Richard Chuang

At the start of 2008 Richard left PDI/DreamWorks to start a new company. After spending 27 years helping to build the largest CG film... more..

Biography

At the start of 2008, animation industry veteran Richard Chuang left PDI/DreamWorks to start a new company. After spending 27 years helping to build the largest CG film production studio in the industry, he is now taking a fresh look at how to capture the creativity of the next generation of talents in the new world of digital content creation and multi-channel deliveries.

An original co-founder of PDI/Dreamworks, Richard pioneered the studio's powerful proprietary animation system, which the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recognized with a Technical Achievement Award in 1997. PDI's proprietary animation system has been used on countless commercials, live-action features and throughout PDI/DreamWorks' feature films "ANTZ," the Academy-Award-winning "SHREK," and "SHREK 2," for which Chuang served as vice president of special projects.

Born in 1957 in Hong Kong, raised in Sacramento, California, and educated at the University of California, Davis (engineering), Chuang's expertise is in computer animation and visual effects for both animated and live-action films. Known for his hands-on creative approach, his credits range from directing commercials to winning an Emmy Award for graphics design.

Richard also led the team that created digital superheroes in the Warner Bros. blockbuster "Batman and Robin." These digital heroes were a follow-up to his earlier pioneering digital character work in "Batman Forever." He has 16 live-action film credits as visual effects supervisor through 2002. In his last five years serving as the executive responsible for developing CG projects with other animation studios, Richard planned and guided the CG production for "Father of the Pride," DreamWorks's first all computer animated prime-time TV show. He also was instrumental in developing the plan for DWA's venture into India in cooperation with Technicolor. Before leaving PDI, Richard also developed a new process for scheduling and managing resources for all of production at DWA.

Richard Chuang Q & A

Do you consider yourself more of a software engineer or an artist?
I grew up using both sides of my brain. I started as an artist at a young age, but I also got hooked on computers as a hobby in 1976 when we had to build and program our own. I started PDI because I enjoy all aspects of running a studio: from storyboarding, directing, supervising visual effects, animating, to inventing and creating tools. As the quote goes, "If you love what you do, you'll never work a day in your life!"

What is your formal technical and animation education? Do you think a formal education is necessary for young people to succeed in the industry?
I studied both art and engineering while I was in college. I feel that a solid general education is essential. In our industry, art and science truly converge. I remained in this industry for almost 30 years because I am creatively challenged all the time and I feel that I get to use both my arts and engineering training. In hiring, I look for individuals who have a solid foundation from which they can continue to innovate and adapt to changes. A career in this industry means a lifetime of learning.

What is the biggest change you have seen in CG technology in the last 10 years? How have you adjusted along the way? How will these changes affect young aspiring filmmakers?
I feel the biggest change is in front of us. Watching my teenage son collaborate online with friends from around the world has been an eye opener. A group of kids can write their own script, create their own world, compose the music and post the work without ever meeting face to face. A tidal wave of new, digitally enabled, always connected creative minds is coming. In many ways, young filmmakers are already adapting. The entertainment industry would do well to be prepared to benefit creatively from this change.

With the continuing innovations in CG and 3D technology and the industry's increasing reliance on it, do you feel traditional 2D artists still fit into the industry? What advice do you have for young artists who only have traditional 2D animation experience?
I hear some 3D artists wondering about adapting to Stereo 3D. The tools might change but the story telling and the artistry is still the same. You need to command your tools and not let the process limit your thinking. Look at the kids today, they can learn anything and often juggling multiple creative process concurrently. They are not any smarter; they just have fewer inhibitions.

What advice do you have for aspiring filmmakers with small budgets who want to include quality visual effects?
You need to think with your eyes open. Filmmaking is the art of illusion. It doesn't have to be correct. You just need to fool the audience into believing for that short moment they are under your spell. Team up with with creative people, keep your overhead low and only do work that people can see.

What inspired you to create and build 3D computer animation software?
Back in 1980 there weren't any. But there were new art forms that we wanted to create. Just like explorers who venture into new worlds, we had to be resourceful and innovate along the way. For me that was and continue to be the joy of working in this industry.

What are your favorite animated movies and why?
There are so many. Just like gems they are unique and have their own value. Like most fans, I really like enjoying a good film without thinking about how it was done.

What style of animation is most inspirational to you and your work?
I love 2D animations and feel that much of the fluidity got lost with the transition into 3D. But comparing the two is like comparing oil painting to sculpture. Two different mediums, each with their own artistry. What separates good animation from great animation is often just something small that invokes an emotional response. Ability to execute those small details allows animation to take on a whole new dimension (no pun intended).

When building your ideal team for a film, what qualities do you generally look for in your artists?
First and foremost is creative team work. Having been involved in over a thousand projects during my years at PDI, nothing is more magical to me than when team of creative people are in sync. Secondly, as I mentioned before, I look for people who have the fundamentals to quickly adapt to changes in the environment, and innovate.

What was your inspiration for creating Cloudpic?
I see a a tidal wave of new creative talent coming. They are already using the Internet to collaborate and innovate new ways of creating art. I started Cloudpic to use what I learned in creating world class production to further empower them create larger scale, higher quality projects in partnership with friends across large distances. I want to find a way to allow young teams to easily and cheaply start and self-organize a project, and provide the support that will allow them to scale up to a large production. We need to be ready to empower them.

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