Category: blog

I did all the textures for this submarine created for the A&E Documentary “The Russian Navy”. Here is the turnaround of the submarine. Texturing done in Maya and Photoshop.
DVD on sale at A&E

Documentary description from the History Channel
During the Cold War, Soviet Russia appeared vast, mysterious and threatening to many westerners. With its enormous reserves of manpower, it fielded a powerful army. Although historians and filmmakers have expended endless ink and celluloid discussing the vicissitudes of the Russian Army, the role of the navy in Russia’s history has been frequently overlooked.

In this groundbreaking documentary, we trace Russian naval history back to the seventeenth century. The regular Russian Navy was created at the behest of Tsar Peter the Great. At the end of the century, Russia began to deploy battleships and fire-ships during its campaign against Turkey. The Russian Parliament then passed a decree in October 1696 calling for the rapid construction of the navy.

We explain how the new force allowed Russia to triumph over Sweden in the Great Northern War of 1700 to 1721. It was during the course of this conflict that Russia began to construct its formidable Baltic fleet. We then explore the Russo-Turkish Wars, which occurred under Catherine the Great. The sea-bound skirmishes with Turkey resulted in the establishment of the Black Sea Fleet, which was based in Sevastapol and Kherson. In 1770, the Russian Navy managed to destroy the Turkish fleet in the Battle of Chesma.

Next, we address the Russian Navy’s activities during the twentieth century. The doomed 1905 Russo-Japanese War resulted in complete catastrophe for the Navy. At the Battle of Port Arthur, the Japanese used mines for offensive purposes for the first time in history. In the wake of the defeat, the country devoted an enlarged portion of its military spending to an ambitious shipbuilding programme.

During the First World War, the Black Sea Fleet succeeded in mining the Bosporus, thus preventing the Ottoman Fleet from entering the Black Sea. When the country withdrew from the war following the Russian Revolution, the fleet was evacuated from Helsinki and Tallinn to Kronstadt, in what became known as the ‘Ice Cruise of the Baltic Fleet.’

We also address the important role played by the navy in Russia’s 1917 Revolution. Russian sailors generally welcomed the Bolshevik Revolution. In 1905, sailors of the Imperial Russian battleship Potemkin had revolted against their oppressive officers. Their uprising would be immortalised in Sergei Eisenstein’s iconic 1925 silent film. In the following year, rebellious soldiers gained control of some Helsinki coastal fortifications during the Viapori Rebellion. Indeed, it was a blank shot from the Imperial Russian cruiser ‘Aurora’ which signalled the beginning of the October Revolution.

The Soviet Navy was formed from the ashes of the Imperial Navy. In the 1930s, as Russia underwent rapid and massive industrialisation, plans were also made to update and expand the Navy. We look at the role played by Soviet ships during the Second World War. We also outline the Russian challenge to western naval hegemony which took place during the Cold War. In the 1960’s and 70’s, the forceful and innovative commander in chief, Admiral Sergi Gorshkov, oversaw a massive naval build-up of aircraft carriers and submarines. This documentary outlines Russia’s tragic naval defeats and stunning, revolutionary victories in an accessible, dramatic and extremely comprehensive manner.

Here is a clip from a sequence. The November submarine launching a torpedo. I did the textures for the submarine. Thank google video for the bad quality.