3D Environment – Faerie Dungeon Idea Generation

Brief

In a group we were required to chose from one of the provided themes to make a scene and then using Unreal Engine create a cinematic sequence to convey the mood and story of the scene.

Below were the themes which were provided:

When I first started planning the idea generation and picking the theme originally my group only consisted of Jack Williamson and Charley Flint. However once the idea was finalised and the pre-production stage began two more people were added, this being Lauren Maxwell and Mary McCulloch.

Idea Generation

For my group we wouldn’t decide between the Fairy House and the Dungeon.

Both themes had a lot of potential however both themes were too appealing. This is when I proposed the idea that we could combine the theme, creating a scene which used both themes. This is how I came up with the idea to create a tree house where the top level was a fairy house and the bottom was a dungeon.

I based this idea off of the Irish myth of Faeries. These type of mythical creatures are similar to fairies as they are both pixie-like, small, magical creatures. However, unlike fairies, faeries are mischievous, evil and known for causing trouble. I thought that this could be a cool and unique was to interrupt the themes. Both fairy and faerie are pronounced the same but are the polar opposite when it comes to deposition, so instead of a fairy house it is now a faerie house.

This allowed for the storytelling element of having the top of the house being quite light, magical and welcoming, luring the viewer into thinking they are in a fairy house but by having the sudden mood shift to the dungeon in the basement it allows for a good storytelling arc.

Final Concept

After some explanation my group decided to use my idea and we began doing some research, collecting references (using Pinterest), creating mood boards and colour palettes. This aspect of the pre-production was mostly my job. I created a Pinterest board and collected some references and then using Adobe Colour Wheel created some corresponding colour palettes.

Below are some mood and reference boards collected using Pinterest:

I wanted the top level to have a lot of blues, purples and pinks to convey the magical theme. I also decided that the wood of the treehouse should be a dark wood such as walnut to help provide contrast. The dungeon then focused on a darker colour palette, using greens, browns and blacks. This helps create stark contrast between the two rooms.

Below are some of the colour palettes I created using Adobe Colour Wheel:

For the art style of the scene we decided to use a simplistic art style. We decided to draw inspriation of art styles such as Animal Crossing and The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening. We thought that this art style would lend itself well to the themes and also help provide more suprise when it came to the twist in theme.

Below is a reference board:

Once we had decided on the theme and planned out the final idea we moved on to the pre-production aspect of the porject.