The hotly anticipated third act of Interrogator starts today on WarhammerTV. Head there right now to catch up on the action – we’ll be here when you come back with a behind-the-scenes look at what went into the architecture of this week’s episode. Be warned – there are mild spoilers ahead.
Back already? Good stuff. In preparation for the launch, we spoke to Sarah from the Warhammer animations team about the look and feel of the Ecclesiarchy buildings you see this week.
“The goal when creating sets for our animations is to make sure locations feel like they belong in Warhammer,” Sarah explains. “The chapel where this week’s fight takes place is in the middle of a city that is deeply mired in violence and unrest – tucked away in its own little space. It’s seen better days for sure, and is basically falling apart – the perfect hideyhole for our villain.”
The run-down chapel has a lot in common visually with the cathedrum that Jurgen visits for answers. If you’re familiar with the Warhammer 40,000 terrain kits we’ve made over the years, you’ll see lots of familiar elements across both, with flying buttresses, loads of spires, stained glass, and some Imperial symbols.
“There are also a few guns on the cathedrum… just in case. In times of invasion, the weapon defences around the outside might be activated to drive off xenos or heretics (it’s a shame the chapel didn’t have them) – but you can certainly imagine they’re for keeping the citizens in line too!” adds Sarah.
“It all starts as an image concept – and we have to work with the illustrators and animators to make sure the geography of the place works.“As with all Warhammer designs, it’s the little details that ground it in the universe. Embedded Imperial iconography, statues, and more. You see a lot of that in the interior of the cathedrum where Jurgen talks to the priest. Those statues are designed to stare down on the Imperial citizens and create a sense of fear and awe.”
“Looking at these concept illustrations, you can see the cathedrum from two perspectives. The first is that which Jurgen sees as he advances down the nave towards the apse, with its magnificent illustrative stained glass windows. The alternative angle shows what the priest would see looking from the altar towards the congregation – details like this really set the scene for the show.”
“We had a lot of fun making sure there were all the right symbols to keep the Imperial populace cowed and respectful,” Sarah adds with a grin. “Badges of the Ecclesiarchy, the Inquisitorial ‘I’, and plenty of morbid statues of saints clutching swords. Keeping them frightened keeps them obedient.”
While Interrogator is this week’s main event – it’s not the only awesome content dropping on Warhammer+ this week. We’ve also got the first part of a Citadel Colour Masterclass on the famous non-metallic metals painting technique, and an episode of Loremasters that gives you the lowdown on the Leagues of Votann. You won’t want to miss this in depth investigation into the newest faction in Warhammer 40,000!
Don’t forget, the Year Two subscriber models for Warhammer+ launch tomorrow! Subscribe from the 25th of August to guarantee you get one (or both).
