ABOUT

The Nautilus is the product of my Final Major Project. The chosen topic was "adaptation." Through this project I sought to explore the relationship between an original work - be it a book, film or game - and its' adaptation. Most importantly, understanding the balance between source fidelity and creative freedom. The end goal was to create a scene or environment for a video game adaptation which remained true to its source material yet allowed for creative liberties. I chose this adaptation from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne, specifically Captain Nemo's Salon room.

I then analysed popular adaptations such as The Lord of the Rings, The Witcher and so on, extracting the elements which made them successful or unsuccessful. I then compared multiple editions of 20,000 Leagues and deduced their key themes and assets critical to the Salon. Verne described a giant clam shell basin surrounded by glass cases full of marine specimens, 30 artworks adorning the walls, measuring instruments, sheet music scattered over an organ-piano, sculptures of antiquity, a giant porthole window and arabesque chandeliers. These were all created in as exact a fashion I could to the text, including following any measurements given (such as for the room dimensions and the diameter of the giant clam shell).

I took creative liberties by placing the 'N' sigil along the roof - as described in an earlier part of the book - as well as by setting a desk with an 1800s map (which would have been period accurate given the date of publication) where I imagine Nemo might have done charting and other equations. Given the detail of source fidelity, the project was deemed to be a successful adaptation.

The main challenge of this project was presenting it. To do so I created god rays using Lumen and created a caustic material which moved along the surface of the lights to portray an oceanic feeling.

Modelled in Autodesk Maya, textured in Substance Painter and visualised in Unreal Engine 5.