Nerdeo: Who are you and what do you do?
I’m a 3D and VFX-generalist from northern Sweden, beyond the wall. I provide 3D assets, animations and visual effects for everything from commercials and films to games and VR-experiences. I can’t seem to make up my mind which field to specialize in, and maybe I never will; I like it too much, being able to realize my own ideas on the fly. However, my best job experiences have been from working in teams, letting you focus on details and celebrate together after a successful delivery.
Nerdeo: What projects have you worked on? We saw you worked on Kung Fury?! That’s amazing!
Jimbo’s Reel 2016 from Jimmy Lotare on Vimeo.Yes, I had the pleasure of joining Laser Unicorns early in production when Kung Fury was still an idea. I had just taken my BA in computer graphics and had worked a bit with David Sandberg on other pitches, so he brought me aboard to explore different solutions for the shots in the trailer, eventually leading up to me doing that epic scene where Thor lands in a lake. I even got to dress up as nazi-soldier, throwing myself in front of a green screen, so I can probably add stunt extra in my CV as well, haha. After that, the ball started rolling. I worked on Vaskduellen, one of Crazy Pictures viral webisodes and then managed to get a role through Nerdeo on Marco van Belles Arthur & Merlin, which was a great experience. In between the bigger projects, there have been several commercial projects as well, with everything from cloud simulation, water simulation and creature rigging. I’ve currently switched field to real time 3D, creating assets for Samuraj/Virtual Light’s VR project Anno 1500.
Nerdeo: What software do you use in your VFX / VR pipeline?
Maya is my base of operations basically, and depending on the project I add Zbrush for sculpt, and both Substance Painter and Quixel for texturing. For simulations, FumeFX and Realflow works great to complement Maya. For compositing, and also matchmoving, I use Nuke, and for realtime/VR I’m currently working in UE4. Right now I’m enjoying Adobe Fuse’s character creator, where we can add our custom assets and more or less create basic NPC’s like in The Sims, for the project.
Nerdeo: On a personal note; what artists inspire you?
At the moment, for creative inspiration, artists such as Simon Stålenhag and his retrofuturism, which are not only visually beautiful, but emotional and nostalgic(at least for a Swede) as well. I think I like it when the fantastic just melts into the scene in a natural way, and still leaves room for a story, not necessarily connected to it.
Also, basically any character artist who doesn’t resort to classic gender stereotypes is worthy all attention in this day and age. When it comes to professionalism, many personal friends are an inspiration. People like David who dares a leap of faith, for instance. Then there’s always the giants, but it’s hard to list single names. Studios such as Pixar and Disney are always there to remind you of what can be achieved, when people come together. One goal of mine is to become one of those bearded old men that tell anecdotes of past productions on behind the scenes footage, hehe.
Nerdeo: Could you give any advice to someone looking to get into the indie film industry as an artist?
Have patience and believe in yourself and you will be able to handle critique in a more productive way, and you should expose yourself to criticism. Do many small productions to get to know your capacity better, instead of relying on that one big epic idea you have. It will come, eventually, when you’re ready. And dare to ask for compensation, even if it’s small. It really makes all the difference if you get paid for something, even if it’s a low or no-budget project. The feeling of professionalism is important for your self-esteem, not to mention your personal economy and the business as a whole and that is equally important as inspiration in the long run.
Related links
Nerdeo Profile: http://nerdeo.net/profile/56160ff2ab97f052d82fd03e
Crazy Pictures – Vaskduellen (Swedish): https://youtu.be/uhEpMJ3n_wU
Virtual Light VR – Anno 1500(Swedish):
Kung Fury: https://youtu.be/bS5P_LAqiVg