Disclaimer 01: This is a fan made homage project; an excuse to make something. I was not payed to make this. Though I probably should’ve been…
Disclaimer 02: This project contains various weapons, however it is not trying to promote weapons or violence in any way. It should only be viewed as ‘live concept' art’.
The reason I made this project is simple: I like the game The Division.
I takes place in a dystopian very near future where most of the population has been wiped out by a virus of mysterious origin. The remaining people are either trying to restore and rebuild, or have joined one of the many outlaw gangs and factions. The player takes the roll of a Division agent; an undercover special forces group taking direct orders from the government and are only activated in crisis situations like this. Hiding as civilians before being activated but highly trained they are the main and strongest force against complete downfall.
I really like this game, and although it has it’s flaws like anything else, some things it does amazing. It nails the sense of realistic dystopia, a horrific but possible future, while infusing it with exciting semi-futuristic tech and great audio-visual quality. The ever-changing weather and atmosphere adds another layer of mood to the setting and pulls the player in. I wanted to hit a certain vibe that is present in certain areas of the game at certain times. Specifically when the fog and neon lights hit and the amazing retro synth infused soundtrack takes off. That is the best part and the essence of this game in my opinion, and what makes it unique.
The first time I played The Division and the first time I entered an area called The Dark Zone is all about this vibe and feeling, and it’s one of my best memories playing video games.
How I went about making this is pretty straight forward. There’s something called Amazon.com and you can find literally anything there. For cheap. Luckily the fashion of The Division is very grounded in current reality. Parts of the costumes are basically air-soft equipment and the rest is my own wardrobe. However I had a lot of fun picking out all the different pieces of gear that goes into one of these costumes; sling bags, holsters, air soft guns, knives, bag attachments, carabineers, ropes, masks etc.
Of course the fun doesn’t stop with the photo shoot, but continues in post-production in the form of color grading and the addition of design and other digital elements.
