08-02-2006, 05:30 PM
the following is from an earlyer post on the Iain Banks forum but it basically outlines my project.
I'm doing my major project on movie production design for Consider Phlebas. my project is focus on designing the clear air turbulence, as is it a 'hero' object in the book.
altho concept for other parts of the story have been drawn to build a better under standing of the context inwhich the CAT existed
the following is a breif discription of the CAT
The Clear Air Turbulence:
The Clear Air Turbulence (or CAT as it is referred to as) is a space ship in Iain Banks book 'Consider Phlebas'. In the story it is a renegade mercenary/pirate ship, it has a long history and has changed ownership many times, having various alterations done along the way.
Quotes from the book:
'The Clear Air Turbulence was a venerable Hronish armored assault ship from one of the declining, later dynasties, and was built more for ruggedness and reliability than for performance and sophistication.'
'On either side of the hull the warp units bulged, like small version of the hull itself, and connected to it by stubby wings in the middle and thin flying pylons swept back from just behind the crafts nose. The CAT was streamlined, and fitted with sprinter motors in the tail, as well as a small lift engine in the nose, for working in atmospheres and gravity wells.”
-
In order to properly design the CAT i need to invent a backstory for it. this would tell me who made it, what kind of civilization they were and what technolgies were avaiable to them.
Tthe following is the backstory i gave to the CAT. if you have any sugestions or ideas that you think i should add to this please post them i'm very interested on getting more points of view on the CATs history.
CAT History:
The Hronish dynasty that built the CAT was a society that valued their home planet above all else and through technology became a fully sustainable society. They were an honorable and prestigious race, proud to be part of the circle of life on their sacred planet. They had an abundance of recycled plastics leftover from a more wasteful era, this they molded using a high pressure injection molding technique which enabled the plastic to be super strong and heat resistant.
Energy was considered free, their power supply's needed no fuel to run but could only produce low at ampage so battery systems where ustilises for moments of high consumption. At the time of the CAT's construction the Hronish dynasty had been suffering from a long and treacherous onslaught from a larger colonising neighboring planet. The CAT was part of the Hronish Royal Guard and was one of only two armored assault ships in the guard. In a last stand final battle, when the Hronish army had been all but defeated the CAT managed to escape with the last surviving member of the Hronish royal family.
The CAT was then sold and bought many times undergoing alterations and repairs until all memory of the Hronish civilisation it spawned from had all but disappeared.
It is now considered an ancient relic but still boast a fast top speed for a ship of its size.
specs:
- Holds 18 people in 9 small cabins.
- Top speed = 1200 lights
- About one hundred metres long
-
ok so this along with the rest of the book was basically my criteria.
the following are early concepts for the CAT,
this concept was going for a junk yard/ lopsided layer over the top of a sturdy elegant orginal ship.
This concept is alot faster looking with its two big warp units on each side and its bird like form.
this copncept was alittle bit more out there, its more bug like and features bright colours
this concept has a plastic injection molded shell with metal encasing areas for higher pressure. the sprinter motors have been replaced
this was my final concept at the end of last semester
[attachment=1]
i'll put some more recent stuff up soon
ed denton
I'm doing my major project on movie production design for Consider Phlebas. my project is focus on designing the clear air turbulence, as is it a 'hero' object in the book.
altho concept for other parts of the story have been drawn to build a better under standing of the context inwhich the CAT existed
the following is a breif discription of the CAT
The Clear Air Turbulence:
The Clear Air Turbulence (or CAT as it is referred to as) is a space ship in Iain Banks book 'Consider Phlebas'. In the story it is a renegade mercenary/pirate ship, it has a long history and has changed ownership many times, having various alterations done along the way.
Quotes from the book:
'The Clear Air Turbulence was a venerable Hronish armored assault ship from one of the declining, later dynasties, and was built more for ruggedness and reliability than for performance and sophistication.'
'On either side of the hull the warp units bulged, like small version of the hull itself, and connected to it by stubby wings in the middle and thin flying pylons swept back from just behind the crafts nose. The CAT was streamlined, and fitted with sprinter motors in the tail, as well as a small lift engine in the nose, for working in atmospheres and gravity wells.”
-
In order to properly design the CAT i need to invent a backstory for it. this would tell me who made it, what kind of civilization they were and what technolgies were avaiable to them.
Tthe following is the backstory i gave to the CAT. if you have any sugestions or ideas that you think i should add to this please post them i'm very interested on getting more points of view on the CATs history.
CAT History:
The Hronish dynasty that built the CAT was a society that valued their home planet above all else and through technology became a fully sustainable society. They were an honorable and prestigious race, proud to be part of the circle of life on their sacred planet. They had an abundance of recycled plastics leftover from a more wasteful era, this they molded using a high pressure injection molding technique which enabled the plastic to be super strong and heat resistant.
Energy was considered free, their power supply's needed no fuel to run but could only produce low at ampage so battery systems where ustilises for moments of high consumption. At the time of the CAT's construction the Hronish dynasty had been suffering from a long and treacherous onslaught from a larger colonising neighboring planet. The CAT was part of the Hronish Royal Guard and was one of only two armored assault ships in the guard. In a last stand final battle, when the Hronish army had been all but defeated the CAT managed to escape with the last surviving member of the Hronish royal family.
The CAT was then sold and bought many times undergoing alterations and repairs until all memory of the Hronish civilisation it spawned from had all but disappeared.
It is now considered an ancient relic but still boast a fast top speed for a ship of its size.
specs:
- Holds 18 people in 9 small cabins.
- Top speed = 1200 lights
- About one hundred metres long
-
ok so this along with the rest of the book was basically my criteria.
the following are early concepts for the CAT,
this concept was going for a junk yard/ lopsided layer over the top of a sturdy elegant orginal ship.
This concept is alot faster looking with its two big warp units on each side and its bird like form.
this copncept was alittle bit more out there, its more bug like and features bright colours
this concept has a plastic injection molded shell with metal encasing areas for higher pressure. the sprinter motors have been replaced
this was my final concept at the end of last semester
[attachment=1]
i'll put some more recent stuff up soon
ed denton
