THE STORY
The story is inspired by an iconic work of Vietnamese literature by Nguyen Du, 'The Tale of Kieu'↗.
During the reign of the 12th Emperor of the Ming dynasty in the sixteen centuries, Kieu is a talented and beautiful girl in a small village to the west of Vietnam. She lives a peaceful life with her loving family until misfortune strikes: her father and brother are falsely imprisoned. To save them, Kieu selflessly sells herself into a marriage contract with a deceitful man, who instead sells her into a brothel. Her journey unfolds through cycles of betrayal, exploitation, and tragedy as she endures life as a courtesan, wife, and nun, facing constant trials of love and fate.
"How sorrowful is a woman’s fate,
Life’s bitter destiny is hers to bear."
Life’s bitter destiny is hers to bear."
- Excerpt from The Tale of Kieu, Nguyen Du
Image Source: MINH LONG BOOK
DEVELOPMENT
Visual Study
From the costumes, to the musical instruments, sets and colorful atmosphere, this preliminary research allowed me to enrich the visual library of the time period.
Color
The color palette carries a soft and elegant feeling, aligning with the theme of feminism and morality.
The muted tone of the colors gives the vintage and old feeling of the particular time period. The pink tones aligns with the imagery of the lotus flower and are commonly associated with the female figure, while the green tone reflects endurance and natural harmony, inspired by bamboo and Vietnamese landscapes.
Key Imagery
The sequence features repeated images of lotus and bamboos.
In the original work and other Eastern literatures, the image of the lotus flower represent the female figure with its beauty and nature.
"The lotus blooms again with the season,
Twice a courtesan, twice a lady of grace."
Twice a courtesan, twice a lady of grace."
Meanwhile, bamboos are another icon of honesty, endurance, and strength in the Eastern culture.
"Split bamboo smolders in cold, grim air,
A gathering crowd feels the chill of despair."
A gathering crowd feels the chill of despair."
Music Choice
The audio is a shorten version of 'Bracing the Chills', a pipa cover by Zhuxi.
The audio has slow tempo, and poetic feels which is very fitting for the title sequence. The audio uses Pipa—a traditional instrument (a key visual motif in many depictions of Kieu).
STORYBOARD
Act 1 - Peaceful everyday life
The sequence opens up with natural landscapes, bamboo trees and lotus flowers slightly swaying in the wind. The three siblings are introduced, with the focal point being Kieu in the middle of the composition.
Act 2 - Tragedy strikes
The next few frames serve as a recap to major plot points of the series previous part. From her dreams of impending disasters, to her journey away from her home.
Act 3 - Foreshadow
The wind picks up tremendously, swaying the lotus flower until a single petal falls down, subtly foreshadow of Kieu's future. The camera then pans up to reveal the title "Tale of Kieu, Part 2."
FINALS