, the movement of their arms tends to imitates the undulating motion of flames, a synchronized dance of arms and hands.
We need to draw from the best examples that every minority we come from can offer us: That sense of collective consciousness we can feel with people we may not know personally but who have endured the same challenges as us.
We must rely on this on a global scale so we can endure together.
May we assemble all of our minorities into a powerful majority, rich of the differences find in every drop.
And from this majority with its myriad voices will emerge the new world. We are all related.
Don’t be afraid to be misunderstood or reject, don’t be afraid of those who can’t understand you, because some will, and they are the ones who will help you change this world.
Enough is enough playing hide or die, it’s time for you to let your wildest light shine.
In the shadows yesterday, in the light today, let’s take this throne back.
And come dance with us, instead of watch us burn.
As the crowd become denser, another flash occurs.
One of them points towards the throne.
ZOOM BACK CAMERA
Slowly we discover the throne.
A new king has risen to replace the old one.
This new king is a child.
In his arms, he holds a baby with a feather on her head.
Suddenly the king starts to scream.
Without us being able to hear him scream, covered by the end music.
As he is screaming, the camera suddenly zoom straight towards him, very fast, until the black hole of his throat who becomes the credits, as if this movie was nothing but a part of his scream.
THE END
The Fashion Moodboard
This is not static. It is only meant to show the inspiration I have in mind. This allows for more artistic freedom and opens up many possibilities for the direction.
The Knights
Mary Katrantzou
Spring 2015 Ready-to-Wear
Ann Demeulemeester
Spring 2023 Ready-to-Wear
Gareth Pugh
Spring 2011 Ready-to-Wear
Craig Green
Spring 2020 Menswear
GmBH
Spring 2020 Menswear
Anrealage
Spring 2018 Ready-to-Wear
The Camera Women
They are five and they will wear the same outfit, it can change between the old king and the transfiguration of the new king
Dilara Findikoglu
Spring 2023 Ready-to-Wear
Iris van Herpen
Fall 2011 Couture
Ann Demeulemeester
Fall 2023 Ready-to-Wear
The Old King
Palomo Spain
Spring 2022 Menswear
Gareth Pugh
Fall 2014 Ready-to-Wear
Mowalola
Spring 2023 Ready-to-Wear
Gareth Pugh
Fall 2014 Ready-to-Wear
The New King
Only dressed in a white drape as above
The Crowd
Mix of styles, my inspirations are:
Charles Jeffrey Loverboy, Eckhaus Latta, Yeezy, Martine Rose, Vivienne Westwood, Collina Strada, Pyer Moss
May the feather be our greatest weapon.
May our great work lead us towards collective consciousness.
<3 / W