Ep 4 - Anywhere, Anytime (Niels Dewitte)

Tody's episode is an interview with Niels Dewitte, a VFX artist that is currently working at Agni-Flare with past credits working at nDreams and on the video game Phantom Covert Ops.  Niels talks about his move from Europe to Japan and how different that transition has been.  He also shares his experience as the moderator for the RTVFX forums.

Niels name on RTVFX: Wyvery
Website: http://nielsdewitte.be/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Niels_Dewitte
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nielsdewitte/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdMyPWd6AjFh8L69W4LSbjw
His Games: https://www.ndreams.com/titles/phantom/

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Transcript

spk_0:   0:00
Hello, I'm Michelle Gang. Me and you are listening to the real time visual effects podcast where wizards reside.

spk_2:   0:12
You have a gift. You have a passion for creation. There's something inside you that wants to express itself and that something has led you to explore the world of visual effects, a place where magic happens and the only limitation is your imagination. All the greatest artists in the world started somewhere learning and growing into the people they are today. You being here is the first step to building your legacy as an artist. Third best and brightest in the real time visual effects community. Sharpen your skills and be your best self. Today's episode is an interview with Neil's Do it, eh? And he is a vfx artist who left Europe to move to a job in Japan. And it's so awesome to hear about his experience with the culture shock that comes with working in a different country. And it's really interesting to learn about the Eastern influence really affects how the effects are made. With that said, Let's jump in. Here

spk_0:   1:09
is your host, Travis. Mick Calum,

spk_1:   1:13
eh? What's up, everybody, Today I've got Neal's do Ita, And he has worked on the video game Phantom Cover, Where to Ops, and is currently working at Acne Flare and has worked at studios like in Dreams in the Past. Neil's How you doing today, man?

spk_0:   1:28
Yeah. All right. All right.

spk_1:   1:30
How's the how's the weather in Japan?

spk_0:   1:33
Well, currently, it's completely dark outside because it's 11 But it was really good weather today. Yeah,

spk_1:   1:40
Yeah, you're on the other half of the world, at least from the U. S. So I want to get into all the cool stuff that you're working on, being involved in the real time visual effects forums and some of these other projects that you may be doing. But before that, how'd you get started in visual effects,

spk_0:   1:55
Right. So I went to university in Belgium and, uh, y sculpts digital arts entertainment forces on game development. Essentially, Andi, I did game development programming essentially for Lexie Sharp c++ like programming for games on dhe. Some of the courses that we have just because, like, it was a more general direction. We have courses on art, and I got really, really interested into the art part of games as well. I find that kind of ashamed when I when I went into the industry that I would have to choose between art and programming. So I wanted to do something which combined those two things which add up when you really, really have two options left, I'd regular technical artist or your view makes scientist on just Victor supercool. I have been working on, like, the effects stuff like even before I started, but just like offhandedly without really much interested in to it. But as I you know, as I got further and further into that like learning process, my passion for the FX crew and I took more and more and more with it until eventually I decided that this is probably more why I want to do than the programming. So I joined the contest. I won the contest. I had one of the companies that organized the contest, asked me to want to work here and said, Yeah, course started working there as a vfx artist,

spk_1:   3:20
knowing that visual effects is something you're into. I'm curious. Know what is kind of like your definition of what real time visual effects is? What does it mean to you,

spk_0:   3:29
right So the vex is kind of no, no, really, that well defined even with like within the community, when in the V of X community, there's like a lot of different people. A lot of different things are being done with it, but typically it boils down. Thio people using a very specific set of skills, typically particle systems and materials to achieve a certain look certain can. The animation can be background, but typically this set of skills that people have a lion way more than what eventual result this first we're going for So you have these people who are really good. But what materials which used those materials to weigh what water staters and their big healthy of ex artists on then You've also go people who typically were on explosions and stuff after being healthy of extract us but what they typically have in common. It's like the set of skills after after being able to use particle effects under animation principles and the shapes and colors to create the things that make

spk_1:   4:30
do you feel like a lot of those skills that you're describing? Are those used to cross, you know, the FX artists in film and maybe in games? Or is there kind of a differentiation between the real time aspect versus, say, just non real time? You know what I mean?

spk_0:   4:44
Yeah, of course. There's definitely gonna be like differences once you cross into the real time because people have to know. Despite buying symphonies, people have toe realize what they're building this some time off so they don't like. They don't mess with a system, which isn't as much of a problem in film ass, simply having unlimited like, well, no unlimited. But whole other range off possibilities there. Also the vex for film. This is typically done in away. Broader people are being called Felix even way broader than what we're doing. Games and people making bricks for films are often also already labeled X art. It's just because they happen to work on the FX shots, which is them to guess for for games.

spk_1:   5:28
So what do you wish you had known when starting out to become a visual? Effects? Artists were some of those things. If you could talk to yourself maybe 5 10 years ago and had said a maybe I should have did this instead.

spk_0:   5:40
Well, sort of thing that I initially struggled very, very much. What? It's kind of just finding the FX finding. Finding the resource is finding the other people who did it finding what I should do, finding the path which I found when I originally like I think a lot of other vox like N v of X scientists of probably fund as well is that work for me? Specifically was Jason Keyser Sze introduction to be vexed like videos which put on on YouTube completely for free, which I saw her. And I was like, Oh, so this is how you're supposed to like this is what What b of exes actually original Just particles. There is this whole idea behind and I feel like if there's just 11 thing I would have wanted to tell myself, it's just like going watch this, like, this is what you need, because I have to search for that for a long time before you start. Andi. Other thing probably is the forums where we connect with each other. Whereas before that I didn't really know anyone doing the vics. They can be a big serious. You're even having a passion for it. once I find the form, I was like, Okay, right. We've got all these other people here doing the same thing can talk with them and get, like, figure stuff out. Thank you Can share in the bathroom.

spk_1:   6:50
What? You mean there's Maur Thio visual effects than just particle systems? I'm just kidding. Yeah, man, I totally agree. Like having a community back in the olden days. That wasn't really a thing. I've been able to put together one and really kind of find people that understand and connected and help you grow as an artist. And we'll definitely get into that in a little bit. What's what you're doing right now and where your your mind and your head space are? What are things that you're curious or interested in right now in just the visual effects industry?

spk_0:   7:21
Yeah. So, like, currently one of the things Steffy coming up this Magara particle system for real, and then you've got the unity kind of counterpart wet. They're going into this and a scripting paradigm for particle systems, which I think is super interesting background as a programmer. Suddenly this, like, opens up what I can do with bike goes on with simulation seems like it. Just write it myself. And the other thing, which I'm super interested currently, is the ultimate ization and kind of building tools for work flows to kind of improve and speed up. What I'm potentially even my colleagues are doing through things like Maya. Scripting truth, Deanie True.

spk_1:   8:03
Can you maybe talk us through a tool that maybe you've created in the past and kind of how that need came to be and how it helped others or yourself out?

spk_0:   8:12
Yeah, sure. So I think one of my proudest ISS and one of my most used is a very simple tool. It's a explain generator in real using, despite that are already there to create measures diffident can import or like essentially big toe a match and amusing of particle systems, which kind of alleviates the need to go into my toe, have everything set up there to like export have to re export, and we exploit quality rating. We're wife done. We can do that in the engine we can penetrate in the engine. We can see what's happening in the engine, and the ones were happy with it. Just used that mesh. Barnicle system, and then we'll just work, which I think is great. And it's pizza up so much.

spk_1:   8:55
Yeah, that's go. I always like spines expressly what I'm making, like rivers or any kind of volcano. I'm glad. Glad you you are behind the curtain, making these amazing tools as somebody who is involved with the community. You're often looking at other people's work, and they're asking for feedback and maybe even in your own work flow. You want feedback on your work. So whenever you're involved with that, what are some of the things that you're looking at and what are you looking for?

spk_0:   9:22
Right? So this is like this very much to basic fix. First, writers like the animation principles, there's shapes and colors. I'm like just how all of that works together, how awful that is, like something that I've recently been thinking more and more and more about. Actually, it's kind of higher level motivation Behind effects, which is essentially just a fancy, will not even stance the way of saying, like why ISS, for example, your big character shattering in believing the small pieces? Why, if that 14 diminishing, or where's the smoke coming from right it's like, How do we motivator effects, and how well do we motivate them? I think up something that I've actually be in the past of struggles, actually to get that, always going to get that aspect right. I knew about the animation principles about color, about like about how to make that work hard to get interesting, my effects. But I didn't know how to motivate properly, and that's something I've kind of more and more and other people's work also started looking at this, like, higher level like Okay, once we get all of the basic stuff right, how do we make sure that someone's looking at it? That that makes sense even within, for example, if you have a stylized effect, just because it's stylist doesn't mean that it doesn't have to make sense from a logical point of view. And so how do we kind of motivate the things that we're doing there? How do you like I'm saying? How do we move to phase two smoke being there once we've made it?

spk_1:   10:50
Yeah, man, have you seen Julian loves GDC talk on Diablo and the effects they did on that because, like 2000

spk_0:   10:57
10 I believe everyone thinks point is a very, very good.

spk_1:   11:03
Yeah, well, you were talking about how some people they just put a mish massive, different emitters together and visit. What? What's the intention? How do they work together? You know, that's kind of what I'm getting is that when we talk about motivation, every single thing has to have a purpose, and it has to work together. And you have to think about the intention behind in the reasoning behind that. Is that kind of what you were saying?

spk_0:   11:24
Yeah, exactly. Exactly that that is, you know, kind of thinking more than them just on the particle level or the Our material level is like, it's everything working together. And does the things have a logical reason behind being? Yeah,

spk_1:   11:40
cool, man. So, thinking about your own visual effects, work flow. What's that process look like for you? Whenever you're creating a visual effect, maybe from start to

spk_0:   11:49
finish, right. So the first part and that's again something that is very much struggled with when I began is making sure you know exactly what your manager or client or you know, whomever is you're working with. You're making your effect for you, Don't yourself. Even if you're making something for herself knowing exactly what they won't let us close as possible to that. And then from there, of course, they're gonna start gathering your reference. You're going to start, you know, making your sketches. If it's necessary, you're gonna make sure you kind of establish yourself and to others often what you're gonna make, what you're gonna do and then something that I like doing this figuring out what are gonna be the difficult parts of what I'm doing well are gonna be the tricky parts was gonna take me time. Or perhaps what is gonna be potentially, even impossible within the set that we have right now and start researching those things first, making sure that we have what we need to eventually stumble. What we're making. Once you've done that, it's blocking out on putting your effect to get in quick succession. And then it's like retreating, extricating iterating iterating, making sure things look good, making sure like things the line with what you originally had intended, or maybe a line with the direction you're shifting in, if that's what you want to do and making sure that things make sense right on Dhe. You know, once you go in the alteration stage, maybe you're like, sending him off to claim getting some feedback on anybody showing to the manager, getting some feedback on it. I think at that point you're just quite heavily focusing on Just is going to your effect like looking at bites of it and saying Like, Is this what I want? Is this what I want? Is this good enough? Is this justice allying with what we want? What we want in general and traded traded me trait. Until you have your perfect defector, you've run out of time, right?

spk_1:   13:36
Yeah, I think that's a good part is to mention time. There has to be kind of constraint where enough is enough. We know perfection is the enemy of progress. Are there any effects that maybe you've worked on recently or kind of used that process to create any of that come to mind kind of is a case study, while most

spk_0:   13:53
of the effects I've worked on recently are completely locked down and completely gone away from public. But I do have a NIF ect for what is a few months ago. Where? You know, just very, very simple teleport, or like, not even teleport portal effect. Very simple. I d just I want a portal. I want to be able to see through the portal. Kind of going through that. It's almost more technical. IPhone, BMX. I'm just very quickly, like, gave myself like, Hey, here's that they make a portal. How far can you get and went to the stage is really, really quickly in. Kind of, like, really kind of tested How well that worked. Haven't started out what I want portal making sketches. What could a portal look like? Going looking games? Like, how did they make portals finding reference? And then, like, Well, what is gonna be difficult about this? Well, I'm gonna want to look through the portal. How am I gonna do? How am I going to make sure people can actually look for the burgers on certain what kind off waste? And we do. We can just put a texture on that, because that's like if you look around it, is this gonna work? I'm doing the research in there. Once I had figured out that it was just a matter of making materials making the effect of putting in semen was looking what it looked like, seeing if I like it penetrating a trading in trailing until the day was over.

spk_1:   15:10
So thinking about that programming background, I know you were working in programming, transitioning from being a game programmer to visual effects. What was that like? Was there kind of like a big shift or paradigm? Or did it just feel really natural and easy? Because I know you mentioned technical art is a big part of what you do and where you are.

spk_0:   15:30
Yeah, so essentially the only programming like professional programming experience I have is as an internship. I have never actually worked as a professional programmer, but I have done it for, what, 78 years in the background behind in between lessons, you know, just as a hobby. But since I have never done as as like, a professional thing, there wasn't really a transposition, which would be the same as for like a normal game programmer transition towards Felix. It was more like transitioning from being student programming to being a professional. BMX practiced, which brings with it probably most of the same things. This transition from ST Student to professional as they learn to work in a studio with rules where there are other people are gonna tell you like I know your works extremely to improve on that further. You know, where there are conventions and those need to be right. Otherwise, you know, some script in the background that you don't know about fail. I think

spk_1:   16:31
I was gonna say, thinking on the programming side and visual effects. How would you encourage people to kind of implement some of the programming in their visual effect work? What are some techniques? Tips your tricks that you can think of because a lot of people are afraid of, say, coding. They're like, Oh, I just want to do art. And we know you can do visual effects just on the art side. But it is both art and tech, right?

spk_0:   16:53
Yeah, I think so. Like you say you can do it just using are even if they're just a artist, just knowing about the programming on even being able to implement simple programs will be able to You can elevate your effects quite fire, just knowing how like the material works and be a being able to make Mitchell closer to what you imagine can help your law. We're creating your effects instead of being stuck in using other people's materials or other people's shoulders. If you work in an environment that works like that, as well as just general knowledge off the render pipeline, just general knowledge of hell programming works or how your effect is eventually gonna be used and implemented will also help you make sure your effects are optimists. I can make sure your effects are. You know what the programmers are gonna want or need to get the implemented. And then the last thing ISS as we transition towards article simulators, which do allow scripting, which do allow expressions and programmatic input. No way programming just even simple vector math will help you create behavior that someone who doesn't know the programming and obviously no implement in that case or would need someone else to implement forthem.

spk_1:   18:07
How is the job changed for you? I'm moving from Europe to Japan,

spk_0:   18:12
right? So, yeah, I worked in Britain before, actually, some I'm originally from Belgium that I've moved to a Briton toe work there for about a year. I've kind of learned how the industry works from them and kind of they're like systems on DDE. Moving to Japan essentially means Okay, now we've got a different studio structure. Now we have different. You know, we've got different rules. You got different conventions. You have to relearn that. But except for that, within the studio, the same tools are used the same, you know, the same. Like the pipeline doesn't change the tool sets don't change while you know the names might change. Your approach to the affects doesn't really change that much is because the same software is used. Of course, language is a big barrier. My Japanese isn't brilliant. I'm having to rely on my colleagues to do no English to kind of help me out there and then just company culture is also different. People don't differently to each other at there's different rules of, like how to approach. People have to make sure like you show respect to make sure that you're you know, that you're offending people. That's difference just from company to company and just between Europe and Japan. Onda same is true for incompetence. Essentially,

spk_1:   19:26
I feel like you're in the heart of video game culture because Nintendos there, Sonny's there. I mean, that you got everything set for Microsoft, right? So, uh, you just get to be about these street legends. It's pretty exciting.

spk_0:   19:40
Yeah, there's like a lot off big companies originating in Japan. They have a very In my opinion, it is very different view on what games are, at least originally to do the kind of merging right now the Western and Japanese and growing closer to each other, referencing each other alot. For me, a big example of that is from soft, stark souls in which essentially, Dave did so Japanese company taking in a Western style RPG concept but then really introducing things that we would never have thought about or like, would have considered bad game design and making something really nice out of it, right? So

spk_1:   20:18
I wanna touch based on what you mentioned with Western versus Eastern views of video games. What is Japan View games as as opposed to Western?

spk_0:   20:27
I think so. Originally, Right now they're they're merging, so it's harder to see. But are virtually I feel like Western style games where mu a more focused on the conflict, often behind certain things were more like It's It's It's game designer first. But then I feel like like conflict and war were way more off of a like a focus for Western style games. Well, I feel like Japanese games more often than not like to reference nature on dhe. How would you say that? They like a more existential kind of thing, where the reference like the existence of dread, the reference the existence off natural disasters not as a conflict with other people but as a conflict or not even a conflict but like in a direction which nature in a way.

spk_1:   21:20
So Neil's you won an award in visual effects and animation. Can you tell me a little bit about that?

spk_0:   21:26
Do you want this? A sculpt search for a star, which is student entry contest, which they're in every year? It's both a way to get students to kind of like students in their last years before in Trinity Industry to try and build things that are ready for the industry both to kind of show off what they can to get feedback on dhe to connect with other people who are looking to do the same thing which it's run out of the UK. But there's like a little off other European countries in which different universities and schools and joining kind of trying to show what they have, what I can do, kind of highlight what their passion is, what I would like to do in the industry once they graduate. Yeah, I mean, it was really interesting experience as a student because you typically as a student, I don't really get to make things like that. You have your courses, you make exactly what the course tells you and move on, and there is no like work cycle. There is no like, How would you do that in the industry at least know where you know where I was following courses, weaving storm we'd ever project and that there was no for on that. While you know, when we did the contest, that was essentially likely. You make a project you send and you get feedback. You make a new project and disdain. People are going to see that. And eventually I went to the UK for a day to go and talk with, like industry specialists, you know, going here, their experience and to go and just have an interview with them and start with these people. I was looking upto such. And then eventually. Apparently, they chose me to be the best day of exactly that. Uh, yeah, that year. That's

spk_1:   23:00
cool, man. It's It's always good to be recognized for your hard work, and your efforts definitely encourage people to join these different contests that come up and try and win awards, which, speaking off real time visual effects are TV fx dot com The forums. You're an admin for it. So what's that look like? What, your thoughts with all this stuff going on over there And can you tell us a little bit about the contest that you'll have there?

spk_0:   23:23
Yeah, so essentially will be fixed up. Coming is the forum, which helped me become a V of X artists. And so, no, I want to return the favor I want. Like, I want to help other people. I wanna like, see what other people do and see what I can do to help to get them to like the same place as meat on. I think you know, the real time you fixed that comets like just the best place to do that. It's for people should, in my opinion, at least to be where people should go. If they want to become a few extracts, you're gonna find out the best beef extract us. We can link you to the right of Florence to the right places can show you what to do. The contests were doing are essentially sketches. We we come together with a whole bunch of people. We announced a team or a challenge. And then people get a month to try their best to make as good as possible off a project. You know, within the banks off the charge within the banks of that thing way have people a lot of the admissions and moderators off the forums, kind of at the end of the month, looking at all of the work and kind of analyzing it, trying to find food the best and trying to give you a little here and there. We will have busy schedules, always possible. But yeah, that's kind of the idea behind you. Just like give people a challenge so they can stretch their few vex bustles on dhe kind of go wild a bit different than the studio where we, like often very limited Go wild, go big. But it'll mum's with time schedule and trained it, you know, trying to try and get people to interact, try and get people to have fun would be of existentially.

spk_1:   24:54
We're ready to get into the lightning round quick and fast, like visual effects. Are you ready?

spk_0:   24:59
Yeah, I suppose so.

spk_1:   25:02
You sounded a little hesitant there. What is the perfect one day? Get away in Japan in the surrounding area,

spk_0:   25:09
Right? So currently I live in Yokohama. I think Ford here is a many things I would say go to a social shop or yakitori shop. They're amazing

spk_1:   25:17
what video game or mobile app are using on your phone That is the most fun

spk_0:   25:23
I play off. Rocket leak divvy vixen rapidly are amazing on it's It's so much fun to drive around. And Garth and meatballs.

spk_1:   25:33
What is your favorite thing to cook or eat?

spk_0:   25:36
The cook salmon wedge Just vegetables on dhe like some sauce on. Great. I find that fine to eat well and driven. Every good food style would say sushi.

spk_1:   25:48
I'm a huge fan of sushi as well. I'm honestly perfectly content with California rolls. But is there any kind of specialty sushi rolls that you recommend?

spk_0:   25:58
Well, they don't really do rose here, actually, in the emotional to have what they can't give me, which is just raffish on top of the rice. But it's some of the best. Ralph, if you're gonna eat ever

spk_1:   26:09
cool man, what is your favorite book or podcast you've listened to recently?

spk_0:   26:14
It's a very difficult one. I don't really do books that much, but I do have a favorite book, and it's a serious It's the Inheritance. Siri's by Christopher Paolini. Just dragons and fire A magic, great

spk_1:   26:28
inspiration for your effects. Favorite videogame Visual effect you're jealous of that isn't your own.

spk_0:   26:34
I would have to go with Rocket Lee to the explosions. The goal explosions. I wish I had made, like I had Wish I had made some off the US like Soft does feel so good.

spk_1:   26:46
Best advice for a first time visual effects artist or someone looking to get into the industry.

spk_0:   26:52
Talk little vfx artist. Make sure you get to know them. Make sure you know who ordered artists are where they work, what they dio.

spk_1:   26:59
What are you most excited about for the future of Israel. Fax? Yeah.

spk_0:   27:03
Scripted paradigms for particles. For sure. It's gonna be so much fun.

spk_1:   27:07
Can you elaborate? What is scripted parents? Oh,

spk_0:   27:10
I'm like using script using Go to Dr Michael Simulations.

spk_1:   27:15
What question do you never get asked that you wish you were asked more often?

spk_0:   27:20
Why are you vfx artist instead of what's Felix right? To choose myself.

spk_1:   27:27
Why are you, uh, vfx artist?

spk_0:   27:28
Well, I told you at the beginning of the interview, but yeah, it's just like a combination of stick and programming thick and art and just getting that toe work together. It's so interesting to me.

spk_1:   27:40
Any final thoughts, everything's to plug.

spk_0:   27:42
Yeah, go to the real tentative ex forms that come. Make sure you're on there. Actually talk to people, interact with

spk_1:   27:48
awesome. Neil's really appreciate you taking the time to meet today and kind of share your knowledge with everybody. Where can people contact you or get in touch? Well,

spk_0:   27:57
you can get in touch with the easiest way. It's probably if you're Aviv extractors and you're on the forums. Just message me under. I will answer, probably within two days. I have linked him, Which is exactly my name, Nils. The better. I have a YouTube channel on which I'm called y Ivory, which is written No, like why? But like the kind of dragon but Wyatt and

spk_1:   28:18
also man, we'll get all that in the show notes, so people have it all linked up there. I hope you enjoyed

spk_2:   28:25
this interview with Neil's DeWitt A. It was an absolute honor to be able to talk with him. It is amazing how we're able to communicate with each other across the world. The Internet has opened up the doors to so many possibilities. So I understand that your art form is not living it by geography. Really push your visual effects to the level and look at how people across the world are you doing talking on remote work our next up. So just gonna be looking at how you could build a routine and manage your time more productively as we move toward this work from home situation with the Cove in 19 Pandemic. It's really important, rustic peace of mind and to continue to move on with our art and not give up to despair until next time everybody rock on