A New Way of Creating in VR with Goro Fujita
1. What do you specialize in? / What's your background in the art industry?
I graduated from The German Film School for digital production near Berlin, majoring in 3D Animation, in 2005. During my studies I became interested in digital painting as well and started doing daily paintings.
After graduating, I started working as a freelance Character Animator and Visual Development Artist for TV commercials and feature films at various studios in Germany. In 2008, I was hired by DreamWorks Animation as a Visual Development Artist and worked there for 7 years on projects including Megamind, Madagascar 3, Penguins of Madagascar, and Boss Baby.
In 2015, I left DreamWorks Animation and joined Oculus Story Studio as an Art Director. I worked on the tail end of Lost and art directed Emmy Award winning Henry. In 2017, I joined Facebook to continue development of a VR painting tool called Quill that was created at Oculus Story Studio.
2. Could you tell us about your journey that led to you choosing for painting in Quill/VR?
Quill started as a painting tool, developed by Inigo Quilez, at Oculus Story Studio for the VR experience Dear Angelica.
Inigo developed the initial prototype of Quill during a 2-day hack-a-thon in 2015; I was lucky enough to be the first person other than him to paint in VR using his tool. One of my favorite moments was when I created Worlds in Worlds to test Quill's infinite canvas.
Since then, I've fallen in love with this new way of creating and it's never left my hands. It is truly magical placing strokes in space and being immersed in your creations. Quill was the most groundbreaking invention I ever experienced and I wanted to help it become a professional painting and animation tool for individuals and the entertainment industry, so I joined forces with Inigo to drive this tool forward, showing the world the magic of creating in VR. We call each other the “Left and Right brain of Quill”.
3. What pulls you to painting in VR, would you say it's similar to painting in 2D?
The knowledge you apply is the same. If you can draw/paint on paper, you will be able to draw/paint in VR as well. However, you are not constrained to a canvas anymore. You can actually utilize space and depth, which makes it very different from 2D painting. It opens up new possibilities and enables you to experience art in a whole new way.
In 2D, you always create an abstraction of a space, but in VR you can actually be in the space and feel present. That is something completely new. This new way of creating in VR enables you to be extremely efficient as well. You can now create complex environments and animations at incredible speeds. What used to take years is now reduced to months and what took weeks now takes only hours. With VR and Quill, I was able to fulfill one of my long term dreams: create my own short films. So far, I've created two animated experiences, Beyond the Fence and The Last Oasis. It's truly incredible how quickly you can get compelling results using this tool in this fairly new medium.
4. Is there a message for your audience in your paintings?
I always make sure that everything I create is consistent in design and supports the story I want to tell. Being technically good at stuff is not enough. Always make sure to convey emotion and story in your pieces.
5. What do you enjoy most in your career?
Being at the forefront in VR. Driving a new medium gives me the feeling that my work matters in a larger scale than it used to in the past. I deeply believe in this new art form, exploring a landscape that hasn't been figured out yet, and being part of defining it is something I truly enjoy.
6. What inspired you to paint in your current style?
It's less about a desire to paint in a specific style, but more about finding your own style. First you learn from people, copy or mimic people, do studies, and as you progress you will find who you are as an artist. It took me a while to find my own style. I needed to understand the craft first and acquire enough skill to be able to express myself. Many people don't know that I used to paint spaceships, zombies, knights etc. Over the years, my passion and personality came through my paintings naturally, which translated to whimsical, cute worlds filled with wonder.
Crosswalk Monsters
7. Do you still make traditional art from time to time?
I'm actually a fully digitally trained artist. I didn't pick up a real paint brush with serious intentions until 2010. I used to carry a sketchbook with me but I haven't painted or drawn traditionally in a while. These days, my schedule is so tight that I would have to set time aside to do traditional art, but since VR enables me to work much faster than any other medium, I tend to prioritize VR generated content over 2D. With VR, I can also satisfy my needs as an animator being able to do daily animations, which is a dream come true to me.
8. How do you keep yourself motivated and interact with the outside world?
It's easy to stay motivated if you believe in something so intensely like I do with Quill. I care about this new way of creating so much and want to share it with as many people as possible as it has brought so much joy and motivation into my life.
Creation in VR is so magical, delightful, and fun that I feel compelled to continue exploring this medium and that feeling has not changed in 3 years. I have so many more ideas I'd like to explore; the possibilities seem limitless.
Since I started working full time on Quill I have been giving talks, workshops, attending art conferences, etc. I've never been so exposed to so many people and it has been a great experience.
Goro Fujita teaching a workshop on mastering Quill
9. What are the biggest challenges you face professionally?
People are scared of change. It will take a lot to shift the trajectory of an old system toward something new. But it's an exciting challenge.
10. Should more artists dive into the world of painting in VR?
Absolutely! To be part of defining a new art form is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And without a doubt, it will fundamentally change the way we create content for the entertainment industry. It's incredibly exciting to be part of this new wave.
11. What advice would you have for the beginner artist with an Oculus Rift?
Embrace it, explore it, and define this new medium. The tech and hardware might initially appear intimidating, but as Inigo Quilez says,
“As high tech as VR seems to be, it removes technology from the artistic approach and makes it intuitive and fun.”
Join the Virtual Art Groups on Facebook and check out all the awesome stuff artists are creating!
12. Do you have any plans for the future that you can share with us?
I'll keep driving and pushing the boundaries as hard as I can and hopefully more and more people will hop on the train that is starting to move!
Follow Goro here: