Question: Tell us about yourself!* What’s your name and what do you do here at SOE? How long have you been working at SOE?
Answer: My name is Andre Padilla and I’m an AV Producer. I make the TV broadcast commercials and web videos that market SOE’s games. I have worked at SOE for 3 and a half years.
Question: How did you get into the industry?
Answer: I went to college for graphic design but was always attracted to animation. Afterwards, I worked at a small ad firm doing design and multimedia for the real estate industry. This was the mid-nineties so we had to make things up as we went along (there were no “how-to” videos on youtube) and resourcefulness was rewarded. I taught myself 2D animation in After Effects and incorporated movement into many of my interactive projects. The small ad firm grew from 4 people to 40 and I eventually developed into a Creative Director. Later, I was offered a position at SOE by one of my former college buddies and I couldn’t resist the allure of working in video games.
Question: Tell us what a typical workday is like for you.
Answer: There is no such thing as a typical day for me, and I love it that way. *I may be capturing in game for a commercial, which includes scouting locations and outfitting characters with cool loot. Or I may have to float around with a camera and take pictures, like I did at E3, or shoot product shots for t-shirts and hats. I love creating motion graphics, including selecting fonts, or perfecting a particle effect, or even making it bounce just so. Sometimes I have to create storyboards, select music, or work with a voice talent in the sound booth. When I’m on the computer I spend most of my time working in Final Cut, After Effects, or Photoshop.
Question: Let’s talk favorites… What is your favorite SOE game title? What is your favorite location, favorite thing about that game? Do you have a favorite memory or moment from that particular game?
Answer: Since I’m a photographer/graphic designer, I’m drawn to games with beautiful aesthetics. The first time I played EverQuest II, I couldn’t get over how stunning and utterly cool the environments were, including the design of the NPCs and their idle animations. As a director I try to take advantage of what the game designer has built and hope for some “NPC Magic”.
I’ve made a great deal of TV spots for Free Realms and I love shooting in Seaside. The team did a great job with the environment and the early morning lighting there mimics what you would get in real life.
My favorite game moment came from DCUO. I was probably about level 4 or 5 on a PVP server on the live game and I kept getting pwnd by a group of villains, so I couldn’t finish my quest line. Fed up I flew after them, attacked, died (quickly), then re-spawned. I did this over and over to no avail. Finally I changed up my tactic, waited for one of them to wander away from the group and engage an NPC. I jumped in, fired a couple combos and got my first PVP kill. It was GLORIOUS!
Question: If you could be any fictional character, who would you be?
Answer: Indiana Jones. I took archaeology in college just to see what it was all about. Sadly there were no chapters in the book covering whip fighting techniques. Seriously, I got an A in the class and the teacher asked me to stay on as her assistant. I actually went on a dig in Mexico. Too bad real archaeologists aren’t as adventurous as Indy.
Question: If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
Answer: I’ve spent too much time thinking about this in my youth so I wouldn’t hesitate to pick the ability to freeze time. Final answer. I mean c’mon, the prank potential is limitless.
Question: Let’s get real! Hobbies? What’s last book you read? What do you do to unwind after a busy day?
Answer: I’m a busy father of four: Alex (21), Chase (15), Riley (14), and Allison (11) so they keep me pretty busy. I also like to play soccer, a lot. *I play on 3 different indoor soccer teams.
The last book I read was
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card. Fun fact, the US Marine Corps lists the book as recommended reading for Officer Candidates.
I took my family to go see “Super 8” last weekend, and it was GREAT! Definitely reminiscent of 80s Spielberg.
After a busy day, I usually play some PVZ on my iPad before going to bed. Now available for download on PSN.*
Enjoy this screenshot from Seaside in Free Realms, one of Andre’s Favorite Locations!