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Joshua Frontino
Position:
Previz Asset Builder Artist
Company:
Third Floor
My name is Joshua Frontino and I am a Previz Asset Builder Artist at The Third Floor. From the very beginning I have always been fascinated by film and interactive mediums of artwork, but seriously I have never considered it would be my path to a successful career. After making the decision to leave behind four years of studying business at a major southern California college, I took a risk and approached the arts with blind hope and strong ambition. The first day of art school I was mesmerized by all the tools and techniques available to create anything I could imagine. With under three years of experience I have been very fortunate to have worked in film, games and commercials. I have worked on upcoming major feature films such as Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland," David Fincher's "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button", and a number of commercials, one of which broadcasted during the super bowl. I have also worked on videogame titles such as "Lair" for the PS3 and the latest Spiderman game "Web of Shadows."
I have had a number of different art positions throughout my career, ranging from texture painter, environmental designer, lighter, to digital set modeler. Currently I am working as a Previsualization Asset Builder on an unannounced epic film. My duties require me to work closely with the concept artist, previz animators and the storyboard artist to develop and create digital sets based upon shot to shot content of the film. I have to model and texture assets/environments to create the director's desired look and feel for the film. Never before would I have thought about previz being such a key element in the development of a film until I had a chance to experience it hands on. I definitely recommend previz to anybody who has the desire to help direct a film or who would enjoy being a part of a team that thrives on creative input and team based story development.
Interview with Joshua Frontino
My daily work routine changes from day to day but usually pertains to similar tasks that revolve around getting the shot I'm working on finished or updated. I first start off by going over feedback and updates to the current previz shot I'm working on and making a list of things I would like to discuss in the daily meeting. Updates might include new revisions to concept drawings, reference or even new storyboards that will affect the camera, composition, assets or theme of the shot. Before lunch we have dailys where the team will look at the latest footage that was put together by the editor. In dailys we go over any problems or improvements on a daily basis to make sure nothing is overlooked on the final. This is great way not only to see how well the shots work sequentially but also how well the script, actors and story is developing and to show the director our latest. After lunch and dailys, the rest of the day is sticking to my assignments and building digital sets. Once I finish the set I pass it on to the animators and it's then recycled back and forth to further push the look of the movie. It's great working previz because of the amount of freedom to conceptually create the look and feel of the project. Although our work is not focused on the final detail work you would find in a post production house, previz is equally rewarding because creating the idea will always be yours.
Previz Artist Description:
General modeling, texturing and animation of characters, creatures and digital sets. Shot creation and scene layout. A pre-production job that focuses relatively on the concept, storyboards, script and animation so that the director can make decisions on composition, camera angles, set layout and actors. Often used for situations where there's going to be a lot of VFX, it also gives the actors an idea of what the shot is going to look like before shooting the film. Solid experience as an artist in both the film and/or videogame industries, or the ability to demonstrate outstanding visualization/graphic abilities is required. A high level of creativity and understanding of 3D modeling, texturing, lighting, shaders, animation and particle FX is a must.
