GLIMPSES OF ART FROM AROUND THE WORLD

An Inspirational Series of Artist Interviews - 3D Animation Edition

Dominic Lusardi

Killinghall, United Kingdom

One of Realfiction’s frequent collaborators, Dominic Lusardi, is the founder of a UK-based digital visualization company called Animmersion. Dominic, who has a background in engineering, manufacturing and advertising, decided to dive into the 3D holographic market because he wanted to help determine the direction the field would go in. Who else to have as a partner at the helm of this movement if none other than one of the biggest players in the business?

If you find yourself unfamiliar with who Realfiction is and what they do, they are one of the front-runners in using digital media and special effects to create rich and engaging experiences for all of their creative partners, and therefore delivering compelling retail experiences for their clients’ brands. Dominic’s alliance with the Realfiction team has come about from the desire of educating people that 3D does not belong solely to films and games, but that businesses can also reap the benefits, be it explaining a process or showing people a certain vision. It must all come down to bridging the gap between Tech and Creative, which Realfiction might as well use as a company tag.

What do you think are the most common misconceptions about 3D animation? (E.g. the constant hijack of the misuse of the word ‘hologram’ for every special effect; that computer animation will never surpass the quality of the traditional one etc.)

That is easy! There can be a misconception that the software we use is doing most of the work, but really it’s the creativity, experience and skill of our team that enables us to create great content. The software is just a tool!

Could you share your experience from collaborating with Realfiction and some of the things you’ve learned from working on the Dreamoc HD3 displays?

It’s been a really exciting journey with Realfiction. We’ve been fortunate to be able to join pitches with some of the biggest brand names in the UK, and through this collaboration it’s opened new doors and opportunities. We focus on content and delivery, and the Dreamoc gives a new dimension in delivering compelling content, be it a holographic display, or using the units as three displays in one (Fusion - when linking several displays together to form an animation that flows seamlessly from display to display). One of the main lessons learned when creating content is that the objective or reason why you chose to use a Dreamoc needs to be at the forefront of all your creative work.

Does Realfiction provide constant training to its Animators during the production process? How do they keep the level higher in terms of development in the holographic industry?

The great thing about the Dreamoc range is that they are simple to use and any content creator can start using one with very little training - the key is in the creativity. Realfiction have a great set of tools and tutorials to get you up to speed quickly and they are always there if we have any questions or need support when speaking with customers. The units are the best available and due to RF’s focus on creating truly eye catching holograms, it comes down to the build quality, focused hardware providers, and the understanding of the industries in which they are used.

What are some of your favorite projects you're proud to have been a part of?

We worked on a great project for Saatchi Healthcare in London. This used a Dreamoc XL2 unit, which we had wrapped and branded in a sleek white material. The content was centered on a single pill on a plinth; a physical model we had 3D printed for the installation. A vortex of purple data would whirl from the pill, with text and motion graphics spinning forth from it, as the story of the drug development was told. A great piece of work alongside one of the biggest names in advertising.

Tell us a little about the tools that you are using. What are your preferences? Plugins? Methods?

We use a wide range of software: 3DS Max with importing plugins, such as Polytrans, for working with different sectors and using their CAD data; the Adobe suite for post-production and edit. For our more interactive outputs, we use software like Unity, as well as getting our hands dirty with pure coding for bespoke software solutions. At Animmersion we like to think of ourselves as platform agnostic and so everything we use is about delivering the most compelling experience, being able to deliver across multiple platforms allows for greater access to content.

Choose: Virtual Reality (VR) or Augmented Reality (AR)? And why?

AR. The potential impact of this is huge and applicable to almost every sector. VR is fantastic and highly entertaining, but less applicable outside of entertainment and training.

Who has influenced you the most in the animation industry? Who is or was your ultimate mentor during the early stages?

Our team has a broad range of influences. At one end of the spectrum, there are influences from the likes of Disney/Pixar, particularly John Lasseter (personal hero), Dreamworks and a UK favorite, Aardman. On the dark side of the company, there was early inspiration from Chris Cunningham’s incredible sinister music videos. Much of our work is for serious purposes, and not usually character focused, though if you look carefully you may see hints of these influences coming through.

What is the most difficult part for you about being in this business? Has having to go back and forth between 2D animation and 3D animation ever been an issue for you?

We predominantly work in 3D, so moving between 2D and 3D has not been much of an issue. The hard (and fun) part for us is continually keeping on the ball as 3D evolves. New techniques and technology are appearing all the time! The other issue is power. We always use our setup to the extreme. Infinite power is our dream, allowing us to focus on pure creativity.

What are your thoughts about animation nowadays? Have they become harder to produce due to higher competition between companies?

Animation has become commoditized and competition is very fierce. In our traditional markets (industrial/technical) this has not been so much of a problem as our core strength is working on technically demanding and complex subject matters - not so easy to offshore.

Tell our readers and us a little bit about your latest projects, what are you working on in 2016?

We are now developing a lot of animated content for display through real-time mechanisms (AR/VR). We’ve been doing some very exciting internal projects for Dreamoc devices, using unity and different input devices, such as the Leap Motion Controller. We are very interested in extending the capability of Dreamoc devices through pairing them with other technologies. We are also working on a multi-platform delivery system, allowing us to deliver content across a wide range of devices from web, smartphones holograms and AR/VR. Watch this space!

Do you have any comments for Dominic or questions regarding Realfiction? Then please don’t hesitate to contact him at contact@realfiction.com

Soply

Published May 2016