Title
Category
Snowpiercer
Style Frames, 3D Modeling
Collaborator
Role
Creative Brief
Concepting, storyboarding, 3D modeling, texturing, lighting
Mishen Liu
Designing a title sequence for the movie Snowpiercer.
Concept
In the film Snowpiercer, the lower class lives in the back of the train, while the upper class indulges in the front of the train and controls all the resources. The lower class is frustrated with their living conditions and strives to reach the upper class, which is at the top of the social pyramid. This results in a fierce battle between the two classes.
Highlights
In this project, we helped the audience explore the issue of socioeconomic inequality. Given the serious topic and the movie's grim dystopian theme, we decided to use this learning opportunity to apply more complex techniques in Cinema 4D. We also experimented with combining digital and analog processes.
Story
In our title sequence, we used chess pieces climbing up the board pyramid as a framing device to represent the two sides fighting with one another for the highest seat. The sequence starts out with the chess pieces in their “places,” but then all the rules of the game are broken as the lower class moves toward the front of the train and battles headfirst against the upper class. However, in the end, many people are sacrificed in the battle and no one really wins.
We roughly sketched out our idea and the possible perspective views of how the pyramid-shaped chessboard is slowly revealed to reinforce the tragic battle between the upper and the lower class. Then, we staged the chess pieces on the chess board that we modeled. We also experimented with different materials, lighting, and camera to enhance the drama in our scenes.
Process
We incorporated environmental fog and meticulously adjusted the camera settings to fully immerse the audience in the scene. Once we were satisfied with the digital process, we proceeded to export the renders and initiated the cyanotype process. The contrast between the 3D render and the blue tone from the cyanotype process enhances the idea that the selfishness of both the upper and lower classes, as well as their disregard for nurturing nature and their surrounding communities, will result in a mutual loss.
