Unit 69- Task 4

1. Unit 69- Task 4 Harry Dawson

2. Intended Purpose For this project, I have had to utilize many different techniques and methods in order to complete the tasks set. First of all, I had to choose what film I wanted to adapt into a video game, this Is where I decided to do the game Labyrinth. I then had to workout what the style of the film was, so I could reference visualisation within the film to make my own designs reflect the original source. I did this by making a mood board.

3. Here is my mood board for the visual style of Labyrinth. Here I have gathered multiple different images and added them to one document. I did this as the intended purpose of a mood board is the gather multiple different aspects of something so it makes it easier to establish the common visual style throughout. This is useful, especially for concept art, as like I have said, I need to understand the style in order to adapt it into my own design. So as I can see from this mood board, the style is fantasy oriented, as it contains goblins and creatures, who's clothing and colours are quite basic. Also, I can see the location types, such as the labyrinth being made out of brick. All these different aspects to the pictures help me better understand what the films visual style is.

4. So now I had understood the visual style of the film, I then needed to utilize the next method. This is mind mapping. The purpose of mind mapping is to get various ideas down in forms of single words, this way I can evolve my ideas quickly and efficiently. It also allows me to get all my ideas down in a single document, which makes it easier to organize and review my initial thoughts. Here is the mind map which I have created:

5. So from Mind mapping, I have come up with a plot and a concept for this project. I was planning on remaking it, following a similar story line, but by also converting the genre from fantasy to sci-fi. I plan to do this by not only changing the ascetics of the scenery, characters etc. but also by adapting key elements of the story to fit within this gender. For example, the scene below depict the begging of the film, where Sarah (the main character) tries to offer her younger brother Toby to the Goblin King (David Bowie) via a script she has tried to learn, After this scene, Toby is taken by the Goblin King and she is sent to the Labyrinth to save him. I plan on adapting this to a story where Sarah is a Military Space cadet aboard a Space ship, who has a mysterious alien gem code named T.O.B.Y in the cargo. While guarding the cargo bay, she tries to translate aloud an inscription in an ancient research log about the mysterious gem, and once she reads aloud the correct translation, a portal opens up in space, warping her and half of her ship onto an uncharted alien planet called "Labyrinthia", where the Goblin King steals the Gem from her, and she is forced to navigate through a huge alien labyrinth to retrieve it back and open up a portal back into charted space. So through this example, you can see I will go about changing key details to match the genre, while at the same time keeping the story and goals similar to that of the film.

6. With my intended purpose for this project and the film clearly laid out in front of me in forms of mind maps and plots, it was time to begin the actual concept art beginnings. So with the genre of sci-fi in mind, I began constructing a second mind map. This time doing it on the science fiction genre specifically. This is so once again, I can understand the typical conventions seen throughout the different sci-fi pictures, so I may adapt and include aspects from them in my own work.

7. With the visual inspiration summed up in these mood boards, I started to create the designs. To get an overall understanding of what the game would contain, I made various concepts within different aspects, these were weapons, environments, and characters. To begin with, I started developing the weapons, I first began rough sketches of different designs. Retro Robot look Futuristic Robot Skeleton look Hand Base Steampunk Look

8. Weapons I'm basing my first weapon idea around a scene in the film, where Sarah throws some rocks at the enemy to beat them. I want to reinvent this aspect, by introducing a power glove or gauntlet, used by the character to augment their strengths and allow the player to launch objects at the enemy. I also want this weapon to be able to be upgraded throughout the game, to improve power, and ammunition, this means that this weapon is designed for the main character.So, what did I do first? Well with my initial ideas in my head, I knew the type of weapon I wanted to create. This gauntlet would be an essential part of the game and story, adapting the element of collecting power ups through the game. After drawing up some sketches as seen in the previous slide, I then refined one of the ideas, by colouring and neatening up the design. Metal sensor ends and metal exoskeleton to increase strength Interactive wrist screen Retro leather look

9. With the main character’s weapon designed, fit to match the visual style of the sci-fi genre, I then needed to develop weapons for the enemies, to make my idea in my head a lot more clearer and more rounded for other people. The more concepts drawn, the better, as it gives people a better chance to understand the intended purposes that I wished for the game to contain. So I began creating a weapon the main enemies would have. I began with thumbnails. Original Thumbnails for swords Staff thumbnails

10. So my second weapon design is the swords that enemy goblins will use against the player. And i chose the thumbnail seen in the top left. My idea behind this sword is to create a weapon made out of bones. As it is based on an alien planet, these bones could take shape of whatever they want, and do not have to reflect earth species. But why did i choose a bone sword? Well i wanted the goblins to reflect a lower more barbarian society, and a common convention of barbarians is that they used simple crafted weapon, like bones form an animal they have hunted. The theme of hunting prey and re using the bones also brings to mind of animals, and i wanted the goblins to take on these themes in order to be presented as wild creatures with lower intellect. This is why i think that weapons crafted from bones reflect the goblins society well. In order for the sword to make sense, i added rope and bandages that would tie together the different bones to craft the sword shape, and i also gave the sword a serrated edge for more characteristic. It would also make the sword more practical, like the the spike on the end of the handle. This mix and match type of sword would look well with the goblins, as i imagine them much like the goblins in the film, unruly, dirty, tricky, etc. So as you can see, it is important to settle on a specific visual style for specific characters and aspect to the game, as it makes the designed more linked, and by designing the visual representation of weapons, it can reflect the characters using them, and how they look too. Different bones tied together Combination of ropes to look more ragedy

11. My chosen thumbnail I created a weapon for the main character, and the main enemies, but I also wanted to create an individual style for the main antagonist for the game. The intended purpose of creating all these different concepts is to get an all round explanations of what everything should look like via my concepts, and to show that not everything should follow the same themes. As can be compared between the science fiction style main character weapon, and the fantasy like weapon for the enemies. Original adaption rough Colour process

12. And here is my final concept image for The Goblin King's staff. As I've mentioned before, i wanted it to relate back to the structures found in the game, and this is why it has a pattern resembling the walls, and why the Crystal light is blue. But there is a reason why i decided to make it gold instead of Grey, as i want it to look more fancy, as it reflects The Goblin King's style and personality as mentioned in his concept section. I really wanted to emphasis the Crystal as a power source, so i made the seams on the rod leak blue lighting, like its traveling within the metal. I'd also want this staff to glow brighter when the boss uses it, which would be blue energy firing out of the top like a magic rod found in other video games. So overall, i think this design is rather simplistic, but is also visually pleasing because of it, and it gets the point across that this is a sci fi game, but it can also contain concepts within it that may not be conventional for the genre, such as laser guns. By making a staff instead, i think it ties in with the Goblins themes of having lower tech, despite the locations found in the game. Main power source Blue light leaking from cracks

13. Characters I moved onto my character designs next. The purpose of creating the characters is to convey not only what the characters look like, but also of what they are like. This is shown through how they dress, what their body structures are like, and how they pose. So to begin with, I started doing anatomy and pose practice and face structures. The purpose of this is to gather experience in the most important aspects to drawing characters. Anatomy practice Face practice Pose practice

14. After practicing anatomy, I then began designing the first rough ideas of clothing for my characters, as well as how their body will be structured. For development purposes, I designed clothing for both the male and female characters, as this allowed me to gain experience in both types of body structure. The intended purpose of having multiple different perspectives of the clothing was to give abetter insight as to how they would look in a 3D environment, and to get a broader range of images to better understand what they look like form all angles. Skin tight design Basic colours Military like uniform

15. Shy pose? Twisted pose More depth Basic pose With the rough designs done quickly via edit manipulation methods on Photoshop, I then went on to finalizing my ideas by drawing the more detailed and finished looks, this included adding their actual faces instead of placeholders, as these would be my actual concepts for the characters. I began to add a pose to the characters as well, as the purpose of this was to convey their attitude and emphasise their characteristics via the form of how they stand. This form of representation through poses is very useful, as a characters characteristics can be seen easily through first impressions of how they appear. Confident, heroic pose Basic anatomy Poser

16. Practical hair, Short Heroic pose Confident independent Here is my main character. But why have I chosen the main character to look like this? Well, for starters, I wanted the main character to be something like a space pilot or soldier, as described in Task-2, and as such, I wanted her to look the part. So this is why i based her clothing on a naval theme, as space ships are after all, called ships. So I began using different reference images to concoct a naval looking uniform, and i ended up with a neutral grey material, with a smart looking shape like a suite. I then wanted it to look more futuristic, so i added an unconventional top, by adding the seams in unusually ways, as can be seen on the image, where the clothes unfasten. I then added gold stripes to the clothes, in order to show rank and make it look less boring. To make it more feminine, but not enough to emasculate the character, I added a skirt to the costume, as well as tight like leggings. To give the player more character, I made it so the sleeves would be shorter, or rolled up, and this is also top add variation from the default clothing. I think that this adds personality to the character, as it shows she does not follow orders precisely, and shows she has more Independence and stubbornness. This is to relate her to the main character in Labyrinth, Sarah. I ensured not to make the character sexist, by adding or removing unnecessary clothing as to create sex appeal, as I believe authenticity to a realistic uniform that could be used would fit better with the themes, as well as to not cause any controversy in gender representations.I gave her medium length hair to portray her feminism, but i also made it medium as it would be more practical than long hair in combat. I gave her brown hair as it looks more like the original character, as well as green eyes, just to make the character relate though the original film. Her build is not muscular, but also not scrawny either. This is to make her more generic, to make her more relatable to the player, and add more o a challenge to what she must face, as apposed to having a very masculine figure who would be able to overcome challenges easily via brute force. I also think it makes the character more believable, as well as athletic, which is why she not scrawny either. Sci-fi design Practical, adventure boots Almost the same as the original clothes design

17. Creepy mask David Bowie inspired Cocky pose I have based this character off of a mix and match style, giving him an assortment of colours, this is to reflect o the characters style, as he does not take himself as seriously as what the conventional villain would, but he also poses a great threat despite this. Instead of giving him an actual face, i gave him a mask, this is to add a mysterious and creepy theme for him, as the player will never actually see what's behind his mask. As he is the "Goblin King" I think that by adding a mask, it makes the players wonder weather he has a normal face, or a more goblin themed look. This sense of uncertainty all adds to the ambiance I'm trying to create for this character. If you look carefully, I have tried to base the mask loosely on the face structure of David Bowie, a nod to the original villain in Labyrinth, and I think this is a nice link to original film. I gave the face a slight smile hole, another way I wanted him to be seen as creepy. The different items he wears I gathered inspiration from the masquerade style of clothing, such as the white mask, the long coat, and the frilly/puffy sleeves, as well as the neckerchief, which is also a nod to the original characters clothing. I went with masquerade as I think not only does it give the goblin king more character and a sense of being behind in the times, it also makes him seem more stylish, adding to his personality, and showing off that he would not like to get his hands dirty. It also refers to a scene in Labyrinth, where the main characters are in a masquerade party illusion.Although there are different colours, I have tried to stay down the darker end of the spectrum mostly, as I want the character to be able to fit in with the environment well. And I have imagined the environment at which he lives to be old, ram shackled, and dirty. These are words i would associate with goblins as well, as they are very rarely presented as clean and careful. This is why I have given a dark colour scheme to him, as well as making him appear slightly dirty. This is also why half of his clothes are damaged, as it shows he has sustained damage, as well as making him more relatable to the dirty goblins which he rules. It also makes his design less symmetrical, adding variation and further adding to his uneven and unstable personality. I have also added an outline of a staff, that he is leaning on, s a prop to make a more interesting pose. I simply drew a quick outline instead of including a detailed representation of his weapon/ staff, as the image is focused on the character, not his weapons.Finally, as you can see, unlike the previous character concept, I have strayed away from the original concept for this character (As can be seen in task- 2). This is because of one main thing, I think the original design was too boring and simple, and I felt the character needed more personality in his design. But as you may be able to see, I have kept the original design underneath, with his scrawny body structure and black skin tight clothing, I simply added to it, making it what it is now. Masquerade getup Mute colour Scrawny body Raged side Normal side Skin tight like original

18. Environments Finally, environments. The purpose of doing environment concepts is because they are the main portion of what a game is made up of, and the themes present within a game is often seen through the environments art style and representations. This means that if I were to include flowery meadows, its more than likely that the game would be light hearted, and not genres such as horror, or sci-fi. As such, its important to present the different aspect to the game in various environments, showing what architecture style there is, what the main colour schemes are, and how the mood and atmosphere is presented within the game.

19. Less organic Spikey design Robotic I first began experimenting on architectural styles for a main castle location within the game. As the games genre is sci-fi, mixed with the films fantasy style, I wanted these present within the visuals. As you can see, I experimented in various different styles that the buildings could have taken, before finalizing the style I wanted. Threatening spires

20. Metal Sci-fi Dark clouds atmospheric I decided upon a more metal and blocky look, to further emphasise the science fiction behind the game, as well as to sticking to the fact that this robotic style of visuals are often present in older retro productions, and as the film Labyrinth is old, I think it fits in well. I began to get my initial concept down so I may develop upon it further later, and so I used a more crude method of drawing, using mainly gradients to form images for the fore, mid, and background. So, to make the scene look better, and to make it fit into the science fiction theme, I have added a few things. the first is the seems on the walls, showing that some parts are brick, and some parts are plates. The second is lights. To make seem more sci-fi, I have added blue light to the architecture, I think by adding these, it compliments the overall design, while also making the themes of fantasy castle and futuristic tech blend a lot better. And finally, I have added life. By this i mean of course the plant life growing around the structure. I felt that by adding this over growth aspect really ties it together, as well as presenting the structure in a more neglected fashion, as this is after all the place of the villain, it would not be well kept, and it gives the atmosphere a more unnerving feel to it. So all in all, you can see this new scene, while also you can see a slight resemblance to the original castle in placement and structure. This was a very simplistic design, and if i were to do this again, I believe that the best method to use would be that of the weapon, as that, in my opinion, yielded the best results. Plant overgrowth Neglect Blue lights Sci-fi theme

21. With the architectural style established and quickly drawn out, I then began to elaborate on some of the aspects, and began testing what they would look like on other forms of structures. Its important to consider if a design can be carried out throughout the game, and so the idea must be able to be consistent throughout, but with different things. This is why I drew the next structure. I based this concept on the entrance to the Labyrinth, as it will be the first impression on what architecture is expected within. So like I mentioned before, this concept is a lot more simplistic, as that is the kind of effect i wanted. The idea behind this sci-fi version of the labyrinth is for it to have been built with alien metals on an alien planet, and so it is not constructed by humans. I want the constructs to be blocky and robotic, this is in order to present it in a science fiction theme easier. I've added a simplistic design to the metal just to give it some variation, and i believe that by adding these unusual seams in the metal, it makes the construct look less boring, as well as making it look less human. By this , I mean that by adding this pattern, it looks less like human architecture, and more futuristic and alien, as it is unusual and its blocky appearance and lack of curvature makes it look retro and sci-fi, like it was designed by people from the [past trying to predict what we will have in the future. I think this ties in with the age of the original film, which is fairly old.  Once again, i have added blue lights, as blue is the conventional colour for science fiction genres, and it fits with all the previous designs of metal work i have included in my environment concepts. I think that by using a more simplistic appearance for the large doors makes it look more imposing to the player, adding an atmosphere of uncertainty and danger to what's on the other side.  I have also tried to relate the pattern to plants growing on a wall, but crossed it with the metal robotic theme. This hybrid of organic and non organic contributes to the idea that the walls can change themselves, making the labyrinth vary to create a more immerse game play and navigation.  Sci-fi style blue lights Alien Pattern Metal Classic style door re imagined into a sci-fi style Imposing archway entrance Dramatic

22. For my second environment, I wanted to focus on the concept of alien planets, as it will after all be located on an alien planet. So for this, I focused less on the architecture, and more on the nature and plant life that could be seen within the game. This gives my concepts a more rounded explanation on what I want the planet to be like as a whole, and not just what the buildings look like. As such, I decided to the swamp, which is a location the player could play through. Colour coded depth Alien plant life Very organic Same architecture style bridge

23. Dark atmosphere Oil like substance I have decided to do scene loosely based on the "swamp of eternal stench", a location within the film Labyrinth. I think that there is a large amount of freedom to convert this into a sci-fi setting, as there is a vast amount of things I could include in a swamp to make it look more science fiction. My main thought is add an alien atmosphere to it, as it is based on a different planet in my game. So to do this, I am thinking of including unique and unusual plant life, adding strange shapes as well as bright florescent colours to contrast with the murky setting. I think that these aspects are commonly seen as alien, and so I tried to include these ideas in my concept. So I have already talked about how i wanted to add interesting shapes and structures for the plants, as well having them glow to create an alien world presence. But i have also tried to include the swamp like atmosphere by making the surroundings close up, cramped, and gloomy in the background. I adapted the broken bridge into a deactivated light bridge, to help aid the science fiction side of the game, and my recycling the architectural design from task-2, I have made the bridge to look like it fits with he metal and robotic theme of the rest of the locations. This meant including blue lights as well, to further relate the environment to my original concept. By having only a small portion of the metal bridge present, with the plants growing around and over it, it emphasizes the point I am trying to make that the swamp is living, and is control. This is a place the player will have to use caution with to navigate around. Bright colours and glows Earth like plants too

24. Visual Communication of ideas By creating all of these concepts and roughs, it makes it a lot easier to create a visual communication of ideas to other people, and by covering a broad range of various different aspects in the topics, such as varied character designs, multiple weapons, and different aspect to the environment, it makes it a whole lot more simple for other people to understand the tones and themes I wish to be present within the game, and how to adapt the original ideas into this new genre.

25. Constraints It important to consider the constraints that i need to consider for this project. There multiple considerations I need to refer to when doing this, of which I will go over now.

26. Client Brief The first is the client brief. The client brief is what i need to constantly refer too, as it provides all the information i need to know what I'm doing, as the main purpose for the brief is to tell me what I need to do. And in order to please the client, everything on the brief needs to be done as it is state. This is why it is classed as a constraint, as it limits the things I need to do, and specifies what needs doing, and if I didn't refer to the client brief throughout the project, then what I end up with will not please the client, and an unsatisfied client means I will have failed what I set out to accomplish. This is why I need to remain true to the brief, and to not go out of the constraints set in place to keep me on track.

27. Target Audience The second constraint i must consider the target audience. This project is to create concepts for a new video game adaption of a film, and as such, there is already a target audience set, fans of the original film, and it is up to me weather I want to please this current audience, or whether i want to adapt the film into bringing in a new target audience. The constraints however, is trying to keep the interest of the chosen audience, and this is done through the reflection of the concepts. To please a target audience, I first need to analyse who the target audience is, for example in this case I would be looking at both labyrinth fans and sci-fi fans, because of this, these audiences will be looking for specific things. These would be the conventions they come to expect in this kind of production, so the constraints I will face in this project is the convention constraints, ensuring I create concepts that would please the audience by using and adapting ideas commonly seen in these kinds of games that entertain the audience. In addition to this, I would need to consider the ages o the target audience, as if I am aiming to please the younger end of the age scale, then I would be restricted to how graphic the designs would be, ensuring I do not stir controversies by, for example, including a design drenched in blood, as this may upset younger players. This kind of constraint is important to consider throughout the production, as it can heavily impact the work as a whole. 

28. Ethical The next constraint I must look at when doing this project is that of ethical issues. This includes how I choose to present race, gender religion, and sexuality throughout my work, as to ensure I don't cause any offence or controversies within how the designs represent these topics. This means that in order to not offend people, I will need to keep my concepts as far away from hurtful stereotypes of cultures, beliefs and people. For example, one constraint could be that in a character design, I must not exaggerate aspects such as the choice of clothing a specific gender would wear, such as in some games, the male characters have respective clothing, whereas the female characters have very revealing and extreme clothing. This in the past has caused controversies with gender, decency and sexuality representation, and can restrict the audience and popularity of the game. Another way the appearance of things within games have created controversial issues is through the inclusion of gang signs, cults or religious images. This means that I would be constrained to not being able to include religious symbols on weapons, or environments containing gang signs in them, as this can cause ethical issues as to why they were included. Finally, my designs must not discriminate race, this means my concepts should not include hurtful stereotypes related to the characters skin for example, or through the form of titles given to the items or places. This is a more obvious constraint, that is easy to avoid.

29. Legal Issues Finally, the last constraint to consider it legal issues. As this project heavily relies on an already existing and copy written project, in this case the film Labyrinth, it is important to ensure i have received proper permission to use the franchise if I were to create and make money off of a game based on it. As without permission, legal issues such as court cases could occur, ending up in  a lawsuit against my project for the improper use of their characters, film and concepts.