My Interview with Matthew Chin

My Interview with Matthew Chin, a media major. I knew absolutely nothing about media beforehand but was treated to not only his video work, but programming, paintings, and drawings as well.

Nefertiti: Hello Matt. You told me you’re majoring in media. What does media entail and what does your work in media involve?

Matthew: Hello Nefertiti. To me, media is usually making videos. working with the Internet, and reaching out to a large audience. My work seems to focus on entertainment. My short film Disservice with a Smile is a comedy film that was written and directed by me. It's about a guy named Jimmy who gets chased around by a maniac with a bat, and then there's an ending that destroys all expectations. It's meant to make audiences laugh and be amused with the silliness. My Lion Fish Shooter video is of something I made in the programming language called Processing. It's an interactive program where you control a lion fish that shoots pellets at bubbles. It's meant to look like a simple shooting game that kids would play.

Still from Disservice with a Smile

Nefertiti: That’s really cool, I know almost nothing of media but it sounds profound, and definitely very contemporary with our modern age. I really enjoyed Disservice with a Smile, it had an amusing narrative and I did actually chuckle. And the Lion Fish Shooter felt really light hearted and familiar, like old flash games people our age probably played when we were younger. What was it like directing your own film? That seems rather difficult.

Matthew: It was pretty hard. First, I needed to find a time at night when all of my actors were available. Second, I needed to handle the camera and tell my actors what to do. Since my actors weren't professionals, it was difficult trying to get them to do things the way I envision. Even so, I think it turned out really well.

Matthew: My instructors have told me that the Lion Fish Shooter looked like an app game.

Still from Lion Fish Shooter

Nefertiti: Yeah, I find film fascinating in that way because each frame is like a painting, and you need to choreograph it so it all fits together well. And yes, the simplicity of the style and click based mechanics lends itself to mobile games. What is it about media, and perhaps these two examples, that you find most interesting?

Matthew: I'm not so sure myself. I guess it just feels good to make things that people would want to see or experience and have a good time with them. I usually like to keep my work rated G or PG. Media like television, movies, and video games are things that people like to watch or play, and it brings together people with similar interests.

Nefertiti: That’s a very generous outlook, I can definitely concur. What was it that got you into media in the first place? Since we’re talking about interests.

Matthew: When I started college, I was a visual arts student with no specific concentration. In sophomore year, I decided to give media a try because I wanted to make movies. After learning that I'm pretty good at editing, I decided to concentrate in that. I have also taken some creative writing classes, so I'm comfortable with writing scripts.

Nefertiti: I’m glad you were able to discover your interests and utilize them, creative writing is a really great outlet. What would you say inspires your work?

Matthew: I guess what mainly inspires me are my favorite video games, TV shows, movies, music, and other forms of popular culture. I know it sounds unprofessional, but it's what I do. I don't have any real artists that truly inspire me. If I do, they would just be game artists and fan artists.

Nefertiti: That’s quite alright, you’re being honest and I don’t think there’s any shame in deriving interest in those things. It’s good work in a different context, but individually it can have great meaning. This is for my own curiosity, but is there a video game and a movie you could mention that really impacted you?

Matthew: My biggest inspiration is the Pokémon franchise. I've been a fan since I was little, and I've drawn over a hundred fan made original characters. Pokémon isn't just a media franchise, it's a lifestyle. This is a bit of a stretch, but I'd love to work for Game Freak one day.

Nefertiti: It’s nice seeing that kind of love and passion for something meant to bring you entertainment, I have a lot of things like that myself. Since you mentioned working for their studio one day, what direction do you see your work going in? The images of your work that you sent seemed very structured, clean, and organized, are they still like that now? Apologies for the multiple questions.

Matthew: If I do end up working at Game Freak, I'd like to help in creating characters, settings, stories, and some other things. Pokémon is actually a lot deeper than most people think it is. It's not a kiddie video game-based franchise about animals beating each other up. The creators take careful consideration into their characters, settings, and stories. For example, in the Pokémon world, there is a place called Kalos that is based on France. The creators visited real-life France so that they could incorporate France's cities and culture into Kalos. I'd like to get into conceptual thinking so I can make the kind of things Game Freak makes.

I've been told that I have a great sense of humor, so I could also work for a company that makes TV shows or movies. They would need people with good ideas or a sense of artistry. If making video games isn't my thing, I could try this direction.

I consider my non-video work still structured, clean, and organized. For the Mitosis Jacks, I made a lot of measurements to cut out the foam boards into the shapes I wanted. I still draw a lot today, and I think I'm pretty good with line work. People have told me that I have careful hands.

Nefertiti: I totally see where you’re coming from, I often see video games as a medium that marries other mediums together since they need great visuals, an interesting concept, and lots of work and research. I definitely saw your sense of humor in the short film, it’s refreshing seeing something funny that isn’t bogged down by seriousness. It’s good to have that flexibility because the skills you have could be utilized in several different fields, I wish you luck.

And I definitely saw that careful intricacy and preciseness in the jacks and that Christmas Tree drawing. Clean lines are great for animations and character design, so that’s a great skill to have.

Now, as a parting question, what would you say your greatest strengths are? And what are some aspects of your work and process you think you could improve? I know you kind of answered the first question, but I’m still curious.

Matthew: I appreciate your comments about Christmas War Planet and Mitosis Jacks. I think some my greatest strengths are that I can be patient and I can stay calm in tense situations. Also, I can quickly notice things in my work that I don't like and fix them if I can. Some things that I could improve are trying to take my work to the absolute best instead of just the minimum satisfaction.

Nefertiti: Of course! I think you’ll have plenty of opportunities to improve as well as show off your abilities. Thank you so much for taking the time to talk, it was a pleasure.

Matthew: You're welcome. It's been fun sharing my life as an artist.