RainWriter: Your projects have this professional quality that make them seem as though Living Children is a high-paced agency located on the top floor of a mid-town Manhattan skyscraper, but Living Children is pretty much just you, Eric Bort. How did you gather all of that experience in your young years to be able to develop such fantastic interactive experiences and gather such an impressive client list?
Eric: Luck and effort.
Luck, because there's no way to get everything right the first time, start with a big client list, have high paying jobs the day after you decide to work for yourself. It all has to fall into place on its own. I remember seeing a flyer on a wall from some kid, who ended up working at COSI (Center of Science and Industry, my client for the Virtual Knee Surgery) in late 1999. The flyer said 'The Web is about Expression'. So I followed up on it, and through that random contact from that random flyer ended up with one of the best, most supportive clients anyone could hope for. And I'm not just saying that to kiss up! That's what I'd consider lucky. COSI was probably my second client, mere months after I began teaching myself Flash.
As for the effort part, no one wants to hire/contract out to a slacker. I tell my clients that anything is possible. I give them something that no one's seen before, and I do it for half of what a big production company would charge. The greatest thing about working for yourself is that you in the end are in control of every single aspect of a project. If something goes wrong, it's your own fault. But even better, if something goes right, it's your own fault. I try to lean towards the 'something goes right' side of things. Work hard, be creative and in a few years the clients will come looking for you.
RainWriter: You present your company's goal as "making educational projects that are engaging, accessible and easy to comprehend," and as I've gone through the various projects displayed at your site I believe that you have definitely hit your mark (and I think your clients would agree). What made you decide to focus not only on interactive media, but also on creating educational experiences?
Eric: I am not a big fan of 'how-to' books, but from the few that I did read on the subject of business, they all stated the phrase 'niche market'. I think most businesses start out a little broader than expected, concerning the type of work they'll take in. It'd be pretty dumb (in my opinion) to turn away any work no matter what the style or subject matter is when starting out. Coming from an art school, I hear many stories of the painter, photographer or web designer, who was so obsessed with one subject/type of work (painting portraits, photographing food, creating death-metal themed web sites) that they ended up not working at all. When someone can only think one way, and can't accept a potential client's view, they're probably not destined for success any time soon. After a few years of doing only what other people want to build up clients and a reputation, you start to have some freedom to turn down work. Not only that, but it is a great chance to refine yourself into that niche market. In my case, educational interactive design.
There were a few great companies ( Second Story , The Chopping Block ) who inspired me, piqued my interest in education and made great examples of themselves and what was possible online. The Chopping Block made this great little interactive site called ' What is a Print ' a few years back. If you compare it to Virtual Knee Surgery you can find some similarities. Pick up a tool, carve something or other and most importantly, learn! I was so engaged by the 'What is a Print' site, that it stuck with me and is an example of the interactivity I strive to achieve in my projects. Not many people know how to perform knee surgery, but after experiencing the virtual knee surgery site, most have a good idea of the process.
RainWriter: I did not know what to expect going into the virtual knee surgery, but the surgery was so engaging that I literally was unsure as to whether I could finish it up, but I didn't want to leave my patient hanging because their doctor found the procedure too icky. What is the key to getting the formula just right?
Eric: After I got a few comments about people nearly vomiting or passing out, I knew I was onto something. Seriously, those were some of the best compliments I could have gotten. If you looked at the programming I used to create Virtual Knee Surgery, you wouldn't find anything that hadn't been done before. Making a successful interactive activity is all about taking an idea, and pushing it in a manner no one else has thought to. It doesn't take an innovative thinker to figure out that a drag and drop script could be applied to an online jigsaw puzzle. But when you can take that same script and turn it into a virtual sponge bath activity, you're onto something.
RainWriter: When I went through the surgery for the first time, I also wasn't quite sure what was made with Swift 3D and what was just Flash since there is such a seamless integration between the 2D and 3D. How did you decide what to create in Swift 3D and what to leave up to Flash?
Eric: I always start a project of this size with big ideas. "Oh yeah, we'll have a totally 3D patient, with muscles, bones, everything in 3D. The user will be able to take on multiple perspectives." and so on. Before the actual presentation in front of the client, I tone down my over the top ideas, and see what I can use, and replace what is too much. At one point I was referencing those scenes from 'Fight Club' where the camera gets all blurry and flies through someone's body, following veins and blood cells. That's what I mean by over the top. It's nice to think that way, but if it won't work in reality (due to file size mostly) then it'd be a waste of the client's time and money.
In the end, what made the most sense to create in 3D were all of the surgical tools, which I'd be using from multiple angles. The only tools in the Virtual Knee Surgery that were hand drawn were the 'forks' that spread the open the incision.
RainWriter: What was the workflow you used to bring your Swift 3D elements into the virtual knee surgery? And by the way, I am pretty sure you are our first customer to create a bone saw with Swift 3D.
Eric: Initially it took some practice importing Flash drawn objects into Swift 3D and ending up with the shape or object I wanted. I bought a great book a few months back called "Foundation Swift 3D" from Friends of Ed publishing company. That book made the whole program come to life. Soon I could look at a surgical tool, create some vector shapes in Flash, export an .eps file, and in a few minutes have the 3d version ready to use. In total I spent around 6 hours creating all of the 3D tools. If I were to hand draw each tool, it would have been more like 3 or 4 days worth of work.
As for being the first customer to create a bone saw. I think that light saber tutorial on your site had me beat. It might be a little messy, but it'd cut through bone all the same.
RainWriter: In reading through the case study that you submitted to us for the knee surgery, you mention that "The best part about Swift 3D is in its simplicity. It covers the basics, and it does what I need it to do." Do you think a lot of Flash designers are missing out on opportunities to bring 3D into their design?
Eric: Somewhere on the erain.com site there is an article on how Swift 3D usage is coming into its prime. People aren't just making spinning logos because they can, they're thinking of practical uses like product demonstration and simulations.
In the end, whether something is 3D or 2D shouldn't be the point. If a designer's use of 3D helps their workflow, integrates into their project and better represents the subject matter then I think it's been put to good use. It's the designer who uses 3D for 3D's sake that might need to re-think what they're doing.
RainWriter: It sounds like this virtual knee surgery has opened up the doors for a bunch of new projects for your company. Anything you can tell us about?
Eric: I'm heading out to California in March to meet with a current client about starting a virtual heart bypass surgery. Even more interesting, I just got a call from the United Kingdom asking if my company would be interested in creating interactive medical demonstrations for student doctors in developing 3rd world countries. It's amazing, the unexpected chain reaction a project like this can cause. The other thing that amazes me is that on February 1st, my average daily site visitors were around 60. Now I'm getting an average of 13,000 each day. My bandwidth is screaming for mercy!
RainWriter: We wish you the best of luck and urge all of our readers to go vote for your Virtual Knee Surgery at the upcoming Flash Film Festival.
**Voting ends on the February 23 at 2:00 p.m. PST**
Eric: Thanks!
Here are some extra links for the other companies/projects mentioned:
What is a print:
http://www.moma.org/whatisaprint/flash.html
Chopping Block:
http://www.choppingblock.com
Second Story:
http://www.secondstory.com
And my other non-profit business Edheads:
http://www.edheads.org |
