Initial Lighting Tests

Here are some of the initial lighting tests I created in maya using simple objects and illuminated by an area light. At this point I was blocking in the key features such as the room, table and lamp shade. I didn't want to concern myself with small details at this stage as I wanted to focus on creating the lighting for the room itself. I wanted to experiment with the lighting techniques and tools to recreate moody atmospheric lighting which which conveyed the character's state of mind.

I used basic lamberts and textures to get a rough colour palette for the room. There was a lot trail and error with some of these image because of the nature of lighting and the way in which the light decays at certain distances. I found that replicating low level lighting was sometimes diificult as the viewer needs to see individual elements but at the same time the room needed some strong shadows to create a moody, foreboding atmosphere in keeping with the genre. Although the shadows seem jarring at present, the introduction of more furniture and objects should break up these hard lines. Although this process was tedious and difficult at times I gained an aweful lot just by creating these simple images. The room needed to be contrasty with shadows strewn across the floor to imply the characters emotional state. The venetian blinds in the background serve as a theatrical device. These create beams of light and symbolize the impossible situation the character finds himself in in which he cant escape. Chris and I wanted the room to be visually appealing but at the same time have a personality that would drive the story. For example, the contrast in the red wall tones to the cold blues from the environment outside convey the character's emotional struggle in the situation he finds himself in.

I am extremely happy with the current result as they replicate the mood of Chris's concept pieces. However, there is more to be done in the interior itself. More objects in the room will break up the lines and add a certain amount of character to it. At the moment the rooms feels too empty. The lamp shade is another problem area as it does not feel translucent as as lamp shade should be. This is the next area I need to focus on.

I do feel that the room itself is not saturated enough. A little smoke and light fog will help the convey a certain amount of theatrical realism to it. The character Frank does smoke so I think I believe some light diffusion will go a long way to improve the overall image.