Adventure is Out There

Friends,

I'm writing to tell you about what's going on with me. As many of you already know, Forma Pictures is going quiet. It still exists, but I will no longer be accepting work inquiries or pursuing side projects at this time.

Why?

Well, I accepted a different job. One that will take all of my focus and fortitude. I've accepted a job at Blizzard Entertainment. It's long been my dream to join their team and to learn and collaborate with the fine people there. I'm very happy.

So, there it is. I work at Blizzard. Anything I say or do going forward from here will in no way reflect Blizzard. These opinions on this blog are mine and mine alone. But it'll be quiet here for a time.

Best to you all,

Bailey

End

What do you do when you face the end? When everything you've fought for lies on the edge of a knife, and if you stray but a little, it will all come crumbling down.

I've fought hard in my life to make something great. I have fought for years and years in my quest to defy the status quo and seek to make something better. As the Overwatch trailer put it, "Never accept the world as it appears to be. Dare to see it for what it could be."

This rings true for me. Totally.

The way that people make money and the way that people organize themselves into social structures in the workplace can and should be so, so much better. And whenever I try to accept it for the way that it is today, it kills a little piece inside of me.

The world can and should be better. I'm going to make a company that rises above mediocrity and makes the world a better place. Even if it's the last god damn thing I do.

B

100

Yup. This is the 100th entry for this blog. I started it 2 years ago to shed light on my travels as an artist and business person. It's been a way for me to share and process what I've been making and thinking. A lot has happened these past 100 weeks!

Over the last couple months, however, I've had fewer ideas of what to talk about each week. My guess is because I'm also making weekly video tutorials and essays. So, now I'm only going to post on this blog when bigger things happen or when I have something I want to share. The blog has been great for me, regardless of how many people have read it, but I feel like it's had its moment. I want to focus on other things now.

So, in one final, self-indulgent post, I'm going to list some of the things I've talked about over these past two years. Thanks for reading, friends!

Your pal, Bailey

20/20

20-mile marching. I've written and talked about this a lot, but I think it's important. Like super important.

The beautiful thing about 20-mile marching is that it just works. It works like a goddamn precise clock that never dies. It's incredible. I've long been a fan of the concept, but I really live and breathe it now. The best part is that I'm not overworking myself anymore and yet I'm still accomplishing a lot.

Behind the Cinematic was built on the premise of 20-mile marching. I consistently add to it and improve it, but I don't kill myself for it. And it just keeps growing, getting better, and pushes me to be my best. There's really no downside to 20-mile marching. There may be a slight short term loss, but you surpass other people in the long run. And it doesn't even take that long to do more than people who work all the time. Because when you're well-rested and have all your wits about you, you can very easily do better than the people who are running on fumes.

And, of course, I made a video about it. So, even if you don't read Great by Choice, you should watch this video. And when you're done, read about Amundsen and Scott. And then read this for more information. Haha, do whatever you want. :)

Bailey

March, March

Sometimes it's hard to write something every week. This week it's tricky because the work I did wasn't very visible. Lots of prep-work and WIP stuff that I'm not terribly eager to show. But that's the way of it.

Art is one of those professions where every product takes a considerable number of hours to create. All professions require tens of thousands of hours to get good at, but some professions (like acting) can appear to be instantly created. A performance happens in the moment. Actors still have to do all the prep work ahead of time, but it looks like they just did it magically. Not so with art. Every single piece of art takes hours and hours and hours of time to create.

But I did do a few things you can look at if you want. I posted a couple more articles up on the site and wrote another essay for people to watch. The rest of the work isn't ready for viewing yet, but have a gander at these things:

I did not work on this, it's for Behind the Cinematic.

I did not work on this, it's for Behind the Cinematic.

-Bailey

2 Years Old

Well, Forma Pictures is 2! That's pretty wild, if you ask me. These past 2 years have been somethin' else, and I have absolutely no regrets about it.

Deciding to up and quit my well-paying job was definitely the best decision I ever made. The reason for this is that I was able to go and do things I really cared about. Stuff that I believe in. If you're debating a similar set of choices, I urge you to do the thing that will lead you to more joy. Do that which will lead to a great story, even if it ends in embarrassment. Sure, the road may be harder, but it's worth it. At least it has been for me.

This past year was a lot of fun. I worked on a few commercials, a game, launched a journalistic website, started a weekly series of narrated videos, and lots of other designs, edits, and articles. It's been busy.

I have no idea what this next year is going to be like, but I'm not really phased by so much uncertainty anymore. I'm used to it at this point. It's fun!

Anyhoo, I'll leave ya with the project I started this year that is nearest and dearest to my heart. I fuckin love working on it:

Bailey

Hubris

I spent some time this week improving the site for Behind the Cinematic. I mostly just added a bunch of invisible stuff that should hopefully improve things going forward. That's the thing...so much of the work isn't readily visible and everything takes so much time. It's good, though.

I also wrote a quick essay on the subject of hubris. It's something that I've thought a lot about in the business context because of how destructive it is. Here's the video:

Next week is E3, and that means that new trailers and cinematics will be coming out soon! Very excited about that. Expect some coverage on cinematic news over at Behind the Cinematic.

Bailey

Interviewing

This week I launched a new section for Behind the Cinematic. It's all about the people behind the cinematics. It's where I interview the awesome men and women who have contributed to the art form.

The first interview that went up is all about Ryan M. James, the lead editor at Naughty Dog. It was an absolute pleasure getting to speak with him. He's a knowledgeable guy with a stellar portfolio of work. And, as an editor, he provides some unique insights into the craft. It's a rare position in this industry, as there aren't that many places who have full-time editors on staff. So, our conversation was very informative and whole lot of fun to do. Check out the interview here:

Also, be sure to check out his personal site right here.

As you've probably guessed, there are more interviews on the docket already. In fact, I've got two more scheduled this week, and even more later this month. It's a busy time for Behind the Cinematic, but it's just getting started.

To those of you reading this, I cannot describe how passionate I am about BtC. When I started developing the idea late last year, I had no idea what it might evolve into. And it's already exceeding all my expectations. I find myself running to keep up with its needs and the demand for its content. It's a great feeling. Clearly there is a hunger for what BtC is providing, but I never expected the hunger would be this strong so early in its life. I'm working hard every day (and having a blast) to make sure that the site is a beautiful place where people everywhere can enjoy cinematics and learn about them in detail. I've long wanted to honor the creators and inventors who have made this art form possible, and now I finally have the chance.

I can't WAIT to establish the vision that I have for it in my head. It's gonna be big, folks. :)

Writing and Writing

I'm a visual artist, I like designing stuff and editing video. But I sure do have to do a lot of writing for my job. I feel like most days are spent writing, but I suppose that's what you gotta do if you're telling stories and working with people long-distance.

If I'm not writing this blog, writing emails, or editing this website, I'm writing articles for Behind the Cinematic. And when I'm not doing that, I'm writing my next tutorial, preparing interview questions, or transcribing an interview, or even writing stuff on places like Twitter to keep contact with fellow artists. Of course, in order to make a commercial or a short film, I've got to write the script. And if I'm in negotiation with a client, I'm writing contracts and licensing agreements. And, I'm always writing up my thoughts and business plans so I can figure out what to do next. Write, write, write! Oof!

But it's worth it. It's what's enabled me to have everything that I have right now. If I couldn't write coherent thoughts (not saying I always manage that), I couldn't negotiate paid work. And Behind the Cinematic wouldn't go anywhere at all if I wasn't able to edit prose.

Speaking of which, a brand new section of Behind the Cinematic is launching this week. I'm so pumped!

Bailey

New Horizons

You know, every now and then, a whole bunch of sweet things happen in sequence. It isn't often that I feel overwhelmed by one piece of great news after another, but that's exactly what happened this week.

The life of a freelance artist can be difficult. That's not to say that I don't experience a great deal of happiness, because I do. But when there are so many unknowns, things can get a bit tricky.

But this week was different. A few buds on the tree I've been growing have begun to blossom. The site I run, Behind the Cinematic, is beginning to take off. It's early days yet, but it's positively brimming with potential. I can feel it.

Next week I'll begin interviewing artists in the industry who work on game cinematics. The interviews will be made available for people to read on the site. And let me tell you...I am extremely excited to be doing this. After almost six months of planning, it's finally happening!

And...there was some more good news this week. All speculative stuff, but opportunities are exciting. The future is bright. It's good!

Bailey

Updating

Quick update on the side projects that Forma's got cookin...

Behind the Cinematic

The new behind the scenes site continues to grow and expand its readership. New articles are going up every other week right now, and will continue to do so for a long time. There's also a whole new section to the website that will be launching around the end of May. Look forward to that!

Weekly Essays and Tutorials

After seventeen weeks, there are currently seventeen videos up on the channel HERE. A new essay or tutorial launches every week. Some have been more labor intensive than others, but hopefully people are continuing to find them useful. There are no plans to stop as of this writing.

Video Game

An indie game that I had the pleasure of providing the art for is in the last phase of development. We're still polishing up the functionality and adding a few more things to make it better. I'm not sure when it will launch, but I'll post about it when it does.

Bailey

The Question

On a recent StartUp episode, the team at Gimlet were telling the story of a particular startup in the Bay area that almost failed over and over again. Before eventually selling their company at a ridiculous price, there were many times when they had no idea if the damn thing was even worth all the trouble. There was a lot of stalling and failures before success. Have a listen:

Everyone that goes off on their own will inevitably face the question of "do I push ahead, or do I hang it up?" And rightly so. Even though my small freelancing business is small, I've asked this question over and over again. It's so hard to know when to change direction and when to push on. Because in the moment, both paths feel exactly the same. Those who have been far more successful than I say that the success they did eventually acquire was usually a surprise to them. That is, things were bad for a long time before they were good.

So, is this an immovable wall, or is it just the way of it? I don't know. But I'm going to push on.

Bailey

Video Essays

Back in January I decided to start creating weekly tutorials. Mostly this meant walking through a process inside a program. However, I quickly realized that I greatly prefer to talk about art and business philosophies. I've spent countless hours thinking about that kind of stuff, and I wanted to share my thoughts in video form. So, I started creating video essays in addition to the standard tutorials.

While they've been more engaging for me to produce, the essays require a larger time investment. Specifically, I have to write them and tell a story of sorts. It's been fun, and difficult...still not very good at it yet. But practice, baby!

Your bud,

Bailey