From that brief description, I would use any combination of the following:

*Zettlen narrating the feature (or just some scenes), have him talk about how everything he does, he does for the King.

*Conversation among characters about how great the King is, or how great they've heard he is.

*Have monuments around the town dedicated to the King and his deeds. You could even use this as a nice piece of blatant symbolism - after Zettlen finds out the King isn't all he's cracked up to be, he could vandalise a monument or two.

Morgneto, Master of Morgnetism

Hi,
Another way to do this, which is kind of a bait and switch on the audience, would be to have the officer already aware of the kings wrong doings...but still praise him as being 'such a great king'. That way the audience will believe, just like whomever the officer talks to, that the king is as described. That way when they find out how the king really is, they will have been fooled, and have questions about the credibility of both characters. That is if you want the officer to be a shady type of character. Or maybe have only the audience and the officer know how the king really is...having the rest of the characters in the movie believeing that the king is actually good. That way your letting the audience in on a little secrect. The key is to keep the audience entertained and involved in the story.
Hope that helps,
Stv

From a camera point of view you might try one or both of these camera tricks, which can be hinted at in your sceenplay.

(1) Start the scene with low angles looking up at the King. This is easy if he's on a dias or something. Low angles looking up give an impression of power. High angles looking down on the guy impressed by the King will make him appear subservient, especially if he bows and such.

As the scene progresses you can have the King sit (and thus lower his angle a bit) and the impressed guy stand, thus raising his angle so that as the character realizes the King isn't what he'd assumed camera angles are all standard.

Then when the the scene is nearly over and the King no longer impresses have the King step off the throne for some reason so we can reverse the original angles and have the camera look down on the King and up at the Robin Hood.

We're talking sublte shadings here, nothing extreme, but the image tends to get across.

(2) Smoke behind a character tends to give the impression of power. Have someone with a incense or something that gives off smoke near the King so that the smoke is behind him in early shots and gives that impression.

By the end of the scene find a reason to have the incense moved so that the smoke is behind the Robin Hood.

From a Character point of view you might try these three tricks:

(a) Weakness. If the King is shown to be physically imperfect he will seem lesser. Shivering in the cold while others are not. Sneezing and sniffling. This is accentuated if Robin Hood shows the good graces to give the King his own coat or cloak or whatever.

(b) Petty and pathetic. If the King is petty, picking on servents and being cruel to the dog and things people will start to dislike them. Make the King wealthy yet cheap for no reason. If he likes young peasant girls and doesn't care if they are repelled we'll feel negatives towards him.

(c) Dirty. If the King is shown to have dirty teeth, rubs his nose on his robes and throws drumsticks across the throne room he'll start off as funny but soon become repellant.

(d) Undecisive. If someone else can lead the King like Wormtongue did in Two Towers the King will look weak and indecisive. An indecisive King is also one we are less likely to like.

RJSchwarz
San Diego, CA

Does anyone know any films where a character, possibly the protagonist, meets his hero for the first time but finds out that he's not all that he'd been told and is very disappointed?

___________________________________
You can't keep 'em out, they're already in!