Livber: Smoke and Mirrors
Storyboard, Vol. 1 (Act 1)
Written for the artists and the team before production. Every frame was sketched on paper first, then broken down here into camera, staging, mood and sound. POV frames are seen through the protagonist’s eyes.
FRAME 1EXT. THE HOUSE ON THE CLIFF - NIGHT
Wide. Static camera.
The camera sits at the edge of the cliff, framing the house at the centre of the shot. Behind it, white clouds lit by the moon.
In the middle of the frame stands a two-storey wooden house in a gothic-brutalist style, right on the edge of the cliff. Apart from the faint, pale full moon, there is no light source.
No characters are visible. Muted colours dominate: pale greys and blacks.
A winding dirt path leads to the door, lined with withered greenery. On the right of the frame, thick trunks like pines, and broken stones. It is raining.
- Mood
- Curiosity, tension, fear.
- Sound
- Wind. Distant waves breaking against the cliff. Rain.
CLOSE UP TO:
FRAME 2EXT. THE DOOR - NIGHT
Close-up. POV, standing.
Still night. The camera is now at the protagonist’s eye level, much closer to the door.
In the centre of the frame, perched on a stone ledge, sits a white-furred, orange-eyed winged cat: YEL. Her wings are folded close to her body, but she is alert. She sits on her hind legs, head tilted slightly to the right, looking curiously into the camera. Her eyes are wide.
On the left, the door is clearly visible now. Worn and scratched, its wood gone grey with time. The cast-iron handle has lost its coating, and the bare iron has rusted. Mud stains the bottom of the door.
On the right, the long trunks of the darker pines read as silhouettes in the moonlight.
- Mood
- Curiosity, unease.
- Sound
- Rain continues. Wind, and waves hitting the shore.
CUT TO:
FRAME 3EXT. THE DOOR - NIGHT
POV.
The stone Yel sat on a moment ago is empty. On the left, the worn door is open now. The protagonist’s hand rests on it.
What lies beyond the gap is not quite clear. A pale, yellowish light burns somewhere unseen inside. Against the darkness outside, it makes the house feel wider inside than it should be.
- Mood
- Anticipation, curiosity, fear.
CUT TO:
FRAME 4INT. THE HOUSE, BY THE DOOR - NIGHT
POV, standing.
The first time we see the inside of the house, and LILITH.
On the right, Lilith leans over a wooden table whose thin legs look barely able to hold it up. Red hair, loose to her waist. A blood-red shawl over her shoulders, torn almost to ribbons. A worn black slip dress. Her face is tired, yet even like this she is strikingly beautiful.
On the table: an unlit candle and two dusty plates, with a chair on either side. The chair nearer the door is balanced on a book wedged under its back left leg.
On the left, an arched window lets the moonlight in. On the far wall hangs a painting in the manner of Saturn Devouring His Son. Beside it, a gas lamp on the wall: its yellowish light is what we saw when the door opened.
- Mood
- Tension, fear. Negative space.
- Sound
- A woman murmuring. Muffled wind. Rain against the glass.
ANIMATE TO:
FRAME 5INT. THE HOUSE - NIGHT
POV, eye level. Slightly closer on Lilith.
Same set-up as Frame 4, the composition pushed slightly in towards Lilith.
Lilith has lit the candle and stands upright. She looks directly at the player. Her tired expression holds an affectionate smile.
Her hair is not wet, but it looks damp in the moonlight.
- Mood
- Fear, tension, curiosity.
- Sound
- Silence.
FRAME 6INT. DINING TABLE - NIGHT
POV, seated.
We sit facing Lilith across the table. The candle is placed so it does not hide her face.
Each porcelain plate holds a piece of meat, dark brown to black.
Lilith smiles, her hands on either side of her plate. Scratched shelves fill part of the background, with empty space around them. The candle lights the table. The wall lamp is out.
- Mood
- The peak of the tension and fear.
- Sound
- Cutlery on plates. Wind moaning through the boards.
CUT TO FRAME 7 (ALTERNATES):
FRAME 7AINT. THE HOUSE, BY THE DOOR - NIGHT
Alternate A. POV, close-up.
Lilith has stepped between us and the door. Her face is twisted with rage and cracked like a broken vase. Her eyes are bloodshot.
Her right hand is raised, holding the knife she used to cut the meat at the table, gripped as if she could strike at any moment. Right behind her is the door we came in through.
- Mood
- Fear, rage, hatred.
- Sound
- Wind leaking through the boards. Rain hitting the door.
FRAME 7BINT. DINING TABLE - NIGHT
Alternate B. POV, seated. As Frame 6.
Lilith leans far across the table towards us. A mad smile spreads over her face, mouth open, nearly every tooth showing. She runs her tongue over her lip.
The rest of the composition is the same as Frame 6.
- Mood
- Lilith is becoming harder to predict. The player is still within her reach.
CUT TO:
FRAME 8INT. CELLAR DOOR - NIGHT
POV.
We stand before a worn cellar door of black wood, with rusted hinges and a cast-iron handle. Much lower than a normal door, but wider. The wall around its frame is painted differently from the rest, and that paint is flaking too.
The wood is bare and its grain shows. The door looks as if it has been opened and shut over and over: the floorboards right in front of it are scratched.
- Mood
- Fear and rising anticipation. What happens now?
- Sound
- Wind from under the door, like a whistle.
END OF VOL. 1