Se volete leggere l'intervista integrale realizzata dal sito
Akiba Gamers a Roberto Ferrari cliccate
qui di seguito trovate la traduzione fedele in inglese, no Google translate per mezzo del quale alcuni imbecilli han tradotto vergognosamente dalla rete e stravolto il significato e i contenuti dell'intervista.
Since we believe a lot of the original interview was lost in translation, and since this caused a misunderstanding between Roberto Ferrari himself and his employer Square Enix, we decided to review it again and to retranslate it as best as we could, hoping to shed some light to some points that were clearly misinterpreted by the original translators.
What inspired you to become a character designer, and when did you decide to pursue this career?
R: Well, it wasn't a straight decision, but when I first saw japanese animation on TV as a kid, I immediately felt a strong connection, and thought I'd like to do that kind of stuff when I grew up. It was 1978, and I was roughly 8 years old. Naturally, I started by drawing comics, as they're a form of art that can be created with a pretty basic equipment: you just need a pen and some paper. To be honest, I originally wanted to become an animator, but back in the day, animation hadn't developed in my country yet, and I didn't know anyone in Italy who worked in that field.
In my early twenties, be it destiny or a stroke of luck, one of my works granted me a scholarship in Japan (I have to thank Kodansha publishing for that, and specifically mrs. Takenaka), which allowed me to undertake several months of study for the editorial office of a magazine called Morning.
After Morning published two of my illustrations, our office received a phone call by mr. Ippei Kurii, who at the time was the director of Tatsunoko Production. He told me that he was interested in my work, and offered me a job in his company. I immediately accepted and made up my mind to start this adventure. I came back to Italy and was granted a working visa by the japanese embassy in February 1997.
Times changed, and I also did; I slowly became more and more interested in videogames, not from an entertainment perspective, but as an opportunity to create new and innovative worlds. I could, of course, do that as an animator too, but I started realizing 3D was the future, and even animation itself was evolving in that same direction.
I left Tatsunoko in 2001 and was hired by NAMCO soon thereafter. In 2006, I tried to obtain an employment in the company that I thought to be the most representative in the videogaming environment. I am obviously talking about Square Enix.
Which franchise you worked on is your favourite? And why?
R: I think Final Fantasy XV itself, not because it's a recent product, but because I had the opportunity to work with mr. Nomura by having a substantial role. I felt artistically respected and appreciated by mr. Nomura, for the first time since I started living in Japan. He showed me his deep trust in my potential, but more importantly, his trust in me as a human being. It's a little difficult to explain, but before I started working for Square Enix there were times I just felt exploited.
Do you consider yourself a gamer? What are your favourite games? Do you still have some free time to get inspired by other games you play?
R: I never was a gamer, and never will be. I don't have enough time. However, I always try to keep up with the latest releases and never miss a single trailer. Working in this field made me develop, above all, a pretty technical point of view. There could be a game I prefer for its scenic design, or another I could like from an innovation standpoint, for its technical choices, and so on.
On which franchise would you like to work on in the future?
R: I would love to work on Kingdom Hearts because of its non-realistic aesthetic design.
Looking back to the various design choices of the Final Fantasy series, do you prefer the old, super deformed style, the anime style of titles like VII or IX, or something more realistic like VIII or X?
R: I like all of them, because every single one of them is unique. As I previously stated, I don't particularly fancy overly realistic designs, especially when it comes to the characters. When you strive to achieve realism, you often create something that is similar to a ton of other products, which in turn goes against originality. It's aestethically pleasing nonetheless, but I'd choose something anyone could recognize at first glance.
What is the difference between working for an animation company like Tatsunoko and the videogame industry? How do they manage their production chain?
R: It is extremely different. My first approach to the videogame industry was astonishing: I thought it was very messy and unorganized. It takes an huge number of people to make a game, and a lot of time for every gear to slowly move into place. What impressed me the most is that everything else starts before it is even determined how the story is going to unfold. Countless things change during development, and with those changes many characters, levels and a lot of other stuff gets cut. You don't have this kind of luxury in animation, as they're working with incredibly tight deadlines... I would say animation needs to keep a strict schedule.
(Reviewer note: Ferrari didn't mean to disrespect Square Enix by deeming their work "messy and unorganized". He merely stated that the production process of a videogame company is significantly different when compared to that of the animation business).
It's been a long time since you moved to Japan to fulfill your dream. Do you miss your country somehow, your food, your special places?
R: I obviously miss my family, and the sea. Watching the sun setting on the Mediterranean soothes your soul. There are plenty of evocative spots in Japan too, but since I came to Tokyo I have totally devoted my life to work. I sometimes miss that stimulating, proactive free time I had in Italy.
Many people dream about working and living in Japan, but a lot of them have given up their dream of moving in the country they love.
What would you suggest to your young compatriots that are pursuing a career overseas? Can italians really become part of the japanese industry like you did?
R: Never look back when you have a dream, never hesitate. Living abroad is not simple, but you have to look inside you and understand what you want to achieve in your life. In my case, hardships were never stronger than my resolution.
After ten years of development, Final Fantasy XV was finally released to the public. What would you like to say to your fellow italian players?
R: Hey, I was part of the team just from May 2010 to the end of 2013! Anyway, I have a message to whoever is about to start playing Final Fantasy XV: if during your adventure you happen to run into a suspicious and shady character - let's say the most italian one (could it be because I was the one who drew him?) - don't you ever trust him!
Jokes aside, all of our staff gave their best to deliver this game, and I firmly believe that you can experience a wonderful adventure by guiding prince Noctis' self-consciousness to maturity.
Bunzigirl
