Welcome back to another round of Creator Spotlight! Two weeks ago, we ventured into Gotham City with Athena Finger. Today, we are going into the Artistic, World of Visual Effects, with the Animation Group Speedokaggen Creator, Magnus Edlund! Three days ago, I highlighted one of his newest animated shorts, The Last Ronin. For those who aren’t familiar with the Last Ronin, it is one of the newest Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles stories that focus on a future NYC far different than the one we know today, a lone surviving Turtle goes on a seemingly hopeless mission to obtain justice for his fallen family and friends.
In today’s interview, we’ll be discussing Edlund’s inspiration behind his brand, Speedokaggen, how long he has been creating VFX Artwork, and more. Without further ado, let’s begin!
Red: What was the inspiration behind your business?
Magnus: I started the speedokaggens YouTube channel for my love for film and filmmaking. Me and my brother (Andreas) started to make short films around 15-20 years ago. I was behind the camera and my brother was in front of it. After a few years, I wanted more actors in my short films but I didn’t have so many friends. I started to learn 3d software so I could make 3d robots and Pokemon so my brother could interact with other characters. That’s also how I started more seriously with VFX.
Red: How long have you been animating/creating VFX?
Magnus: I started with visual effects around 15 years ago. The first effect I did was a simple “clone effects”. You film yourself on the right side of the frame and then you film yourself on the left side of the frame. Then in post-production, you merge those 2 video clips into 1 video clip and that gives an illustration that you are in 2 places at the same time. Later I started to create more “advanced” stuff like lightsabers.
Red: What are the biggest problems you have encountered, and how do you handle them as an artist?
Magnus: This is a hard question. It’s probably a situation I’m facing right now. Should I continue to make more videos about “the last ronin” or should I continue to make my stuff again? I have to sit down and think through what I want to do and how to proceed. I have felt pressure from viewers, saying that I should do more of “The Last Ronin” but do I want to do that and is it even possible to make more? I don’t know yet.
Red: What was your favorite project to create?
Magnus: My favorite project to create was probably my short film “Pokemon And Super Mario In Real Life,” We had a great time on set, and everything was nice and fun. This was 7-8 years ago. I’m putting so much pressure on everything I do now and this is a bit hard to handle sometimes. Everything was much easier 8-10 years ago.
Red: To those interested in pursuing work in VFX, what advice would you give Artists and Creators?
Magnus: If you want to create VFX, try it out! It’s never too late to try things out and when you have tried them, you can decide if it was something you would like to continue with or leave behind and try something else.
A big thanks go out to Magnus for participating in our Creator Spotlight Feature. Unfortunately, we have reached the end of our interview, but fear not! Listed below are places where you can support Speedokaggen‘s work and their business. Until next time, be sure to check out our past interviews, and please, continue supporting artists, and creators!
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