Guards! Guards!

Based on the novel by Terry Pratchett, my Design for Location project took an unusual twist on the police drama brief by taking on a period/fantasy genre. The story revolves around the Watch in the city of Ankh-Morpork, who go from being a ragtag group of incompetents to idealised ‘police’ working for the people.

This module was the first to introduce us to the concepts and creation of visuals and storyboards, without the aid of software outside of what we already knew, as 3D modelling and rendering were introduced to us in our second year.

I opted to hand-draw most of my visuals and storyboards, hoping to refine my perspective drawing skills. I did, however, choose to colour and shade my visuals and storyboards using Adobe Photoshop for a more refined and clearer finish.

The primary settings I chose to adapt included The Unseen University, for Wizards. The Unseen University Library plays a minor role in the story but acts as the catalyst for the problems throughout, as the source of the dragon that appears in Ankh-Morpork. The Librarian, turned orangutan after an unfortunate magical accident, attempts to urge the Watch to help him retrieve a stolen tome.

Additionally, Lady Ramkin’s Estate (and home to dragons) played a small role in the storyboards produced in which Vimes recovers after being attacked by an unfamiliar dragon. Earlier storyboards featured The Shades, adapted from The Shambles, York, and The Watch House, inspired by the village of Noyers-sur-Serein, France.