The Aerospatiale SA-9 Kestrel Gunship is a multirole rotorwing aircraft and the successor of the SA-2 Samson. It offers superior sensor equipment, weaponry and a more advanced engine system compared to its predecessor.
The concept for the Kestrel was initially developed by production designer Ben Procter, a few years before I joined the team as a set designer. My first task was designing the rear ramp, and Ben was pleased with my attention to detail. Subsequently, he entrusted me with the full development of the vehicle's exterior. Over the course of approximately four months, I transformed Ben’s concept image into a comprehensive CAD model.
The final look development renders of the Kestrel, created by Jonathan Berube under Ben’s supervision, showcase the culmination of our efforts. Jonathan, like many others on the project, was not only a gifted artist but also a generous mentor. Throughout the vehicle's development, he patiently guided me through both artistic and technical aspects of look development, significantly enhancing my skills and professionalism in a collaborative environment.
In addition to the exterior design, I also collaborated with Fausto de Martini, Rob Johnson, and Joe Hiura on the interior design of the gunship.
Working on the Kestrel was an invaluable learning experience. The opportunity to be part of such a talented art department, led by Ben Procter and Dylan Cole, inspired me to pursue a career as a professional concept designer in motion pictures.
diagram artwork generated from final cad model
During the design development of the Kestrel's exterior, I dedicated numerous hours to studying helicopter schematic diagrams to understand the aesthetics and functionality of rotor-wing aircraft design. To consolidate this experience, I created a diagram for the Kestrel.
This diagram was produced using a process known as "make 2D," which projects the wireframe data from the final CAD model onto a plane perpendicular to the camera view. The resulting projection is a vector file, which maintains high detail and allows for very large prints without any loss of line quality.
