OVERVIEW
Studio Temwa approached me to contribute to the visual development of their independant feature film as a concept artist for the client to be ready to present to potential investors. My role focuses on creating visual concepts that help establish the worldbuilding, narrative tone, and thematic depth through character, environmental, and organisational design.
Inspired by the project’s storyboard and naming conventions, I explored themes surrounding religion, conformity, and the idea of blindly following authority. These ideas became embedded throughout the designs of people, places, and institutions to create a cohesive visual language that reflects the project’s underlying narrative. Through this direction, I investigated subtle foreshadowing, symbolism, and the complexity of negative human emotions to strengthen the atmosphere and emotional weight of it’s world.
My visual approach draws inspiration from art movements that critique corrupt societal systems, class imbalance, and the manipulation of public perception. The world presented within the project reflects themes of socioeconomic inequality and a fractured community structure, mirroring issues that resonate strongly within contemporary society.
This project closely aligns with my discursive practice, where I use accessible mediums such as animation and identity to encourage engagement with serious social and political themes. By combining conceptual storytelling with visual design, the work aims to create an immersive world that encourages reflection and discussion surrounding power, conformity, and systemic imbalance.
3D DEV
PEOPLE, PLACES & ORGANISATIONS
WORLD BUILDING
This project follows the story of the main character called ‘Bishop’.
“With his team depending on him and his enemies closing in, he must confront the question he has avoided his entire life.
‘Why does he play?’
In a world where football is war, entertainment, and survival all at once, Bishop must decide whether he is chasing revenge, redemption, or simply the thrill of destruction.”
Uniform Design for Different Teams
Each team's uniform is designed to reflect the level of financial backing and sponsorship they receive, making wealth and status immediately recognisable within the world. Although the uniforms exist virtually within the narrative, their appearance is heavily influenced by traditional commercial interests, with better-funded teams receiving more elaborate designs, premium materials, and enhanced visual effects.
This approach draws inspiration from modern in-game cosmetic systems, where visual customisation and exclusive ‘skins’ are often locked behind a ‘paywall’. In the context of the project, these differences serve as a form of environmental storytelling, highlighting the economic disparities between teams and the individuals they represent.
Concept Sketches
Concept Uniform Designs
3D DEV
CONCEPT OBJECTS
IN VR
ENVIRONMENT DESIGN
The stadium blends sacred architecture with a dystopian sports arena, creating an atmosphere of authority and intimidation. A single-sided church wall emerges through dense fog, illuminated by dim lighting and surrounded by floating CRT-inspired displays, while overlapping suspended LED rings provide advertising and match information. The enclosed design is intended to psychologically overwhelm opposing teams and reinforce the dominance of the home side or current champions.
Subtle religious motifs reflect the central figure of the Main Subject called ‘Bishop’, with Latin and Greek-inspired naming conventions shaping team identities and organised crime syndicates. Floating structures and visual elements draw inspiration from historical religious art and iconography, reimagined through a futuristic, technological aesthetic.
Inspired by
Pop culture references:
TV Show
Deadman Wonderland Games (J.Kataoka & K.Kondou, Manga, 2007 & Animated Show, 2011)
Galactick Football ( C.Barrez & V.Vandelli, 2006) - Stadium & Game streaming theme
Film
Ready Player One (E.Cline, Book, 2011 & Motion Picture, S.Spielberg, 2018) - VR Game streaming & Sci-fi game platform
Game
Rocket League (Studio Psyonix, 2015) - Stadium
Artist Exhibitions:
Olafur Eliasson, ‘The Blind Passenger’ 2010
Lachlan Turczan, ‘Lucida’ 2025
For light projection method - light travelling through mist and potentially reduce film cost production.
Ideation sketches for the stadium
Virtual Stadium Concept
Full-Body VR Transport Console Concept
Visual Direction & Inspiration
The visual identity draws inspiration from 1970’s TV Shows & the Psychedelic Design movement, originally associated with peace, freedom, and counterculture. Characterised by distorted forms, vibrant symbolism, and deliberately difficult-to-read typography, the movement encouraged viewers to slow down and engage with the message while rejecting conventional commercial aesthetics.
Within this world, those ideals have been appropriated and commercialised. What was once a symbol of liberation has become a tool of control, with corporations and powerful organisations repurposing its visual language to sell false hope and maintain systems of oppression and debt. To those living within the world's lower classes, this imagery has earned a reputation as a "false hand" almost like promising opportunity while masking exploitation.
This contradiction reflects the people, places, and organisations that inhabit this setting. Religious motifs, corporate branding, and organised crime all share a common visual language, blurring the line between faith, commerce, and authority. The result is a world where symbols of comfort and community have been transformed into instruments of power, reinforcing the themes of desperation, manipulation, and spectacle that define its society.
Names within the project are informed by Latin and Greek language roots, using historical meanings to subtly reinforce the world's themes and foreshadow narrative elements. For example, Paritz, a team name derived from concepts of violence and lawlessness, hints at both the team's identity and its potential role within the wider story. Similarly, Atomos, meaning "ungovernable" or "indivisible," reflects the illegal and underground nature of the sport, positioning it outside established authority.
These naming choices act as environmental storytelling, rewarding players who recognise their historical and linguistic origins while adding depth to the world's factions and organisations.
A potential gameplay mechanic inspired by sponsor systems, such as those seen in survival competitions (similar to Hunger Games, S.Collins, 2008), could further reinforce the setting's themes. Wealthy patrons or corporate sponsors may influence matches by purchasing supplies, equipment, medical aid, or temporary advantages for competitors. Framed as acts of generosity, these interventions instead highlight the imbalance of power, turning survival into a spectacle where success can be shaped by those with the greatest financial influence.
Player UI in VR/ Game ArenaPhoto: People Playing Football, Photography by Keith Johnston
BRANDING WITHIN
THE STORY
BRAND IDENTITY CONCEPT
The visual identity of the underground games takes inspiration from 1970s television game shows, using bold colours, striking typography, and highly commercialised advertising to disguise the brutality of the competition as mainstream entertainment. The familiar aesthetic creates a sense of legitimacy, allowing the organisation behind the games to operate in plain sight.
Promotional material includes vertical posters for physical displays and social media-style advertisements, alongside square formats for match announcements, "Who vs. Who" promotions, and leaderboard updates. These are distributed throughout neighbourhoods under the syndicate's control, becoming a constant presence in the urban environment.
The widespread visibility of the games reflects the corruption within the world. Law enforcement and public officials largely ignore their existence due to bribery and the economic influence of the organisers, particularly in lower-income districts where the games are normalised. Despite their local presence, the primary audience consists of wealthy spectators who view the matches as entertainment and opportunities for betting.
Access to the games also reinforces social hierarchy. The quality and fidelity of VR equipment serve as visible indicators of socioeconomic status, with wealthier individuals experiencing the spectacle through premium technology while poorer communities engage with shared lower-quality systems, further emphasising the divide between those who profit from the games and those who are consumed by them.
Brand Identity for the Game Show ‘The Atomos Games (TAG)’
Social Media Content
Digital Billboards & Banners
Posters