Artist Spotlight w/ Edgar Ferrer
Nov 8, 2022
First, can you tell us a bit about yourself?
I am a freelance 3D motion designer currently based in Barcelona, my hometown. With a Chilean wife and a little son. I'm still figuring out how to balance my small family and professional life properly. Any tips are welcome?! I'm crazy about records and inspired by music videos, I began self-studying animation and After Effects at night while working in ad agencies as an art director by day. It was tough. So, a few years later, when I finished my first paid motion job, I couldn't believe it. I did it!
I’m in love with strong concepts, bold graphics, snappy animations, and beautiful typefaces. But if the client or the director wants the opposite, probably I’m in as well! Luckily, the world is full of unique voices out there, and I enjoy discovering new points of view.
Ideally, I'd like to be surrounded by friendly and talented people in the same physical space. We'd have enough time - but not too much - to explore, make mistakes, evaluate and finesse. Giving and taking constructive criticism, but also being open to surprises that we could find on our way.
Can you tell us about your experience and the role you are primarily filling?
I earned a Bachelor’s in Advertising and Digital Design. I worked as a 2D motion designer and then 3D generalist at a couple of motion studios in Barcelona and Berlin for several years. Later, already as a freelancer, I simplified my life and expanded my happiness by focusing on what I enjoy the most, 3D animation, specializing in keyframes and sims in Cinema 4D. Although, depending on the project, I'm still doing some look development and directing stuff.
I’ve been able to work together with cool people and studios that I've been admiring since I was learning how to move a circle. And happily enough, with some of them, I have long-lasting working relationships and friendships. As my wife says, I’m a lucky duck.
If you could speak directly to the resourcing gods and powers that be, what would be your ideal project?
Ideally, I'd like to be surrounded by friendly and talented people in the same physical space. We'd have enough time - but not too much - to explore, make mistakes, evaluate and finesse. Giving and taking constructive criticism, but also being open to surprises that we could find on our way. Post-it wouldn’t be allowed! And we'd work for 8 hours with a delicious meal in between and go home after that. I guess that for me it’s all about the process rather than the project itself. Dang gods, spin the wheel of fortune and have mercy!
Do you have any dream clients?
Nintendo would be awesome! I’ve never worked for the game industry and I’d love to do it, even though I am not playing anymore. At the moment I'm on the bench but they’re still an inspiration to me on all levels.
Lastly, do you have any memorable stories, life lessons, or tall tales you can share from your adventures as a freelancer?
For half of my career, I was a full-time and the knowledge that I gained working beside producers, account managers, or strategists is still applicable and valuable to the other half. We’re so focused on our craft that we often forget how important finances, marketing, or legal are amongst other ‘boring’ stuff.
I do remember an exercise with a professional coach (called Mr. Wolf, the ‘problem solver’ character in Pulp Fiction) to emphasize the importance of soft skills within a team: during a day of work we could speak in a harsh tone, interrupting people, complaining about someone’s behavior…Honestly, I'm not sure if we learned anything but at least we were laughing a lot.
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