Unit 6 Reflective Journal - Lim Lin Year 2 Production Arts for Screen
For our first unit in the second year, we were tasked to created a 3d environment through three randomly selected prompts. My prompt was an Interior Design Shop in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1989.
As shown in the slide, there is a significant influence of European architecture in Buenos Aires, especially French architecture. After looking into the different architecture styles seen in the city, I began researching on places that create distinct visual identities for the city.
I first looked into local markets and shopping districts as they are the spots popular among tourists. While the items range from handmade local crafts to international brands, a common feature of these stores is the presence of European architecture in these places.
Unique locations and symbols are also strong indicators of the city which I could use. Caminito is a street that became a tourist attraction due to its vibrant and saturated colours. While this is eye-catching and is an obvious indicator of the location, I chose not to use this street since it will cause the final product to look too sterotypical.
Jacaranda trees are also appealing due to its unusual colour compared to other plants that grow at the side of roads and pathways. As such, I would try to incorporate this visual indicator of Buenos Aires into the scene.
I then looked into trends and movements in the 1980s which I could implement into the design. Bright and saturated colours are prevalent in both fashion and design, one of which included the Memphis group.
A unique feature of the 80s are also neon light installations. Neon lights Made a resurgence in the 1980s. Today, places such as malls would appear dated if strips neon or LED lights are present.
I also did some research into alternative styles in the same time period that greatly contrasts the bright neon aesthetics more commonly associated with the 1980s.
As this is a very tumultuous time period of Argentinians in the 1980s, I would focus largely on how the impact of the economic crisis greatly differs between individuals of different social statuses. The context of 1980s Argentina could be used to create a narrative based on a character owning a retail store during an economic crisis, when the middle class have significantly less purchasing power so sales could be made.
I looked into retail storefronts as they are an iconic feature of 80s malls, it can also be used to design signage and create colour palette for the scene.
Interior design magazines can be used to to indicate time period and trade. It can also be used as image textures for the environment.
Display racks and furniture create the look of an interior design shop, selecting items that follow the 80s design trend. Brass floor lamps such as the one pictured are expensive, this also shows that this store is selling items only the rich are willing and able to buy. Peace lilies are a popular house plant in the 1980s due to its feature in NASA's Clean Air Study, so I would also include this in my design. As columns were a significant design feature in the 80s, I wanted to add a vintage item that has similar textures and shape, so I added a plaster lamp.
The other furniture for display will be used from the ones shown in the previous slide.
For modelling, I looked into how sci-fi vehicles in animation were designed. Most of which have close proportions to their real life counterpart, however they would have smoother and more curved finishing and reduced details for easier animation.
Although most 80s animation aesthetics that are remembered today feature a dark night sky and city illumination, this strayed far from the warm colours of Buenos Aires. As such, I leaned more into warmer environments like the screencaps in Robot Carnival and The Little Mermaid.
I also did some research on early 80s animations such as early Looney Tunes cartoons, however the minimalistic and simplified style inspired by art deco motifs did not suit the direction I was going for.
I then began designing using the new idea of an interior design shop owner travelling around the city using a camper van.
(Top left to bottom right)
1971 MERCEDES-BENZ T2 L508DG Camper-van: Nice shape and colour, but looks too close to 70s retro aesthetics
1969 MB LO1112 Colectivo: A strong visual indication of Buenos Aires, but clashes with my storyline and colours are too bold
1980 Mercedes Benz 508 D Motorhome: Made close to time period and large enough to practically serve the function as an interior design shop, but not visually interesting
Ex-Police Special Forces Mercedes T2 Camper: The van that gave me the idea of making a store from the outside of a vehicle, however the shape isn’t interesting and the small size makes the functionality hard to believe
The first block out was made using a single mesh, which I then regret because it became very difficult to create loop cuts or use the Boolean modifier. Fortunately, I was still able to use its shape as a guide when redoing the model with separated parts.
As the style I was going for (late 80s sci-fi animation) has relatively normal proportions and simplified details, I did the same for the van as small details were removed, to make the scene less realistic and to save time for this unit.
This also allowed me to use the furniture and display racks I found during research as reference images for the items that will be displayed in the store.
For the store layout, I designed it while modelling as blocking out the areas to place display items while adjusting the camera view gave me more control with the scene composition.
A metallic chrome shader was made using a YouTube tutorial to create "80s Chrome" text. As the intent of the shader was not for large objects, I still had to make many changes for the effect to work on metallic parts of the can. I also recoloured the material for brass objects to create a glossy and clean appearance.
After experimenting with various painterly shaders, I realised painting by hand using texture paint gives a more desired effect since I can control the brushstrokes better and only work on the camera view. I also painted over some images that looked too realistic such as the cardboard boxes. I also drew thes Argentinian austral on price tags to provide context of the hyperinflation and economic crisis in late 1980s
Since this assignment did not require animation, I use the opportunity to draw the foliage on jacaranda trees on Photoshop and added the drawings as planes parallel to the camera view. To create more depth in the trees, I overlapped the images over one another.
For finishing touches, I added a glare node in compositing to recreate the blurry lights seen in vintage photos.
Overall, I was glad I could execute most ideas I had in mind for this project within four weeks and was able to learn how to use the texture paint tool instead of relying on nodes. After completing this unit, I felt that with more time I could push the hand drawn style further with more textured painting.
