Onur Senturk

We are often “wow-ed” by the racing cars, devastating tornado and the flying superheroes in commercial films.  But what really goes into creating such high quality digital motion and transformation?  Onur Senturk, from Istanbul, Turkey, one of the industry’s most talented motion designer and director, shares his experience with us.

Senturk started his career by studying painting and figure drawing, after which he transitioned into animation.  He is currently working as a freelancer in Turkey, having done work for agencies including FerroConcrete, Dixonbaxi and Prologue films.  Senturk also created an advertisement for design42day that combines design specific quotes and images, thus capturing the company’s philosophy.

He continues to be a leading motion designer, with his ability to integrate modern design into a wide range of projects.  Senturk stays up-to-date with industry news and educates his numerous fans, through his twitter page.  His successful experimentation with image and sound has won him much critical acclaim, including a recent Vimeo award for Best Motion Graphic Piece, in recognition of his short film, Triangle, an impressive showcasing of Robert Knoke’s artwork.

Below is an interview Onur Senturk did with Design42day.

1.) What sparked your interest in becoming a motion designer and how did this interest develop?
It is a long chain reaction story! I started drawing and copying comics (X-men comics Illustrated by Jim lee) when I was thirteen. I then decided to focus my high school education on traditional painting.  I learned so many techniques there, ranging from traditional painting to printmaking and photography. I then pursued a traditional animation education, where I learned how to create moving images. While creating new pieces, my past helps me to solve problems and also gives me inspiration in some key points.  I also have Dvein to thank for highly encouraging me to do motion design (before building Nokta ).

2.) I understand that you have studied traditional painting, figure drawing, and traditional animation.  What other educational (or other) experience do you recommend for someone aspiring to become a motion designer?
Software know-how is always a plus; however, I don’t really think it is crucial.  Observing and finding inspiration is one of hard things. Also, it is a factor in all things that you create.  Monotony is the one great danger of the design business. Your work can become predictable and boring with time. But for those who are just beginning to learn design, my advice is that with the right kind of motivation and mediocre level of technical info, everything is pretty much achievable.

3.) Your film, Nokta, has received much critical acclaim.  Could you tell us a little bit about the film and the message you are hoping it conveys?
I consider myself very lucky because it is really hard to step away from the “majority”.  Nokta means “dot” and “achieved state” in Turkish and I tried to portray both meanings. This film contains abstract sentences about life and death even though some parts have a touch of reality.
I think the best way to portray surrealism to put a little amount of reality in it. When an audience perceives the portrayed world’s state, I manipulate that state and bend the laws of physics to create magic.

I was plan on creating multiple Nokta ‘s. With these films, my aim is to catch a sense of early avant-garde cinema like Hans Richter, Rene Clair, Luis Bunuel, Man ray, Marcel Duchamp and Maya Deren did. Their films are very brave, strong, and make the audience minds turn upside down.

4.) What inspired the design and animation for the design42day commercial?
The Design42day commercial was a lot of fun because I was able to experiment with new techniques while doing it.  I also love to surf on the internet, frequently visiting design portals. I normally prepare an inspiration folder to keep me motivated when beginning something new.
However, there are short films that effected me deeply I want to refer to them too. One of them is created by Brothers Quay titled ‘Rehearsal for Extinct Anatomies.’ I used a similar visual approach along with Marcel Duchamp’ s quote about the creative act.  I also want to thank to Ipek Torun for her amazing job on typography and Mert Kizilay for  his incredible  music and sound.
www.ipektorun.com
www.mertkizilay.com

5.) How has your country and your personal experiences influenced your work?
I think my country and environment strongly affected my perspective. Maybe, if I grew up in another place you would see entirely different things from me. They would probably not be as good as they are now!   An artist can always find prolific points that will inspire him/her here.  If our government doesn’t ban video sharing sites and internet, nothing is really an excuse not to create here (vimeo was banned two weeks ago and youtube has been banned for almost 3 years.)

6.) When you are not working, what do you like to do with your time?
Watch films, travel and walk.  I always carry a notebook with me to begin new projects.

7.) Could you share with us a little bit about your upcoming projects?
I am trying set a balance between commercial projects and  non-commercial projects.  I want to get my hands on the title design business and fashion, which is an endless vortex and definitely needs the help of motion graphics to become a stronger black hole.

8.) What software and other materials do you use for creating and editing your films?I use 3dsmax, Cinema 4D, Realflow, Mudbox, After Effects. Besides these prograns I love using live action shots to enrich the visual quality and experience of work.