Science-Fiction Costume Design for 3D animation short film

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Syntactic Labyrinths is a CGI science-fiction short film. It's story depicts the collective knowledge of mankind on a journey through space. This blog wil showcase the design process behind the hazmat suit costumes of Syntactic Labyrinths.

Costume Design starts with understanding the story. We'll also share the first versions of the hazmat suit designs made in 3D.

As of writing this blog, Syntactic Labyrinths is still in development.

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The Story

After a fatal solar blast, the end of humanity becomes inevitable. In an attempt at preserving our legacy mankind starts working on The Library; a database holding the collective knowledge of mankind. The Library is shot into space, its destination: Andromeda galaxy.

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Although most of the film is set in space, we spend the beginning of the film on earth. We watch how mankind collects knowledge and stores it into The Library.

The humans in Syntactic Labyrinths are depicted as "busy bees". They function as a single unit, working towards a common goal.

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In it's essence, Syntactic Labyrinths is a story about the meaning of knowledge. What form does knowledge take when meaning can't be contextualised? When we give two super-computers all the knowledge of mankind, what meaning does all that knowledge still hold? 

The humans of Babylonia know they live in a labyrinth of syntax. The power of symbolism stands central to their newly-forming culture.

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The World Building

The screenplay specifically described an important Hazmat suit that is worn by the inhabitants of Babylonia. To clarify why the humans need to be wearing hazmat suits, I'll shortly explain the conditions of this post-apocalyptic climate.

The apocalypse started with a giant sun-flare. This caused the air to be flammable and oceans to be toxic. The air is unbreathable and humans are forced to relocate underground. This underground sanctuary they call The Settlement of Babylonia.

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The Library is being build on the top floors of Babylonia. They are the closest to the surface, protected from the outside world by the fortified walls.

Although these floors are relatively safe for human beings, they are not risk-free. The chance of toxic air or UV damage is still present. The closer to the surface, the higher the chance of contaminated air.

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Costume Design Process

The design of the hazmat suit went through so many iterations. In this blog, we won't focus on the small individual design decisions. Rather than that, I'll outline various stages we went through. As of writing this blog, we haven't come to a final design yet.

The very first 'sketches' of the hazmat suits were done directly in Marvelous Designer. These were done back in 2019.

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This is Hazmat Suit Version A1. It features some... interesting design choices such as fingerless gloves and a hood that is worn over the suit.

The first thing people notice about the Syntactic Labyrinths hazmat design is the square helmet. The shape was a concious decision from the very beginning. It references extremist bauhaus ideals, and amplifies how the humans are 'only looking ahead'. Nevertheless, the actual square design of the helmet and visor does change over time.

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We knew that the hazmats would appear in a variety of colours. Trough colour, the humans could express not only their occupation, but also personal taste. It was important for us that although these costumes are uniformal, the people of Babylonia still value personal expression and the appreciation of beauty. Concepts around the colour and pattern designs have drastically evolved since 2019.

After these lookdev renders, we had a good idea of what worked and what didn't. I continued my ideation process through drawings, as it was quicker than creating 3D meshes.

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Costume Illustration

I explored ideas about the colour and patterns designs for the hazmat suit through illustration.

What is very important to the individuals of Babylonia is Heritage and Legacy. After all, they spend their last days building a Library to preserve all knowledge about history, culture and humankind's achievements.

I thought that someone with this purpose in life, would want to express their personal culture and taste through dress. Even though the hazmats are uniformal, personal expression would give these face-less humans individuality and personality.

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These illustrations showcase the wide variety of colours that appear in the costumes. We were heavily inspired by Akira Kurosawa's and Yasujirō Ozu's use of colour. I also talk about my inspirations and references in this blog about the worldbuilding behind the hazmat designs.

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Updated Costume Design

There were a few design features that we wanted to tweak. The main thing was the distribution and placement of pockets and utitlity belts, to increase the suit's practical functions.

In a future like the one in Syntactic Labyrinths it is expected for humans to be connected to 20 electronic devices at the same time.
Some of these will be small integrated electronics and some will be more traditional ones.

For that reason it was important to think about compartments and areas to connect and store your devices.

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I was interested to get an outsider's perspectice on the suit. I asked Valentin Borowcyzk to give the designs a go. I only gave him the above diagram and some colour pallettes. Apart from the notes made in the diagram, he could do whatever with the design.

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What I really liked about Valentin's design was the idea of this shortened top. It gave me a new perspective of how the suit was worn.

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I knew that instead of giving the suit more pockets, I probably wanted less of them. Instead of pockets, I would design utility belts to carry items. Although the suit still has some design iterations to go, it's already becoming more unique, while retaining the look of a hazmat suit.

I though that rather than a plastic hazmat suit, I wanted to make it feel more like denim workwear. Strong stitches and woven, durable materials. I liked the idea of making the suit look like it was easy to move in. Instead of the log, stiff look that most hazmat suits have.

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Hazmat Suit 3A Design

From here on, I completely redesigned the helmet to look less restrictive. I also started to think about what the human are wearing in the suit.

The drawing below is the stage in which the hazmat suit is, as of writing this blog.

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Follow the Behind the Scenes

There is still a lot that needs to be done! Design patterns, design utility belts, choose colour layouts, create the hazmat in 3D, texture the hazmat and create new look-dev renders.

If you're up for it, you can continue to follow the developments of Syntactic Labyrinths by following us on Instagram or sign up for the Newsletter at the bottom of the page!

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