The Opera! Arie per un'Eclissi - di Paolo Cucco and Davide Livermore
Virtual Production Environments | Created for LED Stage Capture
Melody Rose Palmer | 3D Environment Artist
This portfolio presents a series of virtual production environments created for the opera-film “The Opera! Arias for an Eclipse”, directed by Paolo Gep Cucco and Davide Livermore, and produced at Prodea Led Studios in Turin.
Working from original concepts by Gio Forma, I was responsible for building production-ready 3D environments to be captured in-camera on LED stages. Each world was developed from initial blockouts to final assembled scenes using 3Ds Max, Substance Painter, and Unreal Engine 5. All environments (except the Clinic) were immersed in the film’s unifying visual motif—an eternal eclipse, designed by the broader team.
Hotel Hades
Hotel Hades – Establishment
3D Environment – Virtual Production | Unreal Engine 5
Environment by Melody Rose Palmer
Concept by Gio Forma
The imposing exterior of Hotel Hades was designed to feel mythological and timeless. Developed from concept to LED-ready scene using 3Ds MAx, Substance Painter, and Unreal Engine 5, with lighting designed to work within an eclipse-toned atmosphere.
Hotel Hades – Conciergerie
3D Environment – Virtual Production | Unreal Engine 5
Environment by Melody Rose Palmer
Concept by Gio Forma
A symbolic threshold space between life and afterlife. Architectural modeling and prop creation were done in 3Ds Max, with decorative elements built from photogrammetry assets and customized within UE5. Textured in Substance Painter, assembled and lit in Unreal Engine 5.
Hotel Hades – Bar
3D Environment – Virtual Production | Unreal Engine 5
Environment by Melody Rose Palmer
Concept by Gio Forma
Built for dramatic interaction and choreographed movement, this bar space was developed from scratch to support layered lighting and moody compositions. Modeled in 3Ds Max, textured in Substance Painter, and assembled/lit in UE5.
Magazzini del Sale (Soul Weighing Room)
3D Environment – Virtual Production | Unreal Engine 5
Environment by Melody Rose Palmer
Concept by Gio Forma
Inspired by the architecture of Pierluigi Nervi, this stark ceremonial space evokes brutalist spirituality. All modeling was done in 3Ds Max, with texturing in Substance Painter, and final lighting in UE5 under the eclipse atmosphere.
Piazza Bodoni (Bus Stop)
3D Environment – Virtual Production | Unreal Engine 5
Environment by Melody Rose Palmer
Concept by Gio Forma
A digitally extended version of the real Piazza Bodoni in Turin. Modeled and textured assets were integrated into a real-time environment with added decay and surreal lighting. Built entirely in 3Ds Max, Substance, and UE5.
Collapsed Theater (Team Contribution)
3D Environment – Virtual Production | Unreal Engine 5
Set Dressing and Damage Modeling by Melody Rose Palmer
Concept by Gio Forma
A shattered, large-scale performance space designed collaboratively. I contributed to set dressing, broken structure modeling, and damage detailing using modeling tools in Unreal Engine.
Clinic (Transformed Hotel Hades)
3D Environment – Virtual Production | Unreal Engine 5
Environment by Melody Rose Palmer
Concept by Gio Forma
The Clinic is a complete transformation of the Hotel Hades interior into a cold, medical environment. While the spatial logic was preserved, the tone shifted to sterile and unsettling. Made both using highly edited photogrammetries, and 3D models made in 3Ds Max.
Tools Used
Modeling: 3Ds Max, UE5 Modeling Tools
Texturing: Substance Painter
Assembly & Lighting: Unreal Engine 5
Photogrammetry Integration: UE5 tools & manual retopology
Real-Time Optimization: VP-ready scene assembly for LED capture