Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1072449
5 4 P E R S P E C T I V E | M A R C H / A P R I L 2 0 1 9 island fortress was conceived. The Atlantis of the script was a place of prosperity and innovation— as evinced by its clockwork machinery and the eventual appearance of steampunk technology— and it was ultimately through a failed attempt to create a centralized energy source that the sea consumed both the city and its people. "After that," says Brzeski, "the whole culture changed." Forced to adapt to the rules and the resources of the ocean, the surviving Atlanteans were not long hindered in their quest for advancement. A new city was quickly built on the ruins of the old, and an emergent form of bio-organic technology was developed. "We had to come up with the theory of how they would create this new kind of architecture. On land we build with steel and concrete, but underwater they might build with coral and other natural materials. If they could control the growth and manipulate the cell structure of the sea life, they could build a skyscraper, and it would become a living thing." This idea of symbiosis was crucial to defining the ecosystem, and as new forms of sea life were attracted to the rapidly expanding city, they too became part of its landscape. The inclusion of bioluminescent life-forms served to push back at the inherent darkness of the ocean depths, a problem that Brzeski knew would have to be tackled in order to serve Wan's vision of a vibrant, colorful world. With its people set free from the bonds of gravity, the influence of classical architecture was largely erased from the design of New Atlantis. Described as a multi-plane environment, the ability of its inhabitants to swim between structures allowed Brzeski and his team to design in a vertical space. Traditional considerations were largely thrown overboard with the realization that doors could be set into the ceiling, and stairwells were promptly abolished. Suddenly, every surface within the city could serve multiple purposes, and although the Atlanteans were free to move in whichever direction should suit them, it was important to Brzeski to leave visual cues as to which way was up. The ability to rethink even the most basic ideas of design allowed for a bevy of interesting choices, and gave Brzeski and his team tremendous latitude in crafting the undersea worlds. In addition to defining the Atlantean ethos, they also had to formulate several distinct cultures for the other survivors who had since followed different evolutionary paths. There became a marked stratification based on where in the ocean their societies developed, with those closest to the surface remaining most discernably human. In the next strata down were the fishermen, whose mermaid-like biology demanded an even further remove from traditional considerations. Taking cues from the skeletal remains of nautical creatures, their structures took on a quality of towering, ethereal beauty, wherein the only pieces of functional architecture were the ornate floating daises, which served to delineate space. Eking out a living on the seafloor were the crustaceous people of the Brine, who built their societies in close proximity to volcanic fissures. Hulking and unwieldly; theirs was a world of coarsened textures and cumbersome designs. As the interaction of these societies was a key element of the story, it was important that there be enough variance in their aesthetics that each would remain recognizably separate. In order to help formalize these ideas, Brzeski enlisted the help of a small team of Illustrators, who worked diligently to prepare for the initial presentation to DC and Warner executives. Also joining was costume designer Kym Barrett, who led her own team in designing the key character's most iconic costumes. Based off their sketches, a series of maquettes were created for Arthur, Mera, Orm and Black Manta, which, along with the illustrations from the Art Department, became the cornerstones of the pitch. "We worked really hard on conceptualizing the movie," says Brzeski; "we made a presentation that basically was the movie, and it never really changed." With the pitch going swimmingly, they found themselves headed for Australia's Gold Coast, where Supervising Art Director Richard Hobbs, Art Directors Bill Booth, Eugene Intas and Michelle McGahey, and Assistant Art Director Jenny Hitchcock joined them. "The first day Desma and I were there, we sat down with the Art Department," recalls Brzeski, "they didn't know us and we didn't know them, but we showed them the presentation and said, 'guys, this is the movie,' and we asked them to help us A. THE ENTRY TO NEW ATLANTIS. CONCEPT ILLUSTRATION BY CHRISTIAN SCHEURER. B. THE FISHERMAN'S KINGDOM. CONCEPT ILLUSTRATION BY JEREMY LOVE. AN OVERVIEW DIGITAL SKETCH OF THE FISHERMAN'S KINGDOM, SHOWING MORE ORGANIC CORAL AND FISHBONE SHAPES USED TO ILLUSTRATE THE DIFFERENCES IN THE SEVEN KINGDOMS. C. MERA'S SHIP. CONCEPT ILLUSTRATION BY ED NATIVIDAD. THE CRAFTS USED IN AQUAMAN ARE FOR THE MOST PART BASED ON ACTUAL SEA CREATURES. ED NATIVIDAD WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR DESIGNING MOST OF THE VEHICLES IN THE MOVIE D. THE FISHERMAN'S THRONE ROOM. CONCEPT ILLUSTRATION BY JEREMY LOVE. THIS ILLUSTRATES THE DIFFERENCE IN THE LOOK OF THE DIFFERENT KINGDOMS. THE FISHERMAN'S KINGDOM WAS A GENTLER PLACE WITH MORE ORGANIC SHAPES.