Whilst pondering how to adapt the Swordsman scenes into a standalone short film (as well as being a pilot, I want it to be elligible for festivals) I got distracted and started writing a new draft of the feature screenplay. Ironically, one of the first things that changed was a Swordsman scene.
I saw Stardust this morning which, annoyingly, features a fantasy Victorianesque airship, though fortunately not as heavily as I feared. And ours are better designed. What annoyed me more was that near the end there was a shot of the hero’s hand trembling on his sword as he heads into battle, and it’s identical to a shot I had been planning for Dark Side. Do you think I could sue?

The Swordsman’s head has now been carved – and it looks just like Ian’s design – and the bottom half of him is all weathered and detailed.