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#Post#: 23--------------------------------------------------
Shaping Perceptions
DIR By: Pam
Date: May 21, 2021, 5:50 am
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I've written at some length about the way artists can use light
and colour to tell their stories, and to construct a sense of
atmosphere and a particular mood, whether from a particular
object or from an entire scene. It's one of the most effective
visual elements to keep in mind when designing scenery but it's
not the only way to create mood, or to be suggestive of ideas.
In fact, artists have a range of tools available to work with.
The “form” – or shape – of an image can be powerful, memorable
and evocative, as we looked at earlier when examining character
designs in silhouette. In scenery it's also powerful, beyond
merely being descriptive of the objects represented. Though it's
easy to think of the shape of something as a noun (as in “this
is a couch”), the artist's approach to creating that form can
also make it an adjective (as in “this is an expensive couch”).
HTML https://adventuregamers.com//?ACT=49&d=34202&fid=43&f=1.png
Something as simple as a door, for example, can convey
information to the player. The door here, from The Blackwell
Epiphany, is quite obviously a church door. The shape, coupled
with the architecture that frames it, is of a type that's
familiar enough to give a clear sense of where this door will
lead. It wasn't feasible for us to show the whole church in this
scene, but because this form is so recognisable, a doorway
sufficed.
HTML https://adventuregamers.com//?ACT=49&d=34202&fid=43&f=2.png
Coming back, yet again, to this opening shot from Technobabylon,
we see very simple forms. The circles surrounding the character
suggest an artificial 'perfection' one doesn't commonly find in
organic forms, with noticeably squarish chunks taken out,
reminiscent of pixels and disk sectors. The shape the character
cuts in the middle was based loosely on the famous 'Vitruvian
Man' image that describes ideal proportions of a human figure –
a perfect visual counterpoint to narration that describes the
perfection of self one can achieve when assuming a digital
identity.
HTML https://adventuregamers.com//?ACT=49&d=34202&fid=43&f=3.png
On the other hand, this scene from Unavowed is host to a quirky,
creative character with a flair for the unusual. I tried to make
the architecture here suggestive of this – irregular patterns,
over-embellishment and a general looseness of shape design in
the scene were ways for me to try to complement the subject
matter of this location.
HTML https://adventuregamers.com//?ACT=49&d=34202&fid=43&f=4.png
One of my favourite early examples of an artist using the shape
of things in a scene to reinforce the mood is this cave from
King's Quest IV, which has clearly been designed in the shape of
a skull, complete with alcoves for the eye sockets. It's a
dangerous, spooky moment in the game, with intense gameplay, and
having the scene constructed from an iconic form like this is a
great way to embellish that, even with the limited technology
Sierra was using at the time.
HTML https://adventuregamers.com//?ACT=49&d=34202&fid=43&f=5.png
Another great example is this shot from Loom, a scene I come
back to again and again. 'Never would have guessed' replies
Bobbin to Rusty's comment about the nature of their guild, a nod
to the bold anvil shaped structure that serves as their
headquarters. Not only is this informative, it's also memorable
and iconic; a massive building that takes the shape of an anvil
isn't something easily forgotten. Much like with the character
designs in silhouettes, this is a building I'd recognize from
its outline alone.
HTML https://adventuregamers.com//?ACT=49&d=34202&fid=43&f=6.jpg
Having such a bold shape that stands out in the distance is very
powerful – notice here how obvious this building from Dreamfall
seems, both from its colour and its uneven, wonky shape among
the straight, clean ice crystal around it. Such a shape tells
us, even from so far away, that something is wrong here, that
things aren't as they should be. It's a testament to the power
of carefully designed structures that we can 'read' a building
from these kinds of distances, and it's not inaccurate to say
that they have character and a feeling about them. In this way,
an artist can tell us a wealth of information about a building
before we ever set foot inside.
HTML https://adventuregamers.com//?ACT=49&d=34202&fid=43&f=7.png
Whereas the last scene contrasts the main structure with the
rest of the surroundings to make its form more powerful, this
scene from Duke Grabowski uses the surroundings to reinforce the
idea, and we see a great use of repetition of an idea. The
assorted massive skeletons, replete with fangs, horns and
talons, are a clear hint: this is not a safe place. Without
knowing any story, without hearing the ominous music, or being
warned away from this place by a character in the game, one look
and the figures here tell us what this scene is about, and how
we should feel as a result.
HTML https://adventuregamers.com//?ACT=49&d=34202&fid=43&f=8.jpg
Another great use of repetition is evident here in this shot
from The Inner World: The Last Wind Monk. Littered about the
backdrop are the repeated symbols of the 'Conroyalists', an
unfriendly group that has us on the run, and having their logo
repeated so often helps to reinforce the danger we're in.
Symbols and logos are great because they allow decorating
anything with a shape whose meaning is instantly apparent if we
know the context. In this way, the shape seen so many times
throughout this image is not as instantly evocative as some of
the others, but it's still a clear example of the power of a
specific design in art.
HTML https://adventuregamers.com//?ACT=49&d=34202&fid=43&f=9.jpg
Another fun example of a repeating form is visible in this scene
from Broken Age, where the walls and floors of the spaceship are
decorated in hexagons. These are a fun shape – they suggest
technology, a love of geometry, and even the confining walls of
a beehive. Done in pastel colours, and complemented with the
bright, geometric kitchen decor that is redolent of children's
building blocks, the designs here take the various aspects of
the setting and combine them in a lovely way.
HTML https://adventuregamers.com//?ACT=49&d=34202&fid=43&f=10.jpg
Hexagons are also used in The Witness, a game with a bountiful
supply of symbolic shapes. Beyond the many fun examples one can
find in the environmental decorations, the very stones of this
world are often presented in geometric shapes most likely
inspired by the famous Giant's Causeway of Ireland. Here,
though, they suggest the hand of a designer, a sense of patterns
in nature, and the pervasion of geometry, all very appropriate
in this game.
The appreciation of the power of shape and design like this is
very empowering. Too often one's first sketch of a chair will be
just a chair, a door just a door. By employing design skills, by
knowing the context of the scene being drawn, and by observing
the relevance and significance of particular shapes throughout
popular culture and history, an artist can elevate the impact of
their work, and therein further engage their audience. Visual
language is, like all languages, a means of communicating ideas,
and as the elegant cursive or furious scrawl of a note can
convey the mood of the writer, the very shape(s) of our world
can tell our players volumes.
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