Scene Development Update 7/1/2011

Over the holiday season I've dedicated a considerable amount of time to simply... thinking. The most blatant problem I'm having is the composition of the scene. In attempting to retain the iconic appearance of the Americana-style diner, I end up with a scene that, whilst filled with interesting items and objects, is dull in its layout.
Although this linear layout fits my idea of 'the uncanny through repetition' effectively, its one thing to have an effective theme, and another entirely to have an effective image.
As a result of this, I've moved back to an older idea that still retains the uncanny element of the repetition, but in an alternative way. This new idea involves breaking the repetition in some way. I aim do this by adding comfort to viewer through the repetition, only to take it away by halting the repetition with something plausible, but still likely in the setting.
I've attempted this by adding the idea of a birthday scenario within the diner. Its something that is entirely likely to occur, and yet it is significant enough to break the repetition of the scene.

Of course, the uncanny element of the scene could be totally ruined by the obvious nature of the birthday set up in the diner, so I may attempt something a little more subtle, such as taking existing elements within the scene and making them somewhat askew, interrupting the repetition somewhat as opposed to completely cutting it off.

How I started out, focusing a little too much on the bar area, simply for its aesthetic qualities. Whilst the bar itself isn't uncanny, it is a good (whilst a little cliche) point of focus in the scene, and could be used for this purpose effectively.

The elements of repetition in the scene are primarily the seating, tiles on the floor, walls and ceiling and objects such as bottles, menus, cutlery and crockery. When laid out in a strategic fashion, the uncanny tone is at its highest. This could be nudged a little higher by throwing a visual spanner in the works to upset the pattern, although subtlety is what will make this method effective.

The birthday party idea was something that came to mind early on in the project, but I dismissed it as initially I didn't want a central point of focus within the scene. Although, when I developed my ideas a little further, I decided to revisit it, as it may have a purpose paired with my more recent thoughts.

Just a quick thumbnail depicting the contents of the table. Typical birthday stuff. 

A quick thumbnail with the birthday scene place loosely at the back of the diner. This 'dropped in' approach is pretty much the opposite of what I want from the scene. It sticks out way too much, but then again, it probably would anywhere in the room. This is leading me to pursue a more subtle approach, something less 'in-your-face'. 

A small diagram depicting the placement of the scenario within the repeated elements of the diner. About as blunt as a can be when demonstrating my idea.