PAGE 18

THE DESIGN AND NARRATIVE OF SETTING IN SILAT LEGENDA, MALAYSIAS FIRST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

by Hassan Abd Muthalib

Story is the basis of everything that is designed. Everything that is designed contributes to storytelling. Production design is the means by which the director (in collaboration with the production designer)communicates story as well as meaning to an audience. After the story is transformed into the screenplay, the settings together with the design of characters, costumes and props - through layout, composition, shape, positioning, size relationships and colour contribute to the narrative and sometimes becomes the narrative itself.

This paper will look at the design of the key settings in Silat Legenda (Legendary Silat Warriors, Hassan Abd Muthalib, 1998) to show that they are not just iconic but are also effective indexes and symbols that function to support the story and serve the needs of the films narrative. The principles found in the disciplines of semiotics, archetypes, binary opposition and gestalt psychology of perception will be considered to show how these theories are relevant to the design of settings and how they are applied to contribute to effective visual story- telling in a film narrative.

These are the principles that have been used to communicate meaning from the earliest beginnings of cinema and up to the present

day. The art of storymaking provides emotional responses that is the

basis of both entertainment and meaning. It is only through the under-

standing of the application of the visual language of film that the local creative industries can compete on the global arena.

A. INTRODUCTIONThe first animated feature films to be made from amongst the Association of Southeast Nations (ASEAN) were, The Adventure of Sud Sakorn (Payut Ngaokrachang, 1979) from Thailand. From the Philippines came Isko: Adventures in Animasia (Gerry A. Garcia, 1997), from Indonesia, Cheritera (Legends, Edwin Arggh!, 2001) and Singapore, Sing to the Dawn (Phil Mitchell, 2008). Malaysia holds the record for having made the most number of animation cinema features (ten), as well as television series (almost 120) up to 2012. This was due to the strong support of various agencies, among them, the Ministry of Information, Communication and Culture, through its television channel, Radio-Televisyen Malaysia (RTM). Grants from the Ministry of Science, Telecommunications and Innovation (MOSTI), and also low-interest loans from the National Film Development Corporation (FINAS) in the early stages, then through SME Bank and now through Bank Simpanan Nasional, enabled the making some of the animation features. Animation in Malaysia began with the founding of the Malayan Film Unit (MFU) in 1946. Due to the availability of an animation camera and other relevant equipment, Gillie Potter, a combat cameraman who was with the disbanded British Army Film and Photographic Unit, became the first Art Director of MFU. He had some knowledge of animation while working in London. He experimented with the animation camera and went on to produce opening title sequences and simple animation for documentaries. The first animation to come out of MFU was a stop-frame sequence for a documentary film titled The Kinta Story (H.W. Govan, 1949). By 1978, the first animated short film, Hikayat Sang Kancil (The Tale of the Mousedeer - Anandam Xavier) was completed but was only screened on television in 1984. From the 1970s to the 1990s, the MFU (now renamed Filem Negara Malaysia) became widely known for its humourous animated public service films as well as narrative shorts like Sang Kancil dan Monyet (The Mousedeer and the Monkey - Hassan Abd. Muthalib, 1984). The year 1995 proved to be a momentous one for animation in Malaysia. The first animated television series, Usop Sontorian (Usop, the Village Boy, Kamn Ismail), was broadcast. In the same year, Malaysias first animated feature film, Silat Legenda (Hassan Abd Muthalib) went into production and was completed and screened in the cinemas in 1998 in Malaysia and Singapore. This was a manually-animated 2D film that was digitally-painted and had some 3D computer-animated backgrounds and visual effects. So far, a total of six animated features (including Silat Legenda) have been completed and screened: 1. Nien Resurrection (2000).

2. Puteh (The Girl Puteh, Rashid Sibir, 2001)

3. Budak Lapok (The Raggedy Kids, Anwardi Jamil/Zulkifli M. Said, 2004).

4. Geng Penggembaraan Bermula, (Gang: The Adventure Begins, Mohd. Nizam Razak, 2009), and,

5. Seefood (Goh Aun Hoe, 2012). Mann Spider and the Princess of Melaka went into production earlier than Silat Legenda but till today, it has not been released. Nien Resurrection was only marketed on VCD (video compact disc) while all the other films had cinema screenings. Two other films, Alamaya: Garden of Heavenly Creatures (Zakizamani Osman), War of the Worlds: Goliath (Joe Pearson) and Bola Kampong The Movie (Ah Loong/Chua Chong Tee) are slated to finish in 2012. War of the Worlds is a joint-venture with a company based in Los Angeles. Its production design was handled by an independent company, Studio Climb, headed by Spencer Ooi, a former animation lecturer of The One Academy of Communication Design.

Except for Geng, Seefood, Alamaya and War of the Worlds, production design and art direction for the films were the handiwork of many individuals who did not have formal training in design for film. I handled the production design and art direction for Silat Legenda by default (which I will enumerate later). My understanding of visual storytelling came from serious film viewing from the 1970s, reading books on the art and theory of film design and visits to the art departments of the Disney Studios in Los Angeles and Florida, Toei (Japans premier animation studio), Studio Ghibli in Tokyo and Philippine Animation in Manila, Philippines. My understanding was further enhanced when I taught the subject of visual storytelling in some of the top colleges and universities in Malaysia as well as giving guest lectures in universities in Norway, Sudan, Singapore and the Philippines. Over the years, I began to slowly discover that aspects of four subjects that are taught in Mass Communications, Media Studies, Cultural Studies, Anthropology and Psychology, have, in fact, been used to tell stories visually since the very beginnings of film. Some of these aspects have their beginnings in literature and painting. They are: archetypes, semiotics, binary opposition and five of the principles found in the gestalt psychology of perception under the Law of Pragnanz.

The focus of this paper will be on how I used these elements consciously in the planning and designing of the settings in Silat Legenda, taking into consideration their relevance to the milieu and context of the films narrative. B. SETTING IN FILMSetting in film is a space for the unfolding action of a story. Telling an animation story through film involves two stages: storytelling and storymaking. Storytelling comes under the broad term of story development. This involves a number of steps beginning with: (1) A synopsis of the story. (2) Formulating the idea behind the story.

(3) Formulating its premise and theme.

(4) Writing the story in chronological form.

(5) Delineating the character profile. (6) Writing the treatment that includes the script structure in (basically) three acts. (7) Writing the script, and finally, (8) Drawing the story sketch, which is a rough, visual

idea of the story. Storytelling is about how to put the story onto the screen using visuals and sound, and comes under the broad term of visual development. This involves production design (designing characters, costumes, props and setting) and designing the storyboard. The storyboard supervisor and art director work closely together to design scenes that will have the right impact in telling the story visually through camera positioning, shot sizes, camera angles and camera movements. Concept art is created to give an idea of the look of various scenes that will help the Art Department in creating the detailed backgrounds for the production.

A workbook is then compiled to serve as a guide for the entire production crew, from the storyboard artists to the background layout artists and animators. The Production Designer heads the Art Department with the Art Director directly responsible to him in the design and execution of costumes, props and background design and painting. Setting refers to the context and environment in which a situation is set. For a narrative film, it also refers to the time and milieu of a particular society or nation at a specific period in its history. Setting communicates to the audience on a symbolic level by creating mood and conveying emotions. The results need to be subtle and should not call attention to the technique. Setting does not only signify locations but almost always, needs to function as a metaphor. Metaphors are the symbolic language that expresess hidden wisdom on a subconscious level. These are translated into visual images that include the characters, locations and objects in a story. Setting for Silat Legenda was proscribed by subtext of the narrative which alluded to the ancient beliefs. In terms of time milieu, there were two eras - 15th century Melaka and 20th century Melaka. The mood for the former necessarily had to be brooding as it sets the stage for the conflict that arises between two of the main characters. The latter was bright and cheery befitting the protagonists environment of the modern world. For the antagonists in this era, the mood was ominous but not too dark as the story also had an element of humour.Setting does not just function as setting but requires the directors touch to turn the setting into a landscape (one that communicates meaning). This is done through the directors mise-en-scene, the method he uses to arrange, pattern and organize all the elements in the film frame. The term, mise-en-scene is French and was originally associated with theatre. It means putting into the scene. 1. Mise-en-scene: the Craft of the Director

Setting is primarily the space of story and event that refers to the spatial features that are necessary for all event-driven films. This space is determined by the director through placement of the camera (front, side or the rear), framing (medium shot, long shot, etc.) and angles (eye level, high-angle, low-angle, etc.) The directors decisions through his handling of the mise-en-scen,e transforms setting into landscape. The landscape becomes a metaphor, and functions as an index or a symbol in relation to the storys character and his quest.

No matter how faithfully an image is used to convey visual information, the process of selection always reveals the makers interpretation of what he considers relevant for storytelling. In filmmaking, the process of selectivity (choosing what to show) and ellipsis (leaving some things out) is decided by the director through his mise-en-scene. Everything within the frame actors, costume, props, setting, colour, placement, shot size, camera angle, movement is there for the purpose of communicating meaning. Mise-en-scene also refers to how a particular scene is duplicated or contrasted with another scene later or earlier in the film, and its relevance to the films theme. 2. The Design Concept for Silat Legenda

The producer of the film, Hisham Harun Hashim, was also the executive producer. Right from the beginning, both of us were in agreement that the film would show elements of the Malay world in its design and the characters actions as well as dialogue. The Malays of the Nusantara area (encompassing Indonesia, Malaysia, Borneo and the Philippines) were once Hindus or Buddhists before converting to Islam around about the 13th century. As such, aspects of their earlier culture have been carried forward in their society and into the present day. Some of it can be seen in the use of the yellow colour for royalty, sitting on a dais for a wedding couple and reverence for spiritual masters and mystics. Many of these elements (in the text or subtext) made their way into Silat Legendas design and mise-en-scene.

In the design for the costumes of the schoolboys after they transform into superheroes, we decided on traditional Malay dress rather than some kind of a superhero costume. This, of course, needed to be supported by the kris, a sine qua non for the Malays when in traditional dress. For their transformation into superheroes, each one of the schoolboys brandished a sheathed kris which then transformed into five different weapons: a sword, a whip, a staff, a shield and an arm band. All these weapons existed in ancient Malay armoury. The mystical logo that appears at the climactic scene to defeat Mona was a design based on the hilt of a kris that we saw in a museum in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Traditional people believe that God is in everything, including nature. For the landscapes, I felt that the depiction of nature seen in its primordial aspects was relevant as the Malays up to about the 1960s were people who were close to the land and had reverence for it. The actual landscape of Malaysia was redesigned to become symbolic landscapes. Mount Ledang was modified to look mystical. The Chinese-influenced mosque and the village after the boys return from Mount Ledang signified the schoolboys closeness to the traditional culture found in Malaysia The bright green forest in the 21st century contrasted with the moody forest in the prologue of 15th century Melaka, signifying the positive outlook of the schoolboys. The design of River Mall needed also to look like a man-made, steel mountain to signify that, after being initiated into the spiritual aspects of silat, the heroes skills needed to be tested out in another mountain.

Some of the background paintings were done in Manila in the Philippines by artists who had worked on Hollywood animated films. I gave them a book of Kazuo Ogas watercolour landscape paintings as reference. Oga was a famous painter in Japan and was the concept artist for the animated feature films of director, Hayao Miyazaki, whose studio I had once visited. The backgrounds for Miyazakis films like My Neighbour Totoro (1998), and Princess Mononoke (1997) looked very much like Malaysias landscapes to me. Inspired by them, I wanted the artists to paint the backgrounds for Silat Legenda in the same style. In particular, I emphasized that the skies and clouds had to be very like Ogas clouds in Miyazakis films as they signified spirituality. 3. The Production of Silat Legenda

Silat Legenda was originally meant to be a television series. About six months into production, the producer made the decision to turn it into a feature film. A rough storyline had already been formulated when I was called in by the productions company, Peninsula Pictures, to helm the production as the co-screenwriter and director (and also to run training sessions for the staff). The story was first developed by me and the producer. Nik Ariff Nik Kamil was employed to compose the Malay quatrains which the heroes of the story decipher to find the location of the hidden weapons of Melakas legendary warriors. I structured the screenplay, building it around the mythologist, Joseph Campbells story paradigm of The Heros Journey, and developed it with the producer. The screenplay took about six months to be finished and then it went into storyboarding. The film begins with a four-minute prologue set in 15th century Melaka and the internal turmoil prior to its fall to the Portugese army. The story took the well-known tale of Hang Tuah, the legendary warrior of Melaka and his four friends as inspiration to impart the theme of unity in the face of threats from an outside power. The film begins by setting the stage for the conflict between two silat martial arts students, Seleman and Mona. Their master has them dueling with each other to determine who would inherit the legendary magical weapons of ancient warriors, and also to go on to be the next martial arts grandmaster. The scenario then leaps 500 years into the future to the 21st century where five schoolboys discover the magical weapons and then take on super powers to be like the legendary warriors of old Melaka. The schoolboys are inevitably confronted by the evil Mona who has come out of suspended animation. In a climactic battle, the schoolboys come together to activate the ancient mystic power contained within the magical weapons and it is that ultimately defeats Mona. C. PRODUCTION DESIGN FOR SILAT LEGENDAWe did not have a production designer at the initial stage. At the time of production (1995), there was no precedent in the animation industry for one (formal training in animation was only to begin in 1997). For live action features, it was usually the art director who decided on the look of a film. We had a junior art director and some time later, a background supervisor. It soon became clear that the services of a production designer were something we could not do without. I was forced to take on the task as only I had the necessary film production background in the team and obviously knew very clearly what I wanted. I gave detailed written instructions to the background department as to the look of the backgrounds as well as the mood in terms of the colours that dominated in different sequences. Visualisations for the setting began with three artists who worked with me to develop the backgrounds for 18 sequences that would become 1,575 scenes that made up the entire film with a screen time of 78 minutes. In a memo dated 16 October 1996, I gave some generic instructions to the Art Department as to how I visualized the overall look for the different sequences in the film in terms of the binary opposites of whether they were positive or negative at various points in the screenplay. 1. Animation Sequences for Silat LegendaSequence 1 was the prologue that sets the stage for the conflict in the story. It comprised of three scenes: the forest, the cave and the mountainside of Mount Ledang. Sequence 2 was the introduction of the five schoolboys in their bathyscape that served as their clubhouse. Sequence 3 was deleted. Sequence 4 established the schoolboys classroom. Sequence 5 was of the silat arena where the schoolboys listen to the story of old Melaka from their teacher. Sequence 6 was of the antique shop in the old quarter of Melaka, where the ancient book is discovered. Sequence 7 is their decision to go to Mount Ledang. Sequence 8 is where the schoolboys go in search of the magical weapons on Mount Ledang and discover the weapons in the cave. Sequence 9 is the materialisation of Seleman as a hologram who tells them that they are the heroes of the modern day. Sequence 10 was of the heroes in action for the first time. Sequence 11 was the schoolboys confrontation with Mons minions at the LRT construction site and Monas cave. Sequence 12 was of Selemans admonition of the two heroes and their confrontation with Monas minions. Sequence 13 was of the sister of one of the heroes who schemes to find out their secret. Sequence 14 was the schoolboys spiritual training at Mount Ledang and their return home. Sequence 15.was of Mona scheming with Prof. Kefli, the rogue scientist, to cause a flood in River Mall so as to draw out the heroes. Sequence 16 was the final confrontation with Mona at the River Mall. Sequence 17 was of the heroes heading for River Mall to confront Mona, and. Sequence 18 was where they return the ancient book to the owner of the old bookshop. In the memo to the Art Department, I enumerated how the sequences were basically to look like:1.1 Positive Settings that imply certain moral, religious and spiritual values that are still maintained in the 21st century would be seen in the following scenes:

1.1.1 Melaka suburbs in the 21st century (modern, bright colours).

1.1.2 The bathyscape (the boys clubhouse - cool, friendly look).

1.1.3 Pak Lemans shop (old, dusty, traditional look, in pastel shades in Act 1 but brighter in Act 3).

1.1. 4 The silat arena (warm glow).

1.1.5 The room of Burn (one of the schoolboys - traditional decor).

1.1.6 The old quarter of Melaka (old world look).

1.1.7 Mt. Ledang (conical shape, mystical).

1.1.8 The forest (lush green).

1.1.9 The cave in Mt. Ledang (cool, friendly look).

2.1.0 Village scenes (warm colours, bright, blue sky with fluffy clouds).

2.1.1 Tourist resort (bright green).

2.1.2 River Mall exterior (reaching for the sky, grand, hi-tech, steely green)..1.2 Negative Settings that are indexes of evil intentions with suggestions of mystery and foreboding, and about things not being right would be in the following scenes:

1.2.1 Prologue.(15th century grim look with blue and black dominating).

1.2.2 Monas mountain hideout (foreboding, lack of bright colours).

1.2.3 Monas cave interior (gharish colours, unfriendly, grim).

1.2.4 LRT construction site (grey, messy areas, flat sky).

1.2.5 River Mall interior (steely grey and blue with purple).

The artists worked on these ideas. They were constantly reminded that the settings were not just to look good but needed to reflect aspects of particular incidents in the film in the telling of the story.Setting for Silat Legenda was a key component in developing the story. Setting refers not only to the locations for the events in the story but also the milieu that the characters find themselves in. In this instance, the producer felt that the story needed a historical relevance as it was about five well-known warriors of old Melaka as well as being about Malay culture in the form of silat, ancient weapons and magical powers. It was his suggestion for the story to begin in 15th century Melaka and be connected to the (soon-to-be) Portugese invasion of Melaka led by Alfonso Alburqueqe in 1511.

Right from the beginning, the theme of bersatu teguh, bercerai roboh (unity is strength, discord brings disaster) was introduced, and continued until the end of the story. The characters of the five legendary heroes of Melaka Hang Tuah, Hang Jebat, Hang Lekir, Hang Lekiu and Hang Kasturi became the focal point of the story as defenders of the nation. The idea was that the warriors of a nation would come to the fore whenever the country was threatened and that every age would have its own heroes. It was again the producers idea to show that history always repeats itself, and that the same problems that led to the collapse of the Melakan Empire would recur again sometime in the future (in this case the 21st century). With this in mind, we decided that the names of the legendary warriors could be generic, and so be able to be taken on by the five schoolboys when they transformed into superheroes in the 21st century.This paper will look at six of the sequences to analyse how setting in Silat Legenda was designed for the purposes of meaningful visual storytelling The four sequences are from:

(1) Sequence 1 - the prologue. (2) Sequence 6 - the old town and the small bookshop. (3) Sequence 8 - the journey to Mount Ledang and the discovery of the magical

weapons. (4) Sequence 11 - two of the heroes failure to defeat Monas minions at the LRT construction site. (5) Sequence 15 - the heroes spiritual training in Mount Ledang and their return home, and (6) Sequence 17 - the climactic confrontation with Mona in the River Mall. These settings were designed using the elements found in the field of archetypes, semiotics, binary opposition and the Law of Pragnanz as enumerated in the gestalt principles of perception. Though these theories originated in the West, they have been, however, employed in ancient and traditional Malay society in its literature and traditional performing arts such as the wayang kulit (Malay shadow play), mak yong.(traditional court dance) and bangsawan (Malay opera). It can also be seen in the film language utilized by the film directors from India who directed Malay feature films in Singapore in the 1940s and 1950s. The legendary P. Ramlee (writer, director, actor, musician and singer) applied all of the elements instinctively in his films and songs in the 1950s and 1960s. 2. The Theories Associated with Archetypes, Semiotics, Binary Opposition and the

Gestalt Law of Pragnanz As far as I know, there is no one book that brings together the four elements mentioned above for the purposes of visual storytelling in films, and in particular, for the design of setting. The use of these four elements in film was something that I observed critically in the thousands of narrative films over a span of thirty-five years. These same elements are used in diverse and creative ways to tell film stories visually and they allow an audience to construct meaning from the audio-video cues placed throughout a film. According to analytical psychology, there are deep within us, ideas, symbols and structures of a vast collective unconscious derived from ancestors of the distant path which become manifested in stories. Great stories are complex metaphors in which certain patterns become discernible. These patterns are called archetypes. The psychologist, Carl Jung described archetypes as ancient or archaic images that derive from the collective unconscious. These may be of humans, places or events that recur all throughout society, both traditional and modern. The common archetypes found in human society and civilisation are that of the Hero, the Villain, the Wise Old Man, the Shadow and the Jester, among others. In the Disney animated feature, The Lion King, Mufasa is depicted as a metaphor of the father figure archetype and Rafiki as the archetype of the Wizard. These patterns of the archetypes can also be seen in locations such as the undisturbed forest (i.e., in a primordial state). So, too, are the archetype of the mountain, which is a symbol of higher knowledge (where sages go for meditation). Events such as initiation, marriage, parenting, courtship and death function as the necessary rites of passage of humans in every society and have hardly changed through the centuries. By representing the elements of archetypes, storytelling is made easier since the descriptions or representations are familiar to the audience. The legends, epics and folktales in Malay society are replete with archetypes. As an example, the legendary hero, Hang Tuah, was prophesied to be a great person as his father had dreamt that the moon descended and shone over Hang Tuahs head. Various archetypes also appear in the stagings of bangsawan (Malay opera) that were introduced into the country in the 19th century. The philosopher and mathematician, Charles Sanders Pierce saw humans as being driven by a desire to make meanings. With his theory of semiotics, he saw signs as being divided into:

(1) The icon. (2) The index, and (3) The symbol. The three divisions, like archetypes, may be applied to characters, places or events. The icon is any sign, as for example, a mountain, that is immediately familiar, whereas as the index, the mountain can be seen as a place of refuge, meditation or higher knowledge. As a symbol, the mountain becomes the stairway to the heavens, i.e., because its peak penetrates the sky and is sometimes covered in clouds. In Malay culture, mountains are usually seen as mystical, as with Mount Ledang where a legendary princess (The Princess of Mount Ledang) was supposed to have dwelt. In many cultures, the sky is associated with Heaven and depicted in paintings as covered with clouds.Disneys animated feature Mulan, makes full use of icons identified with China, in particular, the Great Wall and the dragon emblem. In the film, the burning of a flag symbolizes the destruction of the people of China and as the General and his men ride out, they are pictured in silhouette, moving from right to left and are seen in an extreme long shot. When semiotics is applied to film language, all these elements (silhouette, moving right to left and an extreme long shot) are negative indexes. And sure enough, the general and his men are slaughtered by the invading Huns in the story. By researching into numerous stories of traditional societies, anthropologist Claude Levi-Strauss discovered that storytellers in many different societies and cultures contrasted character, places or events for the purpose of clear and unambiguous storytelling. His theory of binary opposition describes this contrasting as the underlying patterns of thought in all forms of human activity in both past and present. Hollywoods success with its films worldwide is undoubtedly due to the applications of binary opposition. It can also be seen in use in virtually every genre narrative film where two characters or situations are in conflict with each other. This is depicted through differences in gender, height, size, colour, texture, framing and lighting. Distinctive examples can be seen in The Lion King in the design of character and setting. Mufasa is stately and well-built while his brother, Scar, is lean and slouching. The setting for the lion family is green and bright with many curved lines while Scars lair is underground, resembling images of hell and is depicted with geometric lines.The Malays, however, see the contrasts not as opposing but instead, complementing each other. This can be seen in their descriptions like langit dan bumi (sky and earth), dunia dan akhirat (the world and the hereafter) hulu dan hilir (downstream and upstream). Dualities are thus seen as parts of the whole, thereby giving it form. This perhaps has its origins in the semantic field of the ayat (sign) in the Quran. Two different fields are formed around the central idea of the sending down of the ayat from Allah. Rather than be two separate entities, they are designed to correspond to each other, reflecting one and the same reality: iman (belief) and kufur (disbelief), and jannah (heaven) and jahannam (hell). This can also be seen in the symbol of the yin and the yang which is considered to be two opposites working together in harmony. In the early years of the 20th century, the gestalt theory of perception had its beginnings in the theories of Ernst Mach, Max Wertheimmer and David Hume, among others. The brain was found to be a self-organising system. When it is confronted with an object, it tends to see it first in its entirety, i.e., its form (gestalt) - and only then its parts. The fundamental principle of gestalt is the Law of Pragnanz, i.e., we tend to see things in an ordered manner in trying to make any perception simple, symmetric and regular. These include: (1) The law of proximity where elements in closeness within a spatial/ temporal plane are seen by the mind as being collective; (2) The law of similarity where the mind groups elements into totalities, be it of colour, shape, or size. (3) The law of continuity where the mind continues any breaks in visual, auditory or kinetic patterns. (4) The law of closure where the mind gives completeness to any action and provides regularity, and (5) The law of symmetry (figure and ground relationships) where symmetrical objects are perceived collectively in spite of being separated by distance. These five principles are applied in the production design, in the mise-en-scene, and in the way scenes are edited. When characters costumes are similar, they are in affinity and when different, they are not. Similarly, when two characters are framed in proximity, there is an affinity or communication between them even though they may be quarrelling. When a space separates them, it serves as an index as to their discord later in the story. The kind of setting selected for a character to be in can be seen as positive or negative and becomes an index as to the characters nature or as a pointer to an impending disaster. In editing, jump cuts do not have closure and, therefore, serve as a negative index as opposed to continuity editing.

These aspects of Archetypes, Semiotics, Binary Opposition and the Law of Pragnanz are that which I have found most frequently used in narrative filmmaking, be it in genre or auteur films. It is pertinent to employ these aspects in filmmaking consciously. These aspects apply to all manner of visual making, be it painting, graphic design, photography, multimedia, theatre, film or animation. For animation, the applications will be in the areas of character and background design, and then, most importantly, in storyboarding. If correctly used, the film language will already be evident at the storyboard stage and any problems can be rectified before the production gets underway. In an age when the astounding advances in digital technology has allowed many young people to choose animation and filmmaking as a career, these five aspects are an important foundation for them for effective and meaningful visual storytelling. D. THE DESIGN AND NARRATIVE OF SETTING IN SILAT LEGENDAFor the design of setting in Silat Legenda, the elements of Archetypes, Semiotics, Binary Opposition and Gestalt Principles of Perception were applied consciously and were enumerated during the scriptwriting stage as well as during the visual development stage. Numerous rough visualizations were first sketched out and discussed. Concept art followed which became the inspiration for the final paintings. Master scenes were then laid out in detail. Based on the animation layouts from the animation department, the backgrounds were planned taking into account the positions of the characters in the frame. Blue pencil shadings were then made of the background layouts to give an indication of the lighting effect in each scene. The final backgrounds were then painted and scanned into the computer for compositing with the animated characters.

The following will describe the designing of the setting and the meaning behind the various elements within the design in relation to the story, characters and theme:1. Development of Setting: Sequence 1: 1.1 STORY: In a forest clearing, silat Grandmaster Pujangga, has two of his best students Seleman and Mona - fight it out so that one of them would be the inheritor of the five magical weapons (that had supposedly belonged to the five legendary warriors of old Melaka). The weapons were to be kept safely and were to be given to the next five warriors who would inevitably appear sometime in the future.

Mona wins, and deep inside a cave on Mount Ledang, she waits expectantly to be awarded the weapons. When the weapons are instead given to Selemen, she flies into a rage and swears revenge. That evening, on the mountainside of Mount Ledang, Pujangga warns Seleman of the threat from Mona who would resort to sorcery to claim the weapons. Seleman is tasked with safeguarding the weapons and to award them to the five heroes who will appear sometime in the future.

1.2 DESIGN: There were three locations for the prologue: a forest, a cave and the mountainside of Mount Ledang. The overall mood was sombre and ominous to reflect the beginning of the conflict between Mona and Selemen that would drive the story. The dominating colours for the forest were bluish, receding into the mists enveloping the forest. The trees behind Mona were designed to be short and stout with gnarled branches. The trees behind Selemen were tall and slim while the tree behind the grandmaster was a broad, stout tree.

The interior of the cave had huge stone slabs with a grayish overall tone. The mountainside with a solitary tree was in silhouette in the late evening sun that cast a yellowish pall on the sky. As Selemen takes leave of the master, a mist blows in from the right, obliterating the figure of the master standing alone on the mountain. 1.3 TREATMENT: In the Malay silat tradition of the old days, the best students are usually pitted against each other to discover who among them would be the one to take over from the master when the time came to do so. Usually the contest would be done away from the public gaze as tradition demanded that the winner would not become arrogant and the loser does not lose face. The forest would be an ideal place, then, for this purpose. In many parts of the world, the forest is constituted as natural shrines, where hermits and holy men would retire to for meditation. The forest thus serves as an archetype. The darkness of the forest and the deep roots of the trees (those behind Mona) is considered by psychoanalysts as symbolizing the unconscious and what it may reveal. The figure (characters) and ground (trees) relationship is an index of the inner character of the protagonist (Seleman) and antagonist (Mona). As binary opposites, the trees behind Mona were made to be stout and gnarled, contrasting that which are behind Selemen where the trees were tall and slim. The gnarled trees signified the evil character of Mona while the slim, still growing trees signified Selemens lack of skill. The tree behind Grandmaster Pujangga is broad and stout, signifying his power and prestige. The mist behind the trees symbolized uncertainty and a hidden danger. In many feature films, mist and smoke are always negative indexes and are portents of danger.At one point, Mona resorts to her inner powers to strike Selemen, angry after having received a strike on her face. But the master orders her to restrain herself. Mona, however, needs to release her pent-up anger. Her powerful strike is released on the flaming torch tied to a tree. The torch falls to the ground and flares up behind her angry face. Here, the destructive aspect of fire signifies the negative aspect of Monas character which is to devour and destroy.

The cave is an archetype of the maternal womb and features in myths of origin, rebirth and initiation in many cultures. In traditional Malay society, it was also a place for meditation for the purposes of acquiring spiritual powers. Mona and Selemen sit in front of their master, awaiting his decision. A sharp rock in the foreground points directly to Selemen as an index of the danger he will face from Mona. The cave is usually associated with mountains. For the final scene, grandmaster Pujangga and Selemen are seen in silhouette on the mountainside. The mountain was painted black and had a solitary, silhouetted tree on its side. Silhouettes are an indication of negativity or of things not being right. The tree, too, is leafless on one part of its branches further enhancing the sense of (impending) loss. The sky is contrasted with the silhouettes and is yellowish. As Selemen takes his leave, mist drifts in from behind him, obliterating the grandmaster and the mountain. This is a signifier and an index of the danger that Seleman will have to face from Mona in the future.2. Development of Setting: Sequence 6:

2.1 STORY: Two of the schoolboys go to the old quarter of Melaka town in search of the antique shop of Pak Leman, who is a descendant of Seleman. They discover an old book that that will guide them to where the magical weapons are hidden within Mount Ledang.2.2 DESIGN: The productions artists went to Jalan Hang Jebat in the old quarter of Melaka to accurately sketch some of the old buildings for authenticity. Pak Lemans tiny antique shop was designed to be sandwiched between two huge modern buildings. Pak Lemans shops interior was designed with sketches made from actual antiques, including a huge musket that we photographed in a museum in Jakarta. A high angle shot showed Javanese-style wayang kulit puppets hanging from the ceiling.2.3 TREATMENT: The location of Jalan Hang Jebat in old Melaka town were chosen as there were a number of small shops selling antiques there. Sandwiched between two blocks of modern buildings is the ancient-looking shop of Pak Leman. Such shops are archetypal in nature. In any modern city, there would be a quaint, indiscreet little shop tucked away in a corner wherein, if fortunate, one may find mysterious things from a bygone era.

A high-angle shot of the interior shows Javanese shadow play puppets hanging from the ceilings. This was actually a homage to shadow play as the precursors of Malay cinema as well as being the earliest example of (real-time) animation, from which Lotte Reiniger, the German animator was inspired to make her silhouette animation feature, The Adventures of Prince Achmed in 1926. When Pak Leman comes up to greet the boys from behind his counter, his face is covered by a shadow play puppet that he is holding. This was to signify that in a sense, he was the dalang (the puppeteer, or alternatively, a signifier of a hidden hand) who would be responsible to set the schoolboys on their journey to discover the magical weapons of the superheroes on Mount Ledang.The ancient book that the schoolboys are looking for has Malay quatrains written in the Jawi script. These need to be deciphered and only then would the magical weapons be discovered. The book literally falls into their hands from the rack above, signifying that it was their destiny to find it. The ancient book itself is an archetype and a symbol of knowledge and wisdom, and on a higher level, it is a symbol of the universe. The famous Sufi mystic, Ibn Arabi, had once described the Universe as one vast book. In many cultures, books were regarded as symbols of the divine secret which is only revealed to the initiated. To bring about this symbolism, the quatrains in the pages of the ancient book in Pak Lemans shop were designed to be surrounded with the flowery artwork commonly found in printings of the Holy Quran3. Development of Setting: Sequence 8: 3.1 STORY: The five schoolboys go in search of the magical weapons on Mount Ledang and finally discover the weapons in a cave indicated by the location of a gigantic tree.3.2 DESIGN: The five schoolboys walk through virgin jungle to go up Mount Ledang. The flora and fauna depicted in the film were made from sketches and photographs taken on visits to the base of Mount Ledang as well as the Endau-Rompin National Park in Johore. The dominating colours were yellows and greens. On the way the boys admire other sights such as limestone cliffs and a jungle river and pool. The design for the mountain was based on Adams Peak in Sri Lanka. According to the Muslims, when Adam was cast out of Heaven, he landed in a place that was just as beautiful. On the summit is the footprint of Adam. The site is sacred to the Muslims as well as to the Hindus and the Buddhists. When I saw it on a visit to Sri Lanka in 1977, I was struck by its mystical quality. It was in the shape of a perfect cone.

The banyan tree that served as the gateway to the cave was designed based on numerous photographs of actual banyan trees in and around Kuala Lumpur. The cave was a recoloured version of the cave in the prologue with the colours made to look more friendly in tone. The casket - guarded by a white cobra - that they find contains five kris that will transform into the magical weapons. TREATMENT: The real Mount Ledangs form was a far cry from that of Adams Peak, nevertheless, I wanted it to have the same look. What I was aiming for was the effect in relation to the story - that it had to have a mystical look since it was long known as a place of magic and mystery. Its shape in the form of a cone, therefore, served the purpose.

The forest that the boys walk through to go up Mount Ledang was

designed to look as pristine as the time God had created them (i.e., primordial). It was not to look menacing as the boys were destined to be the owners of the magical weapons. Green is the colour that dominates this sequence. Green is a comforting, refreshing, human colour (in contrast to Monas surroundings, where the colour red dominates). Green is the colour of awakening life. One of the virtues of green is that it hides a secret that symbolizes deep and hidden knowledge of nature and fate.

The boys pass by a river with crystal-clear water and pause to admire the steep limestone cliffs. Both the producer and I wanted these scenes to be a comment on the importance on conserving and appreciating nature. The proliferation of ferns throughput this sequence was related to its ancient image that is rich with symbol and meaning, containing the deep wisdom of Mother Earth. From the point of view of primordialism, ferns are the only plants that have not undergone evolution from prehistoric times. And as a homage to the first short animated film made in Malaysia (Hikayat Sang Kancil The Tale of the Mouse Deer Anandam Xavier, 1978), we had a scene where one of the boys feeds a mouse deer on the mountainside.

One of the quatrains in the ancient book mentions a huge tree that was to be an indication of the entrance to the cave where the magical weapons were hidden. The tree is archetypal and serves as a symbol, one that appears in many animated feature films, as for example, in Pocahontas (Mike Gabriel/Eric Goldberg, 1995), Fern Gully: The Last Rainforest (Bill Kroyer, 1992) and My Neighbour Totoro (Hayao Miyazaki, 1998). The tree is thought to connect the three levels of the cosmos the Underworld (through its roots)), the Earths surface (with its trunk, lower branches and leaves) and the sky (with its upper branches and top). It has a benign character in most films and is considered the Tree of Life and a symbol of growth and power, and in the case of Silat Legenda a guardian whose roots are connected to the cave where the magical weapons are hidden.

The boys discover ancient steps leading up a mount through which they descend into the cave. At the entrance to the steps, a huge banyan tree has formed an arch. The banyan tree was chosen as they are highly venerated in many religions and cultures and are considered the abodes of spirits. (The banyan tree is also the national tree of India and is considered sacred.). Being shaped like an arch was an indication of the boys being greeted as dignitaries since they are the rightful owners of the magical weapons..

The casket of kris that the boys find was designed in miniature and to contain a secret compartment where the superheroes costumes are hidden. In the Upanishads, the casket is considered to represent that mysterious inner void that surrounds and protects from all aggression of the Self, which itself is a priceless treasure. In Malay culture, an ornate casket is always used to keep priceless ornaments or gold.

As the boys cycle home, a distant view of Mount Ledang has the sky with ominous clouds lit with a flash of sheet lightning,. This was an index of the evil forces that were now awakening due to what the boys have put into operation by discovering and activating the magical weapons.4. Development of Setting: Sequence 11:

4.1 STORY: Two of the schoolboys are set upon by some bullies from their school. The boys transform into the superheroes. Alerted by the transformation, Mona comes out of suspended animation in a cave and sends her minions to capture them. In a confrontation at an LRT construction site, the boys are, however, unable to defeat the minions. 4.2 DESIGN: During the making of the film, the Light Rail Transport (LRT), the first in the country, was in construction in Kuala Lumpur. I wanted to include this moment in the countrys history, and as it was visually interesting, I wanted it to be part of the narrative. The LRT elevated tracks were made to be messy with construction material and with No Entry signs displayed prominently. The sky was a dull blue with wisps of clouds. The huge elevated tracks on columns also gave it a gothic look, which becomes a harbinger of danger and warns of over-reaching oneself.

Monas cave was set within a mountain that was suitably foreboding and evil-looking with sharp pointed rocks and had a gothic look. The colours were discordant with the dominating colour of the caves interior being red. Monas throne area was in the shape of a skull. 4.3 TREATMENT:

The LRT in construction was an index as to the two schoolboys lack of knowledge when confronting Monas minions. It was a signifier of their not yet being granted the final spiritual powers by Seleman (it is after this that Selemen teaches them the spiritual aspects of silat on Mount Ledang). The No Entry signs were a sort of indication to the boys not to enter the LRT area and to go after the bullies but they choose to ignore them. The gothic look of the LRTs elevated tracks and columns becomes a harbinger of danger and warns of over-reaching oneself. This fits in with the two boys over-zealousness in wanting to take on the bullies.

This sequence is related to the films theme of unity. The five legendary warriors of old Melaka broke up and went their separate ways. The subtext in the narration at the beginning of the film alludes to the discord between the legendary warriors (thus causing the country to fall to the enemy). The two schoolboys fail to defeat the minions because they were separated from the other three and were not functioning as a team. Seleman, however, does not reprimand them but tells them that the second stage of training is now necessary for them to fully develop their powers.

The mountain where Mona resides was designed to be similar in form to Mount Ledang but was made to be craggy with reddish colours symbolizing her pride and arrogance. The colour purple was also prominent as this is a signifier in films as to death that somebody will die (and at the end, it is Mona who will be annihilated). A sharp, pointed rock was prominent in the foreground, designed and painted in a similar manner to the rock pointing ominously at the seated Seleman in the cave in the prologue. The sky behind the mountain was made dark and ominous. As Heaven (signified by the sky) is the universal symbol of superhuman powers, it can also be ill-intentioned and is something to be feared. Mona has waited for 500 years in suspended animation to claim the reward that she felt was rightfully hers. Rain and lightning around the mountain further added to the malignant nature of her character.

The interior of Monas cave was a contrast to the cave in Mount Ledang both in terms of design and colour. The dominating colours were red fading into dark recesses. Monas throne area is enclosed in a skull-like enclosure with light shining through the skulls eyes, giving it an evil look. Her throne was made to look like solid rock and had sharp pointed edges. Thrones symbolise the divine right of kings and their power. Mona, in contrast to Selemens benign nature, sits on the throne like a monarch, visually depicting her arrogance and her desire to be in control at all costs. 5. Development of Setting: Sequence 15:

5.1 STORY: The heroes go to Mount Ledang for the second time. This time it is to receive spiritual training on the mountain that would enable them to withstand Monas sorcery. On their way home, they pass a village and stop for a breather at a park.5.2 DESIGN: Visual effects inside the cave became a signifier of the mystical elements that were being passed down to the heroes by their mentor, Seleman. The next scene is of a traditional Melakan mosque in the Chinese architectural style. The heroes then cycle past traditional Malay houses and wave to two children in traditional Malay costume who are on their way home after attending a Quran reading class. The heroes stop at a park-like clearing with greenery all around them with the sky dominating in the background. 5.3 TREATMENT: In the cave on Mount Ledang, Selemen was depicted floating in the air in a limbo background with rays of light emanating from behind him, signifying his status as a mystical figure from the 15th century. The superheroes, too, were depicted thus as they go through the silat motions that were now more spiritual in nature. The last scene in the cave is of Selemen smiling, signifying that he was satisfied with the heroes achieving their spiritual station. The scene then cuts to a mosque in the village. In terms of editing, these two scenes are in proximity and were a subtext pointing to the religious element (Islam) in the story. And as the boys cycle pass the mosque which is in the background, the figure and ground relationship provides the same connotation.

The village scene was in bright colours, with greenery and a deep blue sky with billowing clouds. The sky and clouds symbolized the heroes transformation and upliftment to a spiritual nature. In many cultures, the sky is equated with Heaven. Being high up is symbolically seen as being powerful. Heaven carries the universal idea of superhuman powers. The superheroes, as figures against this ground of sky and clouds, are represented visually as not being ordinary schoolboys anymore but as superhuman saviours who will save the world from evil.

One of the ways to signify the characters pureness of heart in film is to have them in proximity with children or animals. In this sequence, as the schoolboys cycle past a Malay house, two children in traditional Malay costume wave to them. In Sequence 8, the boys gave food to a mouse deer. This was to signify that even though the schoolboys have superhero status, they still had humility and good manners. 6. Development of Setting: Sequence 17:

6.1 STORY: Mona creates chaos in the River Mall in a bid to draw out the superheroes so as to claim the magical weapons. 6.2 DESIGN: The River Mall is shown in exterior and interior shots. The exterior is dramatically designed, set against a deep blue sky while the interiors have sharp elements with ceilings very high up. The caf area where the glass ceiling is made to crack by Monas minions and thus causing a flood, was designed to be a huge, wide space with high ceilings so that it would look ominous. The area where Mona stands to fight the superheroes has diagonal lines with a messy pattern of grays and blacks. 6.3 TREATMENT: The sequence has a dramatic view of the River Mall seen from a distance. It is massive and dominates the landscape with its tower-like upper storey as if it was trying to penetrate the sky. The colour of the building is a deep green. The sky is a steel blue with dramatic, wispy, cirrus clouds.

The shape and colour of River Mall was to have a similarity with that of Mount Ledang. The mountain was where the heroes acquired their spiritual training and the River Mall was where their knowledge was to be tested out. This has always been the ancient way of heroes and was depicted visually through similarities in form and colour. Mountains form part of the symbolism of transcendence, often of numinous places where the gods reveal their presence. In the final encounter, Mona is not actually defeated by the heroes. The heroes manifest the theme of unity by physically coming together (as they had been advised by Seleman), and in doing so, they generate forth the ancient logo of the kris hilt from the 15th century. A blinding ray shoots out from the logo and annihilates Mona. Only this spiritual force can overcome Monas sorcery and defeat her.

When Mona first appears inside River Mall, she emerges in a blinding explosion from inside the lift. The steel structures inside the lift are twisted and are seen behind her as if they are serpents emanating from her body, enhancing her evil nature. And as she moves forward to confront the heroes, the diagonal patterns on the wall in a figure and ground relationship, create a sense of rupture. Diagonal elements are always used as a negative index in visual storytelling.CONCLUSION Out of all the animated feature films made in Malaysia, only the production design of Silat Legenda and War of the Worlds: Goliath was planned and designed using the conventions found in cinematic representation to aid in the visual storytelling. The four aspects described above archetypes, semiotics, binary opposition and the Law of Pragnanz all form part of the language of film expressed through mise-en-scene. In the vast majority of the (live action and animation) feature films produced in Malaysia both in the past and presently, the understanding of film language has been sorely lacking. If the language of film is correctly applied, an international audience will find it easier to understand our films even without any subtitles. Local filmmakers and designers must have the ability to express themselves in cinematic forms so that an audience is able to interpret their intentions correctly. Film language is a universal language. It uses theories devised in the modern world to reach out, as Carl Jung has pointed out, to something ancient and something fundamental that touches a chord in the hearts of people around the world, regardless of their culture or race. In todays society where popular culture has conditioned us to see things in particular ways, a rethinking is required to consider how we perceive visual communication. Visuals do not stand alone but are enmeshed in a web of signification. There is a need to rediscover the rituals, ceremonies and symbols that were used by the ancients to communicate on both an extrinsic and intrinsic level.

The applications of the elements of archetypes, semiotics, binary opposition and gestalt principles of perception can contribute to this rediscovery. It is about making sense of the infinite range of exterior reality by selecting, interpreting and representing that reality. Only by mastering the language of visual presentation and its conventions can we hope to reach out effectively to an international audience.This paper was presented at the International Art & Design Conference 2012: Innovation & Transformation in Art & Design in the face of Global Challenges organised by the Faculty of Art & Design, UiTM, Shah Alam and held at the Shah Alam Hotel Concorde on the 18th & 19th April 2012.REFERENCES

Anderson, Joseph L. and Ritchie, Donald, Eds.: Cinematic Landscapes: Observations on

the Visual Arts and Cinema of China and Japan. University of Texas Press, Austin, USA, 1994. Arnold, Brian and Eddy, Brendan: Exploring Visual Storytelling: The Art of Turning

Good Ideas into Compelling Stories.Thomson Delmar Learning, USA, 2007. Bellantoni, Patti: If Its Purple, Someones Gonna Die: The Power of Colour in Visual

Storytelling. Focal Press, Massachusetts, USA, 2005.Benyahia, Sarah Casey, Gaffney, Freddie and White, John: A2 Film Studies: The Essential Introduction. Routledge, New York, USA, 2006.Block, Bruce: The Visual Story: Creating the Visual Structure of Film, TV and Digital

Media, Focal Press, USA, 2008.Bonnet, James: Stealing Fire from the Gods. Michael Wiese Productions, California, USA, 1999..Bordwell, Thompson and Thompson, Kristin: Film Art: An Introduction. McGraw-Hill,

New York, USA, 2001.Braginsky, Vladimir: The Heritage of Traditional Malay Literature. KITLV Press,

Leiden, 2004.Chevalier, Jean and Gheerbrant, Alain: The Penguin Dictionary of Symbols. Penguin

Books, UK, 1996.Hockley, Luke: Cinematic Projections: The Analytical Psychology of C.G. Jung and

Film Theory. University of Luton Press, UK, 2001Fleming, Dan: Making the Transformational Moment in Film: Unleashing the Power of

the Image. Michael Wiese Productions, California, USA, 2011 Gombrich, E.H.: The Story of Art, Prentice-Hall, Inc., New Jersey, USA1994.Hill, Geoffrey: Illuminating Shadows: The Mythic Power of Film. Shambala, Boston &

London, 1992.Izutsu, Toshihiko: God and Man in the Quran. Islamic Book Trust, Kuala Lumpur, 2008.

Jung, C. G.: Man and His Symbols, Del Publishing Co, New York, USA, 1964.Lefebvre, Martin, Ed.: Landscape and Film. Routledge, New York, USA, 2006.Lull, James, Ed., Culture in the Communication Age. Routledge, London/New York,

2001.Mirzoeff, Nicholas: An Introduction to Visual Culture. Routledge, London, 2000.Misak, Cheryl, Ed.: The Cambridge Companion to Pierce. Cambridge University Press,

New York, USA, 2004Mitry, Jean: The Aesthetics and Psychology of the Cinema. Indiana University Press,

USA, 2000.

Muhammad Haji Salleh: Yang Empunya Cerita: The Mind of the Malay Author.

Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia, 1991. Olson, Lester C., Finnegan, Cara A. and Hope, Diane S: Visual Rhetoric. Sage

Publications Inc, USA, 2008Sabini, Meredith, Ed.: The Earth has a Soul: C.G. Jung on Nature, Technology and

Modern Life. North Atlantic Books, California, 2008. S. Douglass, John and P. Harnden, Glenn: The Art of Technique: An Aesthetic Approach to Film and Video Production. Alynn & Bacon, Massachusetts, USA, 1996. Stam, Robert, Burgoyne, Robert and Flitterman-Lewis, Sandy: New Vocabularies in Film

Semiotics. Routledge, London, 1993.Van Sijll, Jennifer: Cinematic Storytelling. Michael Wiese Productions, California, USA,

2005.

Vogler, Christopher: The Writers Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers. Michael Weise

Productions, California, USA, 1998.Von Franz, Marie-Louise: Shadow and Evil in Fairy Tales. Shambala, Boston & London, 1995.

Voytilla, Stuart: Myth and the Movies: Discovering the Mythic Structure of 50

Unforgettable Films. Michael Weise Productions, California, USA, 1999.Ward, Peter: Picture Composition for Film and Television. Focal Press, Oxford, UK,

1996.

Zakia, Richard: Perception and Imaging. Focal Press, UK, 2002