In my last post, I featured a handful of visually alluring motion reels, including that of Paris motion studio Gkaster. Pierre Magnol, the founder of Gkaster, is not easy to track down, but I’ve managed to finagle a brief interview with the man behind the stunning portfolio. Pierre mentioned that he’d be posting his latest reel any day now (which has got me on tenterhooks), but unfortunately we’ll have to wait just a little longer. Meanwhile, for those of you who haven’t seen Gkaster’s reel, feast your eyes:

PIERRE MAGNOL, IN HIS OWN WORDS:

Hi! My name is Pierre Magnol. I’m a graphic designer and animator. I founded Gkaster.com studio with Pierre Fabre (typographer and also mattepainter). I have a wide range of experience because I am self-taught. I started as an editor for Canal plus, then worked for Ultime, Limoges (where I discovered motion design) as an editor, a special effects specialist and multimedia project director. After that I became a freelancer and took my first step into motion graphics as a director with my first company name, Kurtzmedias. I did a lot of short movies and contemporary productions, even “corporate” animation.

THE INTERVIEW

First of all, thank you for this interview. Who and/or what inspired you to become a motion designer?

The movies Bladerunner, Tron, Akira, and conceptual designs of Syd Mead. There are no specific things that I could point out in those masterpieces, but it’s a global approach; about the design, the interfaces, the perception of the future, and the robotics that I really like.

How did you get started in this industry?

I’m totally self-taught. First, like many others, I learned a lot of things through forums where you can find many tutorials and very pleasant people who share their time and expertise with you. I would like to thank Creative COW and many other forums like it.

With the many disciplines you’re involved in, which has been your favorite to explore, and for what reasons?

Gkaster’s main discipline is to make motion design, and the second is the reason why I partnered with Pierre Fabre, to promote his skills in matte painting and his approach to typography. Today, what’s most important for us is to simply create images and pictures, whether they move or not.

What advice would you give to young creatives just starting out in motion design?

I have no specific advice, sorry. :) But you know, I would say, it’s a mix between a bunch of hours in front of our screens, trying to learn new techniques, a lot of emails and rendezvous trying to promote our works. It’s also nice meeting with people through the internet who give you advice about your works, and on and on… there are no specific secrets, just passion and coffee. :)

Where do you go for design inspiration?

I have no specific place I go. I take a look everywhere on the internet, and within many art fields. Like everybody I guess :). I take a peek from time to time at Computer Luv, Motionographer, Mograph Forum, and so on. In France, we have FUBIZ. But you know, you have plenty of other web sites which talk about contemporary arts and architecture.

How do you typically start a new project?

Like everybody, with an empty screen.

What are the tools you couldn’t live without?

My tools:

• A MAC
• After Effects
• CINEMA 4D  (a special thanks to Peder Norrby, creator of Trapcode plugins)

Is there an area of the creative world you wish you were more active in?

Film, I mean I recently bought a camcorder and I started to film the nature around me; it’s a great experience.

What have you found to be the most effective ways to market yourself to potential clients?

All the websites I talked about, motionographer and others, they are well known and give you the opportunity to be seen all the over the world.

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GKASTER REEL | 2009

GKaster is a motion design studio located in France, and was founded by partners Pierre Magnol and Pierre Fabre. GKaster displays an impressive and prolific portfolio, including client work from Apple, LG, MediaTemple, Renault, and Nissan, to name just a few. I had the wonderful opportunity to interview Pierre Magnol recently, and will be posting the interview later in the week. The reel is a stunning and elegant example of their accomplishments, and GKaster remains among my favourite motion studios.

TOCH STUDIO | 2009

Little is known about the young Toch Studio except that their work is rock star smashing. The studio was founded by designer and motionographer Tavo Ponce and is based out of Madrid, Spain. With clients like MTV, VH1, and Diesel, their futuristic-retro stylings are certainly befitting for the trends.

CHEZEDDY REEL | 2009

ChezEddy is a fun and playful motion and animation studio located in Paris, France, founded by Jean-Francois Bourrel and Jerome Calvet. GKaster and many other talented directors are represented by ChezEddy, who work with marquee clients such as Nike, McDonalds, Bic, and Kelloggs.

COLERAN REEL | 2008

Coleran’s work simply blows me away. Before I even knew about him, I knew about his work. He’s crafted detailed and technical interface designs for movies such as The Bourne Ultimatum, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Tomb Raider, The Island, and Mission Impossible 3. For some, his work may be easily taken for granted as it sporadically appears within a movie, but it’s absolutely essential and important nonetheless. Coleran, who currently resides in Ottawa, Canada is also currently working for the software company Gridiron Software designing the UX and UI for Flow, a visual workflow manager. It’s quite possible for me to write an entire essay just on Coleran and his work, but I’ll let his reel speak for itself.

ROKKABOY REEL | 2009

Rokkaboy’s introduction stood out to me among the reels; it was both unexpected (after watching too many reels to count) and a pleasure to watch. Robert Kaniszewski, the brilliant boy behind Rokkaboy, is a designer and motionographer who has been working out of Poland since 2003. Notable clients include Coca-Cola, Bacardi, Volvo, and Nokia.

STATE OF TOMORROW REEL | 2008

What I enjoy about State of Tomorrow is their textural and organic approach to motion design; a nice juxtaposition to the other more glossy and VFX-ed works featured. Interestingly enough, they are the only studio in the list that’s based in the United States; West Hollywood to be precise. Heavily involved in design for retail, such as window displays, store design, product design, packaging and collateral, they certainly have highlighted that in their reel.

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