http://img01.deviantart.net/817c/i/2016/158/f/b/south_east_alaska_cabin_living_room_by_ehrendreich-da5cor8.jpg

### Being A Storyteller ###

I have been working as an artist for many years. I have contributed to television, theatrical motion pictures, music videos and commercial work. The bulk of that work has involved either designing buildings from scratch or to interpret designs from paper into a tactile visual representation for both print and video. When I am doing visualization work it is my job to both evoke an emotional response and explain the function of architecture. Typically architects have a strong sense of design philosophy and engineering but often do not articulate that in a personally compelling and palpable way. They have a strong idea for design but lack an understanding of how to communicate that design to others. They are not trained to tell a story of form and function. Many feel that the design, the building should speak for itself. This often does not help investors, regulators and a public an understanding and personal experience of the building. This is where a visualization specialist comes into play.  

http://img07.deviantart.net/dee8/i/2016/340/4/5/contemporary_country_home_pool_lights_by_ehrendreich-daqrvqv.png

### Lights, Camera, Action ###

A visualization specialist can be thought of as an interpreter who through their experience of how cameras and light work help to build the narrative that the architect feels are obvious just by the virtue of their design. They can see how things will look when built because they had an intimate vision of their building in mind when they drafted it. To them the way the light breaks through a window or how that light interacts with different materials and colors are obvious. But this is because they have a precision camera and ideal lighting in their mind. Many can not translate that into a visual representation that has the same impact on whomever  they are trying to sell their designs too. This is because the creation of camera angles, lighting, atmosphere and all of the tactile aspects of these scenes can take years to master. An architect can specify a particular light fixture but may not know how to get the effect of the actual light on that space to come out accurately. In short they are not specialists in the technical parts of telling the story of spaces and may not be trained to be a storyteller in the first place.

http://img01.deviantart.net/016d/i/2016/329/8/0/walkway___conservatory_at_the_dells_by_ehrendreich-dapkmqw.jpg

### Set & Setting Are Important ###

It is hard for someone to not only know how to create great architecture but how to illustrate what that building will look when placed at the site it will be built in. An architectural visualization has to have the skills to also build environments, terrains, landscapes, waterways, roads and all of the things that help to establish the context for the building once it is built. 

http://img04.deviantart.net/893d/i/2017/178/0/b/contemporary_country_house_water_color_rearticulat_by_ehrendreich-dbe7tgd.jpg

### Creating An Emotional Reaction ###

 Many times an architectural visualization artist is called upon to build a photoreal representation of a building and it's surrounding landscape. Sometimes that sort of representation may not cut it and a different type of format will work better to evoke the imagination and participation of the intended audiences. In the piece that is shown above the contemporary design of the house gets a sort of dreamy feel when illustrated as a watercolor. It tells a somewhat different story than it's photoreal cousin. Both have their place but again usually an architect is not an illustrator by training or vocation. The difference between the watercolor version of the contemporary house has a very different feel than the photoreal version shown earlier in the post. 

http://img09.deviantart.net/96f6/i/2016/356/a/4/contemporary_country_home_by_ehrendreich-dashenz.jpg

### A Matter Of Perspective ###

Again while I am also an architectural designer who creates whole buildings myself, I have many more years of experience creating art in not just one but many types of media. I have also done a fair amount of video production and photography. So I understand things like how to frame up a shot and how to cheat the lighting to get the effect that was intended by the architect. I am practiced in visual storytelling and many architects are not. So sometimes it is the very angle of lense and and understanding of how they work is important to getting the effect that is needed and desired. 

http://pre04.deviantart.net/e392/th/pre/f/2017/136/0/5/the_plant_test_render6_by_ehrendreich-db9fzbp.jpg

### Making The Unreal A Reality ###

Most people can not digest a floor plan and from that extrapolate what it will be like to actually be in that space. This is a big responsibility of an architectural visualization artist. Many who do this sort of work create completely fictional but yet believable digital sets where actors are composited into a scene. This is the world of special effects and that experience translates well into creating believable viewing experiences in a way that many architects don't have experience in. 

http://img07.deviantart.net/a90e/i/2017/002/6/0/pac_by_ehrendreich-datygr2.jpg

### Don't Get Me Wrong  ###

While most architects are specialized more exclusively in design and engineering there are still some who are truly remarkable artists in their own right. Most however are only artists up to a point and few can visually articulate a narrative for their work. There has to be a great partnership between the architect and the artist to make the most profound and lasting impact on the intended audience. I look at the work that I do as a partnership. It is often two very like minded individuals who have different expertise and tools sets at their disposals. Each needs the other to create a truly remarkable and personally accessible  picture or video that motivates people to want to see the virtual reality become an actual reality. 

### Feedback ###

What do you think about all of this? Are you an architect, visualization artist, or just a fan of form and function? Let me know what your experience is and as always upvote, follow and if you are so inclined, repost.