"Time reigns over all"

I know, I know. I post videos like a bitch. But they're all relevant, I promise. This is a music video for 'Quietus (Silent Reverie)', a song by my favourite band, Epica. While the song in itself isn't relevant to much, the video is distinctly steampunk. Just ignore the weird and blatantly sexual facial expressions Simone makes when she's singing.

Oh, I suppose it's also relevant that I've chosen to go with steampunk as my final genre. That's pretty important.

One of the interesting things about the video is that it is far more dirty and gritty than other steampunk works. The video is set in an underground mine in the middle of the ocean, far away from the upper-class world of corsets and tailcoats, in the underworld as opposed to the overworld. Steampunk has long been considered a classy yet unpolished genre, whereas this video showcases the dirtier, 'hidden' side of it. Since Rocky Horror is known as being intentionally schlocky and gritty, this could be applied to the floor show somehow. For instance, the floating clockwork platform that the band are seen performing on could form the basis for the performance area seeing as it is already akin to a stage. This would make the space more interesting, and less bare, as it is in my previous design. I know I definitely want spinning cogs in there somewhere.

Another interesting aspect of the song is the artwork for the two versions of the CD single, as seen below.

It is interesting that both use a stylised clock as the focus of the cover. The upper artwork features a clock that looks to be designed like a fairground or church organ, or an imagined steampunk-age jukebox. The lower is a simpler design, but appears to be influenced by the Italian Renaissance era of paintings. Using these as a basis, I would like to experiment with having a huge working clock as the backdrop of my design, which could assist with the narrative, such as striking midnight when Riff Raff and Magenta make their entrance, signalling the end for Frank and his fantasies.

Just had another idea. Although not really related to steampunk, this makes me think of one of the most famous clocks in the world, the twin ones that were installed on RMS Titanic and Olympic, known as Honour and Glory Crowning Time.

Don't want to go too far into this, as it's not really steampunk, but I thought it could be interesting to have a steampunk version of that clock, with Columbia and Janet crowning it, somehow, as 'Honour' and 'Glory' are doing on the actual clock. Something to think about...