Please tell us something about your person - where are you from, your hobby.
My name is Goro Fujita, I was born in Japan and moved with my family to Germany when I was around 3 years old. So I’m more German than Japanese I guess ;)
My hobbies are all kinds of sports, playing guitar, partying etc. If you’re sitting all day in the front of your screen you just need to do some work out.
I saw that you have great traditional background. There are some great works, lifedrawings, anatomy studies and so on - how long does it take before you start with computer graphic?
I have been drawing ever
since I was a little child. Those life drawings and anatomy studies are
pretty new. I did it for the first time 4 years ago.
How did your journey with graphic start?
In
1999 I saw the amazing 3D animation made by Victor Navone called "Alien
Song". I was so fascinated by that short animation and I just had to
get into the 3D business. I looked for a place where you could study 3D
animation and found the German Film School near Berlin. In 2002 I
started my studies at The German Film School for digital production. I
graduated in spring 2005 and since then I’m working as a freelance
Character Animator and Visual Development Artist.
Where do you find your inspiration? Do you have some source of inspiration?
I
don’t have a certain source actually. I’m certainly influenced by
movies of Hayao Miyazaki or digital paint masters like Craig Mullins,
Sparth etc. But usually I sit in front of the screen….I start painting and ideas are flowing on the canvas. Sometimes nothing seems to work
and I can’t paint at all. This can go on for weeks. But I guess every
artist had the same experience at least once ;)
Most impressive work you've ever seen?
If
you ask me about Animation I’d say the most impressive movie is
Ratatouille for now…the design, the story and the animation ... is just
perfect. Surf’s up is also one of my favourite 3D animated movies.
If
you ask me about paintings, there is no image which I’d call most
impressive cause there are so many artists I admire. But if I had to
choose, my favourite digital painting would be the one called "hover
ship hall" by Craig Mullins.
How much time do you spend on painting works like Dino Strider?
Dino Strider was a speed painting. They usually take 30min up to one hour. I love to do quick little sketching after work.
I saw that you were a student at The German Film School, can I ask you what exactly did you learn there? Was it helpful?
I
studied 3D animation at The German Film School. I can’t describe how
much I learned there and I don’t wanna know how much time I’ve spend at school. I guess if I didn’t go to the school I wouldn’t be the guy
I’m today and probably I wouldn’t have the same job.
The most important
thing I learned there is to work fast and efficiently in a team
environment.
We had to create 12 short film projects during 3 years and
more than the half of the projects had to be done in 3D. During my
studies, I have earned a broad practical and theoretical experience in
all aspects of Animation Film Production and the knowledge I gained
there is still helping me a lot in professional production environments.
Have you ever wondered how your life could look like without CG?
Oh my god ... that is hard to imagine but I’m sure I would do something creative. Maybe I’d be an actor or a musician.
As we know you're great 2d graphic artist, and a great animator as well. Can you tell us a little bit about your video called "The Beauty Of Life"?
The Beauty Of Life was my first 2D Short Film project
back at the German Film School which I created with 6 other students.
The Story is about an ordinary farmer who paints the most important
moments of his life.
We put quiet some time in the story and preproduction. When the production started we soon realized that there was far more work than we expected. We worked on this film for approximately one year. Some shots were so complex that we worked about 8 hours for each frame. It was a very challenging project and I’m very proud of our team cause we managed to finish this giant project together.
Could you tell us why in some part of your work can we see crazy cats, robots and monkeys characters? why is that?
I just love robots. Don’t ask me why, maybe cause I’m Japanese ^^ Well, I always liked the idea of giving robots a sort of personality, something what makes them sympathetic. Cats have a beautiful silhouette and very often a very strong personality. It’s fun to put cats in your paintings and see how robots react ;)
Can you share some information about your next 3D project?
I’m
currently working on a 3D animated feature film called ‘Way To The
Stars’ It’s going to come to the theatres in winter 2008. That’s all I
can say for now.
What are the most important things when you create some new works?
I
guess an important thing is to be motivated. If you aren’t motivated to
create new work it’ll show up in the result. So whenever you are inspired
or creative - start to paint and most important: Have fun!
What software do you use and why this one?
I
use Maya and XSI for animation. Those are the most used 3D applications
in the feature film business.
And it can’t be bad to know both major
animation software packages. For 2D work I use mostly Photoshop. It’s
the most intuitive and stable paint application I know. But I guess
it’s all a matter of taste.
Do you use your own brushes?
Sure,
the custom brush function in photoshop is very useful. I always make
new brushes when I need them. But I have to say that my favourite brush
is still the standard hard edged round brush with opacity set to pen
pressure. Simply the best!
I saw that you have few remakes of an old speedpaintings in your gallery? why are you back to your old work sometimes?
Painting
over your old work could be very interesting. You can see your progress over
the years. It’s really fun to see what you can pull out of an old
crappy painting of yours with a higher skillset.
Do you
think that "The Hunt" (from CGSociety Master & Servant Challenge
entry) was one of the most challenging works you've ever created?
It’s
definitely one of the most challenging paintings I ever worked on. I
usually make quick concept sketches and color keys. But working on a
level of detail as you can see in this painting was very exhausting and
time consuming. It was also unusual for me to work for such a long time
(approx. 3 weeks) on a single painting. But it was a nice experience
and it also paid off cause it got the 3rd place in that challenge.
Did you ever think about working in game industry?
For an animator or visual development artist it’s a big advantage that you
can work in different industries like TV, Movies or Games. I used to do
some visual development in the game industry. But right now I would
like to stay in the feature film business…but who knows. I always leave
a door open for other options.
Any tips and advice for other 2d artists?
Work hard on your skills and never give up! Anyone can draw!
Autor wywiadu: Tobiasz Rychanicz
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Adresy : Goro Fujita Webpage
