Props & Vehicles
Front view (above) - Chinese says “Counter-Revolutionary Militia” - note how blue/red ‘face’ is made to resemble Chinese characters. ‘Legs’ resemble riot shields - preclude face-to-face interaction.
Back view (right) - Vehicle designed to resemble spider, particularly from back side (showing the face of an upstanding police vehicle, but villainous in truth).
GSFCRM - RIOT CONTROL MECH ‘SPIDER’
Design for Landfall - dystopian sci-fi. “Spider” mech of Greater San Francisco Counter-Revolutionary Militia sent to dislodge homeless residents of Golden Gate bridge. Emblem of Greater San Francisco - Phoenix over the flooded capital building and 3 stars of the original Pacific States which seceded from the US centuries ago. The secession was backed by a Chinese successor-state, explaining the prevalence of Chinese characters on the design.
ANTILOCAPRA - AEROCAR
Design for Landfall - primary objective was to depict a flying car which was recognizable as a car but did NOT take on the appearance of a present-day car with jets.
Car is modeled off of skull of the antilocapra deer (native to Northern California area where story takes place) - horns moveable to allow for banking in air, wheels connect to a para-convective magnetic force allowing levitation. ‘Skull’ motif can be generalized for other aerocar designs. Wheels help vehicle to read as ‘car’.
Emblem says ‘Qiu’ - literally autumn - name of character who owns vehicle (since revised).
CETACEA 190R & STOMATOPODA D95 -
FUTURISTIC MICROPHONE/CAMERA
Prop designs for Landfall - equipment for video interviewers within story. Equipment must be recognizable functionally as a camera and microphone without looking like present-day objects with neon or other superficial changes.
Camera (lower right) features lenses prominently on front but body is changed to angular design. Additional grip added to back, suggesting stabilization, viewfinder and status of camera placed on top - ratios reflect modern mid-sized camera. Brand ‘Stomatopoda’ - ie Mantis Shrimp - animal famous for its vision.
Microphone (upper left) takes cues from flashlight but angles forward. Top uses rounded shape - current design is bidirectional (represented by notches on two sides) for interviewing but could be replaced with other tops for other aural needs. Cylindrical modules on sides detect surrounding sounds and automatically filter. Size ratio from top to bottom resembles modern day handheld mic. Brand ‘Cetacea’ - ie ceteceans (dophins) - animals with highly advanced hearing.
OGCOCEPHALUS V STRATOPLANE
Vehicle design for Landfall - a stratoplane capable of flying through the stratosphere and docking with space stations in low earth orbit. Must look recognizable as a plane without seeming like a larger present-day plane or rocket.
Modeled design after Ogcocephalus vespertilio (Brazilian Batfish) - a flat marine animal, fitting to the metaphor of ‘outer space as a new ocean’. Horn feature at front can extend to connect magnetically to orbital sky tethers which propel plane into orbit (see wikipedia ‘Sky Hook’). Left, right and back ‘fins’ provide lift and can rotate (especially back-fin - which can rotate 90 degrees to facilitate landing and flight).
Chinese says ‘ Great Yue Pacific Airlines’ - changed in animatic to Pacific Interstratos.
AEGIMIUS - PIRATE MECH
Design for Pandora’s Wake thesis film. Concept was to create militant heavy mech, without slow bumbling ‘enlarged metal human’ feeling.
Streamlined design, with intention of movement akin to an ice skater over desert sands. Removed hands to represent the lack of non-violent interaction inherent to the pirate life. Decorated like tattoos to suggest the tribal nature of the society at large.
‘Abyssus Abyssum Invocat’ ie. “The Abyss calls the Abyss” - meant to evoke the sense that the pilot lives with death but also has an ironically shallow sense of its importance.