Recently, FZD students had the opportunity to ask our school founder, Feng Zhu, questions that they have been curious about. From matters related to the entertainment industry, trends, the school, and concept art. This week, we share Feng’s responses to these questions in this article.1. What are the prospects in this industry?The entertainment industry is always growing and there’s no stopping point. People always want to play games and watch movies.2. Based on current trends, which field of entertainment industry will have the highest demand for concept artists?It would be the game industry; both PC and console gaming markets are HUGE right now. There are billions of dollars of investments going into this field. And they will need designers to jump start on these multi-million dollar projects. Be on top of the food chain and you’ll have plenty of jobs. Films in Asia will eventually catch up as well. This will most likely happen in about 5-10 years.3. What would be your suggestion for a fresh graduate to break into the film industry?Film industry is pretty hard to get into, since 99% of it is in Hollywood and Union controlled. However, video game industry is a lot easier to approach. You just need a kick-ass portfolio and a good personality. Studios hire people because they need you to make them money. So if your portfolio can demonstrate these skills, you’ll have no problem getting the job. Furthermore, as a fresh grad, don’t include obvious “school work” in your portfolio (such as still-life, life drawings, perspective homework, etc). Make your portfolio look professional by having project based assignments.
4. Any advice for the students who choose to work overseas once they graduate?The markets in Korea and China are very good right now. The entertainment industries are expanding like wild-fire in these countries and they will need creative people at the top. If you have a good portfolio, all studios will want you – no matter where they are located.5. Will you help your students land a job?If they are good and have the right attitude, then of course! However, if they are lazy and not willing to work hard, we won’t waste our efforts either. We rather spend the time on the students who work hard themselves.
6. Would you consider hiring your students when they graduate?Definitely. For me, it’s all about the portfolio and attitude. I have many design jobs and I’m always looking for good people.7. Besides teaching, are you still actively engaged in a project?Yes. We are currently developing a new IP with Ban Y J, founder of Stikfas. In addition, we’re also working on game designs with Disney. Last month, we wrapped up projects for Ubisoft and Electronic Arts.8. Which project did you enjoy working on the most?Star Wars Episode III was my favorite project to work on. This movie franchise shaped my career and influenced me immensely as a child. To have the opportunity to work on the same film with director George Lucas was a dream comes true. The art department was also filled with some of the best designers on the planet. This type of working environment is very rare.9. What is a typical working day of Feng Zhu like?In the morning, I like to relax and drink coffee. My imagination doesn’t kick in until the afternoon. When I was freelancing, I worked from 8pm to 7am. But these days, I do most of my design work after 2pm. Other than designing, I also manage the school and other projects through my design studio.10. How much coffee do you drink a day? Is it a necessity for you?I drink at least one cup a day; most of the time two. Yes, I think all designers depend on coffee or tea. Our brain is constantly working to come up with new ideas, and for me, coffee helps to keep it active. I don’t know any of my designer friends who don’t drink coffee.11. Did you know how to draw before you attended Art Centre?I doodled a lot on paper and all over my homework. I think this is a natural thing for young kids to do. But my drawings were definitely not trained or professional. Prior to going to ACCD, I studied architecture for about a year.12. Can we see samples of your work before you turned professional?I will need to dig through my studio back in the US to get this. Stayed tuned! However, the root of this question is more about “self-confidence”. People who generally ask this question aren’t sure of their own skills and are looking for comfort and assurance. But rest assured, we all started from somewhere and none of us were professionals from day one. Just work hard.13. Do you see a possibility of setting up a studio here in Singapore in the near future?When enough talents are available, that is definitely an option. My goal is to establish an IP development studio to create games and films from Singapore.14. What is it like being a concept artist?It doesn’t feel like a job. Where else can you find a high-paying job which asks you to draw Aliens or Sci-Fi military vehicles? Plus you get tons of free stuff working in this biz.15. Is being a concept artist stressful?Any job where you have to perform to a professional level is stressful. As designers, it’s our job to constantly provide new designs which not only look cool, but can also generate revenue. This is not an easy thing to do. However, this type of stress is not negative. Not having a job and wasting your life is a lot more damaging than stress.16. What are the reasons that we should learn concept instead of 3D?Design is the spearhead of any project. All great studios will tell you this. Without good design, the rest of the pipeline can’t exist. It’s also a very “safe” job to be in. When companies are downsizing, they usually get rid of “replaceable” labor. 3D usually falls under this category. Design however, is usually never cut; because ideas equal to money.17. Do most employers prefer to employ concept artist who specialize in 2D rather than 3D?Concept artist specialize in 2D, but most have a strong understanding of 3D as well. Companies like to employ people who add value to the studio. So the more you know and the more you can do, the better it would be.18. On average, how much does a concept artist earn?Be good at what you do and your yearly income will be very high. The average salary in the US for concept artists starts at around 55,000USD/year. With experience, that can go up to about 80-90k. If you get to an art director position, that number can climb into the six figures, plus your yearly bonus.
19. What are the expectations that most of the employers have on recent graduates of concept artist?Be able to deliver useable work. Wasting time or producing stuff that can’t be used is very dangerous. Be responsible and manage your time well. Companies are smart. They know exactly how much time you are spending on the internet chatting, or surfing the web. As a new employee, avoid these temptations. Just do good work and the rest will follow.20. Once we have graduated, are we going to be able to work in the position that only specialized in concept or will the employers expect us to have more skills?If you are good, you can be a concept artist, art director, 3D director, etc. We train our students to understand the industry, rather than just a “wrist” who can draw. This type of professional attitude is very valuable in a studio. If you work hard, you can become an art director or even producer within a few years – earning a lot of respect and salary.21. As a concept artist, should we specialize in certain fields or would it be better if we choose to be an all-round concept artist?Be good at everything but also do what you like. If you are very good at what you do, studios will be attracted to it. For me, I can design for most projects, but I prefer Sci-Fi. And as a result, clients come to me for sci-fi designs – best of both worlds!22. Would there be any chance for us to specialize in certain field, such as characters, environments, etc? If yes, what is the road to get there?If your skill is among the top 10% of the working professional in the industry, then you can specialize. But it’s a good idea to be able to design anything; especially if you are a student. This will open up many roads and also your career path. This question should be answered by you. Don’t specialize into something because of what others say. Do what you like.23. What kind of behavior and attitude are we expected to have as a newbie or as an experienced concept artist in the future?Always be professional and never have an ego or get defensive if someone criticizes your work. Newbies tend to have very thick walls around them; if anyone says anything negative, they get angry and loose control. Don’t ever do this! Companies hate people with low self-esteem and lack of confidence.24. What are the design ethics of concept artist?Be able to deliver cool design fast and on time. Don’t ever miss a deadline in our industry! Try to under-promise but over-deliver (if a client asks for 3 sketches, say yes, and then deliver 5!).25. Is there any way to stand out from the rest besides being good?Being good is 90% of it. The other 10% is your personality and business sense. Nobody wants to work with someone who has a bad attitude or awkward. And on the financial side, either you need to have a good understanding of how businesses work or you need to hire someone to manage your clients and finances (as in my case with my producer).
26. How do you get a freelance job when you are still relatively unknown or new?You don’t! Get a full-time job first to learn how to work with other professionals. It might take you 3-4 years before you have the skills and contacts go to freelance.27. Is it possible to start out as a freelancer?Unless you have a good client base and major contacts, it would be very difficult. However, it all depends on your portfolio. If you can do cool stuff that nobody else can then studios do not care whether you have experience or not. So the moral of the story is WORK HARD!28. Can we put fan art inside our portfolio?NO and NEVER! As designers, why would you ever do “fan-art”? Your job is to create something new, not a copy. It is fine to do fan-art on your own time, but don’t include them in your portfolio.29. As a concept artist, we might get to sleep only few hours per day. How can we come up with a good design when we’re tired, mentally and physically?This is what separates the professionals from the rest. We can deliver cool designs even when we are tired. Also, as professionals, we manage our time well and don’t put ourselves into these situations. I find that people who are always tired are the same people who can’t manage their time – they surf the web, read magazines, or generally do stuff that’s not work related. They will complain that the schedule is too tight and they are tired.30. How do you foresee the future of entertainment industry in Singapore?It will be great to see Singapore grow into an entertainment hub like Korea. However, this takes a lot of hard work and more importantly, trust and understanding from the government. If things go down the right path, I can see Singapore maturing into a very cool place for entertainment studios to establish their bases.31. What do you see for the students’ future in the entertainment industry in Singapore?For now, the majority of design work is not in Singapore. This country is still viewed as an out-source place. Creative design is not what out-source companies come to Singapore for; they are after repetitive and pipeline labor. Students have great chance to land jobs internationally. However, this is not a bad thing. After 2-3 years working abroad, they’ll pick up valuable experience which can then be applied back into Singapore.32. By the time the students graduate, do you think that the local industry is ready for them to look for job?No, the industry here won’t mature for another 5-10 years. Singapore is starting to explore on the media industry. It will take time for all the pieces to fall into place.33. What do you see from the talents here in Singapore?As I’ve mentioned before, the talents here are more labor based rather than creatively based. This is good for out-sourcing companies, but not great for IP generating studios. Students here generally lack strong fundamental skills and true understanding of the industry. They are taught on “how to make a product” rather than “how to create a product”. This is a big issue that we are trying to solve at FZD School.34. Do you think that the local talents are able to compete with international artists?What does “international artists” mean? We are all designers at the end of the day. If you are good at what you do, there is no such thing as “international.” A lazy artist from the US is the same as a lazy artist in Singapore. A good artist from the US is the same as a good artist in Singapore.35. What career prospects do you see in Singapore’s Entertainment Design?Singapore’s entertainment industry is just starting up. There are a few big studios here such as Lucasfilm and Electronic Arts. However, Singapore, like the rest of Asia (except for Japan), are still viewed as place to do “cheap out-sourcing” work. Until this trend changes, studios won’t establish big creative divisions here. To change this trend, it starts with education. We need to have good designers who understand the creative industry before the companies come. Training people to simply carry out “pipeline” work is not the way.
