Free Fall

Films:

Klimov, E. (1985) Come and See. [Film] USSR: Belarusfilm.

Polanski, R. (2002) The Pianist. [Film] France, Germany, Poland, UK: R.P. Productions.

Benigni, R. (1997) Life is Beautiful. [Film] Italy: Cecchi Gori Group.

Games:

Sledgehammer Games (2017) Call of Duty: WWII. [Video game] California: Activision.

Black Matter (2019) Hell Let Loose. [Video game] Australia: Team17.

Ubisoft Montpellier (2014) Valiant Hearts: The Great War. [Video game] France: Ubisoft.

DigixArt and Aardman Animations (2018) 11-11: Memories Retold. [Video game] UK: Bandai Namco Entertainment.

11 bit studios (2014) This War of Mine. [Video game] Poland: 11 bit studios.

Studios and Asset Sources:

Leartes Studios (n.d.) Leartes Studios Environment Packs. Available at: https://leartesstudios.com/ (Accessed: 27 April 2025).

Kitbash3D (n.d.) Warzone and Post-Apocalypse Kits. Available at: https://kitbash3d.com/ (Accessed: 27 April 2025).

Historical References:

Based on my time planning, if I have extra time,

I would love to add a character and create a short film based on my project.

From a technical point of view, I will use the color palette inspired by the film The Pianist to create a cold and silent atmosphere.

For the environment building process, I started modeling destroyed buildings first, in order to create the feeling of a ruined city.

I focused on environmental storytelling for my project.

I wrote a story because I believe that a strong story makes the environment feel alive —

even without dialogue or characters.

For the mental world — the imagined structures and symbolic artifacts created by the protagonist — the materials are approached more artistically and abstractly, such as:

Distorted and cracked mirrors

Improvised sculptures made of random debris

Cloth and ribbons with faded, dreamlike colors

Soft, almost painterly surfaces for elements tied to memory and imagination

These materials are slightly less realistic and lean toward a stylized look, visually signaling to the audience that they belong to the protagonist’s fragile inner world rather than to harsh reality.

By carefully contrasting these two layers through material design, the project emphasizes the collapse of the real world and the emergence of a fractured, dreamlike realm shaped by grief and madness.

The material choices in Folie à deux are crucial to reinforcing the emotional tone and storytelling of the environment. For the realistic world — the destroyed city and its remnants — I selected raw, grounded materials such as: • Cracked and broken concrete • Rusted and damaged metals • Burnt wood and charred surfaces • Shattered glass and twisted rebar • Mud, dirt, and water-damaged surfaces These materials were chosen to reflect the destruction, abandonment, and brutal reality of a city left behind by war. The use of rough textures, muted and dusty color palettes, and visible signs of decay all contribute to a heavy, somber atmosphere rooted in historical realism.

The visual style of Folie à deux is based on a dual-layered approach, combining two distinct artistic directions to reflect the psychological depth of the story. The environment — including the destroyed city, war-damaged vehicles, and abandoned structures — is designed with a realistic, detailed, and grounded visual style. Real-world textures such as cracked concrete, rusted metal, shattered glass, and debris-covered streets are carefully incorporated to create an authentic and heavy atmosphere rooted in historical reality.

in contrast, the mental world — elements imagined or built by the protagonist, such as broken mirrors, handmade structures, and surreal decorations — are represented in a stylized, painterly manner. These elements are slightly distorted, with softer edges, bolder brushstrokes, and a more dreamlike color palette, emphasizing the fragile boundary between memory, imagination, and madness. This duality of styles helps visually separate reality from the character’s internal world, enriching the emotional storytelling and deepening the player’s or viewer’s psychological experience.

Kitbash3D is known for providing high-quality asset kits for professional world-building.

Their “Warzone” and “Post-Apocalypse” collections showcase environments filled with bombed buildings, wreckage, and urban decay — all presented with cinematic detail.

Studying their work gave me insights into composition, asset placement, and environmental storytelling in a war-torn setting.

Both studios showed how ruined environments can be more than just backdrops; they can act as emotional extensions of the story itself.

To better understand the artistic and technical standards required for high-quality environment design, I analyzed the work of two leading studios that specialize in building realistic and emotionally powerful environments: Leartes Studio Leartes Studios creates detailed, atmospheric environments with a strong focus on storytelling through visual design. Their war-themed packs, particularly those depicting destroyed cities and abandoned landscapes, inspired me with their use of realistic textures, modular assets, and lighting that captures both destruction and haunting beauty. Their work helped me envision the kind of broken but emotionally rich city I wanted to create for Folie à deux.

To add authenticity and historical accuracy to the environment design of Folie à deux, I researched a wide range of World War II assets — including vehicles, tanks, and military equipment.

I collected many reference images of war-damaged jeeps, abandoned tanks, broken artillery, and military trucks from both the Allied and Axis forces.

The textures of rusted metal, shattered parts, torn canvas, and dirt-covered armor were crucial for capturing the sense of abandonment and decay that defines a war-torn city.

By studying real wartime machinery and how it deteriorated over time, I was able to envision how these elements could be naturally integrated into my destroyed urban environment.

These assets serve not only as background details, but also as important storytelling elements — silent witnesses to the collapse of civilization and the personal tragedy at the heart of the story.

To create an authentic and emotionally resonant environment for Folie à deux, I conducted extensive research into the architecture, urban landscapes, and aftermath of World War II.

I collected a large number of historical photographs showing bombed cities, destroyed streets, abandoned houses, ruined churches, and war-torn neighborhoods across Europe — including places like Warsaw, Dresden, Stalingrad, and London after the Blitz.

By studying real wartime destruction, I was able to better understand the textures, forms, and atmosphere that emerge when human civilization collapses under conflict.

I focused not only on the physical damage, but also on the emotional silence that fills these broken spaces — the absence of life, the weight of memory, and the surreal beauty of decay.

This research helped me build a foundation for my environment designs, ensuring they feel grounded in history yet shaped by the emotional lens of my project’s narrative.

Developed by Black Matter

Known for its high level of realism, Hell Let Loose recreates historical battlefields and ruined towns with extraordinary detail and authenticity.

The game’s large, desolate maps — filled with shattered structures, abandoned vehicles, and silent, devastated landscapes — strongly influenced my environmental storytelling, focusing on emptiness, silence, and emotional weight rather than action.

For the environmental aspects of Folie à deux, I found strong inspiration in games that realistically portray the atmosphere of World War II’s devastation.

Two key titles deeply influenced my vision:

Call of Duty: WWII (2017)

Developed by Sledgehammer Games

This game’s depiction of war-torn European cities, destroyed streets, and bombed-out buildings helped shape my visual approach.

Its detailed environments — from the Normandy landings to the crumbling urban centers — capture the raw, broken beauty left behind by conflict.

The attention to textures, destruction, and muted color palettes became important references for my project’s atmosphere.

Broken and shattered, he lost his grip on reality. In a city torn apart by war, he clung to the memory of her. The lines between what was real and what was imagined disappeared. He gathered broken mirrors from the ruins and covered the crumbling walls, desperate to preserve her beauty forever. He built a statue of her from debris and scraps of war — but he couldn’t give it a face. He had already forgotten what she looked like. Alone in the ruins, he built a new world out of his memories. And there, in the shattered streets, he lived on — a prisoner of his own broken mind.

The bombing started. Their home collapsed into rubble. Under the weight of shattered stone and dust, she slipped away. And he was left alone.

She refused to leave the house — the only place where she could hide from the eyes of the world. And he, bound by a promise he made long ago, stayed with her.