Concept Drawings - Tumblr Posts

01. The original screenplay for "Snowpiercer" gives little description of the train aside from the engine car’s “silver, sleek rounded, bullet-shape nose”. The spare description gave the film’s art team a great deal of latitude to dream up a number of different designs for the titular vehicle that houses humanity’s last survivors. One of the initial designs accentuates the train’s sleek curves, suggesting its ability to move at high velocities with little wind resistance. 02. The Greenhouse Section’s surface is comprised almost entirely of windows to allow maximum light to enter and sustain the plants inside. 03. Exterior design of the Lounge + Salon Section. 04. Exterior design of the Swimming Pool Section. Similar to the Greenhouse, the Swimming Pool Section has plenty of windows to allow passengers to sunbathe during the daytime. 05. The cars that compose the Tail Section for the lower classes seem to riff off the look of contemporary livestock cars. Note the slat-style windows along the top, allowing air circulation but no real visibility. 06. Close-up detail of the Snowpiercer's wheels at the nose of the train. 07. In the original screenplay, the engine car’s nose transforms into a “sharp arrow-headed lance” to break through ice and snow. Although the final train does not feature this shape-shifting device, early designs show that the filmmakers did consider a piston-driven lance and a Giger-esque biomechanical aesthetic. 08. In the end, the final version that appears in the film bears a slightly more biomechanical aspect with a face-like design at its front.

Incredible concept art sketches created by production designer Ondrej Nekvasil for Bong Joon-Ho's visionary science fiction film, "Snowpiercer". +++ 01. Typical view of a cramped, dark, and grimy corridor within the residential areas of the Tail Section. 02. Gilliam's Tent, located at the very end of the Snowpiercer, as seen on the outside. 03. Living spaces inside the Tail Section intended to mimic the claustrophobic feel of slums in third-world countries. 04. A sketch depicting a violent, blood-soaked scene onboard the train, which was eventually realized in the film as the memorable battle between the Tail Section rebels and the Front Section soldiers at the Yekaterina Bridge and Tunnel. 05. A verdant rendering of the Greenhouse Section, where it marks the first time the Tail Section rebels encounter the vivid colors of the train. Notice a key difference: the old lady in the sketch is reading a book, whereas in the film, she is leisurely doing her knitting by the fountain. 06. Beyond the fountain stand boxes of carefully cultivated and strictly controlled plants, fruits, and vegetables all flourishing within the limited spaces of the Greenhouse Section. 07. Perhaps one of the most beautiful parts of the Snowpiercer that made Yona Minsoo stare in joyous wonder: a floor-to-ceiling wraparound Aquarium Section filled with marine life.

More of the stunning concept art sketches created by production designer Ondrej Nekvasil for Bong Joon-Ho's visionary science fiction film, "Snowpiercer". +++ 01. At the end of the mind-blowing Aquarium Section lies an adjacent sushi bar, which as Minister Mason revealed in the film, serves the tasty Japanese dish only during January and July. 02. The Classroom Section and its brightly decorated interiors which was faithfully realized in the film in acid-bright saturated colors that matched the demented cheerfulness of the Teacher and her privileged pupils. 03. The interior of the Lounge + Salon Section took its grand opulence by channeling the spirit of luxury cruise ships from the 1930s. 04. Floor-to-ceiling windows filter in the light of an eternal winter inside the Swimming Pool Section. Fun fact: actress Octavia Spencer (who plays Tanya in the film) stated that this was her favorite part of the train during filming. 05. The set design for the Nightclub Section was intended to reference the decadent interiors of Manhattan discotheques from the 1980s but with a more modern twist. 06. The plush and hazy interiors of the Kronol Den Section also referenced the same '80s nightclubs of Manhattan where the discreet back rooms allowed partygoers to indulge in drugs and other narcotics. 07. The final design of Wilford's domain, the Engine Section, was conceived as a metallic spheroid monstrosity that production designer Ondrej Nekvasil described as "the chapel at the end of the road."