Personal horror interpretation - creating a scene

To get the ball rolling on gaining a proper understanding of the unique characteristics of Japanese horror, I decided to create my own 3D interpretation of a horror environment and then progress. Below I have outlined the design process, followed by a formal analysis, elements of this piece that I was unhappy with/require alteration and finally a reflection of any personal developments I accomplished during this piece.

Design Process

I started by creating a simple cube and stretched the length of it to give the shape more depth. I then  used a square and aligned it above the original mesh, raised the middle and extruded the sides to create the roof.

Next, I connected both shapes together by pulling the polygons from the lower mesh up and merging them with the roof. Extruding some faces on the front of lower mesh, I created a door, thus, projecting the basic shape and form of a shed.

After that I began to texture the object, using an aged wooden texture for the exterior of the shed, a black asphalt texture for the rood and an edited door texture, cropped down to fit the scale of my model. I used bump maps for my textures to ensure shed had some depth and projected as much realism as possible.

Using some custom brushes I had acquired for online resources, I spent some time manipulating and costuming my own blood spatter patterns for the front door of the shed. I did not want to over do it so I kept the patterns simple and low in terms of quantity.

To create the surrounding forest atmosphere, I experimented with the landscaping tool to give the impression of shape and realism. I also tried using the paint tool for the first time to project some forest life, however, the default trees were too low in detail, almost cartoon-like in nature and did not fit with the desired aesthetic of my scene.

I scaled up the size of the surrounding atmosphere and continued to practice with the landscaping tool in order project as much realism as possible.

Continuing to experiment with the paint tool, I found the desired brush I wanted to use for the trees. The problem was that the tress were all on the same level and the environment had raised levels, resulting in the trees going through the landscape. Therefore, I decided to flatten the mesh and then place the forest around the shed. To create the impression that this shed is not completely in the middle of nowhere, I added a path to suggest that whomever owns this shed had to have come from somewhere.

To add a sense of mystery to the scene, I added a fluid effect to project environmental fog. I wanted to focus on still imagery rather than an creating an animated environment, therefore, I decided to remove the animated effects of the fog.

Finishing the piece, I added a sphere and applied a seamless night sky texture, followed by necessary directional lights to add some low brightness surrounding the shed and finally, a large spotlight to project the light coming from the moon.

Formal analysis

Description:

The art form is three dimensional and is very large in scale. The relationship between the surrounding environment and the shed are appropriate and realistic. The shapes in this environment are mainly rectangular or square in nature, focusing mainly on the trees and the shed.

The lines in this scene are primarily vertical when focusing on the height of the trees and the shed, however, despite the fact that the shed is facing straight forward, the angle in which this image is set creates diagonal lines. The direction of the pine tree foliage and the shed roof also creates diagonal lines.

The colours in this scene consist of dark shades of grey for the wood textures on the shed, green for the foliage of the trees, brown for the bark on the trees and red for the blood on the shed door, followed by light tones of green to highlight the grass, grey to depict the fog and brown for the patches of dirt and mud on the pathway. Black is used for the night sky and white is used for the light projected by the moon. This horror scene was created for educational purposes on February 2013.

Analysis:

Feelings of anger and hatred are evoked through the red of the blood on the shed door because red is an emotive and provocative colour, inspiring the most sensitive and passionate of human emotions such as love, compassion and excitement. Red also represents violence and gore, two ingredients commonly used in the genre of horror in film. A very shadowy atmosphere is displayed because there is only one light that is set to project shadows, whereas all other lights in this scene are of a lower intensity and do not project any shadows.

The green of the tree foliage and grass contrasts with the atmosphere projected by the red on the door of the shed because green evokes feelings of relaxation, calmness and tranquillity. Green also represents health, contrasting with the representation of gore and violence projected by the red on the front of the shed. Neutral feelings are evoked in this scene via the light shaded grey of the fog, however, feelings and thoughts of uncertainty are also conveyed in this scene because it does not evoke any specific range of feelings or thoughts, making the observer uncertain of what to to feel or think. A dynamic rhythm is present in this scene because there is no fixed spacing or patterns between the colours, lines and shapes.

Interpretation:

Like my previous work (the collage) I wanted to apply meaning to my works. An isolated atmosphere is projected in this scene because there is a singular building/structure surrounded by a deep and darkened forest, begging one to ask such things as where is this, are there any locations nearby and has anyone ever stumbled across this shed in the forest?

Themes of darkness is projected form the simulated moonlight which also reinforces the isolated atmosphere because there are no other means of light if one was to escape from this location and there are no signs of light from any nearby locations, therefore, making one understand that yelling for help would be pointless in this scenario.

A sense of mystery is also projected within this atmosphere because the blood is smeared on the door only, making it is unclear who's blood this is, where it came from and makes one consider if there are dead bodies in this shed, how many people have been brought to this location and more importantly, who made this shed and whom does it belong to? 

Themes of despair are emitted within this scene because one is trying to create the impression that this location is isolated, means of escape/survival appear to be futile and hopeless, making one think there is no hope, no escape.

Judgement:

The criteria that are most relevant towards making a judgement about this scene are scale, lighting, setting and composition. In terms of scale, the shed in this scene is complimented by the size of the forest surrounding it, projecting an isolated atmosphere successfully. In terms of lighting, the projected moonlight creates an effective depiction of darkness and shadowy environment which in turn, helps aid in projecting an isolated atmosphere.

The setting choice does help promote feelings of isolation as well as despair because there is nothing in sight beyond the shed other than more rows of trees and dark forest life. A dynamic rhythm is clear within the composition of this scene because the shapes, colours and lines have no fixed spacing or patterns. In conclusion, I think this is one of my best 3D pieces to date, however, there were certain aesthetic elements I did have problems with and thus, resulted in being displayed incorrectly or ineffectively.

Elements of this piece I am unhappy/require alteration:

• Grass - the grass would remain visible and impervious to any projected shadows, removing a large degree of realism from this scene
• Reference - I created this scene purely from my own imagination and had no references/influences to relate/compare to. This resulted in horror being poorly depicted and thus, detracted from the overall aim of this piece.

Personal development (knowledge/skill gaps):

• Landscaping (Maya)
• Fur tool (Maya)
• Outdoor environment modelling (Maya)
• Paint tool (Maya)
• Moonlight projection (Maya)

Next steps:

• Identify faults and improve
• Apply unique Japanese characteristics
• Develop more portfolio work
• Produce digital concept work based on this environment