Presentation Takeaways – Clinton Crumpler on Visual Storytelling

Clinton Crumpler is a 3D environment artist based out of Vancouver. After earning a MFA in Game Development and a BFA in Animation from SCAD, he worked as an artist for game studios including Microsoft Studios and Bethesda. In late 2017 he started Dekogon, a 3D artist collective which produces high quality assets and environments for games.

Clinton visited the SCAD Savannah campus Friday, October 4 to present on Visual Narrative and Storytelling.

Rather than simply arranging a bunch of furniture and props into a room, environment design can be used to subtly convey narrative and guide the player towards gameplay.

Ultimately, a well-designed environment is one with a strong identity, which is driven by factors like time period, mood, and place. Although they are both churches, a Pentecostal church in the rural South looks and feels very different from a Gothic cathedral in the middle of London. Architectural styles, set dressing, and even post-processing can help an environment feel less ambiguous and more immersive. It’s all about giving the player context, so they know what an environment is and how to interact with it.

The design of individual props also contributes heavily to immersion. As part of the process at Dekogon and for many successful digital artists, every prop they create must convey a sense of history. When making an asset, you should know what it is used for, how long it has been used, how its materials have worn over time, how its users have modified it, and so on. If a tool, a building, or even a character has a history, the player can become a part of that history and help shape its future.

Once an environment is filled with assets, the designer should also take into account how the player is directed through that space. The player’s path through a space can be influenced by prop placement, design, framing, and lighting. For example, numerous games draw the player towards well-lit locations and decorations. Also, Naughty Dog often makes assets yellow that the developers want players to pay attention to.

Clinton also sustained a brief Q&A. Questions and responses are paraphrased below.

Q: Do you have any advice on transitioning into game development from another field? (Clinton studied graphic design and animation before his MFA in game development)
A: I felt like I was good at those other fields, but not like I excelled in them. For animation especially, I realized that I liked modeling and texturing, but not the other parts. So in the period between my undergrad and my MFA, I used the time to polish my skills in game engines and familiarize myself with the production pipeline.

Q: Is it better to put an “okay” scene in my portfolio, or a few really good props? Also, is it possible to overcrowd a scene with assets?
A: Never settle for “okay” on your portfolio, since you’re competing with designers from all over the world. Whatever you have, try and push it to the next level. We have hired designers at Dekogon whose ArtStation only had a single piece, but since that piece was so well done it demonstrated that they understand the thought process and skills we need. Also, crowded scenes have a place, but a crowded room implies something very different about its history and occupants than a tidy one. Just make sure you are conveying what you want to.

Q: For my portfolio, should I prioritize stylized or realistic lighting?
A: You usually get better results from exaggerating your lighting, but it should always come from a “real” light within the scene, not just from nowhere.

Q: Should I design the “new” version of an asset before I make the “weathered” version?
A: You don’t necessarily need to model the shiny new version, but you should have an idea of what it looked like before it became aged.

Q: Should my portfolio environments have characters in them?
A: With or without characters, the scene itself should be strong. If having a character in it says something new about the environment, then include them. But if it works without them, then just show the scene.

Q: I have zero experience designing environments. Where do I start?
A: There’s a niche opening in the industry specifically for level design. The best practice, if you don’t know how to model or set up lighting yet, is to download something like Unreal and start making scenes with the free assets they give you. You can also practice in games with with robust level editors. The same principles apply, and employers will be able to tell if you have good storytelling skills.

Q: What are some of the first steps to starting your own studio?
A: Take business classes, be empathetic when working with people, and don’t be afraid to ask for help. The cost of speaking to a lawyer or business advisor for a few hours is well worth the headache it will save in the future.(For more information on starting a studio, SCAD offers a class on Digital Entrepreneurship – ITGM 370 with Sari Gilbert.)

Q: What did you do after grad school?
A: I started applying to companies about five months after I graduated, starting with the ones I really wanted to work with (which didn’t hire me). My first job was definitely the hardest to get, but once I had my foot in the door it became a hundred times easier. That first job was also great for learning more about the processes and skills I would need for my career, and I kept improving my portfolio the whole time I was there.

Clinton will be invited back to SCAD Savannah in Spring quarter, and possible Winter. View his portfolio at clintoncrumpler.com and artstation.com/ccrumpler. Dekogon is located at dekogon.com, and can be reached on Facebook at facebook.com/dekogon/ and Twitter at twitter.com/Dekogonstudios.