The beginning of the project is considered the planning phase.
I want to explore how virtual reality is marketed and use it to create conceptualized pieces for a Star Wars shipyard that uses well-known ships (TIE Fighters, X-Wings, Star Destroyers, Millenium Falcon, etc.) and designs from the movies and the original blueprints created by Lucasfilm’s artists to form a virtual museum.
As noted, this virtual reality shipyard is a conceptualized piece and not something that can currently be brought to life due to technological and skill restrictions. In order to complete this segment, I am looking at Star Wars Art Concept books published and written by Lucasfilm. The art spans the original trilogies to the newest installations.
I want to create mock-ups of what the virtual museum would look like as well as a social media graphic. I will be using a mixture of Photoshop, Procreate, and After Effects to create these posts. I am also employing a popular tactic used in graphic design: motion posters. Motion posters are created with Photoshop and After Effects. They generally add more to the poster experience that has been repeatedly used for promotion tactics.
My inspiration comes from Microsoft and its innovative Hololens that pushes the boundaries of augmented and virtual reality. I’ve been interested in the developments of augmented reality since as well as the vast possibilities associated with virtual reality. Augmented reality is also huge during the time of coronavirus where people are spending more time in the comfort of their homes.
Towards the middle, I created a timeline to execute my vision. I highly recommend creating a timeline because it keeps you focused on and shapes your project.
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A. In my opinion, the augmented shipyard is progressing on track. The research that I compiled for this step included reading books by the artists of Lucasfilm about their methods and decisions. In The Rise of Skywalker concept art book, I learned that great thought went into the upgrades of specific ships and how they would be represented in the films. Additionally, I watched the movies multiple times to learn the narratives behind each ship, as well as their “canon” (the accepted timeline of the Lucasfilm universe) origins. I also looked at animated television shows such as The Clone Wars and Rebels. I also learned quite a bit from the novelizations of the sequels when concerning upgrades to the ships as well as the continued narrative behind key ships involved in the original trilogies (Luke X-Wing and the Falcon).
Concept Art
Throughout the pre-production phase, I balanced multiple ideas of how I would present the augmented shipyard. Originally, I wanted to use digital holographic mockups in photoshop but each noteworthy mock-up cost an outrageous amount of money and didn’t truly facilitate my overall vision for the project. I wanted to include multiple elements from the Star Wars universe. Lacking the overall skills to create high-quality renderings of my vision, I shifted my focus and employed my skills with Procreate to make conceptualized watercolor sketches.
The outline was lengthy and I did make changes throughout the course of my project, so I won't post the whole thing here.
Post-Production I reviewed my project and explained what I actually created after the planning phase.
The virtual reality museum is only a concept, but it does tell notable stories. After compiling research and rewatching the films and television shows, I decided to start branding my museum as I would any other business. The Star Pilot Memorial Museum features information in one place that an audience can interact with. People can learn facts about ships used throughout the series, the stories of famed pilots, and watch clips that feature their favorite ships.
After I distinguished the offerings of the museum, I started focusing on content that would be necessary to market a museum (social media content, video work, and promotional material). Because this museum focuses so heavily on behind-the-scenes, never seen content, I created videos of my drawing conceptualized pieces that would be included in the museum. For example, I drew a First Order TIE Fighter Pilot (pictured) in Procreate. Procreate records your screen as you draw, allowing you to download a 30-second video of your artwork being created. TIE Fighter Pilots are relevant in Episodes IV-IX and would definitely be featured in a museum. The video can be used for branded social media stories on Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat.
Additionally, I created a motion poster that can be used on Instagram and Facebook. Motion Posters successfully capture an audience’s attention for a short amount of time. My motion poster featured Han Solo and co-pilot Chewbacca piloting through open space with the sounds of the Millennium Falcon in the background. I added the Millennium Falcon’s sounds after watching a video in a lecture about the power of sound. It definitely added to the overall feel of the motion poster.
I knew from the beginning that I wanted to create promotional material that was physical. For example, if this museum was being launched, I’d say the first hundred people that sign up for the newsletter would receive an exclusive sticker in the mail. Top-tier fans that valued collector's items would latch onto this promotion. I created the sticker to follow the original motion poster because I wanted a cohesive design across the board that could be easily recognized as part of the Star Pilot Memorial Museum’s brand. Another idea that I had was to create a keychain. This was born from my obsession with keychains, as well as their cost-efficient promotional value. I used acrylic paint to create a space theme and then added the name of the museum in gold vinyl using a cutting machine. This could be a sign-on gift for those that want to unlock more material through a subscription.
Content is the most important part of the museum. I created a video that summarized Han Solo’s character through footage from his appearances within canon material. I drafted a blog post about his life as a pilot that would be similar to the content offered by the museum.
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