7 Dec 2009

stage building

One of the things I've learned since I've been at Pixel Farm is I'm surrounded by f'n amazing artists. From SFX to music to color to animation and more, these guys can literally make anything happen. The problem is, people don't get to see enough of what they can do and they don't have a big enough stage for their art.

Hmm. A big stage...

One of my early goals is to provide a playground for creativity within our two floors. The more we can play and experiment together, the better and faster we'll get with our collaborations.

As a part of this initiative, I've started a collaboration with animator and editor, Tony Mills. I had an idea last Friday afternoon and sent Tony an email. Tony dropped by 10 minutes later while I was doodling my idea on some post-its. We started brainstorming and less than 30 minutes later, he sent me an email with this glorious test...

Let me reiterate, if not for you (then for me), in less than 30 minutes we got to see if this story had legs.

NOTE TO SELF: Build a big stage for them. As fast as you can.
6 Dec 2009

required viewing

The first thing we did together as a team was watch "The Pixel Story".

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If you ask me, the most important part of getting to be a more creative shop, is to see that it is possible. The only thing magical about this kind of culture is the hard work and vision of a team who believes in where they're going - together. So I think this is a great place for our team to start this journey together, by watching pioneers go off on theirs.

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One of my favorite lines from the documentary comes from John Lasseter when he talks about Pixar's success, "Technology challenges art, art inspires technology."

I couldn't agree more. In today's digital world, you need a balance of both. There is no way technology can drive without artistry, because at the end of the matrix, you're still talking to people. You've still got to captivate and connect before you can say anything signicant. And for art to think it could thrive without technology is beyond backyards. Unless you're happy showing your wares to an audience of 3.

But this relationship shouldn't be antagonistic to begin with. If they could play together, if they could build off each other, well, then we too can make our own magic.

Quan Hoang's Posterous

I recently got a new job as Chief Creative Officer of Pixel Farm Digital. This is my journal on our people and our shop's evolution.