The Bastards’ Weapon

There are a number of self-imposed restriction that I applied in Palestine 3000 A.D. One of it is the weapon technology. It is difficult to imagine a story of the future without major explosive weapons or even the typical laser like. Do warriors fight cowardly from the distance or face each other like brave old medieval knights? I prefer the later but with weapons of much advance technology.

I had look into old archives of medieval weapons but it did not sparked any idea. But I do love heavy metallic weapons. It is more masculine than the laser kind. So I peeked into my tool box where there are many solid metal devices. The spark of  inspiration came and I assembled a composite and add a game controller feature for a touch of technology. A new weapon was invented, a two handled sabre.  I named it the Bastard’s Sabre after the nickname of the three villains in the story.

The 3D modelling was challenging because of some of the organic form of the weapon. Some features evolved from the original design and that is expected. The handle is borrowed from some parts of M16 assault rifle. The controller buttons and wheels were carefully design so that it is reachable from both handle. If you are wondering how do the weapon function or what special technology it is designed upon then you have to wait till the graphic novel is publish.

 

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PEDD – The Future Tech Gadget

When designing for a futuristic story nowadays it is difficult not to introduce some kind of gadget. Pieces of the future that we hope to emulate. It is not surprising that many of our present day gadgets were inspired by futuristic works like Star Trek and many others. I myself could not shunt away from that idea for my graphic novel Palestine 3000 A.D.. Practically we humans need some kind of tool to help our everyday task. Unlike most of the social statement gadgets of present day, the gadgets in Palestine 3000 A.D. are real necessity for survival.

 The gadget above is called the PEDD acronym for Personal Encoder-Decoder Device an advance PDA. It is used to analyse things and also to synthesize things on a molecular level. In the third millennium the manufacturing of things are not done by factories but by individuals. The technology is so advanced that even a little boy like the character in the story could synthesize or emulate his own things. The question of where  and how he got it and how much it cost has no parallel to our present time. The reason that I introduced it is because it is an integral part of the story.

PEDD is the first 3D model that I did for Palestine 3000 A.D. It is actually the reason that I chose to have 3D references for the project. In the first scene I had tried various camera angles of the boy holding the PEDD. While doing the sketches I had a problem visualizing the PEDD in those various angles because PEDD do not exist in real life. Based on my pencil sketch I was quite sure that it is easy to be model in 3D for I had done 3D models for many years. I am glad that I did because in a 3D environment I came to realized many possibilities and corrected the perception of the initial 2D design. It could also be used as a promotional tool.

 

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The Renaissance Touch in 3000 A.D.

 When designing a futuristic story people always presume that it is a sci-fi. That it is going to be space ships, flying vehicles, laser weapons and people walking around in some kind of Star Trek suits. Perhaps the word ‘science’ in sci-fi that is misleading. Palestine 3000 A.D. is perhaps fiction but it may be more art rather than science. Science need to be rationalized but art is just an expression. In Palestine 3000 A.D. the emphasis is on expression.

Expression is much easier when I was writing the script but when designing the props it took nearly a year before I finally settled on a certain renaissance style. Perhaps the style was always in me and it became obvious when I really pushed the limit. Renaissance means starting again and it is quite appropriate for Palestine 3000 A.D. graphic novel where people are trying to start again after a catastrophe. Perhaps not towards sophistication but into another destruction.

The above design is of a dual axis controller seat in a vehicle called the Sub-Crawler. For this presentation I just add a bit of Leonardo da Vinci feel by compositing my pencil sketch over a copy of a leathery material from an original Leonardo painting. The inspiration started from some designs of hospital bed and I gradually add parts till it do not look like a bed anymore. The curve handles are my original idea. The style will appear in many other design.

 The 2D design is then converted into a 3D model. But it is just not just pure extrusion to make it look 3D but  many other parts are added later in a 3D perspective. So why do a 3D model for a 2D graphic novel? Palestine 3000 A.D. is just not a graphic novel. It is targeted for a feature animation. So the approach is film like with a production board style. It do not jump cut from panel to panel. It flows with a film lingo. A single scene will have various camera angles. Usually a 2D artist will have some difficulty visualizing a 3D environment especially when the environment or object is complex and do not exist in this present time. There is no reference that he or she could use. That is the reason that most of the props and sets in this graphic novel are modelled in 3D. Besides pre-empting for the animation project the props can also be used for promos and even merchandising.

My principal in designing the props and sets is to make it look real but not to rationalize it too much. I just set my imagination free. Nobody really knows what the future looks like. In the past who ever thought that tons of metal could float on water and fly in the air.

 

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Graffiti for Palestine

In 2004 I had done a short documentary project for Palestine while I was staying in Ripley, Tennessee. That was the first time that I was introduced to the subject by a friend from Memphis who is an activist. I started doing extensive research about the issue. The project did  not lead me anywhere because of the lack of funding. Nobody really care and perhaps I shared the same calamity as the Palestinians. My personal life did not get better either. It was one of my darkest moments.

Despite all that had happen I really cherish  those moments and I still kept a copy of the storyboard drawings with me. When I started the Palestine 3000 A.D. graphic novel project in Kuala Lumpur I put up the drawings back on the wall in my office. It brought back fond memories and every pencil stroke renders the moments of a forgotten place. It was an expression that can never be repeated. Right then I decided to design the poster with the emphasis on strokes. A graffiti of what I feel about Palestine. The red is obviously signifies blood. The blood of the victims and the martyrs. The earthly background tone signifies land which is what the conflict is all about.

The mood was set and my pen bleeds. With zero budget and creativity as my only weapon, Palestine 3000 A.D. is going to be my longest war.

 

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Palestine 3000 A.D. - The Graphic Novel

There was once a great war. Some said it was about faith and race. But it was actually a great act of shameless robbery of land. The land called Palestine. It was once promised by God to the righteous but never to impervious hypocrites. The Zionists had transformed the holy land into one living hell. They finally expelled the Palestinians from their own homes. That was their greatest mistake. They became an easy target. The attack came from all sides. The biggest blow came from far. The superpowers that used to protect them could not even help themselves. They all crumbled under their own greed. The war was swift but it was catastrophic. In the end nobody wins.
 

After 500 years the acid dust was finally clearing. The atmosphere was still highly combustive rendering modern weapons useless. Radiation was still active in most parts of the land except in some remote country side. The Zionist survivors were still holding tight to the 'promised land', a promise of a very slow death. Though most of the Palestinians had left, a persistent few still remain in the outskirts. A boy named Kalifa and his family were one of the few. This is his story.

- Quoted from the introduction of 'Palestine 3000 A.D.' graphic novel book #1 episode #1.

 

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