October has arrived! Halloween, Oktoberfest, and pumpkin pie gets me pumped up during this time of year. Unfortunately that’s another indication that the year is almost at an end, and what a year it has been so far!
Today I like to show you the first official images for the main protagonist Heads Up Display (HUD) designs for the film. In present feature films, we see a lot of different, intricate HUD designs in hit movies like Iron Man, Enders Game, and Skyfall.
Being inspired by these films and others, I sat down and created a fun, 3D HUD environment that our character lives in when faced with certain challenges in the story. Like in all HUD systems, it’s a tool that is a helpful asset when achieving a certain task. In this case I have a hologram, status bars, a tech widget, and other elements. Other characters will have a similar look to this one, however their color will be different to distinguish their own identity. Color is another important motif that we are complimenting in this film.
Michael HUD -Gauntlet – JEL Production
As you saw in the previous stills that were released, I am purposefully making the core design similar but with different side elements to make each HUD “character” unique. I feel that this is essential to not only convey the overall environment of the film, but also the time era in which it lives in. For this case, the mid-90’s. So here’s my constant challenge = how to make a really cool HUD design for today’s viewers but also make it dated or aged in an era where technology was in its infancy? A process that I am embracing and loving every creative step.
Michael HUD 2 – Gauntlet – JEL Production
Switching gears: last month I’ve launched our Store page for memorabilia purchases! Up until now we have over seven hundred collective views on the site with a couple of purchases. Very proud and happy! The two popular items are our character T-Shirt designs Suriv and Lideri. I’m currently in the process of creating two more character T-Shirts that won’t be released until next year.
To finish, I have a HUGE announcement:
Gauntlet’s first official Teaser release date is going to be Christmas 2014!
That’s correct. On Christmas day I’ll release the Teaser online for you to see. I’ll have it on here at JEL and also on our Vimeo, Twitter, and Facebook page. Christmas is the day of giving yes? So what better way to give you, the fans a first true glimpse into this world called Gauntlet. I hope you’re excited and check back with me next month for my next Production Log!
“Movie directors, or should I say people who create things, are very greedy and they can never be satisfied… That’s why they can keep on working. I’ve been able to work for so long because I think next time, I’ll make something good.”
– Akira Kurosawa (Seven Samurai, The Magnificent Seven, Tora! Tora! Tora!)
