World Building Week 6: Plane Crash New York

This week we have 2 weeks and a more specific brief so i'm going to try and get stuck in from the start and end up with something much better than the previous weeks. 

I would like to produce something that is more concept art / game related, something like a level design that could be used for multiple purposes such as layout, to generate game play ideas and asset reference. An example of this would be the 3 images to the right of my reference sheet which were done by a student at FZD. Then perhaps i could also have a painted presentation shot from a a closer viewpoint to show how the level may look from the players perspective and to give a sense of the atmosphere.

Currently i think i may use the Grand Central Station as my location in New York for my plane crash. As this allows for more variety, using the trains and other large and small objects as platforms to allow the player to navigate the level and to utilize the interior and exterior of the building. The type of level i'm aiming for is one that would be found in a game such as Uncharted, a 3rd person action adventure platformer.

Here is the reference sheet so far:

HOWEVER we've been given the written brief today and it says that the plane crash site must be located at the Lower East Side Area of New York meaning that cannot base my concept around Grand Central Station.

I have been researching into the lower east side of new york and what interesting buildings are located here. I know that i would like to explore both the interior and exterior in order to create a level design that could be taken and modeled to be used in a 3rd person adventure game. So far i have found 2 buildings that interest me.

• The Abrons Art Center: This building contains a playhouse which could serve as an interesting interior for the plane crash, using debris for the player to navigate from the lower to upper levels of the room and to get out onto the roof and transition to the exterior. The old ornate building would also contrast nicely with the modern plane giving me a larger range of materials to play with.
• The Seward Park Branch of the New York Public Library: The library building is 3 stories high which allows this interior to also have multiple levels for the player to traverse to the roof. The multiple book cases and desks would create useful platforms. Again it is an older building with lots of natural materials which would contrast well with the plane - especially the warmer tones of the woods with the stark metal of the plane. According to descriptions the library was built with a rooftop reading area that could make for an interesting transition from interior to exterior.

So far i have found it tough to find images of the buildings interiors and exteriors - which is odd. This means i'll have to take a lot of artistic liberties but try to keep it recognisable to the real-world location as much as possible.

For now i will be using the Seward Park Library as my location. Here is my new reference which now has all the references of the library i could find as well as real 747 crashes, fires and other references to help me out.

The scenario that i need to create is:

An aircraft (Boeing 747, American Airlines) has crash landed in New York, (Lower East Side area). The plane has come to rest smashed into a building. The fuselage is broken but largely intact. Parts of the aircraft have broken off and rubble and wreckage is strewn around with some smoke and fire. Our hero character (white male, 30, dark hair, T shirt, jeans) was onboard but has miraculously survived the crash and is standing stunned before the wreckage (to give the scene scale, drama and a focal point for the viewer). The director isn’t sure which time of day will work best for this scene and wants you to produce alternatives for him to consider.

The first week will be spent researching (and doing studies of planes) and determining the layout of the level by experimenting with how the planes impact would have effected the building and the objects in side. Then i shall spend the 2nd week creating the 'beauty shot' in various lighting conditions.

The final presentation images must also be in a cinematic ratio.

Here are some pen / pencil studies of the different elements that i will need to include in my scene such as the Boeing 747, rubble, books, and other debris.

Here is a pencil sketch for a rough idea for the first floor layout, i didn't have my references at hand so i'll have to redraw it for the final - but i'm pleased with the overall look and feel of the sketch so shall try to base the final from this.

I was hoping to have completed designs for all 3 floors before Thursdays session however due to my late start (having to ditch my original location) and poor time management I've only managed to complete the bottom floor.

I should be able to get the last 2 completed before the end of the weekend so that i can get started with my presentation shot(s) on Monday, as i would like to spend as much time as possible on them to create more detailed concepts than I've been producing lately.

Some comp sketches whilst on the train home for the weekend.

Taking one of the comps quickly into photoshop to see how it would work in values.

I liked how the comp was working so decided to take it further, here is the base sketch and some work on the day scene for now, in black and white.

And colour test.

Finished day and finished night below. As there is a lot of detail needed to make up this scene i decided to be loose with it and imply the details, which has resulted in quite a successful mood concept when zoomed out. But it would need to be tightened up a lot to be used on a larger scale.