Mark Stamp 8/10/2014 Space and Evironemnt project 1 - Invisible Cities

Space And Environment Project 1

Mark Stamp
Tumbnail Studies - Invisible Cities
It is always good to start a project by examining all angles and study well the available material to fnd the
right world to explore and develop, for this I read and imagined the 19 cities described by Italo Calvino as
Marco Polo in the informative and fantastical novel Invisible Cities.
I also wanted to imagine what these cities were like, and during development I wrote up what I imagined:
http://mstamp176.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/invisible-cities-frst-thumbnails.html
Mark Stamp 8/10/2014 Space and Evironemnt project 1 - Invisible Cities
http://mstamp176.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/to-get-some-work-done-on-these.html
http://mstamp176.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/invisible-cities-thumbnail-set-4.html
Mark Stamp 8/10/2014 Space and Evironemnt project 1 - Invisible Cities
http://mstamp176.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/invisible-cities-set-5-to-8.html
Part 1
Mark Stamp 8/10/2014 Space and Evironemnt project 1 - Invisible Cities
http://mstamp176.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/invisible-cities-set-5-to-8.html
Part 2
Mark Stamp 8/10/2014 Space and Evironemnt project 1 - Invisible Cities
http://mstamp176.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/invisible-cities-sets-9-and-10.html
Mark Stamp 8/10/2014 Space and Evironemnt project 1 - Invisible Cities
http://mstamp176.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/second-infuence-map-and-thumnail-sets.html
Part 1
Mark Stamp 8/10/2014 Space and Evironemnt project 1 - Invisible Cities
http://mstamp176.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/second-infuence-map-and-thumnail-sets.html
Part 2
http://mstamp176.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/invisible-cities-set-14-and-15.html
Part 1
Mark Stamp 8/10/2014 Space and Evironemnt project 1 - Invisible Cities
http://mstamp176.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/invisible-cities-set-14-and-15.html
Part 2
Mission Statement
My aim for this project is a series of views of the coastal city of Despina, described as a city of two sides that
refect leaving a desert: Coming from land the city resembles as a ship buries in the sand, coming from the sea
the city resembles a resting camel. Te seabound image is one that I believe I could convey in this project as
demonstrated by the provided thumbnails. Marco Polo imagined it as a commercial city, one of the commercial
hubs of his day such as Venice, Cairo or Istanbul, a gateway to a distant and exotic land difcult to reach, so the
city would have a blend of both occidental and oriental hints, its citizens cosmopolitan. Cities such as Istanbul,
Venice, New York, Ashgabat and Dubai were major inspirations, Ashgabat, Istanbul, and Dubai especially as
they refect that modern city in the middle of an arid landscape and the latter two have both at one point been
recognised as gateways to the East. All the cities I mentioned aside from Ashgabat also draw huge numbers of
holidaygoers and turists looking for culture, sun or shopping.
For the period perhaps the city is of no set period, and includes elements of both the age of sail (such as sail
ships and the odd period cloathing) and the modern era of globalisation. A strong image of glass towers ris-
ing from the sand, gleaming from the desert sun. Te general architecture being two high-density humps
that rise up from the street level, marked out by expensive buildings removed from the dust and heat of the
ground-level streets. Te right colour palette is very important to indicate heat as whichever side you arrive in,
the city is to be a welcome release from a difcult journey. Te ideal pallete would be warm oranges and reds in
the foreground met with inviting blues in the mid- and background to make the city enviting.
As well as a sea approach to the city, the two other scenes considered are a view down one of the citys major
avenues with the skyline of one of the humps at the back with the midground lined with older brick buildings.
For the interior I envision a covered bazaar, with the foreground being inhabited by customers of a cofee house
watching the day go by as tourists and shoppers go about their business. In a sense, the Despina I envision is a
city that rewards a merchants or visitors journey with amenities galore that the locals perhaps take for granted
or defer to foreigners. Like cities on the Spanish coast such as Barcelona, It is a city whose very image on the
horizon bestows relief to all who see it and promises an escape from normality for a few days before you are
sent back on your way. Tese reasons are why I have considered that the world it exists still uses steam or sail
for water transport, as the longer journeys make fnally reaching the city all the more worthwhile.
Mark Stamp 8/10/2014 Space and Evironemnt project 1 - Invisible Cities
Source Extract
Before sterting to go in-depth I analysed the text for passages that piqued my interest in this particular city. Te
core theme I found myself exploring was the image of a wealthy port city that served as a connection to the
lands of the exotic Orient such as India, Saudi Arabia or Africa, locations in which the bridge between them
and Europe was historically more-or-less controlled by the Ottoman Empire during the Age of Sail.
Te golden age of this empire was roughly around the early-mid 16th century; at its height controlling the
Balkans, Turkey, Hungary, much of the middle east, most of the African coast and the Red Sea and evidence
of its former extent can still be seen today in Turkey and the Middle East. Te owners of Despina are perhaps,
also masters of this great connection, with the city itself serving as a point of passage into more exotic lands
beyond the sandy desert it sits alongside.
Mark Stamp 8/10/2014 Space and Evironemnt project 1 - Invisible Cities
Infuence Map - Exterior
Mark Stamp 8/10/2014 Space and Evironemnt project 1 - Invisible Cities
Infuence Map - Interior
Mark Stamp 8/10/2014 Space and Evironemnt project 1 - Invisible Cities
Tumbnail Study - Despina
A prevalent concept I had going though the design included skyscrapers (as Polo mentioned) and the skyline
from a distance As such Images 2, 11, 15, 28 and 30 will be the foundation of establishing and low angle shots
to emphasise the citys characteristic profle and welcoming feel from a distance (the establishing shot) and the
cosmopolitan mix of the city as well as showing the city is both prosperous and has history (the low-angle shot).
Te establishing shot will be populated with sail ships such as 21, 22 and 29, one of which will be joining the
camera in an approach of the city to convey that both the viewer is joining the ship as it arrives in the har-
bour.
Te interior shot will be of the citys covered bazaar (explored in 10, 14 and 23). Originally I had considered
a tavern scene but i ncontemplation I have considered merging it with the fnal idea, with its element existing
in the foreground in the form of tables, chairs and patrons with the bazaar behind them.
Mark Stamp 8/10/2014 Space and Evironemnt project 1 - Invisible Cities
Companion and Collaboration Work
Concept Art
Week 1 - http://mstamp176.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/invisible-cities-frst-thumbnails.html
http://mstamp176.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/to-get-some-work-done-on-these.html
http://mstamp176.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/invisible-cities-thumbnail-set-4.html
Week 2 - http://mstamp176.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/afer-trying-to-rest-from-battling-this.html
Week 3 - http://mstamp176.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/invisible-cities-project-refnement.html
Animation
Week 1 - http://mstamp176.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/this-was-end-result-of-work-that-half.html
Autodesk Maya
Basics - http://mstamp176.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/tonight-was-feeling-bit-more-productive.html
Characters 1 - http://mstamp176.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/more-work-with-tutorials-this-time-i.html
http://mstamp176.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/i-followed-second-character-design.html
Film Reviews
Cabinet of Dr. Caligari - http://mstamp176.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/review-cabinet-of-dr-caligari.html
Metropolis - http://mstamp176.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/review-metropolis.html
Creative Partner Discussions
Anderson Moshi: 29 September 2014 11:48
Hey Mark,
I think your 138, 156 & 160 (maybe combining these two together) have a very good composition, I think if you develop them, you
could come up with some interesting concepts. In your 138, I can imagine a silhouetted fgure (maybe a king or wizard, the style you
used looks similar to fantasy) standing on top of that building, gazing at the rest of the city.
Well done for having so many thumbnails done, I am sure you will have cool fnal products :)
Anderson Moshi: 4 October 2014 15:30
Mark, this made for a very fascinating read, I can tell you really liked the flm :) Great to see that you also managed to pick up on the
numerous biblical references. I agree, this movie is packed with so much. If we watch it again, we would probably perceive even more
of its elements. Additionally, the writing structure, and fow of this piece is solid. I especially liked how the conclusion fnalised the
entirety of the review.
I think what would make this easier to read, is if you fully separated your paragraphs, and used maybe more line spacing (1.5 or 2.0,
not sure what you are using). It is quite overwhelming seeing so much writing packed so tightly together.
Keep up the hard work man! :D
AndromedaDragon5: October 2014 13:02
It was an amazing flm yeah, I defnitely would watch it again. Interestingly Phil thought Id like it as well although I think his
indication was towards the transhuman elements, I did not realise at the time how much of a religious tone the flm had prior
to seeing it, but it was a good addition for me.
In retrospect yeah, despite my attempts to break the start of each paragraph with spacing it does still look like one solid mass at
frst glance. Ill look into a way of perhaps adjusting to make it seem less overwhelmiong.
AndromedaDragon:1 October 2014 12:40
I didnt get much from generating ideas for Ersilla. But yeah, with a bigger canvas I might be able to better show the lines of
string between all the buildings of 156.
138...I like that idea for an establishing shot. Perhaps a fgure of authority in Fedora or a citizen coming up with an idea for a
mini-Fedora of his own, looking out upon the city for inspiration?
Mark Stamp 8/10/2014 Space and Evironemnt project 1 - Invisible Cities
AndromedaDragon: October 3, 2014 at 11:17 PM
A good read. I didnt quite notice the lighting efect given to the workers in the caves until you pointed it out so good on you for
noticing, and my discovery is the flm is indeed chock-full of religious symbolism (I found that the scene relating to Moloch played
out verse 18:21 from Leviticus almost word-for-word).
Consider looking background such as the times or the opinions of the director. Tose can have an efect on the direction even for
an escapist flm. Your mention of laissez-fair is interesting as there is a hint of the prophetic, what with the Wall Street Crash hap-
pening a couple of years later for that very reason.
AndromedaDragon: October 1, 2014 at 10:17 AM
Looking decent so far (Im lost on how to turn a polygon curve into a shape with volume). Its nice that you want to try your own
style of the model by moving away from copying the polygon, but from my experience when it comes to designing stuf, image-ref-
erencing is your best friend. If not the polygon cup made in the tutorial, perhaps a cup found in Google images?
Anderson Moshi: October 7, 2014 at 8:22 PM
Hey Mark,
Tank you for the advice, I will try incorporate the context in which the movie was released in future reviews, it is quite im-
portant.
Anderson Moshi: October 1, 2014 at 2:59 PM
Hey Mark,
Tanks for the comment. I will re-do this NURBS Egg cup, and challenge myself to try model one found on the internet
(maybe one with a unique design).
Good advice, image-referencing is an excellent way to learn.
Cheers :)
AndromedaDragon: October 4, 2014 at 1:39 AM
Good luck on that. Ive seen some really complicated egg cups about just to warn.
And Im glad I could help.