David Climbs Toward the High Rock

Prompt

Psalm 61: "From the end of the earth will I cry to you, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For you have been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy." Far from Jerusalem, the grey-bearded King David climbs a steep rocky path, one hand on his staff and the other reaching up toward a great sunlit crag that towers above him, crowned with an old stone watchtower. He is large and central, his face weary but lifted toward the heights. Behind and below him lie the wide hills beyond the Jordan in soft blue haze. Bright morning sunlight strikes the high rock. Style: a blend of photo-realism and cinema, like a still from a big-budget film. Bright, rich, saturated, luminous colour, clear daylight or glowing golden light even in dramatic scenes, never murky or muddy, crisp detail, real human faces full of emotion, shallow depth of field, subtle film grain. Simple, uncluttered composition: ONE clear scene from this chapter, with the chapter's main character or characters large, close and central in the upper and middle frame, and a simple background. No montage, no collage, no inset vignettes, no crowd of small figures competing for attention. Historically accurate ancient Near Eastern clothing, architecture and landscape. Keep the bottom quarter of the frame simple and uncluttered (ground, water or sky) so a large chapter number can be set over it. Absolutely no text, no letters, no words, no numbers, no logos, no watermark, no border, no frame.