Tramell "T. Ray" Isaac

PlanetSide

Current project:
PlanetSide. I am the Art Director on PlanetSide. Most of the time I'm making sure all the game art is completed on time and up to par. Besides managing 12 artists I also get to model, texture and concept some things (very little). My main job is taking this incredible group of artists and guiding them in the right direction.

Academic Info

College: Dover, NJ. Joe Kubert School for cartoon and graphic art
Degree: I received a certificate in 2D Animation

Were there any particular projects or areas of study that you pursued?
At the time I was very interested in traditional 2D animation.

Did you do any internships?
No.

Career Info

Tell us about your first job in the industry. How did you get the job? What was it like? What were your responsibilities?
My first job was at Tachyon. What? Never heard of it? It doesn't exist anymore. After school I got my demo reel together and sent it everywhere. It took me about a year to land that job. During that year I continued to draw and create new work for my reel, in-between working 2 jobs. Hard work and determination always pays off in the end. Tachyon was the greatest experience in my life (career wise). It was all new to me and I loved it. I just packed my bags and moved to California. I approached this job as a learning opportunity. I was determined to get the most out of my new career. I was on an amazing team. We worked well together and we always had fun. I was the animator on the team. It was my responsibility to create animations for the characters and scenery for Blood and Magic. My first game shipped and I worked on it from start to finish. Many people can't say that nowadays.

What jobs have you held in the games industry thus far? Briefly describe the career path you took to get where you are today.
First I was a character animator (2D). My next project I was a character animator (2D) again. After that project I was a texture artist. Then I was a character animator (2D), scenery artist, and cinematic artist, pretty much a clean up guy picking up where others left off. Then I was put on project by myself to help get it out the door. This project was extremely late and no artists where available to finish except for me. On that project I had to do rendered stills, 3D character animation, interface art, localization, setup screens, effects, modeling and texturing. I made the best of a bad situation and learned a lot from that experience. I believe that's when I really understood what it took to complete a game. For the next game I was one of the lead artists. I did almost everything on that game. I setup a system for the character animation (3D rendered sprites), modeled, textured, and animated game characters, rendered effects, worked on the opening cinematic, modeled and textured scenery objects, created tile sets, and managed 4 artists making sure everything was ready to go into the game. My next project was a lot easier. I modeled, textured and animated game characters. After that title I got my opportunity to be the Art Director. Once again I had my hand in everything. I interviewed and hired, managed 10 artists. I reviewed the design and set the art style of the game. Once again I modeled, textured and animated 3D game characters. With the help of one of the programmers, I designed an effects/game content editor. Unfortunately that game never saw the light of day. Now I'm the Art Director on SOE's MMOFPS PlanetSide. I manage 12 artists and this time around I get to do very little game artwork. It goes with the job, I guess. Most of the time I'm checking over game ready art or reading the design doc. I have had time to do some modeling, texturing and animating, but not as much as I would like. As an Art Director I understand my job is to keep everything flowing smoothly. Building my portfolio will have to wait.

Advice

What fields of study, specific courses, or life experiences would you recommend to students interested in your field?
A solid art background is something I recommend but it is not always a must. Some get by on their technical knowledge of 3D game creation tools like Lightwave, 3D Studio Max or Maya. Should you go to an art school to get training? Well, I believe it all depends on your mind state when you decide to go to school. You must approach college with a thirst to learn all you can. After all, you are paying for it. You can go "clubbing" all you like once school is complete. Set your goals for the next 4 years. This may sound simple but if you ask some of your friends what they see themselves 'doing' (not wishing) in fours years most wont have a clue. Getting into the game industry is as simple as saying "I want to be in the game industry". Once you've made up your mind, find out what it takes to get in. You have to put a lot of work into your demo reels in order to get noticed. I'll take a kid with a great attitude and talent over a talented, jaded vet any day.

Is there anything you wish someone had told you before you got into the games industry? Is there anything you would have done differently?
I wish I had started earlier. I got into the biz at the age of 23. I believe I had the talent before then but at the time I didn't have the resources kids today have. All of my decisions led me here to this moment in time. To ask for more would be greedy. Of course if I get more I'm not going to turn it down ;). I wouldn't change a thing.

As games increase in complexity, what are the various kinds of jobs that you foresee development companies needing in the next five years?
I see teams getting bigger and bigger and the need for talented people growing as well. 3D art will become more technical in nature. The line between programmer and artist will become blurred. The need for more technical artists will grow to keep up with the latest video cards. Artists will need to understand the limitations of the latest technology in order to create cutting edge effects.

Do you have any other advice or recommendations to share with students who are interested in doing what you do?
Try not to concern yourself with all the money and limited fame. Concentrate on making yourself a better artist and a better person. If you decide to go to work for a small 3rd party developer, try to get as much information about them as you can. If you can avoid it, don't go to work for a company that doesn't have a publisher or solid funding. I said "IF", if you can't find any takers take your chances with the 3rd party developer. Have fun; learn all you can, and be ready to move. Don't get me wrong; small companies are a great place to start. If you are looking for something more stable look at companies that have been profitable or have products on the shelf. Decide what you want to ultimately do in this biz. That way you can find out what it takes to get there.