Project 1: Futuristic Cityscape

The aim of this project will be to create a futuristic cityscape, visualised as a first person aerial fly-through. These shots are synonymous with the sci-fi genre and often used to provide audience exposition of the environment in which the film takes place. 

Reference

Inspiration and reference for the shot was taken from several movies, listed below). All use stunning environments which camera movement to allude to the scale and complexity of the space.

Blade Runner (1982)

Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

Ghost in the Shell (2017)

iRobot (2005)

The Fifth Element (1997)

This extract from Ghost in the Shell (2017) provides an excellent example of a first person fly-through. The dynamic camera pushes through the city which, for projection purposes, would require nested workflow to overcome resolution issues (‘powers of ten’).

However I want to add more rotation to the camera, than is used in this shot, to expose the projected elements to greater degrees of perspective distortion, which will need to be addressed through use of ‘patch’ projections. This extract from Ghost in the Shell (2017), timecode 01:36:55:00 provides an example of more dynamic use of camera rotation to change the perspective on the buildings and reveal facades not in camera view and the outset of the shot.

Concept

The image (below) shows initial development of the concept for the project. I started by mocking up the structure, the purpose being to create a visually strong silhouette and to begin to achieve a sense of scale. By working in 3D software, and using simple 3D geometry, I was able to assemble the structures and test various configurations, layouts and camera positions/angles.

The final layout was exported in image format and taken to Photoshop as the base for initial artwork. The image (below) shows how the geometric shapes provide the backdrop for artwork.

Cinematically I plan to create my shot as nocturnal and add both atmospheric elements (haze, mist) and holographic projections in order to reinforce the futuristic genre.

The following images show development of the initial concept:

Creating the environment as a night shot, along with atmospheric elements and lighting effects can, and indeed are, used in commercial matte painting as a legitimate way to obscure imperfections. The inclusion of further animated elements and holographic effects may also be used for this purpose.

As the primary focus of this study is with camera projection, it is important to demonstrate the integrity of this process without any obscuration. Therefore the following ‘iterative’ approach will be taken:

• The environment will be constructed initially as a daytime shot with no atmospheric elements, holographic or other graphics or animation. All camera projection work will be undertaken and tested at this stage to demonstrate integrity of the workflow
• A full ‘day for night’ conversion will be undertaken to bring the scene into the correct colour palate and appropriate lighting.
• Atmospherics will be added
• Holographic element and other animation will be added.

Camera Move

The following video shows the basic scene layout, using proxy geometry. This also shows how the camera will move through the shot over a 400 frame duration.

The camera movement and rotation is designed to present several challenges to the projected matte painting:

• Coverage issues due to facades, not visible from the starting position of the camera, are revealed over time.
• Resolution issues due to the camera pushing deep into the environment
• Distortion issues arising from the camera rotation