Production designer, art director, and visual development artist Marcelo Vignali is among the speakers at ICON Manila’s International Entertainment and Design Conference 2014.
Vignali’s first published work was a portrait of Cardinal Ratzinger for the Orange County Register newspaper. “Ironically, Cardinal Ratzinger would later become Pope! I think its safe to say he did much better than I,” Vignali said.
While he may not have thousands of followers across the globe, it’s safe to say Vignali has thousands of fans – whether they’re aware of it or not, he has contributed to several well-loved movies, including Hotel Transylvania, Mulan, Lilo & Stitch, Atlantis, Brother Bear, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, Open Season, and Surf’s Up.
He was nominated for the 2013 Annie Award Nominee for Production Design for his work on Hotel Transylvania – a project which lasted six years. “It was difficult in the regard that with each new version, each new script, and each new director, I had to keep myself motivated to do my best and inspire my team to do their best,” he said of the experience.
On the other hand, Vignali said it’s never been hard to go to work, because of his personal philosophy: I try to create the type of atmosphere at the studio that I want to be a part of. I’ve always been excited about what I do, and I love the crew I work with.
Vignali did not always work in animation – early in his career, he was a theme park designer, creating rides such as the Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin. “It was one of those jobs that came along as opportunity,” said Vignali, who was in-between jobs in animation when one of his art teachers told him about an opportunity to do some illustration work at Walt Disney Imagineering. “I painted the illustrations, and the studio was so impressed with the quality of work and my ability to follow direction, they offered me a job.”
“That’s the thing about opportunity; it sometimes arrives when you least expect it. In life you have to be lucky, but I have found that the harder you work, the luckier you get,” he added.
Vignali emphasized the importance of imagination in drawing. Asked how an artist can come up with compelling, thought-provoking images such as his own drawing of Redwood trees for Brother Bear, he said:
“Imagination! There are plenty of people that possess the skill to draw well. The skill to “draw well” is something that can – with enough work — be taught. But, the skill to imagine is much more difficult because it’s intimate. It really does necessitate a complete surrender to that creative process, but then paired with the discipline to harness that imagination and give it form.
In order to draw things you’ve never seen before — to be a pioneer of imaginative imagery — you must surrender to the intimacy of your imagination and let your passion guide you.”
When it comes to character design, Vignali differentiated between designing for a story made up of original content vs working with properties that already exist.
“If the story is made up of original content, then it is WE who create what is original for the character.
But, in terms of working with properties that already exist — like the Smurfs — it’s much more delicate. We need to be true to the characters, but also create a new reason for audiences to want to come to see the movie. If they are given a version of the character that they are already familiar with, there is no compelling reason to see the character(s) again. But, if the audience has an opportunity to experience the character(s) in a new and exciting way, they will be more inclined to come to the movie.
It’s delicate dealing with an existing property in this regard: As an artist I have to create something new and compelling in order to attract new fans, yet familiar enough that it won’t offend loyal fans. It becomes a delicate balancing act that is both creative and respectful.”
Another balancing act for artists is between originality and consistency. Asked what he looks for when he reviews portfolios, Vignali said: “I want to see the sort of freethinking that creates original ideas, but I also want to see the discipline that it takes to create a consistent vision.
But, most of all, I want to see real passion for the work, a real desire to make compelling artwork that tells a story or speaks with passion and emotion.”
Vignali, who studied at the Otis College of Art and Design, said learning comes from both in and outside the classroom:
“Learning, the acquisition of knowledge, is part of that process in becoming an artist, much the way a body builder learns from other body builders, reads books on nutrition, or reads books on weight training. But, simply reading a book or gaining knowledge doesn’t build muscle for the body builder. The body builder must put that knowledge into practice by routinely going into the gym to lift weights. The same is true for artists. Simply acquiring the knowledge in a classroom doesn’t make one a better artist — just like the body builder, the artist must routinely put that knowledge into practice! That’s where the importance of a sketch club or routine figure drawing is clearly visible.
A teacher or a book has knowledge, but a routine sketch club or routine figure drawing is training. In order for someone to become a better artist, the combination of both knowledge and training is preferred.
Bear in mind, whereas diligent-training can build your knowledge, knowledge doesn’t build diligent-training. However, if you as an artist lament that you have no mentor to study under, you can build your own knowledge with your passion and diligent-training.
Ultimately, there must exist within the artist a real desire to make compelling artwork that tells a story or speaks with passion and emotion. So, let your own passion be your greatest teacher!”
The Entertainment and Design Conference will be held on July 3, 2014 at the SMX Convention Center. Early bird ticket prices are P5,500 per person, P3,700 for students, P4,000 per person for groups of four or more, and P10,500 for VIP, which includes an exclusive dinner with the speakers the night before the conference.
For more details on the conference speakers, schedule, and tickets, visit the ICON Manila website.
