Whilst doing research into roller coaster themes and I noticed that the theme goes further than the aesthetic of the ride. It translates into the audience’s feelings that give them a memorable experience. Looking back at my initial idea ( the theme of sweets) I felt that the theme was just superficial and that didn’t make the idea or theme realistic.

The images below show roller coaster rides at Thorpe Park and Chessington.

Group, M.E. (2017) Full ride listing for THORPE PARK resort. Available at: https://www.thorpepark.com/rides (Accessed: 18 February 2017).
Chessington rides (no date) Available at: https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=chessington+rides&espv=2&biw=1387&bih=916&source=lnms&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiI5tOm-JnSAhVoKMAKHVKtBzQQ_AUIBygA&dpr=1 (Accessed: 18 February 2017).
Chessington world of adventures (2017) Available at: https://www.chessington.com/explore/theme-park/chessington-theme-park.aspx (Accessed: 18 February 2017).

These examples show that the theme of the ride goes beyond the aesthetics of the car but to the environment, colour scheme, shape etc.

For example, Zufari at Chessington. Although it isn’t a roller coaster, the ride still gives the audience an authentic feel of an African Safari, with the sand coloured bus and the multi seating arrangement. These are all elements of the cart design I have to put into consideration and make sure that every element of the cart is related to my chosen theme.  I want my roller coaster to transport the audience to a different place and time similar to some of the rides at Chessington and Thorpe Park.

The mindmap above shows my idea generating, thinking of new themes for this project. Out of all of them, I was deeply interested in the theme of history and the notion of past, present and future. Out of these three, I decided to hone in on the future aspect. I believe using the topic of the future as a theme for my project will give me more room to be creative and experiment as well as eventually fulfil my roller coaster’s objective which is to transport the audience through the theme of my ride.

To Do

  1. Moodboard of cart designs, colours schemes, textures
  2. Research how to design a cart, how will 2 passengers sit? what will the car look like?
  3. Sketches!
  4. Research – 3D artists, movies, books, posters, theories, etc