The Story
This Project was an entry into a contest put on by the Rookies. The Rookies is a website and community that helps those rising in the industry to practice their skills and get their name out there through multiple means. One of these means is through monthly and annual contests, this entry being part of one of those monthly challenges.
The theme for this challenge was "After Dark," focusing on anything that has to do with night time and the feelings that it brings.
The Vision
I spent some time brainstorming what topic I could do for the After Dark theme, and at some point I came to a conclusion.
During that time, I had been interested in the retro-futuristic/neon style, and I thought this would make an excellent theme for After Dark.
Backstory
The year is 2108. The previous century was plagued with modernism to the brim. Simplistic and perfect visuals conquered the culture, and society was beginning to grow weary of this. Everything was bland, too bland. Many people began reminiscing of more exciting times, times that many had not experienced themselves. Due to this, retro media was relapsing everywhere in the culture -- a yearning for something interesting and imperfect. The style of the 1960s and 1970s was the most popular for the majority of the population, and slowly won over the favor of everyone... but now, in a new, refreshed way. Technology had evolved vastly since the 60s and 70s, which meant that the old, retro technology of the time would not be compatible with the new lifestyle of the century. This created a new intriguing combination of the two: modern futurism mixed with classic retroism. This particular scene takes place in the midst of this golden era, residing in a small fuel station called Sunflow, out between the country and the city.
Aesthetics & Emotions
I wanted this scene to provoke a feeling of intriguing nostalgia. Growing up, I remember taking long drives at night, stopping at gas stations along the way. To me, there's something inherently nostalgic about this. In the moment, a night time stop at the gas station seems trivial. Interestingly though, looking back and looking at images of gas stations at night, I can't help but feel a sensation inside me that makes me want to drive at night and relive that moment. I guess it's a call back to simpler times when I was a kid. However, I want to use this nostalgia and twist it a bit; breath a little intrigue into it. If executed correctly, I believe the retro-futuristic visual will sprinkle a little newness to this old emotion. I want it to feel familiar, but also foreign simultaneously; something you've experienced, but haven't at the same time. One of the primary tools I want to use is fog. I think adding a bit of fog and haze will help blend and blur the lines of these two opposing emotions together, forming a strong mix of comfort and excitement.
Visuals & Textures
My primary goal of the visuals is to execute the goal I mentioned above: combining the old and the new. The primary way I plan to do this is through the textures. I want there to be a mix of modernistic designs (the familiarity), while also adding the retro and futuristic elements to blend seamlessly (the unfamiliarity). Another way I want to execute this is through the scene's geometry. I tried to combine modern day architecture and automotive design with futuristic and/or retro aesthetics. I want you to relate to the person driving the hover car. If you were living in this retro-futuristic time, would you still feel the same emotions of nostalgia from thinking back on this gas station? I hope that by the final image, the answer will be yes. Finally, I want the whole visual to scream, "chill." While there might be some energetic shapes, I really want to lean into the layed-back, comfy night drive idea. That's really the whole inspiration for this. If I can't accomplish this, I don't think the image will be as strong as it could be or convey the right emotions I want to convey. The major way I plan to execute this is through the fog. Just as the fog will mix the familiarity with the unfamiliarity, it will also attempt to calm and soften the sharp edges that are typical with 1960s and 1970s designs. I believe this will be the glue that brings all these separate elements together
The Process
Concept
First, I used Photoshop to make a moodboard and several drawings of what I wanted the scene to look like.
Modeling
Using the Autodesk Maya and the reference material, I modeled the everything found in the scene, from the car, the gas station, the pumps, the city, and the landscape.
Texturing & Lighting
I then textured the scene in Adobe Substance Painter, along with making some of the gas station ads in Photoshop.
After finishing the texturing, I went back into Maya, applied the textures, and got to work on lighting.
Fog & Compositing
After finishing the lighting and texturing, I then added fog to give it some atmospherics.
I then rendered the final image, brought it into Photoshop, and finished out the image with some color processing, noise, and glow to hone in the the look I was going for.
The Result
(Flame for the building in the background came from Vecteezy.com)
While I was not one of the 5 winners, I was awarded with a finalist position (1 of 22 out of 117), which puts my entry somewhere in the top 19% of this competition.
Overall I was satisfied with the result, and enjoyed working on this project so much!
You can check out my entry on the Rookies website below!