Building Production Progress

Victorian Building 001

Victorian Building 001 (Iteration 001)

Victorian Building 001 (Iteration 002)

Victorian Building 001 (Iteration 003)

Victorian Building 001 (Iteration 004)

Victorian Building 001 (Iteration 005)

Victorian Building 001 (Iteration 006)

Victorian Building 001 (Color Wash-up 001)

Victorian Building 002

Victorian Building 002 (Iteration 001)

Victorian Building 002 (Iteration 002)

Victorian Building 002 (Iteration 003)

Victorian Building 002 (Iteration 004)

Victorian Building 003 (Iteration 001)

Victorian Building 003 (Iteration 002)

Victorian Building 003 (Color Wash-up 001)

Victorian Building 003 (Color Wash-up with Wire-frame 001)

Victorian Building 004 (Iteration 001)

Victorian Building 005 (Iteration 001)

Victorian Building 005 (Iteration 002)

Victorian Building 005 (Iteration 003)

Victorian Building 005 (Color Wash-up 001)

Victorian Building 005 with Wireframe (Color Wash-up 001)

Victorian Building 006 (Iteration 001)

Victorian Building 007 (Iteration 001)

Victorian Building 007 (Iteration 002)

Street View_September (Iteration 001)

Victorian Building 006 (Color Wash-up 001)

Victorian Building 006 with Wireframe (Color Wash-up 001)

Victorian Building 008 (Iteration 001)

Victorian Building 008 (Iteration 002)

Victorian Building 008 (Iteration 003)

Street View_September (Iteration 001)

Street View_September (Iteration 002)

Street View_September (Iteration 003)

Street View_September (Iteration 004)

Street View_September (Iteration 006)

Victorian Building 009 (Iteration 001)

Victorian Building 009 (Iteration 002)

Street View_September (Iteration 007)

Street View_September (Iteration 008)

Street View_September (Iteration 009)

Street View_September (Iteration 010)

Major Project Pre-Production/ Production Pipeline

Top view Street Planning 001

Perspective view Street Planning 001

Alleyway Camera View 001

Side view Street Planning 001

Side view Size Comparison

Various Color Palette's v001

Various Color Palette's v002

Original Illustration and Color Palette v001

Street Planning

Street and Architecture Planning

Assets Required

Housing Complex

Market place

House for one person

Positive outdoor space

Connected Buildings

South Facing Outdoors

Government Amenities

Cobbled streets

Elaborate

Housing Complex 

• Houses will metaphorically represent the town’s children or the people.
• Houses will have south facing outdoor backyards (not to be seen, gives sense of orientation)
• Some houses will be connected, depending on the shot.
• The houses will have at least 1-2 stories could be more if required.
• The houses will include dormers and bay windows.
• The houses will be warped to such a degree they almost seem uprooted due to the magnitude of the piper’s tune.
• The town is of a lower middle class/working class background.
• The aftermath is such that, most of the houses are weathered, window reinforcements are in place indicating the town’s people are afraid of another event.
• Colors and shapes of the building represent the nature of the children (Fat, Slim, Large, Small, Witty, Handicapped, Fiery, Cheerful)
• Roofing of the houses could speak about the different faces worn by the children
• Dormers will have dented railing and rusted railings.
• Middle class people also reside in this district. 

Market Place

• Every town needs a Market place from basic amenities, to everyday goods and services.
• A butcher shop or fish market similar to the shambles.
• A dairy or grocery store, with milk bottles outside.
• Clothes store if necessary (may or may not be required)
• Liquor Store
• Religious Building
• Lock Smith, Cobbler
• Guard post/Post office
• A market Square – Thursday Market (People buy their meat, poultry, eggs and other provisions and utensils.

Positive Outdoor Space

• Fork division from the main street district.

Connected Buildings

• Houses will be connected to save space.
• Houses connected across will serve as archways between two buildings and add to the urban environment.
• During the Victorian era, working class folks lived in really tight quarters, buildings were slim and hygiene was poor.
• The town has a huge underground system that runs through the entire city. Large drainage systems on buildings if possible but most notable on streets. Could serve as dungeons where rats could possibly abide.
• The short-cuts that people took to and from the market square or main district became alleyways and streets.

 South Facing Outdoors

• The backyard of building’s will not be seen, just serves as sense of direction.
• Compass on rooftops, direction signboards on houses.

Government Amenities

• Water Hydrant, fire hydrant on the pavement.
• A Guard Post or a post office.
• Navigation posts and street signs
• Power – Electricity lines
• Government Water pipeline
• Drug Store or a Clinic (The Indian Doctor)
• Town is based on a certain occupational job (Mining, Textiles, Dairy)

Cobbled Street

• Creating Flags, Kerb, Setts, Cobbles.
• Cobbled street will have puddles of rain water, indicating a wet/rainy climate. (Cobbled streets of York)
• Irregular cobbled streets or irregular tiling system, randomness in pattern work.
• The cobbled street will be similar to the Victorian and Edwardian styled streets and pavements.

Detailed Description

Types of Housing Complex

Family House or Buildings:

• Not more than 3 story high, 3rd floor would end up being the attic or storage space.
• The width of the homes would be not more than 700sq. feet (total living area) for the poorer homes.
• 1600sq. feet for the richer peasants and higher authority.
• Houses will be shared with flags to serve as a path for foot walkers, the main road will be laid out with cobbles.
• The houses may or may not have a backyard, interconnected houses of the working class people will have a common area for laundry.
• All houses will don a chimney and a weather vane. 
• Electrical wires will run through the district is this messy cramped environment.
• Further detailed description of house, government buildings and street measurements will be provided later on.
• Religion is key and will be supported by either a church, shrine or a chapel.
• Protruding shapes will sprout out of certain buildings like meat shops and houses that have been renovated (cause of poor houses planning).
• The street showcased will not have more than 15 architectural structures at most (Working within my limit and shot constraints).
• A few houses will have railings be it on windows, entrance to doors etc.
• Colors and shapes on houses will vary depending on the magnitude of the piper mystical force. Characteristics of houses are metaphorical identities directly on in-directly related to the town’s children or the families residing there. The more warped or skewed a particular structure is, the more that family or person has committed a false act directly related to the crime or in this instant refusal to pay the Piper.
• My initial thought was of creating one house which has been totally unscathed by the pipers tune, thereby creating a contrast to this otherwise gloomy environment. Reading certain renditions of The Pied Piper of Hamelin, it does say the piper lived in Hamelin for a short duration and did fall in love with a person. The person was murdered by the cruel act of the peasants thereby causing the piper to go on a rampage.
• The houses could also be affected by a certain epidemic like a plague or small pox causing mass casualties and thereby creating a ghost town affected by nature and deformed and deteriorated over time.
• The houses will be mostly constructed of bricks and slates will be used for roofing. 
• Two most basic categories of brick are fired and non-fired brick. Fired brick are one of the longest lasting and strongest building materials sometimes referred to as artificial stone and have been used since circa 5000 BC. Air dried bricks have a history older than fired bricks, are known by the synonyms mud brick and adobe, and have an additional ingredient of a mechanical binder such as straw.
• Most Buildings will be based on Italianate style constructions with bay windows.
• Panel Molding
• Then followed by Brackets (Gingerbread Brackets/Scroll-work/Eave Brackets)
• The upper windows will include a window hood
• Then a window shield
• Segmented Windows, depicting a certain style or will probably stick to traditional old French windows. Double hung window with two panes in each sash could also be an option (Italianate Architecture). Windows with forced re-enforcement's will be in place to depict fear from the aftermath 
• Quoins will be around corners of the buildings
• The top end of the building will be outlined with the main cornice, then followed by the Upper Cornice
• The upper part of the lower floor will start off with a belt cornice
• Instead of the portico balustrade (Balconies during the Victorian & Edwardian era) I will be using metal railed balconies similar to ones is Europe (Barcelona, Porto, Stockholm etc.)
• Most windows will have a columned portico as a base, like most olden buildings.
• Columns may or may not be constructed.
• If columns are constructed, they will include a capital structure of sorts.
• Some houses will have a short stairway or a few steps leading to the entrance or doorway
• Some houses will have gabled wall dormers and Parapet gable
• Lintels will be constructed on small or short length windows or intrusions on walls
• Entrance doors will include a stoop or steps
• Areaway or gutter system will serve as sewage system
• Buildings will have a base water table extrusion
• Chimney’s or Clustered flues will be constructed at the top from which chimney pots arise
• Door’s will have a rectangular transom at the very top of the structure – to be used as ventilation to circulate air from the upper story and get cooler air in, also serves as an extra source of light intake into the house. Nowadays used mostly as ornamental décor
• The roof will be of Mansard style architecture with fish scale shingles as roof décor type. Ceramic slates will also be used on certain houses.
• Some building roofs will have roof cresting in form of metal railings that have been damaged by the piper’s tune or power.
• Quoins will be irregular in placement to help give an organic look to the structure and also add imperfection
• Poster’s will be hung on walls to add character to the houses
• Moss growing between bricks also show indication of time gone by since the aftermath
• Pediments will be constructed on top of dormer windows as décor
• Gutter or Pipelines will surface just after the roof just above the main cornice to help during rains
• Some houses will have turret’s sprouting out 

The general structures of the buildings or houses being built will have a certain organic look to them, will be an artistic style that is reminiscent to Tim Burton’s animation or Laika studio’s films.

• The organic style to the buildings will tell a story of the aftermath that occurred due the event and its consequences over a time period. No mention of how long or when the event took place but erosion and general deterioration of structures should more or less give a time period. Window panes will be broken in certain buildings showing wane.
• Strings will be tied across a few houses where laundry will be hung.
• Flower pots hanging from the walls on every house or building unit. Flower pots will also appear on the portico.
• Stains on walls dues to leaks, or cracks on walls will be clearly visible on most of the buildings.
• The organic nature of buildings speak a lot about the characteristics of the town’s people.
• Most of the buildings are really crammed up together but the richer folks enjoy much freedom (Similar to towns in wales) (Reference the Indian doctor TV series)
• Some buildings will include a makeshift bar or drinking area for the working class people.
• Lanterns or street lights may or may not be on buildings depending on government amenities if they would be attached to electric poles. The wealthier houses will have individual lanterns.

Market Place/Market Square/Main District Center

Definition - Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city. A town may be correctly described as a "market town" or as having "market rights", even if it no longer holds a market, provided the legal right to do so still exists. (WIKIPEDIA)

• Will hold a Market cross or anything resembling a religious act, Markets back in the day served as place of sharing after worship. The cross was also a reminder "not to defraud by cheapening" (Usually after Sunday service)
• Will be situated in the main district. The scene I am constructed will solely be based on the main street where the market district or square can be seen at a distance. Market districts will have to be wide in order to accommodate transportation and installation of stalls.
• Will include small shops and stalls (may not include) within buildings or beside buildings.
• Will be a place where the purchase and sale of the provisions, livestock and other goods and services are possible.
• There will be a locksmith available. Even before the event took place robbery was on high alert and protection of cash and portable property of valuable kind were of top priority. Reference will be taken from the Black Country of the 19th century (Wolverhampton) 
• Livestock such as meat, fish or general poultry will be seen rotting on the street. Remember this is a ghost town with nothing but buildings and the idea is metaphorical description of the identity of the aftermath that took place maybe several years after the event.
• Cobbler/Cordwainer stalls or shop will be seen, now I do not want to mention the era, but on reading my description so far you seen I have a preference for a Victorian/Edwardian/Medieval style of construction. I would have liked to go for a more steam-punk look, but would like to stick to a more original style at the same time incorporating my own touch to it. Store similar to the Original boot and shoe during the Victorian and Edwardian era.
• Liquor Store - The people of the town enjoyed to drink, and as water was often unclean, it was a necessity. The poor drank ale, mead or cider and the rich were able to drink many different types of wines. 
• Beer is not only one of the oldest fermenting beverages used by man, but it is also the one which was most in vogue in the Middle Ages.
• Wine was consumed by the rich folks and rich peasants.
• Hair Dresser/Hair saloon will probably be available. Fancy repository stores alike maybe just one will be available.
• A bakery and confectioner were in place, cakes and desserts and the chocolate industry was huge. Hot dinner and soups, pork chops, sausages & steaks. Tea & coffee was also available.
• Provision merchants who sell poultry, cheese, butter shops will be seen. Food will be rotting away and glass panes from these shops will probably be broken or shattered. Meat will be hung up on hooks with flies devouring it.
• An Iron Monger or a Hardware store that has all the other goods will be constructed.
• Availability of buckets, spades for gardening purposes, Fertilizers, utensils for cooking, basic kitchenware, Lights, glasses, hay baskets, ropes. Everything of basic necessity will be seen. Every town how little or small kit is requires one common general store. This is a tiny town we are talking about, not more than 300 people or so including children. 
• Everyone walked on foot, vehicles were uncommon so market districts were not too far away from homes.
• There will also be a Garment store included similar to a Hosier & Draper store where all the clothes wear, and other garment related product can be bought or traded. 
• The town of Hamelin loved fishing and fishermen were in abundance, hence opening a naturalist & fishing tackle maker was a must. Every port back in the day always had a store similar to this to help with food consumption.
• A jewelry store is still open for discussion but since there were people of middle or slightly upper class status having one store would make practical sense. Not one too flashy but probably the most valuable store, in the market district. That being said the store is in absolute annihilation. The most affected in the Aftermath.
• A bookshop would also make sense, but maybe since there was no reference of the town’s children going to school, the book store may be surplus to requirements. I have to keep things simple here, less is more. But leaving things out are difficult to do.

Government Amenities


Water hydrants on the street will add a good touch to the city. It is a prime essential in cities dating back a long time ago. Damaged water hydrants will also be seen, with almost no water sprouting out.

Major Project Journal Entry

21ST JULY 2014 RESEARCH & PROPOSAL

• Reading “The timeless way of Building” by Christopher Alexander, started to understand how the timeless way was born. 
• The Quality, The Gate, The Way, The Kernel of the way.
• I will probably look at how shapes work with one another and will also define the magnitude of the pipers power (Tune of the Piper).
• Worked a bit on my major project proposal, but still lacking genuine content. My goals and title background seem to overlap a lot, I have probably hit a road block. 
• I have read what Eddie has written on my project concept and it’s very interesting. It will definitely help me address my main problem, i.e. the core concept. It gave me an insight on where to actually begin.

22ND JULY 2014 RESEARCH & PROPOSAL

• Read about half the book on timeless way of building. It’s a really good book on how to create a town or a city that is based on patterns. Stopped at chapter 12, the creative power of language.
• Wrote and submitted the first proposal draft, still have to add a lot more to the proposal, before it gets approved.

23RD JULY 2014 RESEARCH & PROPOSAL

• Continued reading the book – and studied about contextual ideas, conflicting forces and configuration. Studied more about pattern languages.

24TH JULY 2014 RESEARCH 

• Studied various topics on “The Way” of architectural constructions of town’s and cottages. Learnt about differentiating spaces, how patterns are laid one step at a time and how sequences are formed. Also learnt about how a certain language is used to build a cottage for instance.

25TH JULY 2014 RESEARCH 

• Will try and complete the gist of the book by today, and create a time schedule for my major pre-production process. Time is short and I will have to put in extra effort to aim for an achievable pre-production goal.

26TH JULY 2014 RESEARCH 

• Finally finished reading the book (sub topics and general summary only). Have a picked up a few pointers on how to build timelessly with quality without a name. The process of pattern work building, the process of construction, the process of repair and finally its ageless character.

28TH JULY 2014 PROPOSAL

• Added more information to my methodology and further refined the proposal.

29TH JULY 2014 PROPOSAL

• Took a break from this project and currently working on a lighting challenge (Bart Train).

Reflective Statement

Reflective Statement

I had started my project with an extensive research on Fantasy Art, Literature and Films and made a mind map to reflect my idea on what I really wanted to achieve. The Fantastic genre is a daunting task on its own, but a fairly interesting one too. I divided my mind map into three different segments. Art, Literature and Films and started off from there. Fantastic Literature helped me a lot in basing my idea and finally narrowing down to something that really interested me. From George MacDonald to J. R. R. Tolkien to G. R. R. Martin to finally C. S. Lewis. Hans Christian Anderson, one of my favourite authors and all-time favourite children’s book novelist helped frame my idea even more. Juvenile Literature interested me a fair bit and most of them have been adult contemporized. My favourite’s  Alice in Wonderland, The Little Mermaid, The Emperor’s New Groove, Sleeping Beauty and so on and so fourth . Most of them are brilliantly structured when an essence of eerie nature weaved in. Illustrations were plenty during this time of literature.

Comic books and Fantasy Magazines also came into existence in the early 1930’s where fantasy had more of an influence on the general public, people wanted to see something different, be it a magic show, or  a huge Gorilla on the Empire State Building. Whatever the case people started to buy into Fantastic ideas. Fantasy Art is a pivotal part of our colourful history, the varied spectrum it added to this already wide history was astronomical. This is when Tolkien’s literature started gaining popularity. Smart Editing in films were seen more, Stop motion, which was one of the oldest forms of storytelling, were used more and more prominently.

Fantasy Films like King Kong, Jurassic Park, Terminator and The Wizard of Oz paved the path to the future of Fantasy Art.  

The Pied Piper of Hamelin

I set foot researching on Fantastic artists, Fantastic literature and Fantastic films and built a mind map to deeply understand my subject. I did a brief study on Folkloric tales and Authors. I leaned towards juvenile literature which till today interests me. Hans Christian Anderson and C. S. Lewis have always been my childhood inspirations. The eerie nature of their tales were always asking to be created visually. However the Legend of “The Pied Piper of Hamelin” is my pick. I always wanted to do something with the story or the visuals.

The concept I wanted to stick to was more towards Juvenile Literature. I was always impressed by the Legend of the Pied Piper of Hamelin. It was the year 1284 when a strange and wondrous figure arrived in Hameln. He was attired in a coat of many colours and was taken to be a rat catcher, as he promised to free the town of a plague of rats and mice for a fixed sum of money.

The citizens pledged to pay him his fee, so the visitor produced a pipe and began to play. Soon all the rats and mice came running out of the houses and gathered around the Pied Piper in a teeming mass. Once convinced that each and every one followed, he went out of the town straight into the River Weser where the vermin plunged after him and drowned.

The townspeople, however, now freed of the plague, regretted their promise and refused to pay the Piper, who left Hameln in a bitter mood.

On the 26th of June in that year he returned, this time dressed as a huntsman, wearing a grim countenance and a wondrous red hat. While the townsfolk were assembled in the church, he again sounded his pipe in the streets.

But it was not rats and mice who came out this time, but children! A great many boys and girls older than four came running and were led through the Ostertor gate into the very heart of a hill where they all disappeared. Only two children returned because they could not keep up: one was blind and could not show where the others had gone, the other dumb and not able to tell the secret. A last little boy had come back to fetch his coat and so escaped the calamity. Some tell that the children were led into a great cavern and reappeared in Transylvania. A total of 130 children were lost.

I still have to revamp my concept so I have a stronger structure to base my Environment around. The Project I wanted to do is an Art Piece on what Fantastic Art is really about, is it the Mood, The Story or just all combined creating a rather unique image that would support my research and Idea. 3D is just a mere medium and without a solid structure can fail really badly. The art Style I wanted to go for was more to do with the psychology of why then “Oh!! That looks great”. Warped architecture is real, believe it or not. There are reasons why the buildings or house are shaped in a particular way or style be it the Shambles of York or the Alley’s in Stockholm, Sweden. Everything great has a meticulous amount of research and effort put in to achieve a particular goal or result. No good work comes without a fair amount research.

Likewise, I will try to depict a scenario where everything fits, revolves around the ghostly legend of the Piper and has a fantastic theme to it. It sure is hard, but all good work is hard, and if done well results are always promising.

Problems

The problems I did face was while creating the proxy for the building, on how warped I wanted the architecture to be. Would I go all gun’s blazing or subtlety would play its part, it a hard decision but I did stick to something more exaggerated and more akin to my usual style. Problems?

There are so many, mostly technical, from learning a new render engine in Vray, to New material’s in Maya, to preferred style and most important of all TIME.

Considering all the problems faced, I was able to achieve what I initial planned and get more or less what I wanted, you can keep trying to better things but there is a time when you have to say, Enough and move on.

Learning Outcomes

This is probably my best project I have worked on till date, studying the Victorian Era, from Victorian architecture to the Food, the way the middle class and the working class people survived, to famous alleyways in different countries in Europe and various other continents. My research Blog has an in-depth research on Alleyways and the Victorian Architecture. I got to learn the V-Ray render engine, and good gracious it’s a wonderful render engines, miles ahead of the dated but still impressive Mental Ray, mind you this is not slating Mental ray in any shape or form just asking for it to be updated.

Just in general a lot of this I did learn from this project, all invaluable information I wouldn’t learn otherwise. Eddie helped me a lot in directing what path I have to take regarding this project and hope to borrow his brain for further idea down the road, such a great research lecturer he and I can’t thank him enough.

What would I do differently?

Not much really, just maybe Time Management, which is probably my best till date, so can’t be too harsh on myself. The concept probably, which will haunt me for the next month or so, hopefully I nail that out and get going with the project. Otherwise I wouldn’t change too much , I set foot with a certain plan and got more or less what I expected, more is always better but I can’t really complain to be honest. Special thanks should go to Arien, Eddie, Chevy Saumitra, Sagar, Richard and Maxim in inspiring me with this project.

Blogpost: http://thepipersalley.blogspot.co.nz/2014/06/production-pipeline.html

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Clint Rodrigues