District 9 Aesthetic

Our short film is to be set in the room of a robotic-character who works in a junk-yard so I've started thinking about the tone of the exterior and interior.

The colour and sets of 'District 9' have a rich but run-down feel to them, and is something I could incorporate into set designs for the film. The red/brown colours have this element of rust to them, that would be more effective and interesting than generic sci-fi robotic 'silvers'. The overall tone of battered, abandoned and make-shift is of interest to our project. In the 'prawn's' hut there is a heavy element of scrap and junk acting as a home which is something I will draw reference from when creating the design for the 'robotic-character's environment. In the case of our character however, his environment will be built up over time, rather than beginning in that state.

The designs of the 'prawns' themselves are interesting in the sense that they too look battered and worn, I wouldn't want our 'robotic-character' to seem too shiny and new, instead adopting this more rusted bulky but make-shift design. Costume wise, the main 'prawn's clothes are interesting, they are typical 'hero' colours, red and blue (like superman) as well as having a slight resemblance, whether intentional or not, to Marty McFly from the 'Back To The Future' films (due to the red body-warmer). Like this, our character should perhaps have some sort of warmth or 'human' association in it's design in order for the audience to feel sympathetic and interested in it.

http://conceptartworld.com/?p=2822

http://www.itsartmag.com/features/zoicdistrict/district9-part2.php

'One of the trickier aspects was creating dust elements and atmosphere to help sit CG elements into the scene.'

Whilst we are not intending there to be much CG in our piece (instead relying on in-shot production and design) there will be an element of colour grading etc. We should then possibly consider things such as dust elements and extra 'run-down' effects being added digitally, dependent on how effective the set and dressing is.