Research on the Mine (History)

Since the beginning of civilization, people have used stone, ceramics and, later metals found on or close to the Earth's surface (crust). These were the earliest methods of mining. The Egyptians,Greeks and Romans all used methods of mining. Through the medieval era to the Renaissance and the Industrial Revolution mining techniques were improving and mining enterprises were expanding. North and South America also has had a long history of mining, from the Aztecs and Incas right through to the Spanish Conquest in the early 1500s to the colonization of the Americas during the early 19th century. The materials found were initially used to manufacture early tools and weapons. Now we not only mine for minerals such as metals, stone and precious gems, we also mine for fossil fuels to be refined and used as energy to run electricity and vehicles etc.

Definition of Mine

Mine: a pit or excavation in the earth from which mineral substances are extracted.

Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, usually from an ore body, vein or seam. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock salt and potash. Any material that cannot be grown through agricultural processes, or created artificially in a laboratory or factory, is usually mined.

Mining of stone and metal has been done since prehistoric times. Modern mining processes involve prospecting for ore bodies, analysis of the profit potential of a proposed mine, extraction of the desired materials and finally reclamation of the land to prepare it for other uses once the mine is closed. The nature of mining processes creates a potential negative impact on the environment both during the mining operations and for years after the mine is closed. This impact has led to most of the world's nations adopting regulations to moderate the negative effects of mining. Safety has long been a concern as well, though modern practices have improved safety in mines significantly.

Refinement: Mine

I have spoken to our team mates and they agree that the idea should be refined to a smaller scale.

I suggested that we focus on the mine idea. This is because in my opinion it has far more scope for interesting designs. Furthermore we can keep our designs believable whilst still maintaining an atmospheric and industrial feel. In my opinion the mine should be based on real existing mines, and we must make sure to use photographs for reference. Films and concept designs must be used only to add to an existing realistic mining instillation. This way our creative imagination and designs will be controlled to a certain extent so as to acquire the balance between futuristic and the realistic. This will hopefully render our project believable and demonstrate that we can produce something from our imagination that is based heavily on existing designs.

Further Research & Sketches

I have looked at various films for inspiration in terms of design and time period within a science fiction universe. Such films include Batman (1989) Dune (1984) Judge Dredd (1995) Blade Runner (1982) Alien (1979) Aliens (1986) District 9 (2009).

Batman

I chose this film above because of its dark steam ridden streets. The architecture also appears to be somewhat futuristic yet believable in terms of design.

Dune

I chose this film above as this film has a mining theme on a desert planet. The vehicle and architecture designs are futuristic and interesting with a steampunk slant.

Judge Dredd

I chose this film above for research for the same reason I chose Batman, for its industrial grimy steam enveloped streets. In terms of futuristic technology and design its very useful for what I wish to portray in my own work whether it be in 2D conceptual art and 3D modeling.

Blade Runner

This is another film which will be very useful for creating my own futuristic architecture and technology design. I love the street scenes in this film as they are untidy, dark and busy. The neon lights that advertise shops in the windows could be a nice idea when applying it to my own idea.

Alien

This film we be useful for research as I can use Nostromo's interior technology and interiors for inspiration for the mine interior.

Aliens

The terraforming settlement in this film is sort of what I imagine the mining settlement in my mind would look like, but on a smaller scale.

District 9

This film will be useful as it has some detailed depictions of a slum which may come in handy when designing the mining settlement.

Chosen Theme & Tutor Feedback

Outline of Original Idea

The only reason I included images of mines and oil rigs in my research was because I overheard both Andy and my brother talking about a preliminary idea. The original idea was from Andy's imagination and he also came up with a brief backstory. There were three levels to the idea that formed a community. Firstly there are the higher beings known as gods who live on huge floating city platforms in the sky enveloped by cloud. They are referred to as gods because of their superior technology and the fact that they live in the sky. Secondly there are those who dwell in slum like settlements on the ground with inferior technology. Thirdly there is a mining network or geofront which the settlers use to mine valuable resources for trade and commerce. We each added to his vision and original concept suggesting new ideas. From then on their idea seemed to grow. The idea accumulated interest and enthusiasm within the group. The only concern I have is the this idea may be too ambitious and the fact that we need to design and build this entire world. The idea will have to be refined so that only one of the elements is explored.

Each of us presented our ideas to the group. My team has unanimously chosen the topic of the industrial mine. It was the theme that had the most interest and enthusiasm for within the group. The task now is to carry out more research into the mine itself and its history through time.We have to now decide what type of terrain will the mine be situated in. I suggested that we could either set it in a jagged rocky environment, a sandy desert or in an icy environment. There was also a discussion about whether the mine itself should be set on earth or on a different planet. It was agreed that the mine should not be uber futuristic with curved surfaces, but that we should stick to a believable near future. Styles that were suggested for inspiration were steampunk and cyberpunk. We suggested that for research we should watch films such as Judge Dredd, Blade Runner and Dune for inspiration. The tutor seemed very pleased with our chosen ideas and our overall theme. We were instructed by the tutor to look at various photographers and extra source material. He warned us however that we should stick to a believable near future paying particular attention to real life source material. He also stated that we should look at the inspiration material which was used to create films such as Blade Runner.

Research

The following images were found on the internet. These images will help in terms of research and inspiration in order to come up with some new interesting ideas. I attempted to cover all the environments that came to mind that may spark an idea within the group.

Slums

This may be an interesting idea to explore. Although a slum can be a depressing place, I find them fascinating in terms of there randomness and their cramped nature. We could build a 3D slum environment to explore its poor conditions and networks of narrow alleys and small rooms. I believe lighting and interesting textures would make this environment a particularly interesting one. Interesting Camera angles would also make this environment idea more dynamic. A fly-through however would probably be the best way to explore the entire environment. Although it would be difficult to incorporate a busy atmosphere within the slum without including some character animation.

Gallery

For this idea I was thinking of building an exquisite museum interior with various exhibits. A fly-through would be a good way to navigate through the interior environment. However static, tracking and panning shots would also make the environment more sophisticated.

Museum

I had a similar idea to the gallery idea but instead explore the interior of a vast museum. I'm not sure yet what sort of museum, however there are dozens of possibilities. A fly-through through a well built model of a museum may look rather interesting. It could be based on a real museum to show off our observation and modeling skills. It could almost be like a virtual 3D museum experience and the camera moves from one exhibit to the other.

Domestic

I had an idea for a more architectural based environment project. The house/ home could either be old or new. Using observational skills we could build a model of a building using existing designs or attempt to create an entirely new structure. This idea would need decent modeling skills as well as effective textures and realistic lighting. A fly-through could be used in order to navigate from room to room, depicting space and design. We could incorporate animation by using a time lapse from day to night or animate lights within the interior as well as doors etc.

Town

It may be a nice idea to build a small section of a small town. A fly-through would help to navigate through its buildings, over rooftops and through narrow alleys. This project would concentrate on modeling and texturing, however we could incorporate animation by again taking a time lapse approach or animation a few characters through the town environment. We could also animate shutters, doors and lights etc. Perhaps a town at night may be interesting. Lighting would be a good medium to introduce form to an otherwise dark environment.

City

For this idea I was thinking of building a section of a city environment. The city could be old or new or futuristic. A Fly-through may be nice to navigate through the model and demonstrate modeling and texturing techniques. Lighting would also help to improve the look of our structures. Animation could be incorporated by including vehicles, moving bridges, rotating buildings, moving sings & posters etc.

Ancient

This was an idea I had for exploring an existing ancient structure. I was thinking that perhaps a time lapse would be a good way to inform the viewer of the structure and its form. Dust layers may be a good way to enhance the environment and incorporate some animation.

Planets

This is a crazy idea I had. I was thinking that we could explore the environment of space. Animation could be incorporated by including asteroids, shuttles, satellites and spinning planets. The spherical planets may be tricky to texture however.

Alien

Hangar

I also had an idea for an interior environment within some sort of aircraft hanger, whether it be a contemporary or futuristic hangar. There is a lot of potential for design and lighting in particular. We could also incorporate effective and realistic surface reflections within the interior.

Science Fiction Interior

This was an idea for a science fiction industrial interior environment. There could be some great opportunities for effective mechanical animation of robotic arms or bulkhead doors and really effective lighting to emphasise the form of the interior.

Submarine

This was an idea I had which was similar to the idea above. We could create a close, cramped and tight submarine environment with various moving parts.

Sea Forts

Oil Rig

Ship

I had an idea to navigate through a section of a ship's interior.

Factory

This was an idea I had for an interior of a factory environment. There is plenty of opportunity for mechanical animation for this idea.

Mine

Industrial

This was an idea I had for derelict industrial environments. But I'm not sure that here there would be sufficient animation opportunities.

Fantasy

This was an idea I had for a purely fictional and fantasy environment comprised of weird and wonderful spectacles.

Underwater

This could be an original idea, however this would be a challenge to pull off well. The lighting would need to be spot on and the illusion of water would need to be accurate. Animation for underwater life and activity will be tricky.

Rainforest

This could be an interesting idea. The environment would consist of mostly green hues. There is potential for foliage and water animation. This will be tricky to animate however. Lighting would also be an important factor. Light fog could look particularly effective to give the impression of humidity.

Desert

Heres an interesting idea however there is not much opportunity for animation. Perhaps introducing some dust and sand trails and swaying foliage will bring it to life. Perhaps a time lapse will also be interesting as we can experiment with lighting to see how light interacts with the form of the environment.

Ice

Another interesting environment choice consisting of blues and white. Lighting will be key here to define the shape and form of an icy landscape. Again a time lapse would be an option here. We could move the main source of light so as to change the visual appearance of our environment.

Cyberspace

Cyberspace might be an unusual and interesting idea. We could animated illuminated planes in Maya and navigate through vast voids of patterns and data or through cyber tunnels. A crazy idea but could be visually stunning in terms of animation, camera moves and colour.

Space

Navigating through a space environment might look quite aesthetic. I would want it to look decent, however pulling it off may be difficult. I have seen many attempts which have all looked rather cheap. Perhaps navigating through a fleet of science fiction cruiser ships near a gas giant might look interesting. However this idea has been done many times before and has become rather cliche. If we were to choose this idea we would focus on modeling, texturing and above all lighting. We could animate smaller ships which fly from ship to ship.