Matt Ward (game designer)

Transcription

[ SILENCE ] >> HOW'S IT GOING GUYS? COOL, AWESOME, YOU GUYS ARE AWAKE AND STUFF. NICE. NO, IT'S REALLY COOL TO BE HERE. YOU KNOW, I HAD A COUPLE OF FRIENDS, I USED TO GO TO LONG BEACH LIKE BACK IN THE DAY AND THEY'RE IN THE ART DEPARTMENT AND STUFF. SO IT KIND OF-- YOU KNOW, I USED TO VISIT HERE, MAN, BACK IN PART LIKE EARLY 2000 AND STUFF. SO, IT WAS QUITE A WAYS BACK. BUT ANYWAY, JOHN AND I ARE REALLY HAPPY TO BE HERE, AND SO YEAH, WE JUST WANTED TO COME IN AND SORT OF SHARE A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT WE DO AND SORT OF OUR PASSIONS, OUR BACKGROUND, AND KIND OF HOW WE GOT HERE. SO, YOU KNOW, ONE THING THAT I KNOW IS THAT WE'RE ALL CREATIVE PEOPLE. AND, YOU KNOW, WE'RE I ALL IN THIS ROOM FOR A REASON. SO SEEING YOU GUYS, EVEN SEEING SOME OF THE WORK THAT'S IN THE HALLWAY IS REALLY, REALLY COOL. AND IT KIND OF BRINGS US BACK, YOU KNOW, WE'RE JUST TALKING ABOUT THIS OUTSIDE. IT KIND OF BRINGS US BACK INTO LIKE, OH MY GOD, WE REMEMBER BEING IN THIS EXACT SORT OF SCENARIO, USING THE SAME TYPE OF MATERIALS AND STUFF WHICH IS REALLY, REALLY COOL TO SEE. BUT JOHN AND I, YOU KNOW, WE REPRESENT BRAINSTORM SCHOOL. AND THIS IS A SORT OF A-- [ INAUDIBLE REMARK ] OOPS. OH, THERE WE GO. ALL RIGHT. SO YEAH, WE COME FROM BRAINSTORM SCHOOL AND WHAT WE REALLY KIND OF FOCUS ON IS CONCEPTUAL ART. AND A LOT OF TODAY, WE KIND OF DON'T KNOW WHAT CONCEPT ARE REALLY IS AS IT'S A VERY BIG TERM, YOU KNOW. AND SO TODAY, WHAT WE WANT TALK ABOUT IS TO INSPIRE THROUGH DESIGN. AND I KNOW YOU GUYS HAVE PROBABLY SEEN THE FLYERS AND STUFF. AND SO, YOU KNOW, WE REALLY WANT TO TALK ABOUT WHAT THAT MEANS TO US AS CONCEPTUAL DESIGNERS IN TODAY'S ENTERTAINMENT DESIGN MARKET. AND SO THAT'S ME AND JOHN. YEAH, IT'S AWESOME. SO WHEN I WAS YOUNG, THESE ARE THE THINGS THAT GOT ME INTERESTED. I DON'T KNOW HOW OLD YOU GUYS ARE OR PROBABLY LIKE 18 OR 21, 22, SOMETHING LIKE THAT, RIGHT? YEAH, MORE OR LESS. >> FORTY. >> FORTY? SUPER DUPER SENIORS. YEAH. THOSE ARE ME TOO. AWESOME. BUT THESE WERE THE THINGS THAT GOT ME INTERESTED WHEN I WERE YOUNG, YOU KNOW, WHEN I WAS YOUNG. AS A KID, ALWAYS DRAWING, PLAYING, YOU KNOW, WATCHING, PLAYING VIDEO GAMES, JUST LOOKING AT COOL ART, COMIC BOOKS, PLAYING WITH TOYS, AND ALL OF THESE STUFF WAS JUST GETTING ME EXCITED. YOU KNOW, I WASN'T NECESSARILY YOUR STUDIOUS TYPE. I WASN'T YOUR ACADEMIC EXCELLERANT [PHONETIC], YOU KNOW, PERSON THAT WOULD-- I MEAN, AND IT DIDN'T MAKE SENSE. BUT, YOU KNOW, PERSON THAT EXCELLERIZE [PHONETIC] IN-- I MAKE UP MY OWN WORDS ALL THE TIME, EXCELLERIZE IN ACADEMICS. AND THAT WASN'T ME, YOU KNOW, AND SO IT WAS REALLY HARD TO SORT OF FIND MY VOICE, YOU KNOW. AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT STARTED TO HAPPEN WAS I STARTED TO BUILD A PASSION. GOING BACK TO THE SLIDE, IF WE'VE KIND OF JUST LOOKED A LOT OF THE THINGS THAT ENCOMPASS WHAT GOT ME REALLY EXCITED, IT MIGHT BE THE SAME FOR YOU GUYS, YOU KNOW. AND THE SAME REASONS WHY YOU GUYS ARE TAKING PROBABLY DESIGN CLASSES OR ILLUSTRATION CLASSES OR DOING SCULPTURE OR, YOU KNOW, LEARNING 3D TOOLS OR PHOTOSHOP. THAT'S ALL KIND OF WITHIN THIS REALM. AND THAT'S WHAT GOT ME REALLY EXCITED, YOU KNOW. AND SO, KIND OF GOING THROUGH THIS, I STARTED TO REALLY UNDERSTAND THAT THERE WAS A MARKET TO LEARN THIS MATERIAL, YOU KNOW. THERE WAS A-- THERE WERE SCHOOLS OUT THERE TO REALLY HELP YOU FOCUS AND SORT OF LEARN THINGS ABOUT DESIGN, RIGHT? THINGS ABOUT FUNCTION, DIGITAL PAINTING, LEARNING TOOLS, LEARNING HOW TO REPRESENT YOUR IDEAS AND ILLUSTRATION, YOU KNOW, THE PORTRAYAL OF EMOTION AND THE PORTRAYAL OF COMMUNICATING A STORY AND A NARRATIVE. THOSE ARE, YOU KNOW, THINGS THAT WE STARTED TO LEARN GOING BACK INTO SCHOOL. AND JOHN AND I BOTH COME FROM ARTS CENTER. MY BACKGROUND IN PARTICULAR IS IN ILLUSTRATION. I INITIALLY STARTED OFF GOING TO ARTS AND I'M THINKING I WAS GOING TO BE A GALLERY ARTIST, DOING OIL PAINTINGS FOR GALLERY SHOWS AND I DON'T KNOW. THAT WAS IT. THAT WAS LITERALLY-- I HAD NO GUIDANCE AT THAT POINT. AND I REMEMBER SITTING IN THE CAFETERIA AT ARTS CENTER AND LOOKING THROUGH AT MY FRIEND'S SKETCHBOOK WHICH WAS THIS SKETCHBOOK OF SPACESHIPS. I WAS LIKE, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" HE SAID, "MAN, I'M FREELANCING. THIS IS STUFF FOR-- I'M DOING FOR MICROSOFT." AND I WAS LIKE, "WHAT?" THAT IS THE COOLEST THING I'VE EVER SEEN. I ONLY THOUGHT YOU CAN DRAW THIS WHEN YOU'RE LIKE 12 YEARS AND UNDER, YOU KNOW, ROBOTS AND SPACESHIPS AND STUFF LIKE THAT, YOU KNOW. I SAID, "WHAT THE HECK? AND YOU'RE GETTING PAID FOR THIS?" AND IT REALLY STARTED TO CONNECT THESE DOTS, RIGHT? AND I STARTED TO INQUIRE ASKING MORE QUESTIONS TO TEACHERS, TO STUDENTS AND, YOU KNOW, JUST THE GUYS AROUND ME. YOU KNOW, YOUR NETWORK, YOUR PEER GROUP. AND I STARTED TO LEARN THAT A LOT OF THESE INDUSTRIES SUCH AS THE VIDEO GAME INDUSTRY, FEATURE FILM, WHICH ALSO INCLUDES ANIMATION, AND THEME PARK DESIGN, NOT TO MENTION A WHOLE SLEW OF OTHER INDUSTRIES THAT REALLY REVOLVE WITHIN THE SAME SPACE SUCH AS TOY MANUFACTURING, COSTUMES, YOU KNOW, MARKETING MATERIAL. MARKETING IS HUGE, YOU KNOW. YOU GUYS GO IN A BEST BUY AND YOU SEE THE HUGE CALL OF DUTY POSTERS THAT ARE EVERYWHERE. SOMEONE GOT TO DESIGN ALL THOSE. SOMEONE'S GOT TO PAINT ALL OF THOSE, YOU KNOW. AND THEY NEED ARTIST EVERYWHERE TO KIND OF ACCOMPLISH THOSE SORTS OF THINGS. SO NOW, IT KIND OF COMES TO THE IDEA OF WHAT ARE WE? WE'RE CONCEPT DESIGNERS, OK? AND IF WE KIND OF LOOK UP AND I KNOW THIS IS SUPER ACADEMIC AND I WAS JUST TELLING YOU GUYS, I'M NOT THE ACADEMIC EXCELLERANT. SO, THIS KIND OF GOES AGAINST MY GRAIN, BUT WE JUST KIND OF LOOK AT THE IDEAS OF CONCEPT AND DESIGN OF WHAT JOHN AND I DO AS A CAREER. IT ENCOMPASSES TWO REALLY IMPORTANT THINGS. ONE IS THE IDEA OF THINKING, RIGHT? JUST THE CONCEPTUAL PART OF THAT TITLE, IT'S ALL ABOUT IT, RIGHT? IT'S ABOUT THINKING. IT'S ABOUT COMING UP WITH IDEAS. IT'S ABOUT FINDING INSPIRATION. AND THE SECOND PART IS DESIGNING, RIGHT? WE ALL LOVE TO DESIGN AND WHETHER WE KNOW IT OR NOT, WE ARE ALL DESIGNERS. IT'S JUST ABOUT REALLY KIND OF TAPPING INTO THAT DESIGN ABILITY WITHIN YOU. AND WHEN WE PUT THE WORDS TOGETHER, IT'S REALLY TO KIND OF START TO CREATE WITH PURPOSE WITH UNIQUE IDEAS, OK? AND A LOT OF PEOPLE DO THAT, RIGHT? A LOT OF PEOPLE CAN COMMUNICATE NEW IDEAS AND STUFF, SCRIPTS, RIGHT, MUSIC, DANCE. BUT WE'RE DOING IT THROUGH THE LANGUAGE OF ARTS, RIGHT? AND SO I'M GOING TO START TALKING ABOUT, A LITTLE BIT ABOUT SOME OF THAT LANGUAGE AND HOW THAT STARTS TO KIND OF COME THROUGH. SO ONCE I STARTED TO ADAPT AND LEARN SOME OF THESE ASPECTS, YOU KNOW, THE FUNDAMENTAL WAYS OF DRAWING, FUNDAMENTALS OF DESIGN, YOU STARTED TO UNDERSTAND THAT YOU CAN START TO DESIGN FOR THE VIDEO GAME INDUSTRY, YOU KNOW. BUILD YOUR ILLUSTRATION SKILLS, YOUR ART SKILLS, YOUR ABILITY TO COMMUNICATE VERY QUICKLY WITHIN LINE DRAWINGS OR COLOR PAINTINGS, DEVELOP YOUR IMAGINATION AND YOUR SENSE OF TASTE AS A DESIGNER. YOU KNOW, THESE ARE THINGS THAT REALLY START TO DEFINITELY BUILD UP. AND THE COOLEST THING IS THAT YOU GET TO CREATE YOUR OWN WORLDS. YOU GET TO BE IMAGINATIVE, RIGHT? YOU GET TO CONSTANTLY CREATE ON A DAILY BASIS WHICH TO ME NEVER SEEMS LIKE A DAY OF WORK, RIGHT? I WAS, YOU KNOW, I GREW UP IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. I GREW UP IN GLENDALE. I WENT TO HIGH SCHOOL IN GLENDALE. IT WASN'T ART CLASSES AND, YOU KNOW, MY PARENTS, YOU KNOW, I'M KOREAN SO, YOU KNOW, ANY OF ASIAN PEOPLE LIKE THE PARENTS ARE LIKE, "OH, YEAH UNIVERSITY. AND, YEAH, ARTS? NO, NOT REALLY, NO, YOU MAY BE GO ENGINEERING OR BE A DOCTOR OR SOMETHING." I DON'T KNOW. BUT OBVIOUSLY BECAUSE OF MY EXCELLERATING [PHONETIC], YOU KNOW, ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE, YOU KNOW, WHAT-- THAT WEREN'T REALLY WASN'T THE CASE, YOU KNOW. BUT I KNOW THAT WITHIN FINDING YOUR PASSION, THAT'S WHAT REALLY BROUGHT ME TO KIND OF LOVE WHAT I DO AND THAT'S WHAT BROUGHT UP THE HARD WORK. YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? NEVER ONE DAY, WHEN I'M SITTING IN FRONT OF THE COMPUTER, I'M DRAWING ROBOTS, I'M SKETCHING OUT CHARACTERS FOR, YOU KNOW, NEW IDEA. IT NEVER EVER DO I SIT AND THINK, "OH MY GOD, MY LIFE SUCKS." YOU KNOW, "I NEED A DIFFERENT JOB. I WANT TO WORK ON A BANK." YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? YOU'RE NEVER GOING TO BE IN THAT SITUATION WHICH IS VERY, VERY REWARDING. SO I'M JUST GOING TO GO THROUGH A COUPLE OF SLIDES OF SOME WORK. AND, YOU KNOW, DEFINITELY FEEL FREE TO ASK ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT ANY OF THE IMAGES THAT YOU SEE. BUT I'M GOING TO TALK ABOUT MY-- JUST BRIEF HISTORY. SO COMING FROM ARTS CENTER, AGAIN, I WAS IN THE ILLUSTRATION TRACK. AND WE'RE STUDYING, YOU KNOW, FIGURE DRAWING. WE'RE DOING LIKE STILL LIFES, LIKE DRAWING SHOES, YOU KNOW. WHAT ELSE DID WE DRAW? YOU KNOW, LIKE GEO FORMS, RIGHT? YOU GUYS ALL DO THAT STUFF? AND SO ALL OF THAT TRANSLATION OF FUNDAMENTALS BECAME VERY IMPORTANT TO ACTUALLY DO STUFF LIKE THIS, YOU KNOW. AND SOME OF THESE SLIDES, THESE ARE ACTUAL CONCEPT ART FOR A DIFFERENT THINGS FROM MOVIE ILLUSTRATIONS, RIGHT? THEY'RE ACTUALLY GOING TO BE BUILDING OUT. THIS IS WHAT-- MEDIEVAL THEME FILM PROJECT WITH-- OH, ROB COWAN[ASSUMED SPELLING], THERE YOU GO. SOME MAGIC CARD, ANY OF YOU GUYS PLAY MAGIC? YEAH. THERE'S ALWAYS SOME. THIS IS A HUGE GAME. IT'S AWESOME. IT'S AWESOME. YEAH. YOU KNOW. ANYWAY, SO COMING FROM THE FUNDAMENTALS OF ILLUSTRATION, THAT'S-- IT GAVE ME SOME OF THE TOOLS TO REALLY BE PREPARED, RIGHT? SO THAT WHEN IMAGINATION AND WHEN CONCEPTUAL IDEAS START OF GETTING PUSH MY WAY, I HAD SOMETHING TO ACTUALLY COMMUNICATE WITH. AND THAT'S WHY IT WAS REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT. AND SO, AT ARTS CENTER, I STARTED TO LEARN SOME OF THOSE FUNDAMENTALS. A LOT OF THEM BEING TO UNDERSTANDING A FORM, UNDERSTANDING OF LIGHT, COLORS, MATERIALS. AND THAT'S WHAT REALLY SEGUED INTO GOING INTO LEARNING MORE ABOUT CONCEPT DESIGN, CONCEPTUAL DESIGN. SOON AFTER GRADUATING ARTS CENTER, I QUICKLY HAD TO FIND A JOB, YOU KNOW, AS WE ALL KNOW, WITH STUDENT LOANS AND THINGS LIKE THAT JUST REALLY PILING UP. I FOUND A JOB WORKING WITH AN ADVERTISING. AND THE INDUSTRY OF ADVERTISING IS ACTUALLY SUPER HUGE. AND THERE'S A NEED FOR DESIGNERS, GRAPHIC DESIGNERS, ILLUSTRATORS, PEOPLE THAT DO-- THAT KNOW HOW TO-- YOU DO FLASH, WEB DESIGNERS, PEOPLE THAT KNOW HOW TO DO CINEMA 4D. THERE ARE SO MANY JOBS OUT THERE WITHIN THIS CREATIVE FIELD. AND SO WORKING IN ADVERTISING, I FOUND MYSELF WORKING WITHIN THE GAME SPACE AND MOVIES. SO I WAS DESIGNING MOVIE POSTERS AND VIDEO GAME PACKAGES. AS WELL AS IF YOU'RE LOOKING LIKE GAME AND FORM OR THE COVERS, THE ADS IN THERE, THOSE ARE THINGS THAT WE'RE DESIGNING. AND THAT WAS A LOT OF FUN. IT WAS REALLY, REALLY COOL. YOU GET TO SEE YOUR WORK BEING PRINTED OUT ON A MONTHLY BASIS. BUT LATER, I STARTED TO GO, "MAN, I'M-- BUT I'M NOT DESIGNING." YOU KNOW? I'M NOT THE GUY THAT'S CREATING THE GEARS OF WAR CHARACTERS THAT I'M CREATING ADS FOR, YOU KNOW. AND THAT'S WHAT KIND OF LIKE BUGGED ME A LITTLE BIT, YOU KNOW. SO I STARTED TO WORK A LITTLE BIT HARDER ON MY OWN PORTFOLIO AT HOME AND AT NIGHT, AND STARTED TO PUT TOGETHER A DESIGN PORTFOLIO TO WORK MORE INTO VIDEO GAMES. AND SO THIS IS SOME OF THE WORK THAT HAS BEEN SORT OF COMPILED UP THROUGH THE YEARS OF NOW WORKING WITHIN THAT VIDEO GAME INDUSTRY. AT ONE POINT, I WAS AT A COMPANY THAT I THOUGHT WAS REALLY, REALLY, YOU KNOW, THE-- MY GOAL, RIGHT? AND THAT GOAL WAS TO WORK AT A TOPNOTCH GAME COMPANY, WORK WITH A GOOD ART DIRECTOR, GOOD OTHER CONCEPT ARTISTS, AND JUST WORK ON, YOU KNOW, HAVE FUN ALL DAY LONG. LUCKILY, I GOT TO THAT GOAL. IT WAS REALLY COOL. BUT ONE THING THAT GOT MESSED UP WAS THE ECONOMY CRASHED REALLY BAD AROUND 2007, AND THAT STUDIO JUST KIND OF SHUT DOWN. AND SO I WAS LIKE LEFT OUT OF A JOB. I WAS LIKE, "OH MY GOD, LIFE SUCKS. I'M GOING TO GO BACK TO A BANK OR SOMETHING," RIGHT? AND SO, "MY GOD, THAT BANK JOB SOUNDS ACTUALLY KIND OF GOOD NOW." BUT, YOU KNOW, THAT PASSION, THAT PART ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE FIRST SLIDE WITH PLAYING TOYS, GAMES, VIDEO GAMES, ALL THAT STUFF WAS COMING BACK TO ME AGAIN, YOU KNOW. AND IT WAS A LITTLE SADDENING, YOU KNOW, HAVING THAT DREAM KIND OF BE TAKEN AWAY, YOU KNOW, JUST BECAUSE OF A BAD ECONOMY, YOU KNOW. SO WHAT DID I DO? I JUST KEPT DRAWING, YOU KNOW. I FED ALL OF THAT ENERGY INTO MY PASSION AGAIN. AND SO I STARTED TO CREATE ANOTHER PORTFOLIO AND STARTED TO WORK MORE INTO THE FREELANCE MARKET. AND THAT'S WHEN I STARTED MY OWN COMPANY, MY OWN STUDIO, SCRIBBLE PAD STUDIOS. AND AT SCRIBBLE PAD, WHAT WE DO IS WE DO A LOT OF DIFFERENT DESIGNING FROM VIDEO GAMES. THIS IS SOMETHING FROM TITANFALL. WE ALSO WORKED ON GAMES FROM LIKE CALL OF DUTY, MEDAL OF HONOR, INFAMOUS, GEARS OF WAR, SHOOT, UNCHARTED. THE LAST? YEAH. ANYWAY, THERE'S A LOT OF GAMES THAT KIND OF BEEN ABLE TO-- I'VE BEEN FORTUNATE TO WORK ON IN THE PAST FEW YEARS. AND WE WERE ALSO-- WHAT'S KIND OF INTERESTING ABOUT THIS INDUSTRY RIGHT NOW, AS WELL, IS THAT WITH ANY VIDEO GAME COMES A REALLY COOL MOVIE, COMES A COOL ANIMATION SERIES, COMES A COOL TOY BRAND, COMES A COOL T-SHIRT BRAND, YOU-- AND SO ON AND SO FORTH. YOU GUYS KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT. AND EVEN WHEN DISNEY BOUGHT OUT STAR WARS, IMMEDIATELY YOU'D SEE STAR WARS BRANDED STUFF AT PETSMART. YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? LIKE CHEWBACCA COLLARS AND STUFF. THOSE-- I THOUGHT IT WAS THE COOLEST THING. I BOUGHT SOME. YEAH, I FELL INTO THE HYPE TOTALLY. SO THAT'S WHAT WAS REALLY FUN, YOU KNOW. AND, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE ALWAYS GOING TO HIT YOUR UPS AND DOWNS AND YOUR DIPS, BUT THAT PASSION, THAT PART ABOUT WHAT GOT YOU GUYS EXCITED ABOUT ART IN THE FIRST PLACE WHEN YOU GUYS WERE YOUNG, IT'S PROBABLY STILL THE SAME REASON WHY YOU GUYS ARE HERE TODAY. AND SO, JUST WANT TO SHOW YOU GUYS SOME OF THAT PATH, YOU KNOW, AND SHOWING YOU GUYS THAT IT'S REALLY ABOUT KIND OF BEING IN THIS SPACE OF CREATIVITY, LEARNING THE FUNDAMENTALS OF DESIGN, LEARNING THE FUNDAMENTALS OF ART, YOU KNOW, LISTENING TO YOUR TEACHERS WHEN THEY'RE SAYING, "HEY, OK, WE'RE GOING TO DO A-- WE'RE GOING TO DRAW AN APPLE TODAY," YOU KNOW. AND YOU'RE LIKE, "OH, MAN." BUT WHAT ENDS UP HAPPENING IS IT TRANSLATES INTO STUFF LIKE THIS, YOU KNOW. AND IT TRANSLATES INTO BEING ABLE TO PORTRAY AND SHOW FORM IN DIFFERENT CONTEXT AND DIFFERENT IDEAS. SO MY FORTE IS PARTICULARLY WITHIN ENVIRONMENT DESIGN. SO WHAT I WORK ON MAINLY IS I DESIGN OUT WHAT THE LEVELS AND THE ENVIRONMENTS THAT YOU PLAY IN WITHIN A VIDEO GAME SPACE. I ALSO DESIGN A LOT OF MUSIC VIDEOS SETS. ALSO WORKING WITH THEME PARK DESIGN, DESIGNING ATTRACTIONS, WHAT DO THE ACTUAL RIDES LOOK LIKE, WHAT DOES THE ENTRANCE LOOK LIKE, YOU KNOW. SO THERE'S A LOT OF COOL AND INTERESTING THINGS HAPPENING. THIS IS SOME WORK THAT'S KIND OF LIKE MY PERSONAL STUFF THAT I DO ON THE SIDE. IT'S LIKE A LITTLE SIDE PROJECT OF DOING JUST LIKE WORLD WAR II INSPIRED ILLUSTRATIONS AND STUFF. AND SO THESE ARE THINGS THAT I JUST KIND OF DO ON THE SIDE TO DO FUN STUFF OUTSIDE OF THE FUN WORK STUFF. SO IT'S JUST FUN AND FUN, YOU KNOW. WHAT CAN GO WRONG? IT'S AWESOME. AND SO YEAH, ONE OF THE THING THAT I KIND OF WANT TO SHOW-- AND HERE ARE JUST SOME OF THE CLIENTS THAT I'VE BEEN FORTUNATE TO WORK WITH OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS. AND THEY RANGE FROM ALL DIFFERENT SORTS OF BOOK PUBLISHERS TO GAME COMPANIES TO FILM COMPANIES. AND SO, THE THING IS, IS THAT THIS INDUSTRY, RIGHT, THE INDUSTRY OF THIS-- OF ALL THESE CREATIVE FIELDS ARE IN NEED OF JUST GOOD DESIGNERS. YOU KNOW OF-- IN NEED OF PEOPLE THAT KNOW HOW TO COMMUNICATE GOOD DESIGN WITHIN A REALM OF AN IMAGE, WITHIN A REALM OF, YOU KNOW, 3D SPACE WITHIN AN ANIMATION. WHATEVER IT IS, THEY'RE LOOKING FOR PEOPLE WITH TALENT. AND RIGHT NOW GUYS, AND, YOU KNOW, I TELL THIS A LOT TO MY STUDENTS IS THIS IS THE FIRST TIME IN OUR HISTORY THAT ART AND THE PROFESSIONAL WORLD HAVE MET AT THIS TYPE OF LEVEL, YOU KNOW. SO THESE ARE REALLY, REALLY COOL AND FORTUNATE POSITION TO BE IN, THAT YOU GUYS ARE, YOU KNOW, FILLING IN THAT MARKET. THE VIDEO GAME MARKET, WHEN I GRADUATED TO ART CENTER IN 2004, WAS AN $8 BILLION MARKET. IT JUST ECLIPSED FILM. NOW, IT'S A $65 BILLION MARKET. IT-- I DON'T KNOW, MATH PEOPLE, IT-- YOU KNOW. HOLY COW, IT GOT HUGE, RIGHT? SO, YOU KNOW, THE MARKET IS GETTING BIGGER AND EVERYTHING AS YOU CAN TELL IS IT'S JUST A GROWING MARKET WITH VIDEO GAMES, TOYS, AND THAT SORT OF THING. AND YOU GUYS PLAY LEAGUE OF LEGENDS AND, YOU KNOW, GAMES LIKE THAT. YEAH. SO THERE'S ALL GAMES THAT, YOU KNOW, WE GET TO WORK ON, YOU KNOW, SO IT'S REALLY FUN. YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? SO. [ INAUDIBLE REMARK ] YEAH, DEFINITELY, YOU KNOW. SO ONE THING THAT I JUST WANT TO SHARE WITH YOU GUYS IS FOLLOW YOUR PASSION. YOU KNOW, THAT PASSION, THAT VEIN THAT WAS JUST SORT OF BEING THE BACKBONE OF KIND OF LIKE THE CAREER PATH WAS JUST FOLLOWING THAT, FOLLOWING WHAT YOU WANT TO DO. THE THINGS THAT GET YOU EXCITED IN THE MOVIES THAT WANT TO MAKE YOU COME BACK TO ART CLASS AND DRAW THEM AGAIN. YOU KNOW, THAT'S THE STUFF THAT'S ALL RIGHT HERE THAT CAN REALLY BUILD, YOU KNOW, A REALLY AWESOME CAREER, YOU KNOW, PROVIDE A LOT OF YOU KNOW CONTENT. YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? BECOME VERY SATISFIED WITH WHAT YOU CAN PRODUCE AND WE'RE ALWAYS KIND OF PUSHING YOUR BOUNDARIES AS A DESIGNER. SO THAT'S MY BIT RIGHT THERE. AWESOME. THANKS, GUYS. [ APPLAUSE ] SO COOL. [ INAUDIBLE REMARK ] >> WELL, FIRST OFF, THANK YOU FOR HAVING US HERE. IT'S A THURSDAY NIGHT. IT'S PARTY TIME, RIGHT? AND SO JAMES AND I, WE DROVE KIND OF FROM THE LA PASADENA AREA AND THE TRAFFIC SUCKS. SO IF YOU GUYS LIVE IN THAT VICINITY, I'M SORRY AND THANK YOU. WE GOT SOME COOL PRIZES AND SWAG TO GIVE OUT TO YOU GUYS. IT'S NOTHING MUCH, IT'S JUST T-SHIRTS, YOU KNOW, SO DON'T GET TOO EXCITED. BUT, YOU KNOW, JUST OUT OF CURIOSITY BECAUSE JAMES AND I, WE COME FROM ART CENTER. AND ART CENTER IS A SPECIFIC TYPE OF DESIGN SCHOOL. AND MY BACKGROUND, I WENT TO ART CENTER IN 2006, AND I LEFT IN 2009. AND MY MAJOR WAS PRODUCT DESIGN. SO I DESIGNED, YOU KNOW, WATCHES, SOAPS, PHONES, A LOT OF SMALL STUFF, AND IT WAS FUN. BUT I'M TRYING TO BE REALLY EXCITED HERE. HOW MANY OF YOU GUYS ARE PRODUCT DESIGNERS HERE? JUST RAISE YOUR HANDS. ALL RIGHT. SO WE GOT LIKE A PRETTY LARGE NUMBER. IT SEEMS LIKE AROUND 70%. HOW ABOUT ARCHITECTURAL DESIGNER? ZERO PERCENT, ONE PERSON. THANK YOU, YOU'RE HERE. YOU MADE IT, MAN. HOW ABOUT SCULPTURE DESIGN? AM I MAKING THAT UP, WESLEY [ASSUMED SPELLING]? I MADE IT UP. >> INTERIOR DESIGN. >> INTERIOR DESIGN, NOT SCULPTURE, INTERIOR DESIGN. THREE, FOUR, WELCOME. [ INAUDIBLE REMARK ] THIS IS GETTING EXCITING, FIVE. ALL RIGHT. AM I MISSING ANYTHING? TRANSPORTATION DESIGN. >> NO. >> ZERO. YOU GUYS DON'T HAVE CARS, IT'S OK. SO ANYWAYS, MY BACKGROUND IS PRODUCT DESIGN. I STUDIED FOR ABOUT TWO YEARS. AND I WILL TELL YOU, IT TOOK ME ABOUT TWO YEARS TO REALIZE THAT I DIDN'T WANT TO CONTINUE. BUT I LEARNED A LOT OF VALUABLE THINGS. SORRY. I'M NOT TRYING TO DISCOURAGE YOU OUT OF YOUR MAJOR. BUT LET'S JUST KIND OF GO THROUGH MY SKETCHBOOKS HERE. SO, YOU KNOW, GROWING UP, AND THIS WAS PRE-COLLEGE. I STILL JUST DOODLE IDEAS, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF NONSENSICAL, FICTIONAL, YOU KNOW, CHARACTERS. BUT I LOVE THE IDEA OF WORLD CREATION, AND I LOVE THE IDEA OF JUST KIND OF EXPRESSING MY OPINIONS. AND THAT WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING FOR ME. MAINLY BECAUSE I SUCK AT WRITING, AND BELIEVE IT OR NOT, JAMES AND I WERE PROBABLY ONE OF THE WORST ASIANS ON OUR AVERAGE. WE ARE ON THE-- WE ARE A MINORITY GROUP IN TERMS OF LIKE THE LOWEST GPA GRADE LEVEL. SO WE'RE PROBABLY ABOUT 2.0, 2.3 GRADE AVERAGE, SO IT'S NOT GOOD, YOU KNOW. BUT IN THIS WORLD, I FELT COMFORTING. YOU KNOW, I FELT LIKE I CAN ACTUALLY EXPRESS MYSELF. I WAS ABLE TO ARTICULATE IDEAS WITHOUT BEING GRADED, WITHOUT HAVING TO FOLLOW THIS ACADEMIC STRUCTURE, YOU KNOW, AND THAT'S-- THAT WAS JUST ME. AND IT WAS JUST PURELY EXPRESSING MY VISUAL IDEAS. AND, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT INFLUENCED ME, THERE WAS A LOT OF ART BOOKS, THERE WAS A LOT OF MOVIES AND TV SHOWS AND CARTOONS. WHAT REALLY GOT ME INTO THIS FIELD WAS, YOU KNOW, GROWING UP, JUST LIKE MANY OF YOU GUYS. I GREW UP WATCHING SIMPSONS RELIGIOUSLY. AND I WAS LIKE, "MATT GROENING IS THE MAN." I MEAN, THERE'S KIDS, I DON'T WANT TO SAY [NOISE]. BUT HE THE SHIZZLE MA NIZZLE, YOU KNOW. BUT I WANTED TO DO ANIMATION, BUT I DIDN'T WANT TO DO THE WORK OF ANIMATION. IT'S KIND OF-- DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE. BUT MEANING, I WANTED TO CREATE THE WORLD. I LOVE THE IDEA THAT THERE ARE SO MANY CHARACTERS, SO MANY DIFFERENT LOCATIONS, BUT I HATED ANIMATING. SO I WENT TO AN ANIMATION SCHOOL AND THEY MADE ME DRAW SOME LIKE, SOME CHUBBY DUDE WALKING ACROSS THE STREET, AND I MADE HIM DRAW ACROSS A PAGE AND HE WENT OFF THE PAGE BECAUSE MY LAYOUT WAS INCORRECT. AND I'M JUST LIKE, "SCREWED. THIS IS BAD, THIS IS HORRIBLE. WHY WOULD ANYONE DO THIS IN ANIMATION?" BUT I JUST REALIZED IT WASN'T FOR ME. IT WASN'T A WORLD CREATION, NOT IN-- NOT WHAT I THOUGHT IT WAS. AND SO, YOU KNOW, I JUST WENT BACK TO MY SKETCHBOOK. I DID WHAT I DID NATURALLY, YOU KNOW, DURING CLASS. AND I ATTENDED COMMUNITY COLLEGE BEFORE ART CENTER FOR ABOUT TWO YEARS. AND THIS IS WHAT I DID IN MY WRITING CLASS, IN MY MATH CLASS, ART HISTORY CLASS. [ INAUDIBLE REMARK ] SO AS YOU CAN SEE, IT'S A LOT OF WORK FROM MY ART CLASS AND MY HISTORY CLASS AND MY MATH CLASS. BUT, YOU KNOW, AND JAMES, WE TALKED ABOUT PASSION. AND PASSION IS SOMETHING THAT, YOU KNOW, I'M GOING TO BE A BROKEN RECORD, BUT WE WANT TO KIND OF EXPRESS, YOU KNOW, HOW IMPORTANT THAT IS REGARDLESS OF YOUR EDUCATION. AND I THINK EDUCATION IS SOMETHING THAT WE'RE GOING TO GET EXPOSED TO, DIFFERENT AVENUES OF EDUCATION, DIFFERENT PRINCIPLES, DIFFERENT FOUNDATIONS, DIFFERENT ROLES, AND DIFFERENT, YOU KNOW, THEORIES RIGHT? SO WHEN I WENT INTO ART CENTER, AGAIN, SPEND TWO-- FIRST THREE YEARS DOING PRODUCT DESIGN. HOW MANY OF YOU GUYS, IN PRODUCT DESIGN, HOW MANY-- A LOT OF IT IS ABOUT BRAND, RIGHT? WHAT ELSE? JUST SCREAM IT OUT. DON'T GET-- NOT ALL AT ONCE. WHAT? >> MANUFACTURING. >> MANUFACTURING. WHAT ELSE? >> MARKETING. >> MARKETING. WHAT ELSE? YES. >> ANALYSIS. >> ANALYSIS. DEMOGRAPHIC. WHOO, SUPER FUN, RIGHT? IT'S LIKE HOLY-- DON'T GET ALL EXCITED HERE. I WANT TO GO AND DO SOME RESEARCH. BUT-- IT WAS A VERY INTERESTING LEARNING PROCESS. AND IT WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS VERY NEW TO ME, YOU KNOW. AND WHAT'S WRONG IN MY SKETCHBOOK? AND I WAS LIKE, "WHY? WHY ARE YOU PUNISHING ME, MAN? I CAME HERE TO DO ART AND YOU'RE MAKING ME DO RESEARCH." AND I DID BAD IN ENGLISH. AND DOING THAT WAS JUST GOING AGAINST MY GRAIN. BUT IT WAS ANOTHER FORM. WHAT I LEARNED WAS ANOTHER FORM OF BEING ABLE TO KIND OF ARTICULATE MY IDEAS ON A MORE GENERALIZED LEVEL, TO BE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE, NOT ONLY TO ME, BUT TO THE PEOPLE THAT I'M TALKING TO, TO THE PEOPLE THAT I'M PRESENTING IT, AND TO THE GUYS THAT ARE LOOKING AT MY WORK. AND THAT'S WHAT I LEARNED. IT WAS LEARNING HOW TO CONCEPTUALIZE YOUR IDEAS, LEARNING HOW TO ARTICULATE YOUR IDEAS, AND LEARNING HOW TO BE VERY CLEAR ABOUT YOUR IDEAS, YOU KNOW. WHETHER IT'S LIKE CRAZY PULL TOYS. I'M SURE YOU GUYS ARE KIND LOOKING UP LIKE, "WHAT IS THAT THING?" BUT THIS WAS FOR A CLASSROOM ASSIGNMENT. AND VERY SIMILAR TO WHAT'S PROBABLY ON YOUR-- ON THE WALLS HERE. WE'RE LOOKING THROUGH THE GALLERY. AND IT'S A LOT OF JUST IDEAS IN MY SKETCHBOOK, RIGHT? AND EVENTUALLY THOSE IDEAS KIND OF REFINED THEMSELVES, THEY KIND OF EVOLVED AS WE KIND OF GO THROUGH THE CREATIVE PROCESS. AS WE KIND OF-- WE START TO REFINE OUR IDEAS, WE START TO KIND OF CHIP AWAY THE ROUGH EDGES, AND WE START TO GET INTO A LITTLE BIT MORE, MORE LIKE CLARITY, RIGHT? SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT JAMES AND I, WE REALLY TRY TO HONE DOWN, YOU KNOW, THE ART OF BEING CLEAR. AND THEN THAT WAS A PROCESS IN ITSELF. AND SO THE BASIS OF THIS PROJECT, WHAT I ENDED UP WITH, WAS THIS FISH PULL TOY. AND WE ACTUALLY HAVE TO BUILD THIS THING AND I'M HORRIBLE AT BUILDING THINGS. AND I THINK I MIGHT HAVE SOME IMAGES HERE. BUT WE GOT TO DO THIS REALLY COOL LIKE MANUAL HOW TO USE, HOW TO-- HOW IT ACTUALLY FUNCTIONS, WHAT THE MATERIALS ARE MADE OUT OF. AND IT WAS ACTUALLY REALLY HELPFUL, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE I WAS HORRIBLE IN ENGLISH. I WAS ABLE TO KIND OF WRITE OUT SMALL LITTLE, YOU KNOW, FRAGMENTS OF WORDS. I WAS LIKE, "I CAN DO THIS. THIS IS EASY." PULLING, TUG, WOOD, AWESOME. YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? YOU DON'T HAVE TO WRITE LIKE AN ESSAY WITH PIECES AND LIKE, "WHAT IS THAT, MAN? THAT'S WEIRD." GO DO THAT AT UC, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT UC. BUT THIS WAS MY LANGUAGE. THIS IS MY WAY OF SPEAKING TO THE PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, TO SPEAKING TO KIND OF THE OUTSIDE WORLD. AND SO-- THERE IT IS. LOOK AT THAT. DON'T GET EXCITED. IT'S PRETTY SWEET. HOLD ON. SO THIS WAS ACTUALLY KIND OF FUN OR NOT, IT WAS SORT OF FUN. BUT WE GOT TO DO A LOT OF EXPLORATION IN KIND OF BUILDING THESE MOCKUPS. AND BEFORE WE GOT TO KIND OF THE FINALIZED IDEA HERE, AND THIS WAS WHAT WAS I-- WHAT I PRESENTED AS A FINAL CONCEPT. AND IT WAS AMAZING BECAUSE I PUT ALL THIS EFFORT AND BOUGHT INTO IT. AND DURING OUR PRESENTATION, I WAS SUPPOSED TO PERFORM OR I WAS SUPPOSED TO KIND OF SHOW HOW THIS THING WORKS AND EVERYTHING BROKE. IT WAS AWESOME. SO I WAS LIKE, "DUDE, CAN YOU GIVE ME A PAPER AND PENCIL, MAN. I DON'T WANT BUILD STUFF ANYMORE." BUT IT WAS A GREAT LEARNING EXPERIENCE, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE IT SHOWED ME WHAT IT TOOK FROM GOING FROM PAPER, FROM RESEARCH TO PAPER TO PHYSICAL PRODUCT. NOW, LET'S ZOOM OUT HERE, SO YOU DON'T SEE WHITE PAPER. SO I-- WHAT I EVENTUALLY STARTED GETTING INTO WAS I WANTED TO KIND OF EXPAND MY EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE. AND SO I GOT INTO CARS BECAUSE WE HAVE A CAR DESIGN PROGRAM AT ARTS CENTER. AND, YOU KNOW, TRANSPORTATION DESIGN WAS ALWAYS REALLY INTERESTING JUST BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, YOU GET TO DESIGN A LARGER PRODUCT. IT WASN'T SOMETHING SMALL. IT WASN'T HANDHELD. AND IT WAS SOMETHING THAT I CAN, YOU KNOW, KIND OF, YOU CAN IMAGINE YOURSELF LIKE BEING ON THIS LARGE VEHICLE. IT ALMOST WAS LIKE YOUR PERSONAL SPACESHIP, YOU KNOW. SO I DID THIS FOR ABOUT A YEAR. AND I'LL JUST KIND OF SCROLL THROUGH. AND A LOT OF WHAT I LEARNED IN DOING TRANSPORTATION DESIGN WAS EVERYTHING WAS ABOUT AESTHETICS. SO IT HAD A LOT TO DO WITH FUNCTIONALITY, BUT IT HAD A LOT MORE TO DO WITH THE SCULPTURE ASPECT, KIND OF THE FORM BUILDING, UNDERSTANDING, YOU KNOW, HOW TO MAKE THINGS LOOK SEXY. THAT WAS IT, LIKE THAT'S WHAT I LEARNED. I WAS LIKE, "IF YOUR CAR DOESN'T LOOK SEXY, DON'T PUT IT ON THE WALL, MAN." MY TEACHER WAS SO MEAN. AND I'M SURE THERE ARE SOME TEACHERS THAT ARE KIND OF MEAN HERE. BUT ONE TIME, HE CAME IN AND WE HAD OUR WORK ON THE WALLS. AND, YOU KNOW, HE KIND OF TALKS WITH A REALLY THICK ACCENT. HE'S LIKE, "OH JOHN, YOU KNOW, WHY YOUR DRAWING OF THE CAR, THAT LOOK LIKE YOUR FACE?" I WAS LIKE, "WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?" THAT'S INCREDIBLY EITHER REALLY NICE OR REALLY OFFENSIVE. AND THEN SO HE WOULD JUST KEEP GOING ON AND HE WAS LIKE, "YOU KNOW, OK, YOU KNOW, LISTEN, YOUR CAR LOOKS COOL, BUT YOU WATCH WAY TOO MUCH ANIMAL PLANET, MAN." WHY YOUR CAR LOOK LIKE FISH?" AND I WAS LIKE, "DUDE, WHAT IS THIS? I CAME TO EXPRESS MY IDEAS." AND IT WAS JUST LIKE, YOU KNOW, IT WAS HARD AT FIRST, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE YOU DON'T-- WHEN YOU GUYS ARE PRESENTING YOUR IDEAS IN CLASS, THERE'S KIND OF THIS PRECIOUSNESS, RIGHT? YOU'RE LIKE, "OH, IT'S MINE." AND ANYTIME ANYONE SAYS ANYTHING CRITICAL OR CONSTRUCTIVE, YOU'RE LIKE, "FU. DON'T TOUCH OR TALK ABOUT MY STUFF." BUT THERE'S SOMETHING TO BE LEARNED BECAUSE IT-- LIKE IT WASN'T, YOU KNOW, ONLY YOUR OPINION, IT WAS ABOUT WHAT OTHER PEOPLE, HOW OTHER PEOPLE PERCEIVED IT. AND THAT'S WHAT I LEARNED IN THIS PROCESS. IT WASN'T ABOUT HOW COOL I THOUGHT IT WAS. IT WAS ABOUT WHAT IT COMMUNICATED AND HOW IT TRANSLATED. AND THAT'S WHAT I LEARNED IN THIS PROCESS. SO IT'S A LOT OF CARS. AND EVENTUALLY, I STEPPED OUT OF THE CAR REALM, AND I WAS LIKE, "I WANT TO DO ANIMATION. THAT'S AWESOME." PIXAR IS MY DREAM. AND SO WE HAD AN ASSIGNMENT WHERE WE HAD TO-- WE GOT THE CHANCE TO DESIGN. WE DESIGNED SHREK. AND THIS WAS ALL A CHARACTER-BASED PROJECT. BUT I USED A LOT OF SIMILAR PRINCIPLES THAT I LEARNED IN PRODUCT DESIGN AND TRANSPORTATION DESIGN. SO THE PRODUCT DESIGN ASPECT, I LEARNED ABOUT RESEARCH, RIGHT? AND WHAT'S THE PURPOSE, WHY AM I DOING THIS? AND SO I CAME UP WITH THIS IDEA THAT, YOU KNOW, SHREK CAN ESSENTIALLY BE BASED OFF OF ROCK, PAPER, AND SCISSORS. AND HIS CHARACTER WAS MORE-- A METAPHOR OF A ROCK. AND DONKEY WAS MORE OF A METAPHOR OF PAPER. AND PUSS IN BOOTS WAS MORE OF A METAPHOR OF SCISSORS, RIGHT? VERY SWIFT, VERY AGILE. AND USING ALL THAT I LEARNED, WHAT I ENCOMPASSED IN THOSE TWO YEARS WERE-- YEAH, IN THE TWO MAJORS. I BASICALLY TRANSLATED INTO DOING THESE CHARACTER DESIGNS AND IT WAS A VERY INTERESTING, VERY INTERESTING EXPERIENCE, AND VERY INTERESTING DESIGN PROCESS. AND BECAUSE IT KIND OF-- I WASN'T JUST-- I DIDN'T FEEL LIKE I WAS RANDOMLY DOING THINGS. I FELT LIKE I HAD A CONCEPT AND I HAD A PURPOSE, RIGHT? SO WE HAVE OUR IDEAS AND WE HAVE A REASON FOR WHY WE'RE GENERATING THESE IDEAS. AND I JUST PUT MORE PURPOSE FOR WHY WE'RE DESIGNING THESE THINGS. SO HERE ARE SOME IDEAS. SO THIS IS PRINCE CHARMING, RIGHT. AND MY CONCEPT FOR THIS-- BECAUSE IF YOU GUYS REMEMBER-- HAVE YOU GUYS-- MANY OF YOU GUYS WATCHED SHREK? ALL RIGHT, KIND OF WEIRD MOVIE. BUT THERE'S A CHARACTER NAMED PRINCE CHARMING. HE'S KIND OF WEIRD. HE'S A LITTLE LOW IQ, RIGHT? HE PRAISES HIS MOM, THE FAIRY GODMOTHER. WELL, MY IDEA WAS HE-- IT SAYS-- IT'S ALWAYS HIS BIRTHDAY, AND THE FAIRY GODMOTHER IS ACTUALLY A HAT THAT SITS ON TOP OF HIS HEAD, RIGHT? SO SHE'S BASICALLY THE BRAINS OF THE OPERATION, BUT TO HIM IT'S LIKE, "PARTY TIME. HEY, GUYS, WHAT'S UP? WHERE'S MY CASTLE?" YOU KNOW, SO THAT'S KIND OF HIS WHOLE LIKE PERSONALITY, AND I WANTED TO SHOW THAT JUST IN THE EXPRESSIONS, AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CHARACTER DESIGN. AND SO THAT WAS KIND OF MY APPROACH WITH THIS KIND OF WORK. SO I'LL CONTINUE ON. I THINK I HAVE LIKE 150 SLIDES HERE. SO I'M JUST GOING TO SCROLL THROUGH. SO WE DEFINITELY WANT TO GET IN TO SOME, YOU KNOW, Q&A. AND EVENTUALLY, YOU KNOW, I-- AS I CONTINUED TO EXERCISE, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE FOUNDATIONS, SOME OF THE THINGS I LEARNED IN, YOU KNOW, OTHER MAJORS, I STARTED TO SEE THE VALUE IN FOUNDATION. I STARTED TO SEE THE VALUE IN ALL THE BORING ASSIGNMENTS MY TEACHERS MADE ME DO, YOU KNOW, LIKE PERSPECTIVE. LIKE WHO LOVES PERSPECTIVE HERE? REALLY? IF YOU RAISE YOUR HAND, I WILL GIVE YOU A HIGH FIVE. YOU ARE LYING. YOU ARE SUCH A LIAR. NO, BUT, YOU KNOW, PERSPECTIVE WAS ONE OF THOSE THINGS WHERE I'M LIKE, "WHY ARE WE DOING THIS, MAN?" IT'S LIKE THE DRIEST THING IN THE WORLD, YOU KNOW, OR EVEN LIKE ART HISTORY LIKE, "WHO-- WHY? WHO WANTS TO DO THAT?" YOU KNOW, I DON'T WANT TO LEARN ABOUT THE HISTORY OF ART, BUT IT WAS-- IT CAME TO A POINT WHERE, YOU KNOW, I REALLY FELT LIKE IT WAS MY PARENTS TELLING ME SOMETHING AND I DIDN'T WANT TO LISTEN TO THEM UNTIL IT HAPPENS, AND YOU'RE LIKE, "OH, THAT'S WHY WE LEARN IT. THAT'S COOL." THAT'S WHAT I FELT LIKE. THAT'S WHAT I FELT SCHOOL WAS LIKE, YOU KNOW. AND THE INSTRUCTORS ARE JUST BASICALLY A DIFFERENT FORM OF OUR PARENTS, TRYING TO TEACH US THESE LESSONS, AND WE'RE JUST LIKE CONSTANTLY TRYING TO IGNORE THEM AND GO AGAINST THEM, RIGHT? SO-- BUT AGAIN, IT WAS SUCH A LIBERATING EXPERIENCE BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, ONCE SOME OF THOSE THINGS CLICKED, I SOON REALIZED-- YEAH, I'M JUST GOING TO GO THIS FULL SCREEN BECAUSE THIS DON'T REALLY MATTER. WAIT. WHERE ARE WE? FULL SCREEN. SEE, WE KNOW HOW TO USE COMPUTERS. SO WE-- OH, YOU KNOW, SO I BASICALLY USE THE SAME PRINCIPLES IN A LOT OF THE OSSUARIES [PHONETIC] YOU SEE UP HERE. AND WHAT YOU GUYS WILL SEE IS JUST A DIFFERENT VARIETY OF DESIGNS, DIFFERENT VARIETY OF THEMES, CONCEPTS, AND THINGS LIKE THAT. BUT THE MORE OF WHAT I'M TRYING TO SAY IS, YOU KNOW, BEHIND EVERY DRAWING IS A-- BEHIND EVERY DRAWING IS A REALLY CLEAR CONCEPT, AND BEHIND EVERY GREAT DESIGN IS A REALLY CLEAR PURPOSE. I JUST MADE THAT UP. DOES IT SOUND PRETTY COOL? ALL RIGHT. I WAS THINKING, I'M LIKE, "I HOPE I DON'T EFF THIS UP." WE-- SO I GUESS, YOU KNOW, I'M GOING TO SHOW YOU GUYS SOME OF THE SLIDES. I'M GOING GO A LITTLE FAST HERE SO THAT JAMES AND I, WE CAN OPEN UP TO Q&A. SO YOU SEE A LOT OF ROBOTS. AND EVENTUALLY I STARTED KIND OF WORKING MY WAY UP. SO YOU KIND OF SEE THE GROWING PAINS, RIGHT? I KIND OF WENT FROM PRODUCT DESIGN TO CARS, AND THEN I FINALLY GOT, YOU KNOW, THE CONFIDENCE. I WAS LIKE, "I'M GOING TO DO AN ENVIRONMENT." AND I WAS LIKE, "OH, GEEZ. THAT'S A LOT STUFF, YOU KNOW." SO I WAS LIKE, YOU KNOW, ANS EVERYTHING FOR ME IN ART AND IN DESIGN AND EDUCATION IN GENERAL, IT'S A LEARNING PROCESS, RIGHT? IT'S TO TAKE THINGS ONE STEP AT A TIME. AND IF YOU GUYS EVER FEEL LIKE OVERWHELMED BY A BIG IDEA, JUST TRY TO MAKE IT SIMPLIFIED, TRY TO TAKE SMALLER STEPS, YOU KNOW, TRY TO TACKLE YOUR IDEAS, AND, YOU KNOW, MORE EFFICIENTLY AND MORE EFFECTIVELY, AND SO THAT WE CAN CONQUER SMALLER PIECES RATHER THAN TRYING TO CONQUER SOMETHING BIG. SO THAT CONCLUDES MY PRESENTATION. THANK YOU. [ APPLAUSE ] [ INAUDIBLE REMARK ] ALL RIGHT. COOL. SO OPEN Q&A. NOW, IT'S YOUR TURN TO PRESENT. WE DON'T WANT TO TALK, OK? YES. LIKE THEY GO, "OH, THIS IS MY SON JOHN. HE DOES GRAPHIC DESIGN." I'M LIKE, "NO, I DON'T." I DON'T DO THAT. YOU KNOW, ACTUALLY-- OK. TRUE STORY, I'M NOT MAKING THIS UP BECAUSE I KNOW IT'S FUNNY AND, YOU KNOW, ME AND JAMES ARE CRACKING REALLY LAME JOKES. BUT, YOU KNOW, AT A CERTAIN POINT, IF YOU CONTINUE WORKING HARD AND DOING WHAT YOU DO, YOU'LL EVENTUALLY GET SUCCESSFUL, YOU'LL GET GOOD AT IT, RIGHT? IT'S INEVITABLE, RIGHT? SO AT THE AGE OF 21 OR NO 22, I THINK THAT'S WHEN I FIRST MET JAMES AND HE GOT ME INTO KIND OF THE CAREER ASPECT. AND I GOT-- I FELT LIKE I HIT MY CREATIVE OR MY SUCCESS POINT AT THE AGE OF LIKE 23 BECAUSE I WAS MAKING-- I THINK I MADE LIKE MY FIRST $100,000. I WAS LIKE, "DUDE, THAT'S BALLER. I'M GOING TO BUY A CAR. BE WHERE I WANT TO BE LIKE, WHAT?" BUT AT THAT POINT MY DAD-- BECAUSE HE KNEW I WAS IN ART, BUT HE SAT ME DOWN AND WE'RE EATING, HE WAS LIKE, "JOHN, I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT DO YOU DO? WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" I WAS LIKE, "WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? I'M JUST EATING MY RICE." AND HE WAS LIKE AWKWARDLY SITTING THERE LIKE, "WHAT DO YOU DO? I DON'T GET IT." AND I WAS LIKE, "IS THAT LIKE A TRICK QUESTION OR IS THAT-- OR ARE YOU LIKE GENUINELY ASKING?" AND THAT'S-- I THINK THAT WAS THE FIRST TIME MY PARENTS WERE GENUINELY INTERESTED OR CURIOUS IN WHAT I WAS DOING, BECAUSE BEFORE THAT, I WAS A GRAPHIC DESIGNER FOR A LONG TIME. YEAH. SO I TOLD THEM I WAS LIKE, "I WORK IN MOVIES, DAD." HE WAS LIKE, "BUT-- WELL, I DON'T UNDERSTAND. YOU'RE NOT DRAWING. I DON'T SEE YOUR DRAWINGS IN THE MOVIES, JOHN." >> JOHN. >> "DON'T DO THAT, JOHN. I DON'T SEE THE DRAWING IN THE MOVIES." THE MOVIES HAVE A CG, AND YOU DON'T DRAW CG." AND HE WAS LIKE, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" AND SO HE-- I THINK HE THOUGHT I WAS A-- HE THOUGHT CONCEPT ARTIST WAS LIKE CON ARTIST. YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? HE'S LIKE, "NO, YOU'RE CON ARTIST. WHAT IS THAT?" I WAS LIKE, "DUDE, THAT'S-- WAS MY STUFF, MAN." SO I HAVE TO EXPLAIN TO HIM. AND IT WAS EDUCATING MY PARENTS AND JUST LIKE HOW, YOU KNOW, THIS INDUSTRY IS SO NEW. AND WHAT JAMES WAS SAYING, RIGHT NOW IS THE TIME WHERE BUSINESS AND ART IS REALLY KIND OF JOINING TEAMS PER SE. THEY'RE STARTING TO UNDERSTAND ONE ANOTHER. BECAUSE CONCEPT DESIGN LIKE, WHO KNOWS WHAT THAT IS? NO ONE KNOWS WHAT THAT IS. EVERYONE KNOWS WHAT A DOCTOR IS, LAWYER, YOU KNOW. IF I SAY TO MY FAMILY RELATIVES, I'M LIKE, "I'M A CONCEPT DESIGNER." THEY'RE LIKE, "WHAT? I DON'T GET IT, WHATEVER." YOU KNOW? AND SO-- YEAH, THAT'S HOW IT CAME OUT. YEAH. JAMES? >> OH MAN. WELL, MY BIGGEST [INAUDIBLE] WITH MY PARENTS IS ACTUALLY HOW DO I GET INTO ARTS SCHOOL, YOU KNOW, HOW CAN I MAJOR AN ART OR SOMETHING. AND I REMEMBER THAT BEING A-- IT WAS A NEGOTIATION OF LET ME APPLY TO ARTS SCHOOL ONE TIME AND IF I DON'T GET IN, I WILL WORK FOR YOU FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE. THAT'S LITERALLY WHAT I TOLD MY DAD. >> WELL-- >> YOU KNOW, TO BASICALLY WORK FOR HIM IN THE SUMMER. AND HE USED TO HAVE THIS LIKE SMALL BUSINESS AND IT'S-- I HATED WORKING THERE. SO HE KNEW THAT I WAS SERIOUS IF I KIND OF PUT THAT ULTIMATUM OUT THERE. BUT EVEN NOW, I THINK MY PARENTS STILL THINK I DO ANIMATION. YEAH. THEY GO, "OH-- " >> THAT'S PRETTY GOOD. >> THEY THINK, "OH YEAH, HE WORKS ON CARTOONS." AND LIKE NOW, WELL MAYBE 2%, YOU KNOW. BUT-- BECAUSE EFFECTIVELY WHAT WE DO AS A JOB IS THAT WE'RE SORT OF A PROBLEM SOLVER, WE'RE LIKE A VISUAL PROBLEM SOLVER. AND SO WHETHER WE WORK IN FILM, VIDEO GAMES, AND WE CROSS-POLLINATE OUR INDUSTRIES ALL THE TIME, YOU KNOW. I WORK IN FILM, HE WORKS IN GAMES, AND WE DO IT ALL THE TIME, WE BOUNCE BACK AND FORTH. BUT WE ALSO GET TO WORK IN COOL THINGS LIKE RESTAURANT DESIGN. I USED TO WORK FOR-- WE ACTUALLY DID A LOT OF STUFF FOR SBE FEW YEARS BACK, AND WE DID THE SLS HOTEL, THE BAZAAR, AND WE'RE DESIGNING AND WORKING WITH PHILIPPE STARCK FOR THE INTERIOR GUYS THAT MIGHT KNOW HIM. BUT, YOU KNOW, THIS REALM OF CONCEPT THAT REALLY HELPS, KIND OF JUST BE A PROBLEM SOLVER FOR EVERYTHING. AND I TRY TO TELL THAT TO MY PARENTS, THEY'RE LIKE, "OH." THEY-- IT'S JUST NOT THERE, YOU KNOW. ESPECIALLY, YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW IF ANY OF YOU GUYS-- THE OLDER GENERATION JUST DIDN'T REALLY KNOW ART, THEY'RE LIKE, "YOU'RE GOING TO STARVE. AND YOU'RE GOING TO PAINT BY THE BEACH. AND YOU'RE GOING TO SELL THEM NEXT TO EVERYONE ELSE, AND YOU'RE GOING TO STARVE. AND I WAS LIKE, "NO, OLD MAN. IF IT IS, THEN I WILL. I DON'T KNOW." BUT, YOU KNOW THAT'S KIND OF-- I WANTED TO EXPLORE THAT REALM, YOU KNOW, SO YEAH, BUT-- >> THE BEST WAS A-- I HAVE A REALLY GOOD FRIEND OF MINE. HE IS A CAR DESIGNER FOR MERCEDES-BENZ. AND THAT'S LIKE A HUGE THING. I'M LIKE, "DUDE." EVERY TIME I SEE A CAR, I'M LIKE, "DUDE, DID YOU DESIGN THAT?" HE WAS LIKE, "NO, MAN. JUST STOP. I DESIGN-- I DO THE HEADLIGHTS, SERIOUSLY." [ LAUGHTER ] BUT HE'S-- IT SOUNDS REALLY IMPRESSIVE, AND IT IS IMPRESSIVE. AND WHAT HE DOES, HE DOES REALLY GOOD AT IT. BUT AGAIN, GOING BACK TO THE STATEMENT LIKE HOW DO-- HOW DOES THE OUTSIDE WORLD PERCEIVE US, BECAUSE WE'RE KIND OF A RARE, WEIRD BREED OF PEOPLE, RIGHT? SO FOR THE LONGEST TIME, HIS PARENTS AND HIS FRIENDS WOULD COME UP AND BE LIKE, "OK, GEORGE [ASSUMED SPELLING]-- "HIS NAME IS GEORGE. SO GEORGE, IF YOU SEE THIS, I'M SORRY, MAN. SO HIS NAME IS GEORGE AND HE WAS LIKE, "GEORGE, YOU KNOW-- HEY MAN, I KNOW YOU'RE IN CARS, DO YOU THINK I CAN GET A DISCOUNT?" HE WAS LIKE, "WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?" HE'S LIKE, "YEAH, YOU WORK AT MERCEDES RIGHT? WHAT DEALERSHIP DO YOU WORK AT?" HE'S LIKE, "NO MAN, I DESIGN THAT." AND HE WAS LIKE, "NO, NO, SERIOUSLY MAN, WHAT DEALERSHIP DO YOU WORK AT?" HE'S LIKE, "NO, NO, NO. I DESIGN THE CARS." HE'S LIKE, "WHY? WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? THEY JUST MAKE THEM." SO AGAIN, LIKE THAT JUST SHOWS A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T KNOW THIS INDUSTRY. A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T KNOW THE INDUSTRY OF DESIGN, RIGHT? IT'S STILL A NEW THING. >> YEAH. >> AND SO, YOU KNOW, I'M SURE YOU GUYS DEAL WITH THAT TOO, YOU KNOW, AND YOU GUYS ARE GOING TO DEAL WITH IT, CONTINUE TO DEAL WITH IT ON A REGULAR BASIS. BUT I GUESS, I GUESS WHAT IT COMES DOWN TO IS DESIGN IS EVERYWHERE, YOU KNOW, FROM LIKE THE WATER BOTTLES TO FASHION, YOU KNOW, TO THE INTERFACE ON YOUR COMPUTER, TO VIDEO GAMES, TO FACEBOOK GAMES, YOU KNOW. WHO PLAYS PUZZLES & DRAGONS? YEAH. YOU RAISE THOSE HANDS, STOP-- DON'T-- COME ON. I SEE ONE. OK, YOU'RE BEING HONEST, EVERYONE ELSE, YOU GUYS ARE LYING. YOU GUYS PLAY THAT. BUT, YOU KNOW, GAMES LIKE THAT, IT REQUIRES A LOT OF DESIGN, IT REQUIRES A LOT OF PROBLEM SOLVING. AND, YOU KNOW, DESIGN HAS MANY DIFFERENT PHASES, RIGHT? AND SO I GUESS THAT'S KIND OF WHAT WE, YOU KNOW, WE ALL KIND OF ARE IN THE SAME HUB, WE JUST HAVE DIFFERENT WAYS OF EXPRESSING IT. >> NOW, I GUESS HOW THIS POP CULTURE, THE THINGS THAT ARE CURRENTLY OUT REALLY AFFECT HOW WE DESIGN. AND SO BEING AWARE OF WHAT'S OUT IS ABSOLUTELY SUPER IMPORTANT. AND, YOU KNOW, YOU'LL GET DIFFERENT FEEDBACK FROM DIFFERENT DESIGNERS AND ARTISTS, BUT FOR ME, I NEED TO KNOW WHAT'S OUT THERE, SO I CAN EFFECTIVELY KNOW HOW TO DESIGN NEW AND UNIQUE THINGS EVEN THOUGH IT'S-- EVEN IF IT'S KIND A FILLING WITHIN THE CRACKS, YOU KNOW. IF YOU HAVE A-- NOW, WE ALL REMEMBER WHEN LORD OF THE RINGS CAME OUT ABOUT 10 YEARS AGO, MAYBE ALMOST CLOSE TO 15 NOW, 2002 MAYBE. BUT IT WAS A THING THAT CATAPULTED FANTASY MOVIES, RIGHT? AFTER THAT, THERE WAS JUST FANTASY, FANTASY, FANTASY, FANTASY, FANTASY. AVATAR COMES OUT SCI-FI, SCI-FI, SCI-FI, SCI-FI, SCI-FI, RIGHT? SO THERE IS A TREND TO ALL THIS, AND BEING AWARE OF THE TREND IS ACTUALLY VERY GOOD, BUT KNOW THAT IT CAN PULL YOU IN, RIGHT? ONE THING THAT I REMEMBER FROM ARTS SCHOOL, FROM ONE ART TEACHER IN PARTICULAR IS WHAT YOU SEE, COMES OUT, RIGHT? WHETHER YOU KNOW IT OR NOT, EVERYTHING THAT YOU OBSERVED WITH YOUR EYE COMES OUT IN A WAY OF A DESIGN. AND SO SOME OF THE THEORIES AND PROCESS THAT JOHN AND I HAVE BEEN TAUGHT AND UTILIZED WITHIN OUR JOB IS HOW TO COME UP WITH CREATION, HOW TO COME UP WITH VARIATION THAT'S UNIQUE, THAT STILL FEELS COOL, BUT DOESN'T HIT ALL THAT, YOU KNOW, POP CULTURE, SORT OF MARKS THAT THEY ALREADY HAVE. YEAH. >> YEAH, WHAT JAMES SAID. YEAH, I MEAN, YOU KNOW, THE OUTSIDE WORLD HAS A LOT OF INFLUENCE, RIGHT? IN WHAT WE-- THE WAY WE THINK THE WAY WE REACT TO THINGS. YOU KNOW, IT'S LIKE FLAVOR OF THE WEEK, RIGHT? IF SOMETHING CAME OUT, YOU'RE LIKE, "OH MY GOD, JUSTIN BIEBER." THERE'S JUSTIN BIEBER FANS OUT THERE, BELIEBERS. BUT, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE LIKE JUST SHAKING YOUR HEAD, YOU'RE LIKE [INAUDIBLE]. BUT IT'S VERY-- WHAT DO YOU CALL IT? IT'S VERY A-- I WANT TO SAY LIKE INFECTIOUS, I DON'T KNOW, LIKE IT KIND OF LIKE IT LINGERS EVEN THOUGH YOU DON'T WANT IT TO AFFECT YOUR WORK IT DOES. SO WHAT'S INTERESTING IS IT'S KIND OF LIKE TRYING TO THINK OUTSIDE OF THE BOX. AND WHEN TEACHER SAY, "THINK OUTSIDE OF THE BOX" WE'RE LIKE, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN, MAN? LIKE YOU KEEP SAYING THAT." BUT REALLY, IT'S LIKE THINK OUTSIDE OF WHAT EVERYONE ELSE SEES. AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT HIT HOME FOR ME. SO I SORT OF-- I DO STILL PAY ATTENTION TO THE MOVIES, THE GAMES, YOU KNOW, THE PRODUCTS THAT ARE OUT THERE, THE NEW APPLE LAPTOPS, AND ALL THAT STUFF, BUT I REALLY TRY TO PAY ATTENTION TO THINGS THAT AREN'T IN THE NORM, YOU KNOW, WEIRD PLANTS THAT I'VE SEEN, YOU KNOW, I TRY TO LIKE REALLY LOOK AT IT BEYOND JUST THE IMAGE AND TRY TO LET IT INFLUENCE MY THOUGHT PROCESS. AND I KNOW IT SOUNDS REALLY ARTSY-FARTSY WHEN I SAY, "LET IT INFLUENCE YOU, LET IT INSPIRE YOU." BUT REALLY, LET IT KIND OF SEE LIKE TRY TO CHALLENGE YOURSELF TO SEE IF YOU CAN COME UP WITH A REALLY UNIQUE IDEA NOT BASED ON SOMETHING THAT'S GENERIC OR BASED ON SOMETHING THAT EVERYONE ELSE SEES. YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? HERE'S AN EXAMPLE. SO I'M ASIAN, RIGHT? I MEAN, JAMES ARE ASIAN. AND ASIAN PEOPLE HAVE A WAY OF ORGANIZING THEIR HOMES AND ESPECIALLY OUR PARENTS, THEY'RE CALLED-- KNOWN AS THIS THING CALLED PACK RATS, RIGHT? SO THEY LIKE TO SAVE EVERYTHING JUST BECAUSE THEY THINK WORLD WAR III IS COMING, PEOPLE ARE GOING TO DIE AND, YOU KNOW, THEY JUST KEEP EVERYTHING, I DON'T KNOW WHY, FROM THE 1967 NEWSPAPERS ALL THE WAY TO NOW. I DON'T KNOW WHY. IT'S DISGUSTING. BUT I WAS LIKE, "THIS IS DISGUSTING. IT'S VISUALLY UPSETTING THAT MY PARENTS KEEP ALL THIS OLD STUFF." THE ONLY TIME THEY CAME USEFUL WAS WHEN I HAD TO ACTUALLY DESIGN AN INTERIOR BASED ON KIND OF A CHINESE OR ASIAN APARTMENT. AND I WAS LIKE, "THAT'S EASY." RIGHT? BUT NO ONE ELSE IN THE DESIGN TEAM KNEW HOW TO DO THAT. THAT'S BECAUSE I'M ASIAN, RIGHT? I WAS LIKE, I OWNED IT. I WAS LIKE, "I CAN EFFING DO THIS. THIS IS EASY. SO LET ME SHOW YOU HOW TO DO IT RIGHT, YOU KNOW, PUT THE FANS HERE, THE SLIPPERS, THE BOX OF RAMEN, YOU KNOW." IT'S LIKE UTILIZE YOUR SPACE, YOUR BED IS ESSENTIALLY YOUR TABLE, RIGHT? YOU KNOW, YOU HANG YOUR CLOTHING STRATEGICALLY SO THAT THE SUN, WHEN IT COMES AT A CERTAIN HOUR, IT'S DRYING YOUR CLOTHING, BUT ALSO, IT BLOCKS THE SUN OUT. YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? YOU KNOW WHAT I'M SAYING? SO LIKE WHO CAN THINK OF THAT BUT ME? AND SO-- AND WHEN THE DIRECTOR SAW THAT HE WAS LIKE, "OH MY GOD. I FEEL LIKE THIS IS REAL. I FEEL LIKE YOU'VE BEEN THERE." AND I'M LIKE, "I DON'T KNOW. IT'S JUST-- MAYBE. IT JUST CAME OUT OF ME." AND BY THE WAY, DO YOU SEE WHAT I'M SAYING? IT'S LIKE INSTEAD OF LIKE GOING ON GOOGLE AND LOOKING UP LIKE ASIAN APARTMENT BECAUSE YOU'RE GOING TO GET SOME LIKE BUNCH OF GENERIC THINGS. I WAS JUST LIKE, "WHAT DO I HAVE-- WHAT DOES MY PARENTS' HOUSE LOOK LIKE?" YOU KNOW, AND I'M LOOKING AT IT LIKE, "OH, THERE'S RANDOM STUFF. THERE'S AN OLD TOY THAT ROLLS, THERE'S COUPONS." AND I'M LIKE, "WHY? COUPONS, THEY'VE EXPIRED 10 YEARS AGO, BUT THEY'RE THERE." YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? AND YOU THROW-- YOU WANT TO THROW THEM OUT LIKE, "NO, NO, NO, NO, NO. WE COULD USE FOR SOMETHING ELSE." USE FOR WHAT? FOR FIRE, I MEAN, OR FOR LIKE DOOR STOPPERS, FOR RANDOM STUFF. YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? BUT THAT'S WHAT I MEAN, THAT'S LIKE OWNING YOUR CREATIVITY, AND THAT'S THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX. ALL RIGHT. >> YEAH, NO, I TOTALLY AGREE WITH JOHN. THAT'S SO FUNNY. >> YEAH. SO BASICALLY, WE ALL USE PHOTOSHOP PRETTY MUCH AS OUR MAIN TOOL SOURCE FOR WHAT WE DO EVERYDAY. AND, YOU KNOW, PHOTOSHOP IS A REALLY POWERFUL TOOL. SO IT'S SORT OF LIKE A WEAPON OF CHOICE, YOU KNOW, IT CAN DEFINITELY BE CATERED TOWARDS WHATEVER IT NEEDS. YOU KNOW, PHOTOGRAPHERS, CONCEPT ARTIST, DIGITAL PAINTERS WILL ALL USE PHOTOSHOP A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENTLY. BUT, YOU KNOW, PART OF THE THING THAT-- IT'S ALMOST COUNTERINTUITIVE A LITTLE BIT ABOUT DOING DIGITAL PAINTING, BUT ONE OF THE BEST WAYS TO PRACTICE IS ACTUALLY JUST BEING A REALLY GOOD DRAWER, YOU KNOW. BECAUSE PHOTOSHOP IS ACTUALLY A LITTLE BIT WILD, YOU KNOW. IT IS SUCH A POWERFUL TOOL THAT REALLY QUICKLY IT CAN KIND OF OVERPOWER YOU. BUT HAVING THOSE TRADITIONAL SKILLS IS ONE OF THE BEST THINGS TO DO. YOU KNOW, ALSO, WITHIN OUR-- YOU KNOW, WE ALSO REALLY LOVE DIGITAL PAINTING, AND SO WE WERE ONE OF THE KIND OF GENERATION AT ART CENTER THAT ACTUALLY CREATED OR EMBEDDED DIGITAL PAINTING INTO OUR CURRICULUM, YOU KNOW, ACTUALLY INTO OUR ASSIGNMENTS WHERE-- WE'D ACTUALLY GET IN TROUBLE FOR IT, YOU KNOW, THEY'D BE, "HEY, BRING IN AN ACRYLIC PAINTING." BUT WE'LL BRING SOMETHING DIGITAL. AND THEY GO LIKE, YOU KNOW, FAILING US OR DOING ALL SORTS OF STUFF. BUT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE TRYING TO LEARN SOMETHING NEW. IT WAS ACTUALLY VERY KIND OF FOREFRONT, PIONEERING. IT WAS REALLY FUN. BUT TO LEARN IT TRADITIONALLY IS ONE OF THE BEST TECHNIQUES. SO YEAH. >> THERE'S SO MUCH STUFF ON YOUTUBE. LIKE IF I WERE TO-- THE AMOUNT OF RESOURCES THAT ARE ON YOUTUBE NOW IS INSANE, LIKE I WOULD PROBABLY, AND NOT TO DISCOURAGE ANYONE HERE, I PROBABLY WOULDN'T HAVE GONE TO SCHOOL. YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? BECAUSE THERE'S SO MUCH STUFF OUT THERE. IT'S CRAZY. LIKE THE OTHER DAY I WAS LIKE, "HOW DO I MAKE SCRAMBLED EGG?" LIKE I KNOW HOW TO MAKE IT, YOU KNOW, BUT HOW DO YOU MAKE IT LIKE RESTAURANT STYLE. YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? BUT-- AAND I SAW A VIDEO, I WAS LIKE, "DAMN, THAT'S HOW YOU MAKE IT, DUDE. THAT WAS AWESOME." BUT TO YOUR POINT, THERE'S A LOT OF TUTORIALS, THERE'S A LOT OF LIKE, YOU KNOW, HOW TO RENDER SHAPES, YOU KNOW, PHOTOSHOP INTRODUCTIONS. IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR FORMS SPECIFICALLY ON FACEBOOK, THERE'S LIKE DIGITAL SPIT PAINTING OR SPEED PAINTING, RIGHT? THERE'S ALL THESE GROUPS THAT ARE KIND OF SHARING AND THERE'S LIKE A COMMUNITY, RIGHT? BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE ART IS THE ONLY-- I FEEL LIKE IT'S LIKE ONE OF THE ONLY INDUSTRIES WHERE EVERYONE GENERALLY LIKES TO NETWORK AND SOCIALIZE, YOU KNOW. AND SO SOME OF THE OTHER INDUSTRIES LIKE THEY'RE A LITTLE BIT MORE SEGREGATED IN MOST INSTANCES, BUT SHARING IS A HUGE THING. AND YOU-- THERE'S A LOT OF RESOURCES OUT THERE THAT WILL SHOW YOU THAT. YEAH. THAT'S A REALLY GOOD QUESTION. SO WHAT'S OUR PROCESS WHEN WE GET INTO AN IMAGE, RIGHT? OR DESIGNING OUR CONCEPT-- >> WHEN YOU GOT A NEW ASSIGNMENT. >> OK, NEW ASSIGNMENT. SO FIRST THING I DO IS, WHAT IS IT THAT I HAVE TO DRAW? I START WITH A VERY, VERY SIMPLE QUESTION, YOU KNOW. AND I BREAK THAT QUESTION NOW INTO LIKE THREE OR FOUR KEYWORDS, RIGHT? SO A LOT OF TIMES I'LL GET AN ASSIGNMENT LIKE, "OH HEY, JOHN, I WANT YOU TO DESIGN LIKE SOME SCI-FI ROBOT, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, AND HE HAS MACHINE GUNS." SO I'LL THINK, OK, ROBOT, MACHINE GUNS AND PIECE FROM THE FUTURE, RIGHT? THOSE ARE KIND OF THE KEYWORDS. AND BASED ON THAT, I'LL ACTUALLY DO SOME RESEARCH THAT WILL KIND OF BE UNDER THE CATEGORY OF THOSE KEYWORDS, BECAUSE FOR ME, YOU KNOW, ONE THING THAT I LEARNED WAS WE HAVE A VISUAL LIBRARY, A VISUAL MEMORY BANK THAT WE CYCLED THROUGH NATURALLY, BUT ONE THING YOU DON'T WANT TO DO IS GO TO THAT FIRST BECAUSE YOU'RE GOING TO GET REALLY, REALLY GENERIC IDEAS. AND IT HAPPENS TO ALL OF US, RIGHT? YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU GUYS ARE DOING PRODUCT DESIGNS OR INTERIOR DESIGNS, YOU'RE LIKE, "I'VE SEEN THAT AT BJ'S [PHONETIC], WHATEVER." OR "THAT LOOKS JUST LIKE MY APPLE LAPTOP, WHATEVER." YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? AND IT'S NATURALLY HAPPENS BECAUSE YOU'RE CONSTANTLY SEEING IT AND IT'S IN YOUR BRAIN. WHAT YOU WANT TO DO IS YOU WANT TO KIND OF SORT THAT OUT, KIND OF LOOK AT IT, REINTERPRET IT, AND THEN KIND OF START SKETCHING YOUR IDEAS OUT. AND THEN FROM SKETCHING YOU GO INTO, YOU KNOW, VALUE BLACK AND WHITE, AND THEN WE GO INTO COLOR. BUT THE ESSENTIAL THINGS IS BREAKING DOWN WHAT IT IS YOUR GOALS ARE, YOUR KEYWORDS, AND DOING YOUR RESEARCH AT LEAST FOR ME, I DON'T KNOW. YEAH. >> IT'S KIND OF INTERESTING BECAUSE JOHN'S BACKGROUND WITHIN PRODUCT DESIGN. SINCE I'VE KNOWN JOHN FOR QUITE A WHILE, WE'VE WORKED TOGETHER A LOT. AND SO WE GET TO SORT OF UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERENT DISCIPLINES OF PRODUCT DESIGN AND ILLUSTRATION, IT'S LIKE, "OH WOW. YOU GUYS THINK ABOUT THAT FIRST AND THIS FIRST?" BUT IT'S REALLY INTERESTING BECAUSE THE PROCESS, IT ALWAYS STARTS FROM RESEARCH, YOU KNOW, TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IT IS. MY ILLUSTRATION BACKGROUND IS SORT OF GEARS ME TO THINK ABOUT THE EMOTIONAL ASPECTS A LITTLE BIT FIRST. YOU KNOW I THINK, OH, LIKE GOING OFF OF HIS ROBOT GUN FUTURE GUY, IT'S LIKE, "OH, IT'S MYSTERIOUS. IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE VERY FRIGHTENING." SO IT KIND OF GIVES ME A OVERALL TONE OR LIKE A COLOR OR EVEN A CAMERA ANGLE OF HOW TO KIND OF CAPTURE THAT IMAGE. AND THEN I KIND OF GO BACK INTO WHAT JOHN DOES ABOUT THINKING ABOUT THE FUNCTION AND THE FORMS AND THAT SORT OF THING. SO I KIND OF GO SLIGHTLY REVERSED, YOU KNOW, BUT WE KIND OF END UP AT THE SAME POINT. IT'S LIKE START WITH YOUR RIGHT FOOT OR START WALKING WITH YOUR LEFT FOOT DOESN'T REALLY MATTER, YOU KNOW, YOU GET TO THE FINISH POINT OF THE DESIGN AT THE END OF IT. SO YEAH, PROCESS IS PROCESS. YOUR OWN PROCESS, THAT'S WHAT I THINK IS ART, IS WHAT, YOU KNOW, YOU CREATE YOUR OWN WAY OF DOING IT BECAUSE IT'S PERSONAL TO YOU, YOU KNOW. WOW. THAT'S A REALLY INTERESTING QUESTION, BECAUSE THAT ACTUALLY TOUCHES POINT ON HOW CONCEPT ART IS ACTUALLY EXPANDING OUT OF ITS INITIAL TEAR OF JUST DESIGNING FOR ENTERTAINMENT. SO-- AND TO KIND OF ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, FIRST IS YEAH, WE GET TO WORK ON A LOT OF COOL TITLES, BUT A LOT OF THEM ARE THE DARK, ARE THE POST-APOCALYPTIC, YOU KNOW, TAKE OVER THE WORLD AND DIE AND, YOU KNOW, THAT SORT OF THING, BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT NEEDS A LOT OF UNIQUE DESIGN A LOT OF THE TIME WITHIN THE INDUSTRY. >> YEAH. >> BUT, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE START DOING PERSONAL WORK AND WE START GETTING OTHER WORK THAT'S OUTSIDE OF, YOU KNOW, THE CONCEPTUAL DESIGN REALM, MAYBE THEME PARKS, MAYBE DOING HOTEL DESIGN, MAYBE TRYING TO DO AN INTERACTIVE SPACE FOR KIDS AND EDUCATION, THAT'S REALLY STARTS TO PUMPED IT UP A BIT, YOU KNOW. AND WE HAVE A FRIEND WHO DESIGNS A LOT OF MILITARY STUFF FOR MAYBE MOVIES LIKE ELYSIUM AND DISTRICT 9 AND EVEN CHAPPIE. BUT, YOU KNOW, THIS ARTIST, HE DESIGNS A LOT OF STUFF THAT'S WITHIN THAT REAL MILITARISTIC SENSIBILITY, BUT HE ACTUALLY GETS HIRED BY THE MILITARY-- >> YEAH. >> -- TO ACTUALLY DESIGN SOME OF THE STUFF, BECAUSE HE IS SUCH A-- HE ACTUALLY HAS PRODUCT DESIGN BACKGROUND WITH THIS CONCEPTUAL DESIGN EXPERTISE AND HE'S ABLE TO DESIGN IT FOR MOVIES, AND THEY'RE LIKE, "OH MY GOD, WE NEED HIM FOR THE MILITARY." SO I HAVEN'T REALLY DONE THAT'S SORT OF STUFF, BUT HE, YOU KNOW, WE DEFINITELY KNOW THAT KIND OF CROSS-POLLINATES, BUT YEAH, FOR ME PERSONALLY, YEAH, I HAVEN'T REALLY DONE ANYTHING THAT ACTUALLY GETS BUILT TO LIKE DO STUFF LIKE THAT. IT'S ALL IMAGINATIVE DIGITAL, BUT YEAH. HOW ABOUT YOU, JOHN? >> THAT'S-- YEAH, THAT'S KIND OF WEIRD. THAT'S TOUGH, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE LIKE, "HEY, JOHN, I'D LIKE TO HIRE TO DESIGN THE NEW AIR 15, 3000K BLASTER. IT HAS A, YOU KNOW, SHOOTING RADIUS OF 3000 BULLETS PER SECOND." YOU'RE LIKE, "OH MY GOD. I'M DESIGNING THE WEAPON OF MASS DESTRUCTION, YOU KNOW." >> YEAH. >> SO IT'S LIKE-- THERE'S A FINE LINE AND I THINK-- I REALLY THINK IT'S UP TO YOU AS AN INDIVIDUAL, YOU KNOW. I'M-- WE'RE IN CONCEPT DESIGN, SO WE THINK OF MESSED UP STUFF ALL THE TIME, YOU KNOW, LIKE I GOING TO DO STUFF FOR-- WHEN I WORKED FOR GODZILLA I WAS LIKE, "OH, YEAH. DUDE, THAT'S AWESOME." 9/11. YEAH, 9/11. LET'S LOOK AT 9/11 STUFF." THAT'S SUCH A SENSITIVE TIME BECAUSE, MAN, SO MANY PEOPLE DIED AND-- >> YEAH. >> -- YOU KNOW, LIKE WE HAVE-- I'M SURE WE HAVE FAMILIES AND FRIENDS THAT WERE INVOLVED WITH THAT, BUT AS A CONCEPT DESIGNER, A PART OF ME COULDN'T HELP BUT GET EXCITED. I WAS LIKE, "LOOK AT THOSE STRUCTURES. HOLY, LOOK AT THOSE BUILDINGS." YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? AND IT'S KIND OF MESSED UP. YOU'RE LIKE, "OH, I SHOULDN'T BE EXCITED ABOUT THIS." BUT A PART OF YOU, YOU'RE LIKE YOU KIND OF NEED TO EMBRACE THAT CHAOS AND, YOU KNOW, LET IT BE CONTROLLED CHAOS, RIGHT? BUT IN TERMS OF LIKE FUTURE, LIKE IF YOU GUYS ARE DESIGNING LIKE ARCHITECTURAL THINGS THAT ARE A LITTLE BIT MORE POSITIVE, I LOVE LOOKING AT, YOU KNOW, FRANK GEHRY BUILDINGS, CALATRAVA, AND THOSE ARE THINGS THAT ARE PHYSICALLY MADE, BUT I LIKE TO KIND OF LOOK BEYOND THAT, LIKE WE KNOW. BECAUSE AS A CONCEPT DESIGNER, YOU'RE NOT BOUND BY PHYSICAL STRUCTURES, YOU'RE-- YOU CAN KIND OF PUT LIKE, WELL, THERE'S A WATERMELON TOWER JUST BECAUSE IT'S MADE OF WATERMELONS, YOU KNOW. SO YOU CAN KIND OF GO REALLY WACKY WITH THOSE IDEAS AND KIND OF DEFINE YOUR OWN FORM LANGUAGE, RIGHT? YOUR OWN STRUCTURE LANGUAGE, YOUR OWN MATERIAL, AND KIND OF DO WHATEVER YOU-- DO WHATEVER YOU WISH. BUT YEAH, THAT'S A REALLY GOOD QUESTION. THANK YOU FOR ASKING THAT. YEAH. I GOT HIRED TO DO A MONSTER MOVIE. AND IT WAS KIND OF LIKE-- I WANT TO SEE MORE LIKE FREDDY KRUEGER, LIKE IT WAS HORROR MOVIE WITH-- IT WAS LIKE A HORROR GORE MOVIE. AND I WAS LIKE, "OH, I NEVER DONE ANYTHING LIKE THAT. THAT'S PRETTY AWESOME." BUT THAT'S KIND OF OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE BECAUSE THE FIRST THING I RESEARCHED WAS LIKE GORE, AND YOU GET LIKE, YOU KNOW, AMPUTATED LIMBS AND I WAS LIKE, "NO!" I WAS LIKE, "OH MY GOD! MY EYES!" AND I COULDN'T HANDLE IT, SO I GOT FIRED ON THE JOB BECAUSE MY IDEAS WERE SO GENERIC. YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? BECAUSE I COULDN'T EMBRACE THAT SIDE, LIKE-- IT WAS JUST NOT IN ME. AND I KNOW GUYS THAT LIKE THEY GET SO FASCINATED BY LIKE, "OH MY GOD. I FOUND THIS, LIKE, REALLY COOL SCAB. DO LOOK AT THE SCAB, BRO." AND I TOOK PHOTOS IF IT. LOOK AT THE TEXTURES. THEY THINK THAT WAY. THEIR MORAL COMPASS IS LIKE, KIND OF UPSIDE DOWN AND 360 DEGREES, IT'S KIND OF WEIRD, BUT THEY THINK THAT WAY. AND THEY KIND OF UTILIZE THAT. BUT FOR ME, IT KIND OF WORK AGAINST ME BECAUSE I'M NOT-- I'M KIND OF LIKE, I GET LIKE, "OH, THAT'S NASTY." IT'S LIKE, "I CAN'T DO IT." YOU KNOW? SO I GUESS THAT WAS THE ONLY TIME FOR ME, PERSONALLY, IT WORKED AGAINST ME. SO YEAH. >> OH, WELL, I DON'T REALLY GET TOO GROSS OUT BY THAT STUFF, BUT I HAVE A BUDDY WHO-- GARRET MORANS [ASSUMED SPELLING] WHO'S A REALLY AWESOME CREATURE DESIGNER, AN ALIEN KIND OF CREATURE GUY THAT WORKS IN THE FILM INDUSTRY. BUT HE-- HIS REFERENCE LIBRARY IS GROSS, IT IS SO NASTY. IT'S KIND OF [INAUDIBLE], MAN. YEAH. SO I SAID TO MYSELF SOMETIMES, BUT IT'S, "OH MY GOD." IT'S LIKE WEIRD PHOTOS, MAN. >> YEAH. >> IT'S SOME WEIRD CONDITIONS-- >> THERE'S A LOTS OF GENITALIA, LIKE SOME WEIRD STUFF AND-- >> YEAH. ANYWAY, NEXT QUESTION. WHEN I WAS TALKING ABOUT WHEN KIND OF ECONOMY WENT DOWN AND I GOT THE STUDIO KIND OF SWEPT OUT UNDER ME, I WAS REALLY IN THE POSITION TO TRY TO GO INTO THE FREELANCE REALM WHICH WAS ALWAYS A LITTLE TINGLING THOUGHT, BUT I WAS ALWAYS SCARED TO DO IT, YOU KNOW, JUST KIND OF QUIT YOUR JOB AND GO OUT TO LIKE THIS TERRITORY WAS LITTLE FRIGHTENING, SO I JUST-- WHAT I WORKED AT, AT THE PASSION PART OF IT ALL WAS THE DRIVING FORCE. AND SO I REALLY WORKED HARD TO TRY TO GET A PROJECT THAT WAS SUBSTANTIAL. AND I WAS LUCKILY ABLE TO KIND OF WORK WITH ROBH RUPPEL, IF YOU GUYS KNOW HE IS. HE IS THE ART DIRECTOR AT A COMPANY CALLED NAUGHTY DOG, AND THEY MAKE GAMES LIKE UNCHARTED AND THE LAST OF US, AND THEY ARE A HUGE, HUGE COMPANY THAT MAKES-- WELL, THEY ARE NOT A HUGE COMPANY, THEY'RE A GAME COMPANY THAT MAKES REALLY, REALLY AWESOME GAMES. AND WORKING WITH ROBH AT UNCHARTED, HE'S A GUY THAT HAD ABOUT 15 YEARS OF DISNEY EXPERIENCE OF STORYTELLING, ANIMATION, AND VISUAL DEVELOPMENT PRIOR TO GOING TO NAUGHTY DOG, SO WORKING WITH HIM WAS A TREMENDOUS LEARNING EXPERIENCE. IT WAS RIDICULOUSLY AWESOME. AND IT WAS TO A POINT WHERE-- IF YOU GUYS REMEMBER BACK TO, MAYBE YOUR MOST INFLUENTIAL TEACHER, I THINK THAT'S PROBABLY THE BEST PARALLEL THAT I CAN PUT IT IN IS SOMEONE THAT GUIDES YOU, INSPIRES YOU, HE KNOWS HOW TO KICK YOU IN THE BUTT, BUT ALWAYS MAKE YOU SMILE AT THE END OF THE DAY, YOU KNOW. AND THAT'S WHAT THIS ART DIRECTOR WAS. AND IT WASN'T REALLY THE PROJECT. IT WAS ACTUALLY THE EXPERIENCE OF THE PROJECT. SO THAT WAS REALLY, REALLY INSPIRING WORK WITH A REALLY AWESOME TEAM, AND THE CAMARADERIE THAT'S BUILD IN THE ART DEPARTMENT IS-- IT'S LIKE BROTHERHOOD, IT'S LIKE BEING OUT ON THE TRENCHES, YOU KNOW, IT'S HAVING A FAMILY. IT'S REALLY, REALLY AWESOME. >> OH, MAN, THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION. I WOULD SAY THE BIGGEST PROJECT OR THE PROJECT I'M MOST PASSIONATE ABOUT RIGHT NOW, I GOT LUCKY, I GOT CALLED BY A PRODUCTION DESIGNER NAMED BEN PROCTER AND DYLAN COLE, AND THEY'RE CURRENTLY DEVELOPING AVATAR WITH JAMES CAMERON. SO I'VE BEEN ON THAT FOR ABOUT A YEAR AND I WAS LIKE, "WHAT?" BUT, YOU KNOW, LIKE IN TERMS OF LIKE MY BUCKET LIST, I WAS LIKE, "OH MY GOD. I GOT TO WORK WITH THE GUY THAT CREATED ALIENS-- -- TITANIC." YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? IT WAS AWESOME. BUT WHAT'S EVEN MORE AWESOME IS THE AMOUNT OF LIKE HARD WORK THAT THE LEVEL OF EXPECTATION, YOU KNOW, HOW FAR THEY PUSH DESIGN AND HOW ANALYTICAL THEY ARE IN THE TEAM. MY SUPERVISORS, BEN PROCTER AND DYLAN COLE, THEY'RE LIKE INCREDIBLE DESIGNERS. AND I THINK, AS ARTISTS, AS MUCH AS WE LIKE TO KIND OF CLING ON TO THE IDEA OF LIKE, "OH MY GOD. I WISH I CAN DO THIS OR I CAN DESIGN THE NEXT COOL ARCHITECTURAL BUILDING OR I CAN MAKE THIS AMAZING PRODUCT." BUT I THINK IT'S REALLY ABOUT THE CULTURE OF THEIR TEAM, REALLY ABOUT THE CULTURE OF THE STUDIO THAT YOU ACTUALLY GET INVOLVED WITH. AND I FIND THAT THAT WAS THE MOST EXCITING FOR ME AND IT'S STILL VERY EXCITING. AND IT KIND OF GETS ME UP IN THE MORNING. I'M LIKE, "DUDE, I WANT TO GO TO WORK AND I WANT TO LEARN THIS." I SUCK AT THIS, SO I'M GOING TO ASK THEM HOW I CAN GET BETTER. AND IT'S LIKE-- I FEEL LIKE WHEN YOU LEAVE SCHOOL, YOU FEEL LIKE, "OK. I'M DONE WITH ART." RIGHT? "I'M A PROFESSIONAL AND I'M WORKING IN THE FIELD." IT'S ACTUALLY THE OTHER WAY AROUND. YOU GO TO SCHOOL TO KIND OF LEARN THE BASICS AND WHEN YOU'RE OUT OF SCHOOL, NOW YOU'RE ACTUALLY DOING THE REAL LEARNING, GETTING THE HARDCORE LEARNING, THE THINGS THAT ARE GOING TO DEMAND YOU AND PUSH YOU TO SUCH HIGH LIMITS THAT YOU NEVER THOUGHT YOU WOULD HAVE DEALT WITH, YOU KNOW. AND I FIND THAT SORT OF LIKE IT'S JUST A REALLY GREAT EXPERIENCE TO HAVE. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? YES. YEAH. SO LIKE, FOR-- I GUESS ONE EXAMPLE I CAN GIVE IS I JUST CAME FROM A MEETING WITH JAMES CAMERON AND WE WOULD DO THESE BLUE SKY CONCEPTS, AND BASICALLY IT'S JUST IDEAS, RIGHT? IT'S OUR VISUAL OPINIONS. AND HE LOOK AT THOSE IMAGES AND HE'LL BE LIKE, "THAT IS AWESOME. I WANT THAT IN MY-- IN THIS SECTION OF THE MOVIE." AND YOU'RE LIKE, "REALLY?" LIKE, "OH, DUDE, THAT'S AWESOME." YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? SO IT'S SUCH GREAT PART, IT'S SUCH A GREAT COLLABORATIVE EXPERIENCE BECAUSE YOUR DESIGNS, YOUR OPINIONS, YOUR VISUAL EXPLORATIONS GET TRANSLATED, IT GETS PASSED OFF TO THE NEXT GUY THAT CAN MAKE IT INTO SOMETHING AMAZING. AND THAT PERSON FABRICATES IT INTO SOMETHING EVEN MORE AMAZING. AND IT BECOMES LIKE THIS REAL LIFE PRODUCTS, WHETHER IT'S A MOVIE OR LIKE A HANDHELD OBJECT OR A VIDEO GAME THAT YOU'RE INTERACTING WITH. I THINK THAT'S THE PROCESS THAT'S JUST LIKE WHEN YOU SEE IT, YOU'RE LIKE, "HOLY COW, DUDE, THAT'S AMAZING." YOU KNOW. SO AS A CONCEPT DESIGNER, WE HELP INSPIRE THAT PROCESS. >> AND I THINK ONE REAL KIND OF EASY WAY TO PUT IT IS, WHETHER IT'S A FILM, A VIDEO GAME, MAYBE A BOOK COVER OR WHATEVER IT IS, THINK OF THAT BEING A HOUSE, RIGHT? AND SO YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TWO MAJOR PHASES WHEN YOU DESIGN A HOUSE. YOU NEED AN ARCHITECT AND YOU NEED A CONSTRUCTION CREW, RIGHT? WE'RE PRETTY MUCH THE ARCHITECTS. WE'RE THE PEOPLE THAT SORT OF GET A BASE IDEA. OK. THE DIRECTOR OR YOUR ART DIRECTOR SAYS, "I NEED A HOUSE THAT'S THREE BEDROOMS." SO YOU KIND OF GET THE IDEA, GENERAL DIRECTIVE. YOU GO, "COOL. I'M GOING TO DESIGNING A REALLY AWESOME THREE-BEDROOM HOUSE. IT'S GOING TO HAVE THIS, THAT, AND THIS, THAT." AND YOU KIND OF GAUGE WHAT THEY LIKE, WHAT THEIR TASTE ARE, LOOK AT THEIR SHOES AND GO, "OK. YOU WEAR SNEAKERS ALL THE TIME. YOU MUST LIKE GOING OUT AND DOING ACTIVE STUFFS. SO I'M GOING TO MAKE THIS HOUSE FULL OF ACTIVE EQUIPMENT, YOU KNOW, OUTDOOR THINGS." SO ALL THESE IDEAS START TO COME UP BASED OFF OF THAT ONE LITTLE DIRECTIVE OF CREATING A THREE-BEDROOM HOUSE, YOU KNOW. SO THAT ARCHITECT, THE CONCEPT ARTIST ARE JUST STIRRING UP IDEAS, YOU KNOW, CREATING DRAWINGS AND COMMUNICATE IT BACK TO THEM. "IS THIS WHAT YOU WANT IT TO LOOK LIKE? IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT TO LOOK LIKE?" AND THEY GO, "YES." AND THAT'S-- THAT PART IS LIKE REALLY, REALLY REWARDING, AND THEN YOU SEE IT GO INTO THE CONSTRUCTION, RIGHT? YOU SEE IT GO INTO 3D. YOU SEE IT GO INTO ANIMATION. YOU SEE PHYSICAL SETS GET BUILT. YOU GET-- YOU SEE GREEN SCREEN ANIMATION SETS BEING BUILT. SO DEPENDING ON WHAT YOU DO, YOU'LL GET A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT CONSTRUCTION PROCESS OR DIFFERENT WAYS TO CONSTRUCT IT, BUT THERE'S ALWAYS A DESIGNER IN THE FRONT END THAT'S JUST COMING UP WITH THESE IDEAS AND TRANSLATING THEM, YOU KNOW, SO THAT PEOPLE CAN UNDERSTAND IT, YOU KNOW. ONE THING THAT'S-- AND CERTAIN IS, A HUGE MOVIE LIKE LORD OF THE RINGS THAT HAS SUCH CRAZY FANTASY. HOW DID SOMEONE OR A TEAM OF PEOPLE DESIGNED THAT HUGE UNIVERSE SO THAT WE CAN ALL UNDERSTAND IT? SO THAT THE HOBBIT LAND, YOU KNOW, THE MORDOR TOWER, THE-- I DON'T KNOW, SOMETHING ELSE REGION. WHY DO THEY ALL LOOK DIFFERENT AND HOW CAN YOU RECOGNIZE THEM? BECAUSE PEOPLE DESIGNED IT OUT. YOU KNOW, THEY THOUGHT ABOUT THESE THINGS. AND THAT'S WHAT A CONCEPT DESIGN IS. >> I DON'T KNOW. >> YOU WANT TO GO FIRST? >> WELL, ACTUALLY, I GUESS I WOULD LOVE TO GET INTO TOYS. YOU KNOW, GROWING UP I LOVED LEGOS. AND I LOVE THE-- I GUESS I WAS IN GENERATION NINJA TURTLES, YOU KNOW, THAT'S MY JAM. BUT I LOVE PHYSICAL TOYS, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE IT'S SOMETHING-- IT'S SO INSPIRING BECAUSE AS A KID I REMEMBER LIKE, JUST LOOKING AND I WAS LIKE, "OH MY GOD. AND THIS TABLE TOP BECAME A BUILDING." AND LIKE AS A KID, I WAS SO INSPIRED. SO THAT-- THAT WOULD BE ONE THING ON MY BUCKET LIST, I'D LOVE TO CROSS OR CHECK, YOU KNOW. HERE'S A QUESTION I LIKE TO KIND OF ASK YOU GUYS. OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL, CURIOSITY ABOUT CONCEPT DESIGN, DO YOU GUYS HAVE ANY QUESTIONS REGARDING KIND OF THE-- YOUR CAREER PATH, YOUR INDUSTRY, YOU KNOW, LIKE FINANCIAL THINGS, FREELANCING, THINGS LIKE THAT. JAMES? >> YOU KNOW-- LET'S SEE HERE. WITHIN A STUDENT PORTFOLIO, YOU GET-- AND ANY TYPE OF PORTFOLIO THAT'S GETTING INTO A STUDIO OR IN FRONT OF AN ART DIRECTOR, YOU GET TO SEE A LOT OF SIMILAR TYPE OF WORK, AND STYLE CAN DEFINITELY BE ONE OF THOSE THINGS THAT CAN HELP YOU BE PROMOTED, RIGHT? BE A LITTLE BIT MORE VISIBLE AND-- TO THE REST OF THE BUNCH. BUT THEY CAN ALSO SLIGHTLY BACKFIRE BECAUSE IF THE STYLE IS NOT APPLICABLE TO A CERTAIN PROJECT STYLE, RIGHT? SO ONE THING THAT, YOU KNOW, AND JOHN AND I, WE REALLY TRY TO HELP STUDENTS CATER THEIR PORTFOLIOS FOR MAXIMUM EFFECTIVENESS. AND SO WE ACTUALLY REQUIRE STUDENTS TO ACTUALLY COME UP WITH MANY DIFFERENT STYLES, BECAUSE A STYLE ISN'T YOURS, BECAUSE WE'RE NOT AN ARTIST, WE'RE A CONCEPT DESIGNER. WE'RE PROVIDING A SERVICE, WE'RE PROVIDING A DESIGN FOR OTHER PEOPLE. IT'S NOT ABOUT US. WE DO OUR OWN PERSONAL WORK ALL THE TIME, THAT'S ART FOR US, BUT WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DO THIS FOR OUR CLIENT. AND SO KEEPING THAT IN MIND THAT, YOU KNOW, HIS SHREK CONCEPTS, YOU KNOW, MAY BE NOT WORK FOR THE GUYS THAT DO ANGRY BIRDS, YOU KNOW. IT'S NOT THAT THE STYLE IS BAD, BUT IT JUST MIGHT NOT BE FITTING. SO THAT'S MAYBE ONE THING THAT I WOULD KEEP IN MIND. AND THAT KIND OF GOES BACK TO RESEARCH, YOU KNOW, GOING BACK TO WHO'S LOOKING AT YOUR PORTFOLIO, WHO IS THE COMPANY OR WHAT KIND OF PROJECTS DO THEY WORK ON TO KIND OF GIVE YOU THAT-- NONE OF MY STUFF WILL EVER PASS PHASE ONE AT PIXAR. YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? IT'S JUST NOT THE LANGUAGE THAT THEY WANT. THEY MIGHT LIKE IT, BUT IT'S JUST, "WE DON'T WANT TO SCARE OUR FANS." YOU KNOW, "WE DON'T WANT TO SCARE OUR KIDS." RIGHT? SO-- [ INAUDIBLE REMARK ] -- IT MIGHT BE DIFFERENT. >> I GOT A PRETTY GOOD ANALOGY. OK. THINK OF YOUR PORTFOLIO, YOUR BODY OF WORK LIKE A RESTAURANT, RIGHT? AND EVERYONE HERE, WE ALL LOVE FOOD. I LOVE FOOD. I'M HUNGRY AS HELL. BUT WHEN YOU GO TO A BUFFET, ARE YOU GUYS SPECIFIC? OR DO YOU GO TO A BUFFET AND YOU'RE LIKE, "I'M GOING TO EAT EVERYTHING THAT'S HERE, FRIED RICE, FREAKING PIZZA." IT JUST DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE. YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? IT'S ALL OVER THE PLACE, RIGHT? SO YOU CAN ALMOST RELATE STYLE TO THAT LIKE-- SO IF A CLIENT OR A STUDIO IS LOOKING AT YOUR BODY OF WORK, THEY WANT TO GET THE IMPRESSION OF LIKE WHAT KIND OF PALATE OR WHAT KIND OF TASTE DO YOU HAVE? ARE YOU A SUSHI RESTAURANT OR ARE YOU AN ITALIAN RESTAURANT? METAPHORICALLY SPEAKING, RIGHT? SO, YOU KNOW, TRY TO REALLY DEFINE WHAT IT IS AND OWN IT. YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? YOU WANT TO REALLY OWN IT. SO ME AND JAMES, WE'RE IN THE REALM OF LIKE REALISM. SO A LOT OF WORK THAT WE'RE INVOLVED WITH IS VERY REALISTIC, YOU KNOW, HYPER-REALISTIC GAMES, HYPER-REALISTIC FILMS, NOT NECESSARILY IN THE REALM OF PIXAR OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT, IT JUST MAINLY BECAUSE WE KIND OF ENJOY THE REALISTIC KIND OF AESTHETIC. SO YEAH, WE'RE THAT KIND OF RESTAURANT. WE'RE THE REALISTIC RESTAURANT. BUT, YOU KNOW, WE DO WELL AND WE THRIVE ON IT AND WE TRY TO OWN IT. AND SO THAT WOULD BE MY SUGGESTION TO ANY OF YOU GUYS ABOUT STYLE, YOU KNOW, TRY TO REALLY DEFINE WHAT IT IS THAT YOU'RE ON FOR. YES. >> WELL, BEFORE I-- AND WE LIKE TO ALWAYS START WITH ANALOGIES. WE ALWAYS LOVE ANALOGIES. BEFORE YOU GET INTO THE CAR, YOU NEED TO KNOW WHERE YOU GOT TO GO, RIGHT? OK. SO THAT'S FOR ME AND HOPEFULLY ALL OF YOU THAT'S HERE, RIGHT? BUT IN TURN WITH YOUR CAREER, RIGHT, YOUR ART IS YOUR VEHICLE, YOU KNOW. YOU JUST KIND OF NEED TO KNOW WHERE YOU WANT TO END UP. AND IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE, YOU KNOW, "IN 10 YEARS I'M GOING TO END UP IN TOKYO." YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? AND YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO PATH YEARS AND YEARS AND YEARS AND YEARS OF TRAIL TO GET THERE OR YOU CAN JUST MAKE REALLY SMALL CIRCLES, YOU KNOW. "IN THE NEXT THREE MONTHS, I WANT TO REALLY DO AN AWESOME PENCIL RENDERING." YOU KNOW, "AFTER THAT, MAYBE I'LL TAKE A PENCIL RENDERING AND DO A CG MODEL OF IT. I'LL LIGHT IT." AND YOU CAN ACTUALLY DO YOUR WHOLE THING BY YOURSELF AS TO SHOW IN YOUR PORTFOLIO THAT YOU HAVE A WIDE RANGE OF SKILLS. BUT THAT WILL ALLOW YOU TO KNOW WHERE YOU WANT TO GO. SOME-- SIMILAR TO JOHN, HE HAD TO GO THROUGH PRODUCT DESIGN TRENDS AND ALL THESE OTHER STUFF TO KNOW THAT, DING, "I'M GOING TO GO THE OTHER WAY." DING, "I'M GOING TO GO THE OTHER WAY." AND IT SORT OF FORMULATED INTO HIS PATH, RIGHT? AND I WOULD SAY THAT IN SOME WAYS YOU MIGHT NOT HAVE HAD A DIRECTION, BUT YOU KNEW THAT YOUR DIRECTION WAS TO FIND A DIRECTION. >> YEAH. >> RIGHT? SO EVEN IF YOU'RE NOT LOOKING BEHIND YOU, YOU KNOW THAT 50% OF WHAT YOU-- IS AROUND YOU, YOU CAN FOCUS ON, RIGHT? SO IF YOU'RE BOUNCING AROUND FROM LIGHTING TO TEXTURING TO MAPPING OR, YOU KNOW, ALL THAT OTHER KIND OF STUFF, GIVE IT A SHOT, BUT DILIGENCE SHOT, YOU KNOW. NOTICE THAT JOHN ALSO PUT IN A COUPLE OF YEARS INTO IT TO KNOW THAT HE DIDN'T WANT TO DO IT. IT WASN'T LIKE TWO DAYS, TWO WEEKS, TWO MONTHS, LITERALLY TWO YEARS. THAT'S DEDICATION. YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? BUT I THINK THAT'S ONE OF THE BEST WAYS. JUST GIVE YOURSELF A TARGET. YOU KNOW A LOT OF TRAITS THAT COULD PROBABLY HELP YOU, YOU KNOW, HOP SKIP AND JUMP THERE FASTER. SO YEAH. >> YEAH, I MEAN LIKE, I GUESS, IF I WERE TO JUST BE REALLY STRAIGHTFORWARD WITH YOU, RIGHT? AND WHAT'S THE FIRST STEP? I MEAN, IT'S NOT BE LIKE SUPERVISOR. I WOULD SAY IT'S KIND OF LIKE, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S THE THING THAT MAKES YOU WANT TO GET INTO A GAME STUDIO? YOU KNOW, WHAT DO YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE CONTRIBUTING TO, YOU KNOW? AND BASICALLY TRY TO NAIL THAT DOWN AND LET THAT BE THE BASIS OF GETTING YOUR FOOT WET, AND JUST KIND OF START FROM THERE, YOU KNOW. BECAUSE I CAN'T TELL YOU, "HEY, IN FIVE YEARS YOU'RE GOING LIKE THIS. IN 10 YEARS, YOU'RE GOING TO PROBABLY EVENTUALLY DO THIS, YOU KNOW." EVERYONE'S DIFFERENT AND I THINK WHAT EVERYONE-- WHAT WE ALL NEED TO FIGURE OUT IS IT'S A PROCESS. YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? LIKE-- JUST LIKE WHEN I STARTED OUT, I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO DO PRODUCT DESIGN. IT WASN'T FOR ME, BUT I LEARNED A LOT, YOU KNOW. AND I FELT LIKE MY LIFE WAS LIKE A BOWLING ALLEY, YOU KNOW. I KNOW I'M GOING TO HIT THOSE PINS, BUT I'M JUST GOING TO LIKE BING, BING, BING, BING, BING. I'M LIKE, "GOD DAMMIT, I SUCK DUDE." AND I'M JUST LIKE HITTING IT, BUT I KNOW I'M GOING FORWARD, RIGHT? AND THERE WAS THIS REALLY CHEESY, CHEESY QUOTE THAT I HEARD. IT'S LIKE, "NO MATTER WHAT, EVEN IF YOU FAIL, YOU KNOW THAT YOU'RE FAILING FORWARD." RIGHT? IT'S LIKE-- NOW EVERYONE IS LIKE, "OH MAN, THAT'S SO LIKE NOW EVERYONE'S LIKE, "OH, MAN THAT'S-- >> OHHHH. >> -- THAT'S PRETTY-- [ LAUGHTER ] BUT YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? SO IT'S LIKE, YOU KNOW, NO MATTER-- EVEN IF YOU DIDN'T FIND YOUR NICHE OR WHAT YOU WANTED TO DO, AT LEAST YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE A BETTER IDEA WHAT TO DO NEXT, YOU KNOW, KIND OF CHEESY, I KNOW YOU'RE LIKE, "IT'S NOT THE BEST ADVICE." BUT IT'S SOMETHING THAT I WOULD SAY SIMPLIFY YOUR GOALS, YOU KNOW. I MEAN MY LONG-TERM GOAL, I WANT TO BE A MILLIONAIRE FOR SURE, YOU KNOW. JUST LIKE YOU GUYS. BUT FIRST OFF, I WANT TO MAKE SURE I CAN MAKE-- HOW DO I MAKE $10 IN A DAY, YOU KNOW. IF I CAN MAKE 10 BUCKS, HOW DO I MAKE 20 BUCKS? HOW DO I MAKE $100, YOU KNOW? AND I EVEN TREATED FREELANCE LIKE THAT, LIKE WHAT JAMES TAUGHT ME IS DON'T SHOOT FOR THE BIG GOALS. TRY TO MAKE SURE YOU CAN HIT THE SMALL MILESTONES BECAUSE THAT WOULD TEACH ME ALONG THE WAY HOW TO MANAGE AND REALLY KNOW WHAT I CAN TAKE ON AND MOST IMPORTANTLY IF I REALLY LIKE IT, SO-- YEAH. IT'S KIND OF LIKE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GETTING DRAFTED FOR THE NBA, RIGHT? I MEAN NOT ALL OF US ARE KOBE BRYANT. I WASN'T. I DIDN'T COME OUT LIKE, "YEAH, I'M LIKE 18 AND I WOULD SLAM DUNK." YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? I WAS MORE LIKE THE 5 FOOT 3 GUY WHO-- IT'S LIKE, "YOU ARE JUST GOING TO BE A BENCHWARMER, MAN." BUT I WAS A GOOD BENCHWARMER. YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? I KEPT THAT THING WARM. NO, I'M JUST KIDDING. BUT, YOU KNOW, MY FIRST JOB IT WASN'T LIKE-- BECAUSE I WANTED TO GO TO BLIZZARD. THAT WAS MY IDEAL PLACE. I WAS LIKE, "I LOVE BLIZZARD. I LOVE STARCRAFT. IT IS MY LIFE. I'M ASIAN. IT'S IN MY BLOOD. I'M GOING TO DO IT, YOU KNOW, STARCRAFT. THAT'S ME." BUT I DIDN'T GET IN. BUT I DIDN'T WANT IT TO STOP ME FROM CONTINUING ON. AND I WAS LIKE, "OK, FINE. WHAT'S THE ALTERNATIVE?" AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT LED ME TO UNDERSTANDING IT BETTER WAS THAT ALTERNATIVE, BECAUSE IT WASN'T THERE, IT WASN'T-- I WASN'T READY FOR IT YET. SO I SEEK AN ALTERNATIVE. AND THE ALTERNATIVE WAS LIKE A THIRD PARTY SMALL VIDEO GAME COMPANY, RIGHT? AND THEY DO REALLY BAD STUFF. BUT IT WAS A CHANCE FOR ME TO KIND OF LEARN, UNDER THEIR DIME. THEY'RE PAYING ME. THEY HIRED ME. THEY TRUSTED ME. AND FOR ME TO KIND OF TEST OUT MY SKILLS, YOU KNOW, WHAT I LEARNED IN COLLEGE. AND EVENTUALLY WHEN I WAS READY TO LEAVE THAT BIRD'S NEST, I WENT TO ANOTHER NEST, YOU KNOW. AND IT WAS, FOR ME, IT WAS JUST LIKE A STEPPING STONE. AND, YOU KNOW, LIKE GETTING OUT, YEAH, I HAD BIG DREAMS. I WAS LIKE, "OH MY GOD. I TOTALLY WANT TO DO THIS AND THAT." AND, YOU KNOW, I DIDN'T THINK I'D BE ABLE TO WORK WITH JAMES CAMERON. I MEAN, I'M NOT LIKE FLAUNTING, BUT, YOU KNOW, LIKE THAT WOULDN'T-- THAT GOAL-- THAT OUGHT TO BE WAY TOO BIG FOR ME. I'M LIKE, "WHAT? NO WAY. DUDE, GET OUT OF HERE. COME ON, LET'S KEEP IT REAL, MAN." YOU KNOW? BUT LIKE ALONG THE WAY, I WAS LIKE, "OH WOW. THERE'S OPPORTUNITIES." YOU KNOW? BUT I HAD TO JUST BE AS, YOU KNOW, AS FARSIGHTED AS WE LIKE TO SEEM. YOU HAVE TO MAKE SURE YOU CAN HIT THOSE SHORT-SIDED GOALS AND HIT THEM EFFECTIVELY AND JUST ROCK IT, YOU KNOW. SO YEAH. JAMES. >> THINK ABOUT-- YOU JUST THINK ABOUT GAME COMPANIES. I WANT YOU GUYS TO KIND OF UNDERSTAND IS THAT THEY ALL STARTED OFF IN PEOPLE'S GARAGES, YOU KNOW. ALL THESE BIG COMPANIES, NAUGHTY DOG, YOU KNOW, SPARK, WHAT ELSE IS THERE? EVEN THE GUYS INFINITY WARD, ALL OF THEM, THEY STARTED WITH GUYS THAT JUST WERE LIKE, "HEY, LET'S MAKE SOMETHING FUN AND COOL." YOU KNOW? JUST PROBABLY LIKE HOW YOU GUYS TALK WHEN YOU'RE IN THE CAFETERIA. "HEY LET'S DRAW SOME TODAY." YOU KNOW? AND THAT-- BECAUSE ALL OF THESE PLACES WERE STARTED WITH SUCH GRASSROOTS, THEY'RE ALL VERY, VERY DIFFERENT. AND NO ONE GAME COMPANY-- AND I'VE BEEN ABLE TO FORTUNATELY WORKED WITH, I DON'T KNOW, MAYBE 50 DIFFERENT GAME STUDIOS, BUT THEY ALL RUN VERY, VERY DIFFERENTLY. SOME OF THEM ARE MORE PRICING ON THEIR 3D GUYS. SOME OF THEM ARE PRICING ON THEIR CONCEPT GUYS. SOME ARE MORE, YOU KNOW, "HEY, LET'S HAVE A FUN, VIBRANT, YOU KNOW, HAPPY-GO-LUCKY ENVIRONMENT." AND OTHERS ARE, "OK. LET'S GET TO WORK GUYS, LET'S HIT THOSE MILESTONES, LET'S MAKE SURE THAT OUR PUBLISHERS ARE HAPPY AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN." SO THERE IS NO ONE RULE, WHICH IS A BEAUTIFUL THING, YOU KNOW. AND I PROMISE YOU THAT THERE IS AN INDUSTRY, THERE'S A COMPANY, THERE'S A STUDIO TO MATCH YOUR PERSONALITY. YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? AND JUST LIKE WHEN I WAS ANSWERING BEFORE, WHAT'S MY MOST, I GUESS, FUN MOMENT IN DESIGN WAS IT WAS JUST THE EXPERIENCE WORKING WITH FUN PEOPLE. YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? EVERYONE IS GOING TOWARDS THE SAME GOAL. IT'S LIKE CENTIPEDES, RIGHT? THERE'S 100 LEGS, BUT ONE LEG CAN'T DO IT ALL, YOU KNOW. IT'S THE TEAM EFFORT OF PEOPLE. AND MAKING SURE THAT YOU GET ALONG WITH YOUR GUYS, YOU KNOW, THE PEOPLE THAT YOU WORK WITH IS VERY IMPORTANT. YEAH. SO THAT WHOLE COMPANY CULTURE-- GAME COMPANIES ARE FUN, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE REALLY FUN. SEGWAY SCOOTERS, MAN, YOU GOT GUNS EVERYWHERE LIKE AIRSOFTING AND PING PONG, YOU KNOW. AND BECAUSE THEY WANT TO-- IF YOU HAVE FUN MAKING SOMETHING, IT'S GOING TO BE A FUN PRODUCT, YOU KNOW. IF YOU HAVE FUN DESIGNING IT, IT'S GOING TO LOOK FUN WHEN SOMEONE LOOKS AT IT. SO THAT'S THE KIND OF THE MENTALITY. YEAH. I THINK THERE'S MAY BE TIME FOR MAYBE TWO MORE QUESTIONS, SO. YEAH, GO AHEAD. >> IT WAS-- YEAH-- >> NO. >> EVERYBODY! LIKE OPRAH, EVERYONE'S GOING TO BE RICH. THEY'RE GOING TO BE RICH. >> YEAH. AND DO YOU-- >> I MEAN DON'T GET ME WRONG MY FIRST JOB WAS-- IT WASN'T LIKE AMAZING, YOU KNOW. SO I WAS MAKING PROBABLY 10, $15 AN HOUR. BUT THAT WAS AWESOME. I WAS LIKE, "ALL RIGHT, SWEET. GO TO INTERNET TWICE THIS WEEK. AWESOME, MAN." YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? AND THEN YOU START TO KIND OF, YOU KNOW, GET MORE EXPERIENCE. AND, YOU KNOW, THE MONEY DOES FLOW IN, YOU KNOW. AND THERE'S SOMETHING THAT I LEARNED IS, AGAIN, I'M FULL OF LIKE CHEESY QUOTES TODAY, BUT IF YOU DON'T CHASE THE MONEY, THE MONEY WILL EVENTUALLY CHASE YOU. I DON'T KNOW WHY. BUT THAT'S LIKE A WEIRD ASIAN SAYING, I HEARD IT. IT MAKES SENSE IN ASIAN LANGUAGE. >> I SPEAK ASIAN. >> I SPEAK INDIAN-AMERICAN LANGUAGE. YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? BUT IT DOES. IT'S LIKE IF YOU FOCUS ON WHAT YOU WANT TO DO AND YOUR PASSIONS, YOU KNOW, SUCCESS WILL EVENTUALLY FIND ITS WAY TO YOU, YOU KNOW. SO YEAH, I MEAN LIKE MONEY WAS A HUGE FACTOR. I WAS LIKE, "OH DAMN. MY FRIENDS, THEY JUST GRADUATED UCLA AND THEY'RE MAKING LIKE 65K. BASTARDS." YOU KNOW, I'M LIKE, YOU'D GET A CHECK [INAUDIBLE]. YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? AND WE GO OUT TO-- WE WENT OUT TO DINNER AND I'M LIKE TELLING MY EGO, "OH." BUT I THINK FINANCIALLY, YOU KNOW, IT WAS ONE OF THOSE THINGS WHERE IT'S LIKE, OK, AS LONG AS I'M HAPPY AND I CAN SURVIVE AND, YOU KNOW, LIVE THE NEXT DAY, THAT'S GOOD. BECAUSE EVENTUALLY, YOU KNOW, LIKE I THINK A HALF A YEAR FROM THAT POINT, I WAS ABLE TO GET A SALARY BUMP BECAUSE I SWITCHED JOBS, YOU KNOW, I WAS LEARNING. I WAS LEARNING. AND JUST LIKE WHEN YOU LEARN, YOU KNOW, FINANCIALLY THAT WILL GROW AS WELL, YOU KNOW. IF YOU'RE STUCK AT A STUDIO AND YOU LIKE [NOISE] THEN YOU'RE LEARNING STARTS TO PLATEAU, SO DOES FINANCIALLY, IT WILL PLATEAU AS WELL. BUT IF YOU'RE OK WITH THAT, THEN, YOU KNOW, THAT'S WHAT YOU SHOULD EXPECT. BUT YEAH, IN THE WORLD OF ART, IF YOU'RE HARD WORKING AND YOU CAN BE SMART ABOUT IT, YOU CAN ACTUALLY BE VERY, VERY-- IT CAN BE VERY LUCRATIVE, RIGHT? >> YEAH. >> JAMES. >> YEAH. >> RIGHT, JAMES? >> WELL, I MEAN, HERE'S THE THING GUYS IS WITH THAT-- I GOT A VERY LATE START AT ART CENTER. ACTUALLY IN COLLEGE, I-- YEAH, I WAS EXCELLERANT, RIGHT? I WAS LIKE THE ACADEMIC EXCELLERATOR [PHONETIC]. BUT-- SO I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING REALLY AFTER HIGH SCHOOL FOR QUITE A BIT. AND I DIDN'T REALLY START ART CENTER. I ACTUALLY GO INTO COLLEGE UNTIL 21 MAYBE 22. SO I GRADUATED ART CENTER WHEN I WAS AROUND 26. SO VERY LATE START AND I GUESS WITHIN THE COLLEGE TERMS, BUT PART OF THAT WAS THAT I WASN'T READY, YOU KNOW. I THINK IF I WENT TO THAT SCHOOL WHEN I WAS 18, I WOULD HAVE FAILED OUT. I WOULD HAVE GONE KICKED OUT NO MATTER WHAT, YOU KNOW. AND THAT ALSO WAS THE SAYING THAT, YOU KNOW, THINGS COME IN TIME, RIGHT? AND, YOU KNOW, DON'T ALWAYS JUST SEE WHO'S OUT OF THE STARTING BLOCKS FIRST. IT'S LIKE WHO HITS THE FINISH LINE, RIGHT? SO I THINK THAT'S DEFINITELY ONE THING TO KIND OF KEEP IN MIND. BUT, YOU KNOW, YOU KIND OF USE YOUR HEAD, USE YOUR SMARTS, YOU KNOW. YOU HAVE A SKILL THAT PEOPLE WANT AND PEOPLE NEED, AND SO THERE IS DEFINITELY AWESOME OPPORTUNITIES OUT THERE, AWESOME, AWESOME OPPORTUNITIES. >> THAT'S A GOOD ANALOGY. LIKE THERE'S SO MANY TIMES WHEN I WANT TO GO BACK TO MIDDLE SCHOOL AND I'M LIKE, "I'M GOING TO BE THE BEST EIGHTH GRADER AND BE A VALEDICTORIAN." YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? I'M LIKE, "DAMN, SCHOOL IS SO EASY." YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? BUT IT'S NATURAL. AS YOU GRADUATE, YOU GO THROUGH THE PROCESS, YOU GO BACK, YOU'RE LIKE, "THOSE HIGH SCHOOL KIDS, YOU DON'T KNOW SHIT". YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? LIKE, "AND YOU'RE COMPLAINING ABOUT LIFE. LIKE WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT, KIDS?" YOU KNOW, BUT IF I WERE TO GO BACK AND REDO HIGH SCHOOL, I WOULD HAVE GONE LIKE A 3.0, YOU KNOW. IT WOULD HAVE BEEN-- [ LAUGHTER ] I WOULD HAVE BEEN 1.0 HIGHER THAN WHAT I'M USUALLY USED TO. BUT THAT TO ME IS LIKE, "DUDE, THAT'S PRETTY GOOD." AND IF YOU GO BACK TO MIDDLE SCHOOL, I WOULD HAVE BEEN A VALEDICTORIAN. AND I WOULD HAVE-- YEAH, JUST DROPPED IT, YOU KNOW, BEEN A PRETTY AWESOME WEIRD, YOU KNOW, ALMOST 30-YEAR-OLD LIVING AMONGST 13-YEAR-OLD KIDS. BUT LIKE-- IT GOES TO BACK TO JAMES' POINT, YOU KNOW, LIKE YOU GUYS HAVE DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS, DIFFERENT LIFE EXPERIENCE. SOME OF YOU GUYS STARTED SCHOOL EARLY. SOME OF YOU GUYS STARTED LATER. AND IT ALL HAS A DIFFERENT ADVANTAGE. AND I THINK JUST EMBRACE IT, YOU KNOW, SO. >> YEAH. THERE'S NO RACE. THERE'S NO, YOU KNOW, WHO GETS THEIR FIRST WINS. YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? IT'S ALL YOUR OWN PACE. >> YEAH. >> YEAH. ONE MORE QUESTION-- >> I GUESS, THERE WILL BE ONE MORE QUESTION. >> -- I GUESS. WELL, INTERESTING. HERE'S-- THE INTERESTING THING IS MYSELF AND JOHN, WE HAVE THIS GROUP OF FRIENDS. AND I'M PRETTY SURE LIKE WE-- I DON'T-- WE HAVEN'T TALKED ABOUT THIS FORMALLY. BUT THERE'S THIS GROUP OF FRIENDS THAT WE ARE VERY KIND OF LIKE SILENTLY COMPETITIVE WITH EACH OTHER. AND IT'S PART LIKE THAT WITHIN YOUR CLASS, RIGHT? SAME THING HAPPENS WHEN YOU'RE OUT WORKING ALL THAT STUFF. BUT WHEN JOHN IS DOING SOME OF HIS ROBOTS, I'M LIKE, "GODDAMN, THAT IS COOL." >> AND I'M LIKE, "YEAH, SUCK IT, JAMES." >> AND I'M LIKE, "DUDE, LET ME. I WANT TO-- DUDE, I NEED TO LEARN THIS STUFF. I WANT TO GET INTO IT." >> LIKE, "NO, YOU CAN'T DUDE." [ INAUDIBLE REMARK ] >> AND THEN, YOU KNOW, WITH CHARACTER DESIGNERS, ENVIRONMENT. AND IT'S LIKE THIS THING THAT WE KIND OF KEEP EACH OTHER INSPIRED, YOU KNOW. AND IN THAT DOWN TIME, WE ACTUALLY-- AND IT'S KIND OF INTERESTING BECAUSE WE ALSO DO A LOT OF TEACHING AS WE GIVE EACH OTHER THIS MINI ASSIGNMENTS. LIKE WE'RE GIVING EACH OTHER HOMEWORK, YOU KNOW, LIKE, "HEY, WE GOT TO DO THIS TODAY AND BY THIS TOMORROW." AND, YOU KNOW, WE START LEARNING. WE JUST-- OSMOSIS, WE START BOUNCING IDEAS OFF EACH OTHER. AND THAT'S WHAT IT IS. IT'S-- WE'RE ARTIST AT HEART. WE DON'T DO THIS. WE DON'T DO ART FOR WORK. WE'RE ARTIST BY HEART. AND WE END UP DOING ART FOR WORK BY THE WAY. YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? I THINK IT'S A CONCEPT OF EQUATION. WE'LL STILL BE DOING CREATIVE THINGS NO MATTER WHAT, SO. >> COOL. WELL I GUESS THAT WRAPS UP THE PRESENTATION. >> THANKS, GUYS. [ APPLAUSE ] [ SILENCE ]