Oblivion - Interface Design
The mighty Joseph Kosinski invited Munkowitz to the GFX party once again, this time for his spring blockbuster feature film OBLIVION™… Predictably, the list of graphic assets to be created was obscene, so munko assembled and led another super team of GFX mercenaries and descended into the lovely confines of Crater Lake Productions to generate the aforementioned fuckload of graphic content… Working with Joseph always brings out the best in Munk and Company, and this time around was certainly no exception… OBLIVION © Universal Pictures, Inc. All Rights Reserved. A more thorough GFX Breakdown at: http://work.gmunk.com/OBLIVION-GFX GFX METHODOLOGY The briefing for the Graphic Language stressed functionality and minimalism while utilizing a bright, unified color palette that would appear equally well on both a dark or bright backdrop… The function was to reflect the modernized sensibilities of the TET Mainframe computer and would assist the characters with the key components of their duties on earth; be it the monitoring of all Vitals on the ground using Vika's Light Table, or the various diagnostics in the air using the Jack's Bubbleship… For good measure, the team also designed and animated all of the HUD UI for the various machines and weaponry in the film cuz they could, establishing a consistent graphic language that rendered all the interfaces with a loverly cohesion rarely seen in them massive-budget Sci-Fi productions... OBLIVION LIGHT TABLE UI One of the most widely seen Graphic elements was Vika's Light Table, which allowed her to guide Jack Harper through his tasks as a Drone repair man in the field of duty… The table itself was built practically, so most of the visuals were captured in-camera, lending a beautiful optical touch to the design ( thx Joe & Claudio )… The table consisted of four screens: A main map that Vika used to monitor the Bubbleship, Drone, and Scav positioning, a Drone Monitor which tracked all their key vitals and fuel status, A Hydro Rig monitor that displayed the collection progress for the large resource gatherers over the ocean, and finally a Weather Screen which showed the Tet's online status and also key vitals of the ever-changing weather systems… A couple extra tasks had the team designing another Map Diagnostic screen on a milky-white breakfast table top and a few key standalone windows that were analyzing Rogue Signal feeds that were key story points in the film... OBLIVION BUBBLESHIP UI Jack's helicopter, a remarkable Daniel Simon creation called the Bubbleship, was Jack's paramount vehicle in the film… The UI appeared as a hologram embedded within the spherical glass cockpit, done to perfection by the lovely folks at Pixomondo, and functioned to assist Jack in his flight and combat duties throughout the film… The team researched a grip of Flight simulator and Helicopter Combat interfaces and sought to modernize the aesthetic while still delivering key functionality that would mimic real-world flight tools... And of course the team didn't want to fuck up Simon's baby with ugly UI, the German wrath was implanted deep within and ultimately, the Bubbleship UI was by far the most researched and pampered graphic task... OBLIVION HUD GFX The team also designed all of the Machinery HUDs and various Gauges in the film, be it the Drone Machine Vision, Jack's Gun HUD, all the Scav equipment and some of Jack's smaller vehicles... The interfaces again stressed functionality over excess, keeping the Greeble under control and communicating key story points throughout the film.. All of these graphic elements were ingested by the VFX Vendors and ultimately integrated seamlessly into the live-action plates; many thanks mighty peoples... OBLVN Light Table UI Credit list Production Facility: Crater Lake Productions Oblivion Director: Joseph Kosinski Oblivion Producer: Steve Gaubs Oblivion Assistant Producer: David Feinblserbr Graphics Design Director: Bradley G Munkowitz Lead Graphic Designers: Bradley G Munkowitz, Jake Sargeant Graphic Designers: Joseph Chanimal, Alexander Perry Lead Graphics Animators: David Lewandowski, Joseph Chanimal Graphics Animator: Alexander Perry OBLVN Bubbleship UI Credit list Graphics Design Director: Bradley G Munkowitz Lead Graphic Designers: Bradley G Munkowitz, Joseph Chanimal Lead Graphics Animator: Navarro Parker Graphics Animator: Joseph Chanimal OBLVN HUD GFX Credit list Graphics Design Director: Bradley G Munkowitz Lead Graphic Designers: Joseph Chanimal, Bradley G Munkowitz Graphic Designer: Alexander Perry Lead Graphics Animators: Navarro Parker, Alexander Perry Graphics Animator: Joseph Chanimal OBLVN Process Montage Credit list Production Facility: Autofuss Design Director: Bradley G Munkowitz Lead Editor: Ian Colon Director of Photography: Ian Colon
You guys are in for a treat! GMUNK has generously compiled a montage of all the awesome UI elements from Oblivion! We've also got a link to a featurette with director Joseph Kosinski, GMUNK and DLEW talking about the design in the film.
The things I love about the UI design in Oblivion…
The consistent design language I love how GMUNK explains the use of a dot grid to hang all the design elements on. It really helped create a neat, consistent, structured system throughout the film's UI. I also love the overall style/language of the UI, created by the type, icons, colour palette and use of thin details. It feels modern and minimalist, and really appealing to use, I would love to just play around on the light table or look through the gun scope!
The style The look of the UI was futuristic but believable. It looks like a system that's been refined and evolved over the years from what we're familiar with today. So I don't think we're really meant to be able to comprehend all the screens but be able to recognise some elements from them. The team have created an interface that has a really good balance of something that feels familiar but also a bit alien.
The road rogue signal (5:48 in featurette) This stood out for me whilst watching the film. It was probably one of the braver design elements in the film and hats off to Joseph Kosinski for allowing the artists to do their thing. I really love it when I see new ways of visualizing data, and this was one of those times. It looks so graphic, it was less technical than the rest of the UI and it had a lot of character.
Oblivion was one of those films where I couldn't wait to see more shots of the UI. It's such a pleasure to see guys like GMUNK, DLEW, Jake Sargeant/MN8 and all the other great designers not involved in Oblivion pushing this niche field of designing HUDs and GUIs! That is why this site was made, so pumped!
Watch the Oblivion GFX montage by GMUNK
Check out this featurette on Creating the World of "Oblivion" (2013)
Check out GMUNK's breakdown of the work, which includes a list of credits
Check out the Oblivion process montage by DLEW
Check out the Joseph Chan's Oblivion GFX montage then check out his breakdown page!