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squonkhunter β Don Ottavio Character Designs
Published: 2012-03-30 11:28:24 +0000 UTC; Views: 2670; Favourites: 26; Downloads: 13
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Description
Guess who's stressed and therefore indulging heavily in opera?This gal.
Don Ottavio from Mozart's Don Giovanni, character designs and plans for an animation, a team effort between myself and the conductor .
I like Don Ottavio a lot. He's a good character. I'm comparing him to another tenor I am doing designs for, and that's Tamino from Mozart's Die ZauberflΓΆte, who is one of the most useless characters ever invented, and I hate him. But I like Don Ottavio. Though he's somewhat useless in comparison to other characters, he's very pretty. At least he actually tries to get stuff done, not to mention he is extremely patient with Donna Anna's grieving, even at the end when she still won't marry him because she's not done crying. He just stands there and sighs understandably. Very patient, loving man, yet not a throw rug. The song "Il Mio Tesoro" showcases both his tender concern for his love Donna Anna, and also his passion and anger towards the man who has racked her all these sorrows. The version I posted here is sung by Luigi Alva, who I think does a beautiful rendition: [link]
This link also has the lyrics in the description, if anyone is interested.
The blood on Ottavio's hand is from his swearing to avenge the death of Donna Anna's father.
Character belongs to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Lorenzo Da Ponte.
30 March 2012
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Comments: 91
Lol I'm flattered, thank you.
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Thank you very much!
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WelcomeΒ Β
I love the opera Don GiovanniΒ Β
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Me too! It's my favorite opera.
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I kinda love this guy... In a weird way. He's a little dull, maybe, but at least he's more of a gentleman than Giovanni.
Ach unfortunately a lot of actors portray him as dull. There's so much depth to him, though. I could literally talk for hours about his motivation and his feelings in every scene. XD
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Hoooooooooooo boy...
Lol I won't get into it, though. It's unfortunate that he's often played as dull, though, because he's very tumultuous inside, and the music reflects this, and he only really comes out in "Il Mio Tesoro" and in that one moment he blows up at Anna, then instantly regrets it. He pretty much serves as Anna's backbone as well, since he's always present when she's singing and she needs him desperately, but abuses his devotion, causing him that one moment of weakness when he loses patience with her. This renders him human, though. He's no longer an emotional pillar, he's human.
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Especially compared to Masetto... Dear LORD that man has no mind of his own!
Lol Masetto is a boy trying to be a man. He hasn't yet grown up. XD
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It's adorable how Zerlina still sticks by him~
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Lol it is. The peasant couple is just full of cute.
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You find it hilarious how you depicted Don Ottavio as a handsome, skinny man. Three times I have seen "Don Giovanni" live in performance, and all three times Don Ottavio was played by some fat, unattractive male who compensated his looks with his stunning voice. I will admit, I am not used to him looking like that, though this design strongly appeals to me anyway.
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Haha I was going with what I felt from the voice, since I listened to this opera before I ever watched it. I'll agree, Ottavio is normally always played by an unattractive fat man, but BOY does he compensate. Ottavio's arias are some of the most beautiful gems of the opera, in my opinion.
Thank you very much. Well, it's a character design for an animation, so I have complete control over how he looks, so why NOT make him skinny and attractive? This is always sort of how I pictured him anyway, blue and everything. XD
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"*I find it hilarious..." <- Sorry that typo was bugging me. Honestly, I feel as if my hands type before my thoughts.
Anyhow, an "animation" you say? Oh, gawds. You've got me hooked. When you have finished let me know, because I will be the first to watch it. I won't hesitate in the slightest. Haha. Also, if you have time afterwards, you should consider animating "Marriage of Figaro". That is my favourite of Mozart's operas, and you seem to be on a Mozart spree at the moment, or a "Don Giovanni" spree, (whichever), so it would seem suitable. May I inquire...what is this animation for?
(P.S. I can see you particularly like Don Ottavio high above the rest of the characters. Haha. It's amusing.)
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Ah, this animation is a far off plan. I have a conductor friend who's going to work with me on it, but I don't assume the project will professionally take flight 'til an estimated ten years from now. It's an entire animated film of Don Giovanni, untranslated, and it's a project that I hope will hit theaters. Like a for realsies thing. My conductor friend and I are going to become reputable professionals in our respective fields so we'll actually have access to the singers we want for the parts, so for the next ten years we'll be furthering our careers and planning all the while. These are just early concept sketches, I suppose, and we've been back and forth discussing what to do with the score and how to bring out the humanity of the piece. Depending on the success of Don Giovanni the animated film, we've considered animating The Magic Flute next, though Le Nozze di Figaro would be loads of fun. There's a lot more we can go crazy with on the fantasy aspects of The Magic Flute, so that'll probably be the next, but for now we're focusing on DG. It's a HUGE project; we'll need a team, so right now, as I said, it's just planning and making it in our fields. So um...don't hold your breath.
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P.S. Sorry for the late response. I haven't been near Deviantart recently. Haha.
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Haha I'm constantly on here because I love distractions, but yeah, it's no problem. I have work I have to do. >.<
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I know. Deviantart used to be my main procrastination excuse. Haha.
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Ah, I see. Not to worry, though. I won't hold my breath. I'll have a breathing apparatus at hand just incase my breathing gets a little sporadic.
No, that's great. Personally, I believe everyone needs to have some kind ongoing project in their life. For you, it will be this animated opera. Of course, it will be an immense project to partake in but I foresee it coming out in the next few years. I have a suggestion for you, however. At least put in vernacular subtitles. (So that I may understand it and so that it will appeal to a much more broad audience.)
In two months I'll be in the film industry, so you could add me to your list of helpful contacts. Haha. (I'm partially joking) Though, I would be more than obliged to help make this project happen. Not saying that I could be much help from across the sea, but that's why I'll be moving a lot, and in some time, I'll be producing my own or other's stuff. So remember, "connections," "connections," "connections", the precursors to success.
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Haha of course there shall be subtitles! Hopefully internationally so, but the singing is all in Italian.
Yes, connections are extremely important in this field. What field specifically are you going into for film?
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Oh, haha. Directing and producing, mainly. (I haven't yet done any big budget films, but that's to come). I've worked in cinematography and sound, and even composed soundtracks (which, randomly, I've won awards for), but my heart still lies solely on screenwriting and the development of narratives and characters. I'll also, somewhat, be a part of animation so when you are famous, 
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I'd love to see what we can do in the future! Keep in contact.
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I don't know who this character is but I love the design! <3
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Haha thank you! If you listen to the link in the description you kind of get an idea for how he sounds in the opera.
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Oi! Derp. I didn't even see that link. It was hiding from me. c:
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That's one of my favorite songs in the entire opera. It's so pretty. :3
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And yes. Tamino is indeed useless: he`s a bit of a brat. Even Papageno has far more backbone than he.
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Ah HELL yeah Papageno had more backbone! He'd admit he was scared, but at least he'd actually go do stuff! He has to rescue Pamina, fight off Monostatos, sneak in and out of Sarastro's castle, and even go through the trials with Tamino, then stick it to The Enlightened haHA like a bad ass.
All the while Tamino just tells him to shut up and stop talking to women.
I've been sketching some stuff of Tamino and Pamina to TRY to care about their romance, and I've been seeing some really colorful stuff, especially when they go through the trials together. In an attempt to like Tamino, I'm playing it off like he's a victim of society and Enlightened ideals, so you do see a lot of heartbreak on his face during certain parts, and without changing the music or anything, but just analyzing how he deals with it emotionally, when there are tears in his eyes, etc., I feel he's becoming more human, at least in the way I'm picturing him in my head, because I really WANT to like him, but he's such a useless character.
Don Ottavio's amazing, though.
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Agreed. All of the above about Tamino and Papageno, agreed. I swear, at one point I hoped that Papageno would get pissed off and hit him in the jaw to shut him up. To be honest, Tamino and Pamina`s romance makes about as much sense as the Twilight series; but as a conductor/ director in training too, one has to care about them as well. But yes, the trials do indeed give off a lot of colour, especially in the music itself: and he does become human I guess, depending on how he`s played or represented.
Don Ottavio is human personified- he loves Donna Anna, he doesn't know whether she really loves him, we dont even know if he knows about Don Giovanni and her, and he`s gotta keep his sanity together whilst everything falls apart and Donna Anna loses it. He is amazing- his strength is wonderful.
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Ahhh...I'm so glad you love Don Ottavio as much as I do. He's too often overlooked. I like how he doesn't really get anything done, but what's wonderful about him is his resolve and his steadfast self-control and loving concern. Man, he's patient, yet still human, like when he calls Donna Anna "Crudele!" because they still won't marry. That moment takes him from the ideal fictional male to the human fictional male, and makes him that much more admirable, simply because he is more identifiable now.
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He is so rounded, and right next to Leporello he`s probably one of my favourite characters in Don Giovanni- Ottavio is too often overlooked, I mean come now. He manages to stay patient and sane and not lose his cool with someone like Donna Anna. Yet he is indeed so human- he knows that he can't give Anna as much as she would want, and yet he still wants to give her as much as he can. He`s wonderful.
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He simply is. :3
Leporello is by far my favorite, though.
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Leporello always is. But the Don`s rather complex as well- depending on how he`s approached. And Donna Elvira. But Leporello. Leporello Love Forever.
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True dat indeed. Don Giovanni is complex but he's got one goal only haha. He's a fantastic seducer, and his methods are diverse, as is shown in the many colors of his different arias. Donna Elvira, we can really milk the emotions out of that one.
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Agreed- Donna Elvira. Oh my god- she's a f
Shrinks' dream.
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Indeed. By the way updated the notes. Added some stuff.
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