After the feedback to my first view examples, I have made an effort in ensuring that it is clear what each piece is supposed to represent and have also including labelling in order to help explain certain objects as well as clearly mark the geography of certain areas when creating the set design concept art.
Below are all of the examples of concept art I have created, fully labelled, along with brief explanations as to what they are:
Overall Tonal Style:
This shows a soldier that is being attacked by an unknown force in an isolated corridor inside the Keep. The demon is represented by the red smoke/ gas that glides towards the German soldier, going for the kill.
This represents a late scene in the adaptation in which 'The Stranger' (soon to be found out as named Glakken) stands at the entrance to Molasar's Lair in the Keep Basement, brandishing a mystical sword and ready to banish the Demon away forever.
This is the Demon Molasar as it starts to take form. The more soldiers the demon kills and consumes, the more its physical form develops until it is able to physically interact and allow itself out of the Keep's imprisonment.
Set Design:
The frontal view of the Keep takes direct inspiration from simplistic illustrations featured in the original novel by F. Paul Wilson. I decided that I would keep this design for authenticity to the source material as well as developing the original image by adding extra details in order to create a more realised setting.
This was also inspired by similar illustrations from the novel. I included a compass in order to help to clearly establish where some of the other pieces of concept art take place in relation to the setting geographically.
The west view shows the part of the main courtyard of the Keep, highlighting various locations such as the main entrance and the rear section where the main barracks and living quarters for the soldiers are located. The basement entrance leads to the are in which the entrance to Molasar's Lair is hidden.
The east view shows the main tower which is visible from all angles and serves as the living quarters for Klaus Woermann, the commanding officer of the German troop that has taken residence in the Keep. Note the iron and nickel crosses that litter the walls, which several German soldiers mistake for silver and gold.
This shows the inside of the tower and Woermann's Office and entrance to his sleeping quarters within. As Woermann's hobby is painting, I have decided to make his work table and chair facing the large window in oder to allow the character the view required to reflect this.
This Keep Basement. This is the location in which two German soldiers defile the largest, shiniest cross located on the wall and accidentally release the demon, Molasar. The area behind this cross also serves as a doorway into Molasar's Lair.
With Molasar's Lair, I have tried to incorporate more of the HR Giger inspiration that I had originally envisioned for this production, including the almost organic feel to much of the set design. The entrance is comparatively small to the rest of the main room with several large entryways to deeper chambers and catacombs located and hidden beneath the ground. In the centre of the room is the Seal which keeps Molasar imprisoned in the Keep. It can only be unlocked by a special key, of which Molasar cannot obtain by theor own hand.
Costume Design:
Due to the historical setting of the Second World War, this meant that I could use direct inspiration from the time period appropriate clothing.
German Soldier Uniform:
This is the uniform traditionally worn by German Soldiers.
Nazi SS Uniform:
This is the uniform that was worn by the SS during WWII, a group that dealt with the Nazi ideals sometimes with severe brutality.
Traditional Romanian Outfit:
This is the type of outfit that can be traditionally found worn by Romanians during the 1940s. While this specific example is representative of female dress wear, male outfits usually included smart yet rugged suits with flat-caps.
Molasar Head Design:
As my main idea was that Molasar's final from would take clear inspiration from his surroundings (this being the iconography of the Nazi uniform) I felt that I should just design the head piece as the body would just be a copy of the previous examples.
With this design I, again, tried to incorporate my inspiration from HR Giger with the more feral and organic look to the figure, much like the creature from Ridley Scott's 'Alien' (1979). However, I also wanted to make this a reflection on the World War Two setting that surrounded this figure, therefore I tried to incorporate aspects of this within the final design.
Prop Design:
Much like the costume design, many of the props that would be used in this production already exist within the historical timeframe of when the story is set. This would include weapons typically used by the German army in World War Two such as the MP-40 sub machine gun.
Therefore I have chosen to mainly focus on the few props that would be unique to this production.
The Stranger/ Glakken's Sword and Case:
This is the mysterious sword used by Glakken which holds the power to either kill demons or banish them away for eternity. The hilt of the sword reflects the cross designs throughout the Keep, hinting that there is a link between the Keep and this sword's origins.
The Key:
This is the key to Molasar's seal that will release the demon into the outside world beyond the Keep. It is unobtainable by Molasar's own hand but others can be manipulated into retrieving it for the demon.
The Cross:
This is just a simple design of the cross that can be found littered all over the outer and inner Keep walls, their purpose and origins unknown. The metals used to craft these are often mistaken for gold and defiled by the German soldiers.
Overall, I personally think that these have been successful in both conveying the desired visual style as well as allowing a clear view of the geography of the setting. I feel that time restrictions may have held back some creativity in certain areas as I feel some of these are a little rushed. However I am happy with how they have turned out.
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