WEBVTT 1 00:00:02.830 --> 00:00:05.100 Ethan Wilde: All right, welcome everybody to, 2 00:00:05.550 --> 00:00:15.489 Ethan Wilde: our first presentation this semester for the Game Views series, here at Santa Rosa Junior College. I'm very pleased today, 3 00:00:15.810 --> 00:00:17.339 Ethan Wilde: to have, 4 00:00:18.270 --> 00:00:30.700 Ethan Wilde: Alessandro Brilla, an art director, character artist, and toy maker, originally from Italy. Alessandro has worked in Milan at Milestone on racing games, at Factor 5 in the U.S, 5 00:00:30.720 --> 00:00:40.770 Ethan Wilde: Where he worked on Lair for PlayStation before moving on to Shaba games, and eventually Toys for Bob here in California, not too far down the road from us in Santa Rosa. 6 00:00:40.950 --> 00:00:44.090 Ethan Wilde: Welcome, Alessandro. 7 00:00:44.730 --> 00:00:47.030 Alessandro Briglia: It's a pleasure to be here, absolutely. 8 00:00:48.700 --> 00:00:51.130 Ethan Wilde: You have such an interesting, 9 00:00:51.280 --> 00:00:58.320 Ethan Wilde: story, I'm so thrilled that you're here to share it with us all. 10 00:00:58.710 --> 00:01:04.299 Ethan Wilde: We had a chance to speak a little bit before today, and you shared a really wonderful, 11 00:01:05.860 --> 00:01:14.639 Ethan Wilde: background piece that I'll share in the URL here for everybody to look at later on. It's what I have on the screen right now on the webpage from the department. 12 00:01:15.560 --> 00:01:28.099 Ethan Wilde: In the story you shared, you described yourself in a really interesting way. Maybe with your background from a family of fishermen, you said that you felt like a salmon swimming upstream. 13 00:01:28.100 --> 00:01:38.800 Ethan Wilde: You wanted to be creating, even when you were in environments where it didn't really, support that, and I'm wondering how you would, 14 00:01:39.180 --> 00:01:42.219 Ethan Wilde: Talk to our students, who might feel that same 15 00:01:42.430 --> 00:01:54.290 Ethan Wilde: drive to be creative, but maybe getting doubts, or maybe not in an environment that feels very conducive. How can they stay on the course in that pursuit? 16 00:01:55.470 --> 00:02:08.530 Alessandro Briglia: is that when I define and make a joke, say that, I feel sometimes myself like a salmon, is more like, because, from the start, from when I was very young, I felt this… 17 00:02:08.710 --> 00:02:12.870 Alessandro Briglia: pulls, this push on to… to do things. 18 00:02:13.120 --> 00:02:20.669 Alessandro Briglia: To, to make creative. It can be… tell a story, can be, make a draw, or building something. 19 00:02:21.200 --> 00:02:38.750 Alessandro Briglia: And it was something almost overwhelming. I can do everything else. I work as a waiter for a long time. I was a cook. I work as a blacksmith for some time. 20 00:02:39.250 --> 00:02:46.939 Alessandro Briglia: But, always was, like, preparing myself for something else, for these kind of things. 21 00:02:47.020 --> 00:03:01.460 Alessandro Briglia: I never… at the start, I never know that it was a job. It can be transformed, this passion, the thing was… can be transformed at a job. In Italy, that is, renewed for art and creativity, didn't give a lot of possibility. 22 00:03:01.840 --> 00:03:18.629 Alessandro Briglia: So, when I tell to my family I want to become an artist, and I want to be enrolled in an art school, they say, perfect. And I find myself, study chemistry. So, I have, like, an industrial chemistry degree. 23 00:03:20.080 --> 00:03:29.799 Alessandro Briglia: But, again, also when I studied chemistry, the passion was always to take creativity. Working, preparing myself. 24 00:03:29.800 --> 00:03:45.060 Alessandro Briglia: take every possible small job that have a creativity connected, sometimes make a design for t-shirt, sometimes just, like, a banner for a sport event. But always in this direction. 25 00:03:45.140 --> 00:03:56.560 Alessandro Briglia: When I arrived to Damon University, I was lucky. I win a grant, so I say, no, no, no, I want to go to do something creative. 26 00:03:57.670 --> 00:04:10.189 Alessandro Briglia: And at the time for industrial design, because industrial design, at the time, it was the thing more close possible to special effect, because in one side, you have art. In the other side, you have technology. At the time. 27 00:04:11.120 --> 00:04:26.030 Alessandro Briglia: time ago, computer didn't exist in this way, so the technology for the special effect, it was practical. Study design, it was the things that were more close possible to this kind of field. So I studied design. 28 00:04:27.330 --> 00:04:30.210 Alessandro Briglia: when I finished the school, 29 00:04:30.930 --> 00:04:37.799 Alessandro Briglia: I was, one of my teachers start to interested to have me working with him in the studio. 30 00:04:37.930 --> 00:04:41.790 Alessandro Briglia: But again, it was creative, it was fun. 31 00:04:41.910 --> 00:05:00.380 Alessandro Briglia: it was kind of itch, you know, I don't know how to describe. And a friend of mine, when I was preparing the thesis for this, for the class, he told me, oh, you must use a computer for, for art. I just have a computer that uses, like, a… 32 00:05:00.820 --> 00:05:06.800 Alessandro Briglia: all very… Kind of, just for writing the test links. 33 00:05:07.370 --> 00:05:14.870 Alessandro Briglia: And then my friend really pushed me. Come a weekender, Download this program. 34 00:05:15.380 --> 00:05:19.840 Alessandro Briglia: Link me to the chair, really, and make me use it for today. 35 00:05:20.740 --> 00:05:29.550 Alessandro Briglia: At the end of the day, I was happy… these two days, I was capable to make sphere, cube, moving around. 36 00:05:30.570 --> 00:05:36.630 Alessandro Briglia: And, yeah, it was too late. So I started to try to make stuff that I liked. 37 00:05:37.190 --> 00:05:44.229 Alessandro Briglia: And then I see, oh, I can do things. I remember my first mobile was a very horrible, horrible 38 00:05:44.410 --> 00:05:46.450 Alessandro Briglia: pay saga from Eliana. 39 00:05:47.000 --> 00:05:53.660 Alessandro Briglia: And, I said to make this model for fun. There is no market, there is no… Job. 40 00:05:54.490 --> 00:06:02.929 Alessandro Briglia: And, I started to publish in this work in a magazine in Italy. I have a good feedback. 41 00:06:03.150 --> 00:06:12.590 Alessandro Briglia: And, through this, somebody contacted me and tell me, oh, you know that you can make a job of this. We're looking for people like you. So, I went to this company. 42 00:06:13.230 --> 00:06:20.510 Alessandro Briglia: And they asked me to do some specific job, create a very high amount of character in a very short time. 43 00:06:21.260 --> 00:06:27.070 Alessandro Briglia: before I can connect the brain, I open my mouth and say, yeah, no problem. 44 00:06:28.340 --> 00:06:38.670 Alessandro Briglia: I come back home, and I remember I was punching my face all the three tobacco, because why open my mouth? I don't know how to do this. 45 00:06:39.240 --> 00:06:47.909 Alessandro Briglia: So, I start to do… approach, like, I was a learning study chemist, so a technical approach. 46 00:06:48.680 --> 00:06:49.899 Alessandro Briglia: what they need. 47 00:06:50.050 --> 00:06:59.909 Alessandro Briglia: where I find the tool that I need, who I need to bother for help me. So, I start to buy books about the programs, I start to learn. 48 00:07:00.160 --> 00:07:07.999 Alessandro Briglia: And I was able to do it to the task. From this, it was step by step. I moved from another company, Milan, Milestone. 49 00:07:08.590 --> 00:07:10.800 Alessandro Briglia: Were they doing wrestling games? 50 00:07:10.910 --> 00:07:25.730 Alessandro Briglia: And, the, our director at the time, the milestone, was joking, because we hire you for desperation. I mean, we make the error to say to you, oh, you are not there yet, but 51 00:07:25.830 --> 00:07:36.169 Alessandro Briglia: Can you send us your progress? So, every damn month, I send them the classical VHS cassette with my progress, every damn month. 52 00:07:36.500 --> 00:07:47.690 Alessandro Briglia: At one point, their director, okay, we can hire him. At least don't send us material. And stop it. So I was hired to, to Milestone, and doing racing game. 53 00:07:47.970 --> 00:07:54.220 Alessandro Briglia: For the truth, I didn't love a lot to do a racing game. I'm more a character person, so make a car. 54 00:07:54.500 --> 00:08:01.169 Alessandro Briglia: motorcycle. It was fun, it was the… my entry point in the industry, but at the same time. 55 00:08:01.390 --> 00:08:08.020 Alessandro Briglia: And I find the milestone, a group of people that, like me, loving to do stuff. 56 00:08:08.540 --> 00:08:11.450 Alessandro Briglia: But… not really a racing game. 57 00:08:11.700 --> 00:08:18.279 Alessandro Briglia: The art director, Marco Spitoni, he was… he was a movie guy. He wanted to make a movie. 58 00:08:18.440 --> 00:08:21.090 Alessandro Briglia: And, we start to gather. 59 00:08:21.340 --> 00:08:32.150 Alessandro Briglia: four or five people. Marcos Pitone was one, Alessandro Baldaceroni was another one, Minervino, Ricardo Minervino was another one. 60 00:08:32.549 --> 00:08:34.970 Alessandro Briglia: And we start to do it during the day. 61 00:08:35.070 --> 00:08:40.010 Alessandro Briglia: we make racing games. At night, we start to make our small video. 62 00:08:40.130 --> 00:08:42.789 Alessandro Briglia: At the start were 1 minute. Then. 63 00:08:42.919 --> 00:08:53.270 Alessandro Briglia: 3 minutes, 5 minutes. The last one was 20 minutes. CodeGuardian was created by 5 sick person at the time. 64 00:08:53.390 --> 00:08:55.880 Alessandro Briglia: And, it was fun. 65 00:08:55.960 --> 00:08:59.980 Alessandro Briglia: It was… we're challenging each other constantly. 66 00:09:00.040 --> 00:09:16.430 Alessandro Briglia: I don't know, I didn't know at the time I was reading animating, so I tried. I learned something. Marcus Mittoni helped to combine everything, and he started to learn about composition, he started to make, like, music. 67 00:09:17.770 --> 00:09:23.980 Alessandro Briglia: We finish, and then we… we were just happy, because, oh, we make something that we love it. 68 00:09:24.580 --> 00:09:30.950 Alessandro Briglia: what we're doing now? So, why don't we send around? We send around the, the video. 69 00:09:31.330 --> 00:09:37.450 Alessandro Briglia: And, in meantime, I find job here in the States. 70 00:09:38.360 --> 00:09:46.759 Alessandro Briglia: And it was also thank you to the video, because I can show something very strong, very complete to show around. 71 00:09:47.310 --> 00:09:52.450 Alessandro Briglia: And, one person here, I don't speak at the time. 72 00:09:52.630 --> 00:09:54.160 Alessandro Briglia: English at all. 73 00:09:54.540 --> 00:09:57.019 Alessandro Briglia: I study French in Italy. 74 00:09:57.310 --> 00:10:02.769 Alessandro Briglia: And this guy speak Italian, a little bit, so he told me, like, you can come here to make an interview. 75 00:10:03.080 --> 00:10:08.429 Alessandro Briglia: In the worst case scenario, You stay one week here, You try. 76 00:10:08.740 --> 00:10:19.810 Alessandro Briglia: I come here, make the interview, it went well, and they move here in the States. At the time, I married my girlfriend, become my wife, and we move here. 77 00:10:20.650 --> 00:10:22.770 Alessandro Briglia: At the start, it was, 78 00:10:23.450 --> 00:10:26.909 Alessandro Briglia: Because, don't speak the language. 79 00:10:27.160 --> 00:10:31.269 Alessandro Briglia: Also, if the culture is similar, there is a lot of differences. 80 00:10:31.740 --> 00:10:36.139 Alessandro Briglia: And we're thinking, yeah, we are isolated. We don't know nobody. 81 00:10:36.240 --> 00:10:41.620 Alessandro Briglia: We discovered an incredible Italian community here in Bay Area. 82 00:10:42.190 --> 00:10:48.230 Alessandro Briglia: And, the people at the Hatter 5, all my colleagues, they're more than helpful in this. 83 00:10:48.960 --> 00:10:52.930 Alessandro Briglia: In meantime, to come back on another story. 84 00:10:53.200 --> 00:11:09.760 Alessandro Briglia: my friend Marco was contacted by phone, and they said, hi, I'm, Peter Jackson, I saw the, the video about CodeGuardian, I want to hire you. And, he sent Peter Jackson to 85 00:11:10.160 --> 00:11:11.310 Alessandro Briglia: F himself. 86 00:11:11.430 --> 00:11:14.649 Alessandro Briglia: And put down the phone, because he was believing, it was me. 87 00:11:16.510 --> 00:11:30.669 Alessandro Briglia: I'm a prankster, so, Peter Jackson called again and said, tell him, sorry, maybe there was a misunderstanding. Hi, I am a director, Peter Jackson, I want to hire you as an F himself again. 88 00:11:31.400 --> 00:11:37.330 Alessandro Briglia: So, until time, he was the secretary, Peter Jackson, they called him, explained the situation. 89 00:11:37.910 --> 00:11:44.089 Alessandro Briglia: And, to make the story short, my friend Marco and the rest of the crew, they move in New Zealand. 90 00:11:44.430 --> 00:12:03.560 Alessandro Briglia: So, these first say that our passion at this time, we created something that… it wasn't for looking for a job, it wasn't for, have a price on the hand. It was just for a fun, from ourself, because it was so fun working together in something that we loved. 91 00:12:03.960 --> 00:12:08.550 Alessandro Briglia: It was the thing that propelled us to the next step for our career. 92 00:12:09.800 --> 00:12:15.599 Alessandro Briglia: I'm over here, Locker 5, I work on Layer. Layer was fantastic. 93 00:12:15.860 --> 00:12:19.649 Alessandro Briglia: At one point, I found myself to be challenged to make all this dragons. 94 00:12:19.990 --> 00:12:27.600 Alessandro Briglia: And, one other important things is when you're working a very big, three-play game. 95 00:12:28.080 --> 00:12:29.989 Alessandro Briglia: Is… you are not alone. 96 00:12:30.160 --> 00:12:35.910 Alessandro Briglia: At one point, you discover that it's not important that you are good to make a dragon, to sculpt dragon. 97 00:12:36.850 --> 00:12:39.379 Alessandro Briglia: The important thing is the production. 98 00:12:39.920 --> 00:12:50.880 Alessandro Briglia: you have, like, a concept artist that works with you to create, like, the best dragon possible, looking best Dragon possible. But then, you work with Riga, an animator. 99 00:12:51.270 --> 00:12:57.890 Alessandro Briglia: And I start to make my dragon. They look good, but the lead animator will say to me, Holly, this is good, but… 100 00:12:58.220 --> 00:12:59.530 Alessandro Briglia: We have a problem. 101 00:13:00.340 --> 00:13:06.960 Alessandro Briglia: he tried to explain to me, and I feel like I'm… yeah, but, okay, stop making Dragon for one week. 102 00:13:07.490 --> 00:13:10.349 Alessandro Briglia: For this rig, you just rig the dragon. 103 00:13:10.420 --> 00:13:15.859 Alessandro Briglia: What is me? After a week, I was so miserable. 104 00:13:15.870 --> 00:13:28.519 Alessandro Briglia: I understand what is my problem. I did understand what the rigor at the animator needed. So, working with the full team is me that you're not an island, you're not just focus 105 00:13:28.520 --> 00:13:39.130 Alessandro Briglia: on your field, you start to need to be open, to understand you don't need to read or animate, but you need to know the problem, you need to work with them. 106 00:13:39.130 --> 00:13:42.559 Alessandro Briglia: So when you make your work part of your brain. 107 00:13:42.560 --> 00:13:50.259 Alessandro Briglia: is already thinking, this don't work. I need to change. I need to talk and see how you can help fix it. 108 00:13:50.510 --> 00:13:56.760 Alessandro Briglia: He teach me a lot. It teaches working with a team, working with a different field. 109 00:13:57.480 --> 00:13:59.599 Alessandro Briglia: As a concept artist. 110 00:13:59.850 --> 00:14:07.809 Alessandro Briglia: I start to using this. So, at one point, I don't make just the concept in a way that is cool or interesting. 111 00:14:07.930 --> 00:14:21.920 Alessandro Briglia: But also keep in mind that what's happened next, what the modeler, what the reader, what the animator can find is. To try to, stop redundancy. Going back, going back. 112 00:14:23.140 --> 00:14:27.050 Alessandro Briglia: It was a very good school for me, a tough school. 113 00:14:27.580 --> 00:14:30.890 Alessandro Briglia: Fatter 5, I moved to Shab again. 114 00:14:31.010 --> 00:14:34.579 Alessandro Briglia: Shabba Game, it was an activation, company. 115 00:14:35.120 --> 00:14:38.670 Alessandro Briglia: And the Shabba game was terrifying. 116 00:14:39.030 --> 00:14:55.230 Alessandro Briglia: It was terrifying. Why? Because the people inside, inside the, the Shabba, company, working together for 14 years, together. So they are, they, in German, the word is, the word is gestalt. 117 00:14:55.260 --> 00:15:00.319 Alessandro Briglia: When the final element is more than the single part. 118 00:15:00.620 --> 00:15:05.430 Alessandro Briglia: They work in so well together. They look like working Using telepathy. 119 00:15:05.910 --> 00:15:10.000 Alessandro Briglia: the meeting, they were terrifying. I was completely… 120 00:15:10.140 --> 00:15:21.209 Alessandro Briglia: shocked. It was the art director, Scott Weber, who there, like, oh, you? Yes, and you? Yeah. What about… okay, perfect. Alessandro? And I was like. 121 00:15:22.070 --> 00:15:26.990 Alessandro Briglia: Completely clueless, because they're working so well like a perfect machine. 122 00:15:27.410 --> 00:15:33.479 Alessandro Briglia: You show me what is possible, what is… a team can do if they're working together. 123 00:15:33.770 --> 00:15:42.190 Alessandro Briglia: And the key word was trust. They, because working so many times, so many years together, there is a high level of trust between them. 124 00:15:42.860 --> 00:15:47.210 Alessandro Briglia: So, sometimes artists, we artists, we are… 125 00:15:47.940 --> 00:15:56.110 Alessandro Briglia: Problematic. Because art is connected to ego, to think that we make, and sometimes there are friction. 126 00:15:57.030 --> 00:16:00.119 Alessandro Briglia: In Shabba, they show what a team. 127 00:16:00.300 --> 00:16:06.280 Alessandro Briglia: with very low level of friction can achieve. And it was, like, incredible. 128 00:16:06.520 --> 00:16:10.449 Alessandro Briglia: Sadly, Activision decided to close the Shabba. 129 00:16:10.780 --> 00:16:20.589 Alessandro Briglia: And, I find myself, almost without my knowledge, moved to another company in Novato, a Twice for Bob. 130 00:16:21.090 --> 00:16:25.640 Alessandro Briglia: I'm, at the time, a very hyper-realistic, focused guy. 131 00:16:26.060 --> 00:16:28.120 Alessandro Briglia: Move on Novato. 132 00:16:28.390 --> 00:16:32.190 Alessandro Briglia: It was this thing, like, these critters, like. 133 00:16:32.700 --> 00:16:41.879 Alessandro Briglia: weird little things, and colorful, and my… okay, stop. I stay here one year, prepare my portfolio, and then move on. 134 00:16:43.140 --> 00:16:44.890 Alessandro Briglia: 10 years later. 135 00:16:45.600 --> 00:16:51.999 Alessandro Briglia: I started working there as an environmental artist. I didn't care, because just one year. 136 00:16:52.890 --> 00:17:03.970 Alessandro Briglia: Then I, the art director at the time, Yi Wei, see that in my spare time doing character, like, oh, you're doing character, can you try to do something? 137 00:17:04.930 --> 00:17:10.319 Alessandro Briglia: And they start to do character. They start to have a team for character artists. 138 00:17:10.440 --> 00:17:13.760 Alessandro Briglia: And, opens something magical. 139 00:17:14.900 --> 00:17:21.050 Alessandro Briglia: I decided they make the, prototype in China. They just sent image, and the China team… 140 00:17:21.240 --> 00:17:34.079 Alessandro Briglia: make all the prototype for the final toys. Skylander, the prototype that they were working at the time. Also, the idea was have the toys put in a base. 141 00:17:34.380 --> 00:17:37.150 Alessandro Briglia: And the toys appear in the game. 142 00:17:37.300 --> 00:17:40.370 Alessandro Briglia: So, make the toys alive. 143 00:17:41.790 --> 00:17:51.070 Alessandro Briglia: we started talking about how to make this process better, because it was a lot of going back and going back. Also, the language barrier was very strong. 144 00:17:51.570 --> 00:18:02.110 Alessandro Briglia: And we try, like, why don't 3D print here? It was at the start of 3D printing. So, we buy an industrial machine, 3D printing, industrial machine. 145 00:18:02.370 --> 00:18:04.520 Alessandro Briglia: And, we start to do it. 146 00:18:04.910 --> 00:18:09.950 Alessandro Briglia: And it was magical. We started to make… see, for the first time. 147 00:18:10.390 --> 00:18:15.059 Alessandro Briglia: What you're sculpting in the computer, you have in your hand. 148 00:18:15.400 --> 00:18:26.119 Alessandro Briglia: We're joking that, about the cry moment is the first time every artist see their own art become real. It was a very emotional moment. 149 00:18:26.620 --> 00:18:31.409 Alessandro Briglia: So, we start to make prototyping, we buy more machines, different machine. 150 00:18:31.620 --> 00:18:34.769 Alessandro Briglia: And, we make it the choice for ourselves. 151 00:18:36.380 --> 00:18:44.080 Alessandro Briglia: After 10 years, the Skylander franchise was decided to close. 152 00:18:44.260 --> 00:18:48.620 Alessandro Briglia: I work to Crash Bandicoot, to Spyro. 153 00:18:48.750 --> 00:18:53.389 Alessandro Briglia: But one thing that always, propelled me is, 154 00:18:53.790 --> 00:19:07.090 Alessandro Briglia: when they start to know exactly what I'm doing, I'm too comfortable. I feel the itch to find something new, something different, challenging me. I'm a sucker for challenge. 155 00:19:07.180 --> 00:19:20.060 Alessandro Briglia: my friend, our director, Iwei, know it, and use it against me, like a, oh, you know, I make this character, but I don't know, I don't think it's possible to do it. 156 00:19:20.540 --> 00:19:30.820 Alessandro Briglia: done. I spend a night to find a way to define, to create a new pipeline, a new methodology for creating the character that you're looking for. 157 00:19:31.150 --> 00:19:48.189 Alessandro Briglia: This all three was something that they started to propel me in also managing the team, because at one point, I had the knowledge to start to direct other people, to help other people, and I asked to try to become a lead. 158 00:19:49.120 --> 00:19:55.129 Alessandro Briglia: And I think it's very easy. I know everybody from my life. We have friends. 159 00:19:55.280 --> 00:19:59.699 Alessandro Briglia: what kind of problem it can be to be a lead for them? It will be easy. 160 00:20:00.300 --> 00:20:10.550 Alessandro Briglia: And I suck, horribly, because make, model, and manage your people is a completely different kind of set skill. 161 00:20:10.940 --> 00:20:28.340 Alessandro Briglia: It's not like the best modeler, he become a lead. No. Lead become the person that is capable to leading the people, to help them to achieve their own goal. The lead goal is the success of the team, not the success of himself. 162 00:20:29.320 --> 00:20:37.440 Alessandro Briglia: So, again, based on my training in chemistry or design, so more… 163 00:20:38.540 --> 00:20:43.050 Alessandro Briglia: I don't want to say scientific approach, but technical approach. 164 00:20:43.280 --> 00:20:45.910 Alessandro Briglia: I went into a chart and say, I suck. 165 00:20:47.110 --> 00:20:52.879 Alessandro Briglia: enroll me in every possible class you have for leadership. And I spend… 166 00:20:52.990 --> 00:21:02.290 Alessandro Briglia: Probably 4 or 5 months to enroll in all possible class, try, reading… And, I become better. 167 00:21:02.440 --> 00:21:08.170 Alessandro Briglia: And better. So, at one point, I was able to help my team. This is… was my goal. 168 00:21:09.720 --> 00:21:16.110 Alessandro Briglia: After 10 years, I find myself the itch, and a friend of mine let me try PR. 169 00:21:16.710 --> 00:21:23.260 Alessandro Briglia: And I started thinking, oh, this is amazing. I love doing VR. And the potential is insane. 170 00:21:23.530 --> 00:21:31.730 Alessandro Briglia: we, make some tests, we convert to part of the Spyro game in VR, And a fundamental me. 171 00:21:31.890 --> 00:21:39.590 Alessandro Briglia: You know, there is a company in Alameda that, is using VR for, health people, for medical purpose. 172 00:21:40.280 --> 00:21:41.110 Alessandro Briglia: Boom. 173 00:21:41.260 --> 00:21:43.190 Alessandro Briglia: I want to do it. So… 174 00:21:43.640 --> 00:21:52.460 Alessandro Briglia: leave, twice for Baba, it was very traumatic, but I was looking to apply what I learned from video games. 175 00:21:52.770 --> 00:21:55.360 Alessandro Briglia: To help people with disabilities. 176 00:21:56.000 --> 00:22:03.890 Alessandro Briglia: It was fantastic. It was, incredible, but… For the company. 177 00:22:04.030 --> 00:22:14.269 Alessandro Briglia: the company at one point decided to make a step back and come back to produce what they already making. There wasn't… there wasn't a big interest to bring ahead this idea. 178 00:22:15.720 --> 00:22:27.279 Alessandro Briglia: From this, I arrive to… back to video games, to Stilvo Studio, as a director, and started working on Five Night Afraid the franchise. 179 00:22:28.150 --> 00:22:35.880 Alessandro Briglia: It was a very interesting experience, because after COVID, now, we… the full company was in remote. 180 00:22:36.140 --> 00:22:37.860 Alessandro Briglia: These changes everything. 181 00:22:38.460 --> 00:22:50.480 Alessandro Briglia: Because, working on, on remote, and not directly with people that I was, usually, doing, it was… 182 00:22:51.600 --> 00:22:52.410 Alessandro Briglia: challenge. 183 00:22:52.900 --> 00:22:56.879 Alessandro Briglia: But again, it's a challenge. So, Masaka, for this, go. 184 00:22:57.600 --> 00:22:59.339 Alessandro Briglia: The team was very young. 185 00:22:59.560 --> 00:23:08.299 Alessandro Briglia: There were a team of very young artists that had fixed experience in the field, in a company, just mostly of them, they were… come out from school. 186 00:23:09.210 --> 00:23:18.159 Alessandro Briglia: So, it was the first approach to a production, and this, it was, like, One moment of friction. 187 00:23:18.440 --> 00:23:23.560 Alessandro Briglia: Because, obviously, when you are in a school, all these periods. 188 00:23:24.160 --> 00:23:29.009 Alessandro Briglia: Go around you, around a student, to make you better, to make you learn. 189 00:23:29.480 --> 00:23:36.790 Alessandro Briglia: In the moment you move on production, the focus moves from you to the product. 190 00:23:37.280 --> 00:23:39.809 Alessandro Briglia: And it's a very strong shit. 191 00:23:40.230 --> 00:23:46.469 Alessandro Briglia: A lot of students start to… a lot of persons that was there, they start to struggling. 192 00:23:46.740 --> 00:23:48.760 Alessandro Briglia: Because, timing. 193 00:23:49.350 --> 00:23:56.360 Alessandro Briglia: You have, like, for example, if you are a character artist, we need this character done next week. 194 00:23:57.440 --> 00:24:03.950 Alessandro Briglia: Not because the timing, it's because a modeler needed this. 195 00:24:04.440 --> 00:24:13.739 Alessandro Briglia: rigor need the model after. Animator, if we don't have the concept done, the wall production, the wall pipeline, stop. 196 00:24:14.960 --> 00:24:17.819 Alessandro Briglia: Sometimes, the pressure is done. 197 00:24:18.140 --> 00:24:23.929 Alessandro Briglia: That, oh, okay, I'm ready, but I'm not too ready. There was a shift. 198 00:24:24.440 --> 00:24:34.339 Alessandro Briglia: Responsibility, pressure. It was very high, because the wall pipeline depends sometimes for… by one or two people. 199 00:24:34.450 --> 00:24:36.450 Alessandro Briglia: During this step-by-step. 200 00:24:37.110 --> 00:24:39.360 Alessandro Briglia: And my job was helping them. 201 00:24:39.610 --> 00:24:44.189 Alessandro Briglia: To adjust to this, shifting their own perspective. 202 00:24:45.240 --> 00:24:50.649 Alessandro Briglia: you don't have any more time to do it. You don't have your timing. 203 00:24:50.820 --> 00:24:55.300 Alessandro Briglia: As a new school, sometimes they give you, like, more, freedom. 204 00:24:55.410 --> 00:24:58.159 Alessandro Briglia: It's more like product driving. 205 00:24:58.470 --> 00:25:02.650 Alessandro Briglia: And, he's… I think it was one of the big problems. 206 00:25:04.010 --> 00:25:15.819 Alessandro Briglia: The thing was, like, my primary job, it was helping them, as our director, helping to grow all this team, this young team, to the next level. 207 00:25:16.330 --> 00:25:19.920 Alessandro Briglia: So, helping them to work. 208 00:25:20.080 --> 00:25:23.299 Alessandro Briglia: understand this. Try a different way. 209 00:25:23.430 --> 00:25:40.139 Alessandro Briglia: to, produce a different way to communicate with everybody else, with all the team. Because now, as I described before my experience, you are not anymore alone. Like, in a school, you're working, but sometimes you're 210 00:25:40.250 --> 00:25:50.609 Alessandro Briglia: one main Army Corp. Everything… you do everything. In this moment, you need to interface with so many people. In this case, so many people. 211 00:25:50.880 --> 00:25:59.270 Alessandro Briglia: through Zoom, you have a meeting with sometimes 20, 40 people different, and it was… kind of chaotic. 212 00:25:59.460 --> 00:26:05.410 Alessandro Briglia: all the information that you have tool, like Slack or the other tool for communicate. 213 00:26:05.950 --> 00:26:09.640 Alessandro Briglia: But again, it's a completely different way to work. 214 00:26:11.310 --> 00:26:14.199 Alessandro Briglia: We go through, and then we start to grow together. 215 00:26:14.320 --> 00:26:18.940 Alessandro Briglia: Me, as an art director, understanding the production, understanding the product. 216 00:26:20.270 --> 00:26:28.710 Alessandro Briglia: Five Night and Freddy have, like, a very complex, convolute lore to learn. And today, if you ask me things. 217 00:26:29.210 --> 00:26:34.730 Alessandro Briglia: I probably tell you, mistakes and wrong things. It's very complex. 218 00:26:34.960 --> 00:26:46.270 Alessandro Briglia: And for the team, start to understand how to move to a repetitive style and product to something more, to something different. 219 00:26:47.440 --> 00:26:50.719 Alessandro Briglia: It was, like, fantastic. See how they grow it. 220 00:26:51.230 --> 00:26:55.049 Alessandro Briglia: And how they discovered that their potential 221 00:26:55.370 --> 00:27:04.029 Alessandro Briglia: it was just the start. It was the… sometimes when you are in a school, you're thinking, I am at the peak of my game. 222 00:27:04.250 --> 00:27:09.240 Alessandro Briglia: I know how to do things. You are just in your infancy. It's the start. 223 00:27:09.400 --> 00:27:20.590 Alessandro Briglia: is infancy of your career, and then you discover that there's another level, and another level. And when you discover, it's fantastic, because, oh, I can do this? Oh my god, I can do this. 224 00:27:20.810 --> 00:27:28.449 Alessandro Briglia: Oh my god, and go and go and go, and become exciting, crazy, And sometimes stressful. 225 00:27:28.650 --> 00:27:29.959 Alessandro Briglia: But it's worth it. 226 00:27:31.700 --> 00:27:37.340 Alessandro Briglia: And this is more than… In the short, my career. 227 00:27:37.830 --> 00:27:45.489 Alessandro Briglia: is, I'm joking that, I feel sometimes like, Torres Gaunt. 228 00:27:45.850 --> 00:27:50.120 Alessandro Briglia: I mean, I have the luck to work with amazing people. 229 00:27:50.510 --> 00:27:59.840 Alessandro Briglia: people that are smarter than me. For example, the person, my friend, my dear friend that forced me to do, the 3D, 230 00:28:00.730 --> 00:28:02.949 Alessandro Briglia: He's the guy that invented the normal map. 231 00:28:03.060 --> 00:28:04.360 Alessandro Briglia: Paolo Cinone. 232 00:28:04.840 --> 00:28:11.869 Alessandro Briglia: We are childhood friend, and it was him to force me to do 3D. Who better than him 233 00:28:12.270 --> 00:28:15.560 Alessandro Briglia: And, I ain't hidden. 234 00:28:15.720 --> 00:28:19.929 Alessandro Briglia: I meet so many great artists, and professionals. 235 00:28:20.220 --> 00:28:25.990 Alessandro Briglia: And every time I have this luck, my thinking is always, Shut up. 236 00:28:26.160 --> 00:28:27.170 Alessandro Briglia: Listen. 237 00:28:27.950 --> 00:28:33.090 Alessandro Briglia: More than everything, because these people know more thing than me. 238 00:28:33.250 --> 00:28:37.270 Alessandro Briglia: And I want to… to grow. I want to learn from them. 239 00:28:37.990 --> 00:28:53.780 Alessandro Briglia: Sometimes it was easy, sometimes it was, like, very, very hard. When I was in the university to do design, I have the insane luck to have, like, as a teacher for simulogy. 240 00:28:54.240 --> 00:28:55.530 Alessandro Briglia: Humberto Eco. 241 00:28:55.720 --> 00:28:56.960 Alessandro Briglia: the Creator. 242 00:28:57.270 --> 00:28:58.660 Alessandro Briglia: Of the semiology. 243 00:28:59.560 --> 00:29:06.159 Alessandro Briglia: He lost a bet when play card, when I play poker, with one of my teachers. 244 00:29:06.660 --> 00:29:13.940 Alessandro Briglia: And the bet was like, if he loses, he can go to teach semiology in the school for 2 years. 245 00:29:14.880 --> 00:29:16.060 Alessandro Briglia: Los. 246 00:29:16.460 --> 00:29:17.430 Alessandro Briglia: You lost? 247 00:29:17.580 --> 00:29:24.750 Alessandro Briglia: And we have him for 2 years. He was like a… incredibly angry. 248 00:29:25.330 --> 00:29:27.040 Alessandro Briglia: Rude guy. 249 00:29:27.900 --> 00:29:31.140 Alessandro Briglia: It was… working with him, it was like a… Wow. 250 00:29:31.630 --> 00:29:37.230 Alessandro Briglia: But it was, like, insane. I learned in 2 years about language. 251 00:29:38.360 --> 00:29:40.709 Alessandro Briglia: And it's still using also today. 252 00:29:41.920 --> 00:29:49.120 Alessandro Briglia: have, like, a kind of imprinting. So, in some way, I think myself, again, like a Forrest Gump. This is just a couple of the examples. 253 00:29:50.180 --> 00:29:54.680 Alessandro Briglia: To have the possibility to work with great people. 254 00:29:55.350 --> 00:29:58.749 Alessandro Briglia: Learner. Again, sometimes it was tough, learner. 255 00:29:58.900 --> 00:30:01.920 Alessandro Briglia: But it's worth it that every single thinks. 256 00:30:04.610 --> 00:30:05.410 Alessandro Briglia: You're very… 257 00:30:05.410 --> 00:30:07.460 Ethan Wilde: generous in your, 258 00:30:08.030 --> 00:30:15.460 Ethan Wilde: In your observations about how important it's been to make all the connections with people that you've made, 259 00:30:15.930 --> 00:30:31.810 Ethan Wilde: Amazing to know that you had a chance to work with Umberto Eco. Everybody, if you don't know who Umberto Eco is, please look him up later on. I'll share some links later on. But I didn't mean to interrupt you, Alessandro. I just wanted to take a moment to 260 00:30:33.360 --> 00:30:37.920 Ethan Wilde: To capture some of what you were sharing, and, 261 00:30:38.190 --> 00:30:49.599 Ethan Wilde: and see if you have any advice for the students. You talk about yourself as, like, Forrest Gump. As I said, you're very generous in, 262 00:30:50.930 --> 00:30:52.930 Ethan Wilde: In observing how much 263 00:30:53.190 --> 00:31:02.200 Ethan Wilde: You got from the relationships that you had with the people that you work with that pushed you, that gave you knowledge, that inspired you. 264 00:31:02.420 --> 00:31:15.960 Ethan Wilde: And brought you to a leadership role where you then, yourself, were bringing a young team of character artists and collaborators, into, a more… 265 00:31:16.050 --> 00:31:26.049 Ethan Wilde: mature, professional career. Do you have advice for the students of today? There's so much that is changing around the tools. 266 00:31:26.310 --> 00:31:30.109 Ethan Wilde: As you mentioned, you've had a chance to work in VR, 267 00:31:30.360 --> 00:31:36.229 Ethan Wilde: And you've had this opportunity, as you've shared a little bit, to work with people that are new 268 00:31:36.410 --> 00:31:43.280 Ethan Wilde: Coming out of school, what recommendations might you have for students today? 269 00:31:44.270 --> 00:31:47.720 Alessandro Briglia: Today, the big challenge is AI. 270 00:31:48.170 --> 00:31:53.030 Alessandro Briglia: So there is a lot to talk about AI, what it is, what it can do. 271 00:31:53.150 --> 00:31:54.969 Alessandro Briglia: It's good, it's bad. 272 00:31:55.370 --> 00:32:07.249 Alessandro Briglia: We all lost our job because of the AI… what's happened now? What is the next? I start to work with AI, I start to… because I want to understand that there is a lot of confusion. 273 00:32:08.210 --> 00:32:19.730 Alessandro Briglia: And, I have a lot of friends that are the opposite side of this battle. They're friends that… if I name… if I say AI, they leave the room. 274 00:32:19.990 --> 00:32:31.369 Alessandro Briglia: And have, like, instead, a friend that, a couple of years ago, they decided AI is my life. I can want to… I want to learn and want to use. So I have, like, the possibility to see two opposite things. 275 00:32:32.180 --> 00:32:35.819 Alessandro Briglia: Is very problematic, especially for creators. 276 00:32:37.100 --> 00:32:55.809 Alessandro Briglia: AI is a tool. As a tool is good and better. Like, for example, years ago, when they come out, for rigging the animation, oh my god, I have all in my head the, when you have, like, the costume with all the sensor on. 277 00:32:56.610 --> 00:32:59.050 Alessandro Briglia: And, Russian capture. 278 00:32:59.400 --> 00:33:06.109 Alessandro Briglia: All the animators say, okay, we lost our job because now I want motion capture, do everything. 279 00:33:07.090 --> 00:33:11.049 Alessandro Briglia: They learn how to use, they become a normal tool, nobody blink anymore. 280 00:33:11.700 --> 00:33:13.860 Alessandro Briglia: AI is incredible. 281 00:33:13.970 --> 00:33:16.630 Alessandro Briglia: And you see a lot of AI slob around. 282 00:33:17.440 --> 00:33:24.199 Alessandro Briglia: People say, oh, I want to make my cat like a character in Brinjito. Puts a button, done. Beautifully. 283 00:33:24.600 --> 00:33:29.480 Alessandro Briglia: Yes, if you make a slob, if you make derivative art. 284 00:33:29.780 --> 00:33:39.370 Alessandro Briglia: is perfect. If you… I saw, for example, a video, Spider-Man versus Darth Vader. Wow, this is amazing, but it's derivative. 285 00:33:39.520 --> 00:33:46.499 Alessandro Briglia: Derivative, because you use Star Wars, Dark Father, and Marvel, Spider-Man. Don't create nothing new. 286 00:33:46.680 --> 00:33:50.980 Alessandro Briglia: He just combined the two things together. It's fun for 5 minutes. 287 00:33:51.400 --> 00:33:57.729 Alessandro Briglia: Then it becomes boring for… a lot too boring, because… Again, it's derivative. 288 00:33:57.960 --> 00:34:01.909 Alessandro Briglia: Nothing new, just the wow effect at the start. 289 00:34:03.050 --> 00:34:21.390 Alessandro Briglia: So, AI is very good to create a derivative and slob, but when you're an artist, I have, like, a friend that is using very well AI, when you start to define, I want to use AI to do art, using my experience to do it. 290 00:34:22.010 --> 00:34:28.819 Alessandro Briglia: it among amazing things, unique amazing things. I was shocked to see what this… it can do it. 291 00:34:30.130 --> 00:34:38.880 Alessandro Briglia: So, what is the problem? The problem is the AI is a derivative and pushes you, as an artist, to do what is good to do. 292 00:34:39.190 --> 00:34:46.340 Alessandro Briglia: For example, if you say, I want to make a robotic armor Like a mech. 293 00:34:46.449 --> 00:34:47.250 Alessandro Briglia: Yeah. 294 00:34:48.110 --> 00:34:54.179 Alessandro Briglia: Do it. I make a man. I don't want a man. I want a robotic arm, or blah blah blah. 295 00:34:54.290 --> 00:34:58.730 Alessandro Briglia: a maker of men. Why? Because he's a kind of child. 296 00:34:59.150 --> 00:35:08.400 Alessandro Briglia: Everybody know Iron Man, he has an amazing experience to do understanding Ironman, so he push you. 297 00:35:09.150 --> 00:35:13.629 Alessandro Briglia: to have Iron Man. A push to do what is good to do. 298 00:35:13.960 --> 00:35:20.609 Alessandro Briglia: So, if you want to do something for yourself, exactly what you want, sometimes you need to write to 299 00:35:20.840 --> 00:35:22.600 Alessandro Briglia: 3-page or prompt. 300 00:35:22.940 --> 00:35:32.130 Alessandro Briglia: It takes hours. It takes understand photography, it takes to understand composition, it takes to understand character creation. 301 00:35:32.480 --> 00:35:36.679 Alessandro Briglia: So, if you have experience, the knowledge. 302 00:35:36.970 --> 00:35:44.790 Alessandro Briglia: about these things, you go to talk with AI and express what you want, and you force the AI to do exactly what you want. 303 00:35:45.180 --> 00:35:46.300 Alessandro Briglia: And he's good. 304 00:35:46.960 --> 00:35:49.410 Alessandro Briglia: But it's a long, tedious process. 305 00:35:50.030 --> 00:35:57.040 Alessandro Briglia: A, you need to have an understanding of these things. If you don't have, you'll just go there, like, make a dragon. 306 00:35:57.770 --> 00:36:02.640 Alessandro Briglia: Fuck! And you have the perfect dragon, but it's the perfect boring dragon. 307 00:36:02.640 --> 00:36:21.350 Alessandro Briglia: Instead, I want a dragon. I want his anatomy like this, like this, like this. I want the light, 3-point light studio, the camera. I want the camera with this focus. I want the dragon to have, like, the membrane. I want this membrane to have, like, surface scattering. If you don't know all of these things. 308 00:36:21.350 --> 00:36:24.129 Alessandro Briglia: They come from the experience, or the study. 309 00:36:25.310 --> 00:36:31.520 Alessandro Briglia: You're asking for nothing. You're asking for a blob, for a very simple, boring things. 310 00:36:32.060 --> 00:36:37.690 Alessandro Briglia: So, the next challenge for a young artist is… 311 00:36:38.040 --> 00:36:44.809 Alessandro Briglia: Try don't be lo… bring by the eye to the simple things. 312 00:36:45.010 --> 00:36:52.269 Alessandro Briglia: It's very easy. He's simply, he's fast. Don't… don't bother, he's good. Look, he's shiny. 313 00:36:53.060 --> 00:36:55.580 Alessandro Briglia: Instead, and it's very… 314 00:36:55.910 --> 00:37:03.690 Alessandro Briglia: hard to resist, especially when you are at the start. Instead, it's… the next battle is not about tool. 315 00:37:03.800 --> 00:37:15.679 Alessandro Briglia: The next battle is about your creativity, your capacity to stay focused on what you want, know what you want, how you want, when. 316 00:37:15.840 --> 00:37:24.640 Alessandro Briglia: And then, if you are not happy about what you see, it's not exactly what you want, you can say, no, I say you this and this and this. 317 00:37:25.460 --> 00:37:32.720 Alessandro Briglia: This comes from experience. This comes from knowledge. The next button for the young artist is not a tool. 318 00:37:33.610 --> 00:37:36.779 Alessandro Briglia: The two change is more creativity. 319 00:37:36.970 --> 00:37:41.939 Alessandro Briglia: Be focused on what you're doing. Be original. Be yourself. 320 00:37:42.500 --> 00:37:48.059 Alessandro Briglia: Try to push this tool, don't drive… I make the example, like, you have a car. 321 00:37:48.390 --> 00:37:49.969 Alessandro Briglia: You have a two choice. 322 00:37:50.340 --> 00:37:55.120 Alessandro Briglia: Sit in the shotgun, and say to the car, bring me someplace fun. 323 00:37:55.390 --> 00:38:06.610 Alessandro Briglia: And everybody go to Disneyland, because the car thing, this is a funny place. Everyone, all the artists go to Disneyland. Or, you sit on the driveway. 324 00:38:06.780 --> 00:38:12.809 Alessandro Briglia: Drive the car, it's painful, is annoying, long drive, Crazy people on the street. 325 00:38:13.080 --> 00:38:20.900 Alessandro Briglia: But, you go in a different place, in your place is originality. And when you'll be original, you'll be… 326 00:38:21.200 --> 00:38:25.720 Alessandro Briglia: yourself, you have something different, this is the battleground. 327 00:38:26.680 --> 00:38:33.090 Alessandro Briglia: This is the real battleground from the next step. So, now more than ever, it's very important to learn. 328 00:38:33.470 --> 00:38:40.400 Alessandro Briglia: Not just the… the tool. Again, tool changing. Next year change, in 10-year change. 329 00:38:40.680 --> 00:38:44.199 Alessandro Briglia: But, it's understanding. You love a… 330 00:38:44.440 --> 00:38:47.699 Alessandro Briglia: make movie. You have a tool that makes movie in 10 minutes. 331 00:38:48.130 --> 00:38:58.140 Alessandro Briglia: The problem is what you say to this tool. You need to understand cinematography, composition, Light. Timing. 332 00:38:58.350 --> 00:39:07.099 Alessandro Briglia: these… beautiful, shining little movie. They are so boring and long, and they have a bad composition and bad… 333 00:39:07.250 --> 00:39:13.569 Alessandro Briglia: Oh my god. So, you have the possibility to have a magical box and do whatever you want. 334 00:39:14.110 --> 00:39:14.940 Alessandro Briglia: But. 335 00:39:15.500 --> 00:39:18.630 Alessandro Briglia: You need to be ready to ask what you want. 336 00:39:19.640 --> 00:39:20.810 Alessandro Briglia: This is the thing. 337 00:39:21.390 --> 00:39:25.460 Alessandro Briglia: AI is, is the genie out of the battle. It don't come back. 338 00:39:25.900 --> 00:39:29.690 Alessandro Briglia: Mmm, is… is terrible, he will be… 339 00:39:29.850 --> 00:39:33.560 Alessandro Briglia: Push people out of job because they make everything faster. 340 00:39:34.000 --> 00:39:44.590 Alessandro Briglia: But in the same time, Open the door for anyone that understands the basics, understand how to use it. 341 00:39:45.100 --> 00:39:46.549 Alessandro Briglia: To make their own movie. 342 00:39:46.680 --> 00:39:51.850 Alessandro Briglia: their own game. Five people, they can create a game that now requires 10 people. 343 00:39:52.050 --> 00:39:53.450 Alessandro Briglia: So… 344 00:39:53.580 --> 00:40:03.319 Alessandro Briglia: If the moment starts to be better, the economy starts to start again, everything is start to, become less, crazy. 345 00:40:04.750 --> 00:40:09.440 Alessandro Briglia: We will be a new kind of renaissance for a small company. 346 00:40:09.980 --> 00:40:15.539 Alessandro Briglia: Because the small company, now they can produce a full product, And they can challenge. 347 00:40:15.720 --> 00:40:23.699 Alessandro Briglia: Microsoft, Google, Activision, because at the same time, they are more flexible. 348 00:40:24.370 --> 00:40:30.100 Alessandro Briglia: different from me that I start to be a little bit more rigid on my creativity. 349 00:40:30.240 --> 00:40:44.050 Alessandro Briglia: You are completely flexible. You can have amazing idea, different idea. Don't be derivative. And then start to… a group of people like me and my friend at the time, Marcus Pitone, other people. 350 00:40:44.210 --> 00:40:47.519 Alessandro Briglia: We make our little movie, with a tool at a time. 351 00:40:48.160 --> 00:40:54.719 Alessandro Briglia: 5 people make 20 minutes moving. It takes 2 years, now it take 6 months. 352 00:40:55.770 --> 00:41:13.979 Alessandro Briglia: But it's the same identical things. We take our passion, what we learn from each other, from the movie, from everything else, and we try to make something. It's the same identical things, just a different kind of tools. So these create a great possibility, but again. 353 00:41:14.490 --> 00:41:22.930 Alessandro Briglia: is also, A terrible prop, because when things are easy, Mmm… is very… 354 00:41:23.150 --> 00:41:30.939 Alessandro Briglia: probable that, oh, it's good enough. Good enough, it will be the kill of art in the next step. 355 00:41:34.610 --> 00:41:36.540 Ethan Wilde: Wonderful advice. 356 00:41:37.300 --> 00:41:46.340 Ethan Wilde: for everybody here. We have a little bit of time left. I have at least one question shared in the chat here, and… Yeah. I'd like to give our, 357 00:41:47.000 --> 00:42:06.609 Ethan Wilde: our students who took the time to be here today a chance to ask questions. Patrice shared a question in the text chat. They said they're a huge fan of Skylanders and Spyro. They wanted to know if there was a relationship between the prototype of Skylanders, if it was called Spyro Kingdom originally. 358 00:42:07.100 --> 00:42:09.900 Ethan Wilde: Do you have any stories you can share about those, 359 00:42:11.430 --> 00:42:19.720 Alessandro Briglia: is, Skylander born, at the start? Have, like, a very, incredible, 360 00:42:19.970 --> 00:42:24.330 Alessandro Briglia: Change, because, it was a completely brand new technology. 361 00:42:24.760 --> 00:42:28.040 Alessandro Briglia: a completely brand new idea. So, 362 00:42:28.770 --> 00:42:34.530 Alessandro Briglia: There is so many different, exploration at the time. 363 00:42:34.740 --> 00:42:39.409 Alessandro Briglia: Thinking that the fish toys they were making using dentist tool. 364 00:42:40.730 --> 00:43:00.010 Alessandro Briglia: it was, like, it created, like, the mold and… classically, really, the mold and everything. There was a different exploration, different way, and at the start, the Spiral was added just for touching attention. It was, like, a character that everyone know and loved. 365 00:43:00.310 --> 00:43:05.310 Alessandro Briglia: So, Spyro was added almost at the end of the game. 366 00:43:05.590 --> 00:43:18.109 Alessandro Briglia: Because it was kind of the shiny object that attracts people. Like, oh, Spyro, I remember Spyro. So he introduced to the idea and to these small things. 367 00:43:18.570 --> 00:43:23.059 Alessandro Briglia: And, he was, 368 00:43:24.090 --> 00:43:28.490 Alessandro Briglia: it was fun, because the Skylander changed the… 369 00:43:29.080 --> 00:43:34.629 Alessandro Briglia: they look and shape so many times, at the point that, Activision, thanks God. 370 00:43:35.030 --> 00:43:40.600 Alessandro Briglia: Come and say, okay, we see how the trench is going. 371 00:43:40.790 --> 00:43:44.140 Alessandro Briglia: And something that happened one time in a lifetime. 372 00:43:44.270 --> 00:43:52.579 Alessandro Briglia: you have 6 months more to finish the game. They give more time, because they saw how they're changing constantly, so we have time to… 373 00:43:53.070 --> 00:43:56.190 Alessandro Briglia: Finish to transform the game in the final version. 374 00:43:56.820 --> 00:44:05.190 Alessandro Briglia: But, again, Spyro Kingdom was one of the explorations. There was other things, a lot of other things. 375 00:44:07.760 --> 00:44:17.499 Ethan Wilde: Amazing, amazing. Everybody joining us today, would you like to share any other questions with Alessandro? 376 00:44:18.410 --> 00:44:28.279 Ethan Wilde: he brings so much experience to our group today. Thank you for the amazing reflections you've shared today, Alessandro, and your. 377 00:44:28.280 --> 00:44:30.429 Alessandro Briglia: He's a pleasure, he's a pleasure. 378 00:44:30.580 --> 00:44:34.059 Ethan Wilde: It's really, really wonderful. Other questions, anybody? 379 00:44:36.980 --> 00:44:37.880 Ethan Wilde: Don't be shy. 380 00:44:37.880 --> 00:44:52.910 Alessandro Briglia: There was a red dragon that figure looks like Skylander versus pipe. Again, there was this… one other thing that happened in the production of Skylander is, it was like a moment. Our customers, they were a child. 381 00:44:53.040 --> 00:44:56.350 Alessandro Briglia: True. We were very focused on this. 382 00:44:56.560 --> 00:45:03.840 Alessandro Briglia: And, during the production, one time a year, when we are, like, Probably half in the production. 383 00:45:04.030 --> 00:45:10.440 Alessandro Briglia: We have, like, maybe 20, 40 children that come to the studio, play with the game. 384 00:45:10.590 --> 00:45:20.850 Alessandro Briglia: play with the toys. And they tell us which one is good, which one is bad. So, sometimes we have, like, a completely finished character, ready, like. 385 00:45:21.080 --> 00:45:29.549 Alessandro Briglia: 2-3 months of work, not just from our team, all team, concept, modeling, anime, everything. They come to take the toy. 386 00:45:29.950 --> 00:45:32.220 Alessandro Briglia: This is sucks. Dumb. 387 00:45:33.260 --> 00:45:36.569 Alessandro Briglia: Take all this jaw, do all this work, and throw it in the drain. 388 00:45:36.870 --> 00:45:39.520 Alessandro Briglia: Because they are our customer. 389 00:45:40.020 --> 00:45:51.189 Alessandro Briglia: In the moment we try to tell them, no, no, but this is cool. It's like the joke, like, a very important thing, like, if you need to explain a character. 390 00:45:52.340 --> 00:45:54.119 Alessandro Briglia: It means that it's failing. 391 00:45:54.360 --> 00:46:08.860 Alessandro Briglia: It's like a joke. If you need to explain a joke, it means fake. A character, you take it, the character, in some way, you… it's like a game between, I recognize this, it's familiar, but it's some kind of different, and there is a twist. 392 00:46:10.780 --> 00:46:15.260 Alessandro Briglia: When a child come and think, I don't like it, done. We are dead. 393 00:46:15.590 --> 00:46:27.250 Alessandro Briglia: And we were terrifying. So a lot of characters that were created and discarded. Also at the last moment, because they say, our customer, they say, we don't like it. 394 00:46:32.600 --> 00:46:42.539 Ethan Wilde: Yeah, that's amazing, to share that experience you had with the user testing and the kids coming in. That makes so much sense. So important. 395 00:46:42.540 --> 00:46:45.319 Alessandro Briglia: It was fantastic and rewarding. One of my… 396 00:46:45.910 --> 00:46:54.210 Alessandro Briglia: best memory there. It was one day I was, like, doing my job, and have this, Boy… Probably. 397 00:46:54.660 --> 00:46:56.780 Alessandro Briglia: Mmm… 10 year? 398 00:46:57.530 --> 00:47:03.499 Alessandro Briglia: Maybe less. He went to my desk and looked like, oh, you have Ninjini on your desk. Yes. 399 00:47:03.820 --> 00:47:05.330 Alessandro Briglia: I make an ingenie. 400 00:47:05.690 --> 00:47:17.490 Alessandro Briglia: Oh, you know Ningini? Yes, I know it. He started to tell me about Ninjini, how he have fun, the power, the things, he go inside the bottle, and he was so happy. 401 00:47:17.990 --> 00:47:26.020 Alessandro Briglia: He was, so in… you enjoy so much this… Stupid piece of plastic. 402 00:47:26.420 --> 00:47:33.050 Alessandro Briglia: That it was fantastic. And, at one point, we understand that maybe we don't change the world. 403 00:47:33.830 --> 00:47:37.320 Alessandro Briglia: But we have diff… they, 404 00:47:37.810 --> 00:47:42.670 Alessandro Briglia: The lack to make so many children happy for a moment. 405 00:47:47.680 --> 00:47:50.660 Ethan Wilde: Do you see Patrice's latest comment there? I think. 406 00:47:50.660 --> 00:47:52.700 Alessandro Briglia: Oh my god! You struck a chord. 407 00:47:52.700 --> 00:47:58.890 Ethan Wilde: with him. I think. Maybe, maybe he was the boy. 408 00:47:59.660 --> 00:48:11.430 Alessandro Briglia: It's funny, because still today, sometimes, people say, oh, you know this guy, he's making… he did Skylander, and everybody, oh my god, I have two, two different reactions. 409 00:48:11.580 --> 00:48:17.720 Alessandro Briglia: Fathers, they say, oh, damn you, you know how much money I spend for these stupid toys. 410 00:48:17.880 --> 00:48:22.259 Alessandro Briglia: And people, they say, I grew up with them, and I have a bunch of fun. 411 00:48:24.110 --> 00:48:29.519 Ethan Wilde: Yeah, wonderful. It's, it must be, 412 00:48:29.640 --> 00:48:38.309 Ethan Wilde: Quite a powerful feeling when you hear from children, from… from people that… 413 00:48:38.890 --> 00:48:46.530 Ethan Wilde: found so much, pleasure in the work that you've done with your teams, 414 00:48:47.530 --> 00:48:52.960 Ethan Wilde: It's a special kind of reward to work in this kind of field, isn't it? 415 00:48:54.530 --> 00:49:00.830 Alessandro Briglia: Yes, mistake. Always. Mistakes are the cornerstone of the career. 416 00:49:01.210 --> 00:49:11.369 Alessandro Briglia: One of the things that today is look like sometimes a little bit problematic, is say, oh, I make a mistake, this is my fault. 417 00:49:11.760 --> 00:49:13.189 Alessandro Briglia: Never stop this. 418 00:49:13.380 --> 00:49:24.569 Alessandro Briglia: Always be, you need to own your mistake like your success, always. But then when you say, it's my fault, let me fix this. 419 00:49:25.970 --> 00:49:30.399 Alessandro Briglia: One big mistake… 420 00:49:31.290 --> 00:49:50.739 Alessandro Briglia: I was tasked to, find a pipeline to make the… to find a solution to transform the, digital, character in Imagineette, or at the end, in the last calendar, you combine your character, and you can 3D print the character. 421 00:49:50.740 --> 00:49:55.279 Alessandro Briglia: to find a way to easily transform the 3D, 422 00:49:56.010 --> 00:50:00.379 Alessandro Briglia: in a model. In a 3D… in a printable model. 423 00:50:00.880 --> 00:50:04.030 Alessandro Briglia: And they're thinking, I can do it. 424 00:50:04.360 --> 00:50:12.699 Alessandro Briglia: I have all the things. So, I started to create this pipeline. I think it was, very, solid. 425 00:50:13.020 --> 00:50:15.559 Alessandro Briglia: And then I… didn't work. 426 00:50:16.000 --> 00:50:20.839 Alessandro Briglia: Because I didn't know some things. I'm not an engineer. 427 00:50:21.360 --> 00:50:28.090 Alessandro Briglia: I'm thinking that my experience in modifying pipeline 3D, I think, was enough. 428 00:50:29.340 --> 00:50:32.659 Alessandro Briglia: I didn't know that I needed experience in engineering. 429 00:50:33.070 --> 00:50:35.260 Alessandro Briglia: So, I fail. 430 00:50:36.390 --> 00:50:41.080 Alessandro Briglia: And then… I find the solution. I don't know. 431 00:50:41.380 --> 00:50:49.619 Alessandro Briglia: I need an engineer to work with me. They teach me all the problems, everything that they know, because every time you make something. 432 00:50:50.260 --> 00:50:52.559 Alessandro Briglia: You always don't know something else. 433 00:50:53.270 --> 00:50:55.200 Alessandro Briglia: So, I went to an engineer. 434 00:50:55.480 --> 00:50:57.940 Alessandro Briglia: And we worked together for a month. 435 00:50:58.310 --> 00:51:07.659 Alessandro Briglia: And he showed me all the things that I was thinking. I was very proud, also, how I make this pipeline. I was like, this is solid, this is… 436 00:51:08.370 --> 00:51:10.170 Alessandro Briglia: I understand, like, a… yeah. 437 00:51:10.290 --> 00:51:11.430 Alessandro Briglia: I didn't know. 438 00:51:12.510 --> 00:51:18.919 Alessandro Briglia: And teach me next time, Before start everything, sit down. 439 00:51:19.130 --> 00:51:24.440 Alessandro Briglia: And listen to the old part. Listen also to the people that, are… 440 00:51:25.080 --> 00:51:31.910 Alessandro Briglia: Not directly impacted by this, because sometimes they have a point that they… you don't know, and it's crucial. 441 00:51:38.040 --> 00:51:44.010 Alessandro Briglia: Where you decided on a field and need to focus on? Is, 442 00:51:44.220 --> 00:51:51.120 Alessandro Briglia: sometimes, again, it's kind of a… I would decide to move from a different niche to another. 443 00:51:51.420 --> 00:52:05.880 Alessandro Briglia: One thing is, again, it's challenge, and when I start to understand that I know so well something, it starts to be kind of boring. I want to be… I like to be challenged. I like to find solutions. I like to… 444 00:52:06.340 --> 00:52:11.339 Alessandro Briglia: to find a trick that, and sometimes, for example, for VR, 445 00:52:11.450 --> 00:52:16.530 Alessandro Briglia: doing Skylander, doing the game, it was like, I know exactly everything about. 446 00:52:17.400 --> 00:52:23.910 Alessandro Briglia: I can work, I try different things. I'm a little bit more a producer, I work with outsourcing. 447 00:52:24.060 --> 00:52:29.839 Alessandro Briglia: But it wasn't challenging enough. Then come VR, and it was extremely challenging. 448 00:52:30.330 --> 00:52:32.649 Alessandro Briglia: And I was like, yeah. 449 00:52:32.810 --> 00:52:39.380 Alessandro Briglia: I want to see if I can find a job that, again, I can pay my bill, but in the same time. 450 00:52:39.970 --> 00:52:44.849 Alessandro Briglia: I can apply my experience here, I learn, and make something completely new. 451 00:52:51.220 --> 00:52:57.610 Ethan Wilde: Wonderful stories, Alessandro. Do we have time maybe for one more question, if anybody's got another question? Anybody? 452 00:53:01.390 --> 00:53:04.899 Ethan Wilde: Are you still living in the San Francisco Bay Area, Alessandro? 453 00:53:04.900 --> 00:53:06.870 Alessandro Briglia: Yes, he's still living in Petaluma. 454 00:53:07.020 --> 00:53:09.210 Ethan Wilde: Petaluma, wonderful. 455 00:53:09.210 --> 00:53:10.630 Alessandro Briglia: I love it. I love it. 456 00:53:10.800 --> 00:53:13.830 Alessandro Briglia: Beautiful small city. Beautiful small city. 457 00:53:13.830 --> 00:53:16.769 Ethan Wilde: I agree, I agree, it's a jewel in Sonoma County. 458 00:53:16.960 --> 00:53:18.049 Ethan Wilde: It really is. 459 00:53:18.990 --> 00:53:19.890 Ethan Wilde: Well… 460 00:53:20.810 --> 00:53:29.160 Ethan Wilde: I hope that we'll have a chance to invite you again. Maybe we can share some of our student projects with you in the future, and . 461 00:53:29.160 --> 00:53:30.559 Alessandro Briglia: It would be fantastic. 462 00:53:30.750 --> 00:53:33.040 Ethan Wilde: Wonderful. It's so, so good. 463 00:53:33.490 --> 00:53:41.420 Ethan Wilde: So grateful to you for taking time to share your experiences and your wisdom. 464 00:53:42.040 --> 00:53:47.070 Ethan Wilde: In this field, which is so, so challenging and so enriching, too. 465 00:53:48.260 --> 00:53:51.980 Alessandro Briglia: I want to leave a… one thing is very important, especially for students. 466 00:53:51.980 --> 00:53:52.970 Ethan Wilde: Yes, please. 467 00:53:52.970 --> 00:53:58.380 Alessandro Briglia: That is different, especially when you start to work and you leave the school for work. 468 00:53:58.980 --> 00:54:08.789 Alessandro Briglia: on the work, again, the focus is on the product. So, one of the first things that I saw immediately, it was, like, when, 469 00:54:08.920 --> 00:54:10.940 Alessandro Briglia: on, on production. 470 00:54:11.330 --> 00:54:16.760 Alessandro Briglia: you have critic back. Like, oh, I don't like this. This don't work. 471 00:54:17.350 --> 00:54:23.040 Alessandro Briglia: When you are in school, it's different. When you are in production, it's a little bit more impactful. 472 00:54:24.660 --> 00:54:29.760 Alessandro Briglia: Don't be scared about critic. Don't be scared about feedback. 473 00:54:30.080 --> 00:54:35.700 Alessandro Briglia: This is a very important thing. As a, for example, what do you learn by your mistake? 474 00:54:36.240 --> 00:54:38.700 Alessandro Briglia: It's the same thing that you learn from the critic. 475 00:54:39.170 --> 00:54:45.240 Alessandro Briglia: This is good, this is bad, why? Don't always ask why. 476 00:54:45.370 --> 00:54:50.940 Alessandro Briglia: Take the critic is very important, and transform this in knowledge. 477 00:54:51.790 --> 00:55:03.329 Alessandro Briglia: Oh, I don't like this. Okay. Why don't like this. You see, the character has the head too big in relation to the body, so it looks like younger, that's the feeling that we want. 478 00:55:03.580 --> 00:55:05.769 Alessandro Briglia: Thank you. I go to fix it. 479 00:55:06.330 --> 00:55:09.570 Alessandro Briglia: Fixing is worth the knowledge. 480 00:55:09.970 --> 00:55:15.109 Alessandro Briglia: So, in this way, Don't be pushed back, like, oh. 481 00:55:15.370 --> 00:55:19.939 Alessandro Briglia: Damn you. Damn you are director that you want to change everything. Yes! 482 00:55:20.160 --> 00:55:25.810 Alessandro Briglia: Sometimes, yes. Also, you work with the stupid art director, but… 483 00:55:26.820 --> 00:55:31.809 Alessandro Briglia: It's very important that you transform this into something for you. 484 00:55:32.080 --> 00:55:37.340 Alessandro Briglia: You don't like it, tell me why. Oh, make the head smaller. 485 00:55:37.740 --> 00:55:41.239 Alessandro Briglia: Why… sorry, why you want to have a smolder? 486 00:55:41.580 --> 00:55:48.200 Alessandro Briglia: Because the head is smaller, looks like a more adult, the feeling, the perception… thank you. 487 00:55:48.720 --> 00:55:50.620 Alessandro Briglia: And you apply this the next time. 488 00:55:50.810 --> 00:55:55.980 Alessandro Briglia: So, it's very important, especially when you move from school to production. 489 00:55:56.240 --> 00:56:01.900 Alessandro Briglia: Don't just pull back, or just take, like, a… become, like, a… 490 00:56:02.670 --> 00:56:06.809 Alessandro Briglia: a meat machine, like a, oh, you want this? Whatever. 491 00:56:07.150 --> 00:56:15.550 Alessandro Briglia: Done. You don't learn nothing. The next time, it will be always like this. Instead, like, Okay, why? 492 00:56:15.960 --> 00:56:27.659 Alessandro Briglia: In this way, you drain the people that you have, you take from the people that know they have more experience from you, you take this experience. 493 00:56:28.620 --> 00:56:36.859 Alessandro Briglia: And you're thinking, oh, these mean this. For example, in Skylander, why we make the ice always bigger, over bigger? 494 00:56:37.130 --> 00:56:38.999 Alessandro Briglia: Oh, because manga… no. 495 00:56:39.130 --> 00:56:45.760 Alessandro Briglia: Because bigger eyes make the character. Also, if you are… the looker is adult. 496 00:56:46.120 --> 00:56:49.869 Alessandro Briglia: Like, more, like, easier. It's, like, more like a big children. 497 00:56:50.220 --> 00:56:54.049 Alessandro Briglia: So, for our audience, it was more easy to understand. 498 00:56:55.600 --> 00:57:05.659 Alessandro Briglia: small change that you understand changed everything. In Skylander, one big change, it was like, you have the toy. And then we started talking, yeah. 499 00:57:05.800 --> 00:57:09.960 Alessandro Briglia: You know what? These toys are cool, but… 500 00:57:10.530 --> 00:57:13.720 Alessandro Briglia: What is the difference of a receptor for Disney Infinity? 501 00:57:14.210 --> 00:57:18.319 Alessandro Briglia: They're looking sometimes better. We make a little change. 502 00:57:18.440 --> 00:57:23.079 Alessandro Briglia: We take the toys on the hand, and we tilt the eye a little bit up. 503 00:57:23.620 --> 00:57:27.480 Alessandro Briglia: So, when you have the toy in your hand, the toy look at you. 504 00:57:27.980 --> 00:57:29.630 Alessandro Briglia: You create connection. 505 00:57:30.160 --> 00:57:34.320 Alessandro Briglia: And this was, people smarter than me that teach me this. 506 00:57:34.570 --> 00:57:41.760 Alessandro Briglia: And it's like… Oh… now I understand why this is work, because they create connection. 507 00:57:42.130 --> 00:57:48.160 Alessandro Briglia: I learn from this, and then I apply. When I make a portfolio, for example, you make a portfolio. 508 00:57:48.580 --> 00:57:49.849 Alessandro Briglia: I tell you a trick. 509 00:57:49.970 --> 00:57:51.519 Alessandro Briglia: And you make a character. 510 00:57:52.020 --> 00:57:56.649 Alessandro Briglia: You have the character look up like this. Okay, it's cool, but if you look at you. 511 00:57:56.990 --> 00:58:05.670 Alessandro Briglia: you create connection. If I'm an art director and need to hire somebody and look at a portfolio, see a character that look at me. 512 00:58:05.960 --> 00:58:07.340 Alessandro Briglia: Take my attention. 513 00:58:09.450 --> 00:58:14.919 Alessandro Briglia: So, you see, you learn something, and you apply, it becomes your knowledge. 514 00:58:15.140 --> 00:58:24.270 Alessandro Briglia: So, if sometimes, You fail, you don't make exactly what they want. Don't be just… Whatever. 515 00:58:24.760 --> 00:58:28.570 Alessandro Briglia: I do whatever you want, I know that it's not right. No, no, no! 516 00:58:28.790 --> 00:58:39.359 Alessandro Briglia: ask why. So you can… yes, I pay to do my time and effort to make what you want, but in exchange, I take your knowledge. 517 00:58:42.640 --> 00:58:43.970 Ethan Wilde: Brilliant advice. 518 00:58:44.130 --> 00:58:48.949 Ethan Wilde: Explaining how… To receive criticism as a learning experience. 519 00:58:49.730 --> 00:58:53.359 Ethan Wilde: That's a wonderful closing sentiment to share with everybody. 520 00:58:54.060 --> 00:58:56.309 Ethan Wilde: Thank you again, Alessandro. I will follow. 521 00:58:56.310 --> 00:58:56.760 Alessandro Briglia: He's up late. 522 00:58:57.180 --> 00:58:58.289 Alessandro Briglia: It's a pleasure. 523 00:58:58.290 --> 00:59:07.239 Ethan Wilde: And, great to know that you live so close to us all in Petalumo. We'll be sure to see if we can get some more, of your time for our students. 524 00:59:07.700 --> 00:59:13.040 Alessandro Briglia: It will be a pleasure, absolutely. Thank you, everyone, and yes, it was fun. 525 00:59:13.220 --> 00:59:14.570 Ethan Wilde: Grazia Migille. 526 00:59:14.850 --> 00:59:15.660 Alessandro Briglia: Rego. 527 00:59:16.040 --> 00:59:17.310 Ethan Wilde: Bonaccio nata. 528 00:59:18.060 --> 00:59:18.640 Alessandro Briglia: Bye. 529 00:59:18.960 --> 00:59:19.730 Ethan Wilde: Bye-bye.