Transcription project introduction

Here we go again, another project, another game. This time it literally will be a game, as I have decided to design a digital set for a computer game. That's right, lots of fun research to do! I have decided to take something within the field of visual art that interests me, the theme of fantasy and all things slightly out of this world.

I had a think about what would suit this genre and I came to rest with the story of "Narnia" as it is placed within a somewhat darkened setting (if seen in the original context) with various fantasy based inclusions in an environment that speaks out to more than just whats on the surface. I have become fond of two particular characters within the story that I feel visually have a lot to give, this being the Fawn Mr Tumnus and the evil character the White Witch, who seemingly proclaims herself to be the rightful ruler of Narnia itself. The artwork that this could produce would be very strong and either character would show a different personality altogether through their own living environment. As this project is about the set design, these sets must make the characters personality seem obvious and give the onlooker a feel for what the character who inhabits the setting must be like.

Personally im more interested to explore into the world of Mr Tumnus further, as I feel it has a lot more to give than has currently been explored, there is a lot of rich culture surrounding the character and references to a collaboration of different things that together create his world. I love the dark undertones to the Narnia story and the visualization it gives, therefore as I wish to do something more detailed for once this game shall be aimed towards the more older teenager to adult market (16+).

It would be interesting to create this digital set based on the mixed feeling of awe and fear how the little girl Lucy may have had towards this strange new environment. Without getting too ahead of myself, I believe it would be more professional and interesting if I presented this work with a title that goes through a wardrobe, perhaps with a few scenes showing the location of Mr Tumnus's house from the exterior. In my tutorial with Alan I was advised to concentrate on the interior of his house, so I shall do just this. If I get the time however, I plan to throw these additional pieces of visual information together to make a nice build to understanding the feel of location and story.

Here is an image of the half goat, half man (known more commonly as a Fawn) friendly character "Mr Tumnus".

Here is a brief video from the film adaptation to the book showing the entrance to Narnia and an introduction to the character "Mr Tumnus".




As you can see he lives in a cold, harsh environment. His fur and half goat depiction helps him to overcome this, therefore he adapts quite well to his surroundings. Therefore, his lifestyle is forced to be very organic to his surroundings, using what he can to survive and stay comfortable. This would mean the objects in his house would mostly be home made and from things close by to his home, or from lost items of people coming through the forest may have left behind. I believe I may use the music from the film adaptation itself for this project as it is already a piece that would be relevant to the character, therefore you would most likely expect to find it within a game, even if based on the book itself rather than the film.

One thing that this reminds me of is Yoda's hut in Star Wars (Episodes 5, 6 and we see the location in 3) as it was a home built totally based on what the environment had to offer.

• Here is the interior of Mr Tumnus's house in the film adaptation of Narnia.

• Here is the interior to Yoda's hut on Dagobah as seen in Star Wars Episodes 5 and 6.

 My tasks to complete for the next week are visual research, creating some concept art and trying to get into the world of Mr Tumnus so I can present it at my next tutorial session on Thursday.

Chris