Brad Clark is another person I met through Major Damage, a friendly, personable fellow that is quite easy-going and a pleasure to work with. Doug Cooper (DreamWorks) put me in touch with Brad as one of the backups for those times when technical support was needed and Doug was not available. I emailed Brad late one night after I had modeled the Major and Melvin's eyes. I was having some trouble with a texture issue, and Brad did his own imitation of Superhero by coming to the rescue. Naturally, in the course of any project this will happen on a regular basis. But when you have worked your umpteenth day (and night) in a row, and you find a total stranger who not only solves your problem but entertains you with amusing banter, it's like a problem solved wrapped in the glories of virtual caffeine!

Brad's talent was recently recognized by Weta as well, and he had the opportunity to go to New Zealand to work on Two Towers. You can see his work in the flood shots where the Ents attack Isengard. Brad edited motion that was fed into Massive for the mid to background Ents. He also worked on some of the Orc shots where they were battling the Ents and climbing up the platforms in attempt to escape the Ents and waves of water.

Brad worked on another of my favorite scenes, where Gollum is arguing with himself as the old Sméagol and his current wretched Gollum, with the hobbits asleep in the background. The start of Brad's shot is in this image, where he leaps off the rock. 

This link will take you to the making of Gollum, with the sequence referred to.
http://www.lordoftherings.net/index_video_gollum.html
 

  Give a brief overview of what you do:

I am a 3d artist at Acclaim Studios Austin currently working as part the motion edit group. I do character setup, motion editing, animation, and software trouble shooting/ pipeline development.

  Where does your job fit into the production pipeline?

I end up in all parts of our pipeline at a production level and make sure that the programmers and designers get what they need to make the game work and be fun.

  How long have you worked in the field?

8 years total, 3 in games.

  What software or equipment do you use? Do you have your own setup?

Kaydara Motionbuilder, Maya, Max (both with tons of custom scripts and plugins), Photoshop.

  What have been your projects to date?

The big ones are (film):
"LOTR: Two Towers” Towers"
Chris Bailey's "Major Damage"

Games in production/release:
NFL QBClub 2002
Turok: Evolution
ASB 2002
Vexx (to be released)

  What was your favorite project so far?

Two Towers

  What are your perfect working conditions?

 
My perfect working conditions are where I have the freedom to be an artist, have creative input on the work I am doing and have that all supported by good management that understands how to communicate, schedule and not crush the creativity while keeping things on task. Then a good team to work with. Last would be latest software, hardware etc. It's nice to have the best but not at all important if the management sucks. ;-)

  What size team do you prefer, and what sort of location?

I don't have a preference.

  Do you prefer to work on one step in the pipeline or would you rather be involved with handling one sequence from start to finish?

I like to do both, its nice to do one for a while then get the chance to just focus on a specific part of the pipe other wise I can get burned out too fast.

  Is there a list of people you would like to work with again?

Too many to name here but I would not hesitate to work with the Major damage crew again or any one of the Motion edit team from Weta.

    What are some of your favorite movies?

I like so many different styles and kinds of movies that every time I have a favorite I see a new movie that I like and it becomes my favorite…… not much of an answer I know.

    What scene would you have loved to work on, and what would you have done with the scene?

I would love to work on any thing Pixar has ever done, not so I could play a scene differently but so I could just learn from all the amazing talent there.

    What project or scene would you love to work on- your dream project? The one you've always seen run through your head that plays so perfectly every time?

My Dream Project would be to have my own studio and get to work on productions that mean something to me.

    Are there any challenges you would particularly like to take on?

Animation is always a challenge.

    If you could step into another crew members shoes for one day, whose shoes would you be wearing?

Lighting TD.

   What would you like to do next?

Take a year off and travel, plan a family, not work on a computer. :-)

    Where would you like to see visual entertainment in 10 or 20 years?

I don't think I could put it better than Jeremy Birn did in his interview http://www.firewalkdigital.com/jeremybirn.html

    Do you have a list of people you would like to thank or give credit to?

My wife Jennifer, my parents, Remington Scott (for getting me to Weta), All my Full Sail instructors and classmates, and my current support group at Acclaim Studios Austin.

    How was your experience working on LOTR?

LOTR was amazing; I learned so much and it was a dream come true.  The hours were long but all the people I got to work with made the time go by painlessly for the most part.

    How did you enjoy the New Zealand culture?

The people are just so nice and the landscape is breathtaking, I want to go back just to explore the country for a few months- but it will have to wait.

    What differences did you find in the work environment? Pipeline? Style of problem solving?

Just the over all size and organization of it all was overwhelming coming from a smaller production background but I liked how they set things up.

    Would you care to tell any anecdotes about your experiences?

Don't try to learn how to drive on the wrong side of the road after a 24 hour trip with no sleep. You can come very close to causing lots of damage… Lucky every one was ok and I never did cause a wreck.

To learn more about projects Brad Clark has worked on, go to
http://www.acclaim.com
http://lordoftherings.net/

Purchase products featuring Brad Clark's work here:

GAMES:

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The Two Towers Visual Companion (Official Illustrated Movie Companion) List Price: $18.95 Our Price: $11.37 You Save: $7.58 (40%)  BOOK- Buy now- $11.37	The Two Towers Visual Companion (Photo Guide) List Price: $8.95   BOOK- Buy now- $8.95

The Lord of the Rings,  Official Movie Guide List Price: $24.95 Our Price: $17.47 You Save: $7.48 (30%)  BOOK- Buy now- $17.47	The Lord of the Rings Boxed Set (Film Art Cover)  List Price: $65.00 Our Price: $45.50 You Save: $19.50 (30%) BOOK- Buy BOTH now- $45.50	The Lord of the Rings  Boxed Set (Film Art Cover) List Price: $35.00 Our Price: $24.50 You Save: $10.50 (30%)  BOOK- Buy now- $24.50

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