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PAST     PRESENT     FUTURE

Studio ArtFX is the leader of the independent animation revolution. Both Shadowskin and Understanding Chaos have become international hits, and have helped to bring commercial success to this small company.

Through a series of emails, DVD Vision Japan interviewed Terrence Walker, Founder and CEO of Studio ArtFX to give us some insight on his dreams, desires, and views on the independent animation world.

PAST:
DVJ: Why did you start Studio ArtFX?

TW: Animation has been a dream of mine since childhood. If not solidified before, certainly when the Robotech series aired in the US, the dream became solid. That show was so different in both visual style and story from anything I had seen previously. I knew, from that point, what I wanted to do.

DVJ: How did you come up with the company name?

TW: I had been kicking around the name for some time before actually creating the company. I guess it stems from the concept of what I do in my work. Art and visual FX.

DVJ: What was your first release? How did it do?

TW: The first release out of Studio ArtFX was Understanding Chaos. For an independent production from a small studio with no major advertising, it did extremely well. Word spread mainly throughout the Internet. It gained the studio a good bit of notoriety, which has lead to my work being noticed in other circles.

DVJ: If you had to choose one of your two releases as the one that guaranteed you're place in the independent animation market, which would you choose?

TW: [Actually, it] would probably be a future release we haven't done yet. I think if there is a release that will guarantee our place in the market it will be a feature length piece. It will also be of noteworthy visual appeal. This is what we have been working toward for some time now. Different than the Japanese market, value is extremely important when introducing anime titles to the US. As result, short pieces, especially indie pieces not associated with major titles in manga or other media, need to offer something more to the customer.

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DVJ: Where did Chaos come from?

TW: The title stems from a previous project on which I was working. Originally I wanted to create a feature length animated film called "The Chaos Initiative". While working on this concept, a friend of mine informed me about a film festival which was coming up in Tokyo for shorts and animation. I decided it would be a great venue to show my idea. I didn't want to come up with something completely new for a short film and lose everything I had already worked on, so I wanted to do something within the same universe and involving the same characters as the Chaos feature. Since there was a lot of back-story that would only be hinted at in the feature in dialogue excerpts, I thought it might be cool idea to do a short film on some of that back-story. This way it would appear as though the short gave a better understanding of the world and situations the characters in the feature were faced with. Thus the title, Understanding Chaos.

DVJ: Where did the idea for "Shadowskin" come from?

TW: I created Shadowskin a long time ago. Possibly before Chaos, though I don't remember. The story for it back then was something that takes place before the story I am doing currently. I have always been a big history and ancient culture buff. Ever fascinated by the idea of "ancient technology" I wanted to do something along the lines of our modern technology being mere shadows of things that have come and gone millennia ago.

PRESENT:
DVJ: Tell us about Justice 4 All. What is the story?

TW: Justice 4 All is a very interesting and fun project. It doesn't have an overall story per se; the idea was to turn a series of classes and lectures from the Citizens' Criminal Justice Academy into a video series that would appeal to a wider audience. The medium of animation was chosen to make this possible and I am delighted to be involved.

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DVJ: How did the project come about?

TW: Basically a producer from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office contacted me through my web page. At first they were using the information provided in the Chaos and Shadowskin DVD tutorials and working on the production in Florida using the same technology as I. I helped them out via email for quite some time. Eventually it came to be that they wanted me to actually join them in working on the project.

DVJ: How much freedom does the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office give you as far as the writing, character design, etc?

TW: The scripts all come from Florida, even though I am given quite a bit of leeway in adapting them to suit my animation style through the storyboarding process. Many of the character designs also come from Florida as they have a c oncept artist on the production team. I have done a couple of characters myself though.

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DVJ: Do you plan to do other commercial products such as J4A?

TW: I suspect I will do more such projects. It all depends on the feasibility. I have received offers for projects, which would just be too large to take on. I also like to make sure I am really into the project and the idea behind it. This, of course, should be the case with any animation, as the artists must devote quite a chunk of their life to it.

DVJ: Will the general public get a chance to see J4A?

TW: I believe so, although I am not entirely certain how it will be ultimately released.

DVJ: Is there any chance that you will start using [Justice for All] "PSA Bumpers" like GI Joe on other Studio ArtFX projects?

TW: I don't see something like this happening on any of our projects.

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DVJ: With your work on Justice 4 All, when will episode 2 of "Shadowskin" come out?

TW: Justice 4 All will likely be completed by January 2003. After that I will likely return to original productions. Many of the others involved in the Shadowskin project are itching to do more. Based on studies of the market however, the format for the Shadowskin project will likely change. Its too early to talk about it currently, but based on how things develop over the next few months, decisions will have to made on how to present the rest of the Shadowskin story to the US market.

DVJ: You now use a writing tablet. How has this improved your work?

TW: The tablet was the best investment I could have made. I scarcely believe I have worked for so long without one. Basically it allows me to draw as I have done for years on paper, right into Aura, my paint program of choice. This increases both speed and quality in my production.

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DVJ: So, if someone wanted to hire you to make his or her "anime" idea come to life, how much would it cost?

TW: This depends on a number of factors. There are many levels of visual presentation to be found in the world of anime. A TV show like Dragon Ball Z may not have the same level of detail or high cell count as a film like Metropolis. Something as simple as whether or not to lip-synch the animation to pre-recorded voiceover work can change the cost of production considerable. I can say this though: I am not kidding when I say, "Drop a zero from the price tag."

DVJ: Have you seen the work done on Peacemaker D7 by Dementia Studios?

TW: I have seen their work. I have been watching the development of Flash animation for sometime now. The technology has made leaps in short period. As computers and net connection speeds increase, Flash animation streamed over the net will become indistinguishable from any typical anime feature.

DVJ: During your trip overseas, did you find any animation from Japan, China, and Korea that you would like to see in the US?

TW: The biggest would be the indie title "hoshi no koe" (Voices of a Distant Star) from Makoto Shinkai and Mangazoo. This title has since been licensed by ADV as far as I know. I am curious as to how they would present such a short (25 minutes) title to the US audience though.

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What are your feelings about fan sites and fan cons?

TW: I'm actually quite the fan of both fan sites and fan cons. Anything that helps to further spread the word...

DVJ: If someone wanted to work for your company, what skills should they possess? What would an entry-level position be?

TW: The main thing we would be looking for, specifically during a production, would be talented voiceover artists and production staff. By production staff, I am mainly speaking of digital artists. In the world of smaller indie productions, specialists are not so prized as in larger studios. An artist who is only a capable 3D modeler, for example, would not be as desirable as a more well rounded 2D and 3D artist. The same goes for voiceover artists. The more voices the artist can do the better.

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FUTURE:
DVJ: What projects are scheduled in the near future?

TW: While there is very little in the way of solid schedule, there are possibilities of branching into many varied projects in the near future. This may include manga and even a Chaos video game. The main project coming up for production however will be our first feature film, which is in early preproduction at the moment.

DVJ: Are there plans to complete 'Understanding Chaos" and release it as a full-length movie?

TW: It's still possible. It is, however, a long story, which will encompass more than a single movie. I even had plans for a console game at one point. Although I have come up with many fascinating ideas since, I am still open to the idea of doing more with the Chaos universe.

DVJ: Where do you see anime in 5 years?

TW:I see anime as not becoming a huge mainstream craze, but becoming more "common" in the near future. By this I mean, I see anime as being available on a wide variety of venues on TV and in theatres and being more generally accepted by a wide audience, whether or not they are actually fans or even into it. I think the general audience will be much more aware of it.

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DVJ: CG animation has become an important part of the anime repertoire. What do you think this means for anime in the long run?

TW: What I do NOT think it means, as many have often speculated, is the end of drawing. Through the use of the computer, many incredible things can be achieved. We often see incredible demos out on the net such as the Molly Star Racer promo, which is absolutely beautiful. Still, I think this type of thing will become a niche all its own and will never replace animation drawn by hand. Even in the world of high-end 3D animation, the artists with traditional 2D backgrounds are the most sought after. The is something that comes from the mind through the hand and into the pencil that seems to get lost to a degree with computer generated art.

On the other hand, this is not to sound like I'm against things like digital ink and paint and other tools to help animation. I believe the computer should be viewed as another tool to make the production flow better and used where it helps and not as a crutch. I do both traditional 2D and 3D animation, but I always view the production as being 2D in the end. I use 3D to accomplish things, which would otherwise be impossible for a one-man production. I hope this idea catches on for anime in the long run. The result would be a lot of the smaller studios, currently relegated to doing cleanup or in-betweens on the bigger guy's movie, can make their own shows. More anime for everyone and new, fresh ideas!

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DVJ: Where do you see your company in 5 years?

TW: That's a tough one. Whatever successes we may run into in the future, I see the company as always staying independent and pushing for the smaller productions to be noticed.

Up until very recently, our titles were produced specifically for the US market. The possibilities of bring other titles over from Japan didn't arise until earlier this year. After doing the show in Tokyo, as part of the Newtek Asia Tour, and meeting up with other indie producers and independent labels there, only now are we looking at bringing the works of other independent anime artists to the US. It's probably very different from the larger distributors who are choosing from major label titles. More than likely indie creators will unite to put together anthology titles or compilations containing the work of many artists.

DVJ: What involvement will you have in the anime network?

TW: As of yet we haven't spoken to anyone at the network, but I see two possibilities. I, of course, would like to see Studio ArtFX titles play on the network, but I also see it as the first opportunity for truly targeted advertising for all anime distributors.

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