Peter Gaillard Interview – 50 States (South Carolina)

July, 2018
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4 mins
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Image © The Interviewee

Peter Gaillard – “The Southeast definitely has its quirks for better or worse”

For the 37th Edition of our 50 States series, Creative Chair is in Columbia, South Carolina talking motion and interactivity with Peter Gaillard.

Peter’s abstract animations are both complex and mesmerising. If you use Adobe Audition you’ll have seen a render from his ‘Waves’ project on the splash screen.

You can see more projects by Peter Gaillard on his website.

Tell us a little bit more about yourself and what you do

I’m an independent motion designer from Columbia, SC. I work remotely as a freelancer with teams and directly with clients. My area of focus has changed a lot over the years, but motion design combines some of my favorite areas, offering a good mix of design and technical skills.

“If anything from a personal project ends up being something I enjoy, I’ll see how I can work it into commercial projects”

Peter Gaillard Peaks

I’m always on the lookout for new areas and skills to branch out into, so I try to split my time between commercial and personal projects. If anything from a personal project ends up being something I enjoy, I’ll see how I can work it into commercial projects. Houdini and game engines have been taking up most of that time lately.

How has your state influenced the work that you do?

It’s difficult to pin down specific influences having grown up in the area, but there are likely a lot I’m not aware of. The Southeast definitely has its quirks for better or worse.

The lower overhead that comes with working remotely in a smaller city is one of the biggest practical advantages. This comes with the obvious trade-offs but can allow for a lot more freedom. I was already doing freelance work towards the end of college, so when I came back to South Carolina after graduation I was able to continue that full time while starting to dive a lot more into motion design. Working remotely also came more out of necessity since the type of work I was looking for wasn’t available in the immediate area.

The 134th 366 Award goes to Peter Gaillard for his outstanding creative work.

Filament

Of your own work, what is your favourite project and why?

This is a bit of a non-answer, but it’s usually whatever my current project is. Getting to work through new problems, learn as I go, and hopefully arrive at a solution that’s more interesting than I expected is what makes all of this fun. Lately, I’ve been working on different ways to use 3D for a more stylized look, closer to what you’d see in screen printed posters.

And finally, if you died and got reincarnated as a song, what would that song be?

LCD Soundsystem – “All My Friends”

All My Friends"
All My Friends (2007)
LCD Soundsystem
Play on Apple Music
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What began as a fun question to end an interview, has now become a wonderfully eclectic collaborative playlist by 161 people (and counting).
South Carolina with Peter Gaillard
Playlist
Our Forest