During school, way before my demo reel was even complete, I found out that Acitivision & Treyarch were visiting for what they call a 'meet & greet' at a local bar. I knew I didn't have anything to show them for a possible job opportunity but that didn't stop me from getting in to start networking with people already in the industry. With people that had the jobs that I wanted. I met lots of people. Some just like me, still in school trying to get a job, a couple of guys from Rockstar, Activision, Treyarch, Rainmaker and local BC game studios. But I also met a guy from Backbone Entertainment (The guys that brought you Bomberman Live on Xbox and many other games) named Albert Art who went out his way to give me some much needed guidance.
Since meeting in Vancouver, we kept in contact after I moved back down to California and I am so glad I did. Albert requested that I do some work for a short film he was working on. And I jumped at that chance to do some 3D modeling for his film, 'Lazy Susan'. After helping him complete this creative project of his, I finally got some time to ask some questions about him, his game career and his work in the film industry. Albert is one of the most creative guys I've ever met, enjoy.
Please introduce yourself to The Gamer Report readers and tell us what your background is in the gaming & film community.
I'm an artist based in Vancouver, Canada. I've worked as an animator in the television, and videogame industry. I do custom vinyl toys, and make movies too. I'm currently playing Aion, and Phantasy Star 0, mostly because I can play them on and off, and do mindless grinds without thinking about too much.
Did you go to school to learn the skills needed to work at a game studio? If so, what school did you attend? And how was your experience?
I did go to school to learn traditional hand drawn animation, as well as 3D animation. My experience was mostly positive, because you get out what you put in, and that could be said about anyone's school experience.
You could probably learn all the software at home, but the benefit of attending a program is that you learn in a group, you learn what it might be like, in a work environment with real deadlines, you meet and network with like-minded people (whom you will probably work with at some point in your career). Trying to learn at home has its share of distractions, but it all depends on the type of person you are.
Where have you worked in Vancouver, BC and has your skill-set allowed you to pursue other avenues of creativity?
I've worked at Bardel Entertainment, and Backbone Entertainment to name a few. Animation, and art are inseparable in my mind. My art reflects my interest in animation, which definitely shows in my paintings, and custom vinyl toy designs. Traditional animation skills, like the ability to life-draw, design, and sketch quickly, are the fundamentals for drawing. While the ability to storyboard, compose a shot, and stage a scene are important to filmmaking.
What gave you the inspiration to start the Lazy Susan short film? And what made you finally decide to go for it?
For Lazy Susan, I wanted to make a film that merged my interest in storytelling, live-action film, and visual effects.
I've always wanted to do a film, but working in animation, I never found the time to actually do it, so when I had some time on my hands, I decided to take the chance.
There's never a perfect time to do a film, and being totally honest to everyone you work with, are a few of the things I've learned from the production. Taking risks, and honesty are key to indie filmmaking.
Planning is also key. If I would do anything differently, it would be to invest more in the pre-production.
What advice would you give to potential game and film artists out there trying to decide on attending school? And what would you say to those that have graduated school and are struggling to gain a position in their respective industry?
Going to school never hurts. Sure there is the financial factor of attending a school, and no program out there is entirely perfect. Especially when considering the very condensed 1 year programs, but you can learn from others, and make life long friends and contacts. You just have to be prepared for the volume of work, and make everything count towards creating a demoreel.
Even when you are out of school, the skills you learn in school come into play, when you are working on your own. I've created so many reels after school until I started working, but that doesn't mean the school didn't teach me anything, it just means that as you grow as an artist, you improve, so making a new reel to show off your new work is only natural.
You can check out more of Albert's work at: albertart.net & lazysusanfilm.com
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