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UNDERSTANDING TERRANCE

Terrence Walker is the creator of Understanding Chaos, an independently produced animated film. Through a series of e-mails, we interviewed Terrence and learned about his life, Chaos, and his new project, Shadowskin.

EDITORS NOTE:
If you are unfamiliar with Understanding Chaos, please read our review or visit the Studio ArtFX webpage.

 UNDERSTANDING CHAOS

DVJ: Where did the title come from?

TW: The title stems from a previous project. 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 for shorts and animation which was coming up in Tokyo. 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 backstory that would only be hinted at in the feature in dialogue excerpts. I thought it might be cool to do a short film on some of that backstory. 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.

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DVJ: Did you enter the contest? If so, what were the results?

TW: I did not. I actually finished the film about three days late, in terms of the entry deadline. As a result, I decided to put in on the net that year and move toward the DVD release. I released the film to the net on September 11th 2000. I had intended to release the DVD exactly a year later, but...

DVJ: Why did the movie begin in Japanese and then change to English?

TW: There were couple of reasons. First, I had the ability to write lines in Japanese and speak them. More than that, though, was the idea of bringing the audience into the film as if it were a subtitled anime film from Japan. I wanted it to look and feel no different from the start.

DVJ: Who did the female Japanese voice? How about the British voice?

TW: Actually I did every single voice in Understanding Chaos. It is truly a one man production. That was a big part of the point. Of course I had a little help from the computer and some sound processing. :)eturn to Top

DVJ: Did you get a chuckle at our "We wonder who the female Japanese voice is." remark in our review?

TW: Yeah. I always assume, for some reason, that people know. I was surprised when people who knew me personally asked who did some of the voices.

DVJ: Were you influenced by AD Police, the OVA release, when you designed the soldiers uniforms?

TW: I don't think I've seen AD Police OVA series. The biggest influence on my designs was Ghost in the Shell. Along with that, many video games are showcasing amazing and inspirational design work these days. I used to play a lot of video game, mainly console games such as on the PS2.

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.

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PRODUCTION

DVJ: What equipment did you use to produce Chaos?

TW: The main piece of equipment is my Sony Vaio digital Studio desktop PC. It contains mostly everything needed to do video production work. With a few software editions like Lightwave 3D and Aura, I was ready to go. On the audio side, I decided to go with DAT as a means to record everything, for digital, no loss, transfer to the computer for editing. I used a simple 16 channel mixer to link everything. The music was generated by a Roland JV 1010 sound module driven by MIDI compositions arranged via keyboard.

DVJ: What were the costs involved in the production of Chaos?

TW: It's difficult to track everything because much of the equipment was acquired over time. The audio stuff was bought specifically for the film and, with the expensive studio DAT machine, it probably gets up to about $2000.00 Add the computer and software and it will probably come to about $7000.00 or so. Still, this is nothing compared to what animation seems to cost elsewhere.

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DVJ: Were the static or low detail scenes used to save time and cut costs??

TW: Yes. the production was conducted much like that of any anime. I knew from the storyboard stage where I would need to save time, use more holds and spare detail to leave more resources for the action sequences. In the case of this type of production, it is more time than costs, because the only cost is my time.

DVJ: You composed the music yourself. Is that something you'd like to continue to do?

TW: Most definitely. I will continue to compose music for my shows and would like to expand into doing music on other productions as well. I really enjoy and want to broaden my musical horizons to try any number of styles and genres.

BACKGROUND

DVJ: Where did you learn to animate on a PC?

TW: I am, for the most part, self taught. On the famous Amiga computer of the old days, I used software not much different from Aura to draw my characters frame by frame, and animate them. The biggest hurdle was transferring what I was so used to doing on paper into a computer. Remember, there was no such thing as Wacom tablets back then. I had to learn to draw with the mouse. I kept working at it and working at it, and eventually got to where I could draw the same things on the he computer as I could on paper. With the computer I had easier coloring, onion skin animation and any number of tools that are just impossible for a guy to come by in the realm of traditional animation, outside of working for a major studio. As time went on, I started to get into and learn 3D animation.

Coming up in this industry, I had the chance to work for some really great artists who taught me to hone those skills I was lacking in and become a very well rounded artist. It from this experience, working at places like Rainbow Studios, that I learned the crafts of lighting, cinematography, composition etc.

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DVJ: Where and how did you learn Japanese?

TW: I started out teaching myself. When I realized I was serious about it I decided to take classes at the University. I took a test which allowed me skip a couple of semesters and dove into the classes. At the same time I had a lot of friends to learn from and converse with on a daily basis. This is where the real learning happened.

DVJ: Most independent film makers have a "day job". Do you and what is it?

TW: My day job ended last year. The industry is in a real slump and animators everywhere are wondering what's around the corner. I know a lot of phenomenal artists who are out of work right now. My goal now is to make Studio ArtFX work for me so that I do not have to work for anyone else. If I create worthwhile content, it can happen. This may open up a door for many artists who have ideas and are sick of other people's mismanagement putting them out in the street. If I can create my own job, that's the way to go.

DVJ: Do you plan to ask others to join Studio ArtFX?

TW: I have no plans currently. There are other people that I work with normally. If I were doing a project big enough, I would likely contract them on a per project basis as needed.

DVJ: What projects have you worked on that other people know about or may have seen?

TW: In the gaming world I worked on some C&C (Command and Conquer) and Lands of Lore stuff at Westwood Studios. Most recently I worked on their PS2 Title Pirates.

In the past I also worked on Motocross Madness for Rainbow Studios and did some character work on their as yet to be released CG film Blue Planet, based on the game Deadly Tide on which I also did animation.

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 (be) 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: You've shown that computer anime does not take years to do. What effect do you want to have on anime and on film making in general?

TW: I want to see that guy with the great idea who is currently told "it can't be done" by some studio, go make it with their desktop machine and show the studio that it can be done. I want to see some of the smaller studios start producing in-house features. I want to see feature animation quality rise while budgets sink. Mostly, I want more cool anime to add to my DVD collection so I can enjoy it all.

DVJ: What films...anime and otherwise...have influenced you in your style and your filmmaking?

TW: As far as anime goes, the works of Production I.G. are my biggest influence. Along with that are some of the darker films like Memories (Magnetic Rose) and Perfect Blue. Add to that my love of Jerry Bruckheimer films and Hong Kong action cinema and you have a pretty clear picture of what I like.

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DVJ: Have you seen any of the 100% CG Japanese anime films like "Visitor" or "A.L.ICE"? If you have, what did you think of them?

TW: I saw Visitor quite some time ago. I think the creators of that film may have been onto something in terms of visual style and the idea of bringing across anime traditions into CG world. I think, however, that audience expectations created by other CG films like Final Fantasy may defeat any possible gains that could have come from that experiment. Also, I think that with today's technology, a great many of the cost and time saving techniques used on Visitor would simply be unnecessary.

DVJ: What do you think of the films of Mamoru Oshi?

TW: I am fan of his work. I think he is a very "complete" filmmaker and it shows in his animated works. He knows how to make the most of a budget and create something very compelling.

DVJ: In the making of, you have a Spriggan movie poster. What were your impressions of the film?

TW:I was blown away by this film. A lot of diehard anime fans seem dead set against works like this. I have encountered a lot of bashing of this film, Akira, X, Ninja Scroll and other big budget action pieces all over the net, in many forums. I view anime no differently than I view any other form of filmmaking. I believe every type of film has its place. I like big budget action pieces. Some have described such films as huge music videos or visual treats free of substance and they hate it for this. I like such films for this reason. I see nothing wrong with animation being about the images first. When I feel like watching deep and involving drama there are plenty of other anime shows out there to watch. I hope films like Spriggan keep getting made. We need the occasional "ride film" in anime as well.

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DVJ: What do you think of Zoids, InitialD and Blue Sub Six?

TW: I have yet to see Zoids. Initial D, I thought was interesting, but the cars take some getting used to. The thing that bothers me in this type of production is inconsistency. If the car is going to be CGI, it should always be CG. It shouldn't be hand drawn in one shot and then turn into the smooth shiny CGI car in the next.

I thought Blue Submarine No. 6 was groundbreaking. It is very much an experiment and you can watch them get a handle on the process as each episode progresses. I think they probably achieved what they were going for in episodes 3 and 4. They captured a great blend of the CGI and cel animation and produced some incredible effects. I hope this work has some positive influence on the industry.

DVJ: Many hard line otaku say Chaos is not anime. What is your reaction?

TW: I would have to agree with them. English speaking anime fans have taken the term and given it their own definition. So while the Japanese artists I know call Chaos anime, the English speaking fans would not. I like the term by which DVD Vision has classified it, as U.S. anime. Maybe that will catch on!

DVJ: What Japanese artists do you know, and have any of them worked on anything we might know?

TW: I know a couple of guys in Production I.G. who I email back and forth with. Both are Lightwave artists and I believe they did work on FLCL and some of the Yarudora DVD PS2 anime titles.

I also know Tetsuya Watanabe who did some CG works on Dangaizer 3, Lost Universe and some stuff for Gonzo.

DVJ: What other ideas beside "AMP" and "Shadowskin" do you have? What do you plan to do with them?

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TW: I have too many to innumerate in a single interview. I know I cannot make them all so I will flow with my feeling and instinct and (decide) which project is the best to do.

DVJ: On your website, you state you've stopped working on 'Amp". Why?

TW: This project didn't "feel" right. When I mentioned flowing with my instinct, this is what I had in mind. There (were) many aspects of the AMP story and universe I really liked, but I wasn't getting off to a good start. I figured something simply wasn't right because I wasn't working on it as hard as I could be. Something was missing. When I came up with Shadowskin, I quickly found myself working 12 hours a day on it and loving it. This is what was missing.

DVJ Have you seen the trailer for "Avalon" (the Red Echo anime)?

TW: Yes I have. It was huge inspiration for me as they were one of the first, if not the first, to do something so amazing with Lightwave 3D, the software I used on Chaos.

DVJ: Why do you think Red Echo , with their larger production company, is taking so long to release "Avalon" while you were able to release Chaos in a month?

TW: They went the traditional route which I avoided. I don't know much about their production hierarchy, though I knew some guys there, but they decided to go after the ever elusive "funding" from a major studio or investor. That project started over five years ago if I remember correctly. What I did may not have been possible or easily visible at that time. Desktop computers made leaps along with consumer digital video, firewire and non-linear editing all very recently and in a short amount of time. All the pieces hadn't quite come together to make it obvious that one person could take these tools and really do something when Avalon was in full stream.

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.

DVJ: How many Shadoskin episodes are planned?

TW: The current plan is for 12 episodes, though I am trying not to lock things down too hard because I would like for the story to have some freedom to grow and change as I do. I often find that each new experience in life affects what I want to express and I don't want to close any avenues too soon.

DVJ: Length of each episode?

TW: Each episode will likely be 30 minutes. On this I am not entirely sure, because I am considering having a more OVA style episodic format with stock opening and ending from episode 2 on...

DVJ: Any special features (to include Easter eggs?)

TW: I am considering doing a type of small serial making-of show that would accompany each disc. Each piece would be short and cover a singular aspect of the production such as boards or voice actors etc. A lot of this depends on how popular the show is and how it is received by the audience. In the end, the audience will probably be the one to determine what type of things go on future discs, or if there will even be future discs.

DVJ: Since you are an independent studio with out backing how do you plan to market Shadowskin?

TW: Well the plan so far is to sell it thorugh the website same as Chaos, though I am always looking for ways to expand that. This time I will certainly strive to see it on store shelves if at all possible. A lot can be done through the ever-growing net though.

DVJ: Thank you for your time.

TW: You're welcome.

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