Working Overtime
This module expands from the previous project by focusing on the exploration of details in terms of interior design, composition, and lighting. Rather than designing a space for a specific purpose, the intention of this exercise is more about visualising a fluid space that has been interacted with naturally over time. This means considering the temporal flow of the lived space and how objects shift and transform as people move with and around them.
Lighting and Composition
The broad one-point view intends to display the overall structure and organisation of the room through the perspective of the waitress from behind the counter. The atmosphere is set through lighting and context clues. For example, by showing a big part of the interior, an emphasis is created between the alluminated booth crowded with objects and the rest of the empty diner.
A clear foreground, midground, and background are clearly established by the lighting and object placements. The foreground is defined by the dirty dishes in front, lit by the neon light behind. The dim and unoccupied midground intends to be looked past by the viewer, drawing their eyes straight to the booth in the background, which is alluminated by the only lit lamp in the diner.
This close-up shot of the booth is taken from the position of the artist, where the objects can be observed at eye level. The laptop and sofa create a somewhat triangular formation that gives the overall scene a balance in height and density against the flat notebook and papers.
Like the previous views, lighting plays a big part in defining depth and assisting the viewer with looking at the image. The foreground is the brightest, and takes up the most space. The neon sign is the next brightest object, which directs the eye to where the waitress is standing. Finally, the dimly lit background reveals a glimpse of the rest of the diner, which adds to the empty feeling of the place.
This eye-view looking down at the booth aims to highlight the theme of loneliness and isolation. The bright booth in the corner acts as a centre-point, contrasting itself against the other tables with empty bottles and dirty plates. The scene is designed so that the viewer’s eyes are drawn to the corner first, then gradually moving to the edges.
The lighting and object proximity almost create a radiating effect where the lighting turns increasingly dim while the plates and utensils become more and more scattered near the edges.
Gloss is added to the sofas with a white pen and blurred out using Gaussian Blur, while smudges and stains are added to the windows. Then, a vignette effect is created by painting black around the edges and overlaying it. I also painted highlights onto the image and tuned up the saturation and vibrance at the end to accentuate the neon pink and purple hue, as well as the booth at the back,
In the same way, the midground is darkened with black paint while highlights are added to the light sources. To make the scene feel more lived-in, eraser shavings is scattered on the table and a lipstick mark is added onto the coffee cup to give context clues about the character that occupies the environment.
Like the main image, this vignette had its saturation, vibrance, and brightness adjusted to bring out the dim atmosphere. Black is overlayed around the edges, while white, blue, and pink are added to accentuate the neon lighting. Details such as stains, gloss and noise maps are also added for realistic effect.