Interview with Feng Zhu
In which movie or game you enjoy the work most? Please share your experiences. Please also share which is your best work till now and why?
I actually enjoy many of the projects I work on. For me, the most rewarding part of a project is the teams I get to work with. A good team makes everything fun and makes the job super stress-free. One of the best teams I’ve worked with is at JAK Films inside Skywalker Ranch (for Star Wars, Episode III). I was working with some of the best concept designers in the world, many of whom were my friends from school. So the experience was very memorable and fun. I also enjoyed working with EA, 3D Realms, Motion Theory, Blur, ILM, etc. There are just too many cool clients to list. The entertainment industry is filled with so many talented people.
We were taught to not “fall in love” with our work, since as professionals, every piece of design we make should be our best work. We usually don’t have any favorites or “best” pieces. However, I do like some of the designs I did for Duke Nuke’em Forever by 3D Realms. This game has not been released yet, but they were really open about cool and interesting designs.
What other interests do you have that help influence your work and keep you motivated?
I love to travel, watch movies, and play video games. All of these things inspire me, especially traveling. In fact, I’m giving up this interview from Tokyo right now; one of my favorite places to visit. I also keep a Sony PSP next to be all the time. Whenever I need a break, I load up a random game and play for 10-20min. It frees up the mind and gets me focused again.
Back in the United States, I love to fly small personal airplanes such as the Cessna Skyhawks or the Archers. Flying takes a lot of concentration and skill, so it completely removes my mind from work. It’s the best way to be nervous and relaxed at the same time.
Can you give some important tips on design and visualization to the existing artists and those already studying somewhere else?
Take you inspiration from the real world. We are surrounded by interesting shapes, patterns, textures, colors, lights, etc. Instead of doing the same-old-thing, explore the world around you and combine these interesting things into new designs. Also ask yourself if you have any weak points: such as you only like to draw characters, or focus only on fantasy related art. If so, give yourself a challenge and design something you haven’t done before. This will teach you so many new techniques and skills. If you are basically drawing and designing the same thing over and over again, it’s time to try something else. The mark of a professional designer is one who can achieve great designs in any field; from vehicles, to environments, to characters, to fashion, etc. and do these designs in any time period.
Are you working on any projects currently (besides school)? If so, what are they?
Yes, I’m currently exploring several big projects for my new media company. Since they are still in development, I can’t talk about them in detail. However, they do deal with high-end consumer products, retail and fashion. It’s very exiting for me since it’s a field I haven’t gone into before but greatly interested me for a long time.
Anything you like to add? It is your chance now to state your opinion about anything
For any students reading, just know that there are no secrets or shortcuts in our industry. It takes a lot of dedication and hard work to achieve great things. Nothing comes for free or easy. If you really want it, then you will have to work for it. The entertainment design industry is very fun and rewarding, but the road to get to this stage is filled with long hours and stress.
The key is to really know your fundamental skills. It allows you to basically work in any design field. You’ll find yourself jumping from one fun project to another. If you don’t know the fundamentals and is relying on “guessing” or “eye-balling,” you will have a hard time breaking it through on the international level.
Thus, work hard and put in the hours; the rewards at the end of the road are well worth it; trust me!
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