An Interview with Tom Taylor
Having known Tom Taylor for the best part of 10 years, I’ve found it a tad difficult to write an introduction to this piece. I first met Tom when I worked in the promo production department of a busy pay TV channel, he’d come on board as the director of our in-house graphics team and we quickly became friends. Years later, after I’d left that workplace behind, he and his lovely wife Nicky moved to the Mountains and became crucial members of my husband and mine’s social scene.
As a designer, he’s a prime candidate for a Cloudscape interview but as a mate, I’ve learnt it’s really tricky to do justice to your subject’s talent and creativity without sounding, and feeling, like you’re taking the piss. Then I found myself at the Blue Mountains Film Festival, saw Tom in action and suddenly the way forward was easy. Armed with a clipboard, he was completely in his element as the Film Festival’s director, a role that he took on when it became evident that the Festival wouldn’t continue unless someone stepped into the breech. This pretty much sums Tom up, he’s passionate and committed in ways that few people are.
Like many Mountains folk, Tom is most poetic in describing the reasons that brought him here, saying that ‘maybe there’s some scientific explanation like air pressure affecting my inner ear or something…but I feel very energized by everything up here and always have.’ With a background in Fine Art, Tom now runs a design and animation studio from home; a choice which allows him to be more involved in his kids’ lives. He is also a keen film maker, and you can see his work here
Fresh from the Film Festival’s success, Tom kindly found the time to answer the Cloudscape’s questions regarding his creative life.
Tell us about yourself?
I run a design and animation company. I try to be quite diverse, but a lot of what I do is broadcast design. I also work in post production, so create 2D and 3D effects for film and tv. Sometimes my work involves print work, logo design, architectural visualization, or design for installations. I’m also very interested in directing and film making, so try to put a lot of energy into that.
Tell us about the set up of your business?
For the most part, the business is me and a bunch of machines. Having said that, I’ve always outsourced and expanded with the help of others when I’ve needed to. I’m pretty lucky to have met some great people along the way who also like to be independent and collaborative.
The main type of work I produce is called ‘Broadcast Design’ Most people outside of the film and TV industry don’t really know what that is, but I suppose the easiest way to describe it is that it’s any visual design, moving or not, that’s going to end up on screen on a tv channel.
I find the work quite satisfying in most ways but I’d say the most fulfilling aspect of my work is the journey between the jobs conception and it’s delivery. When you feel like whatever you are doing has been conceptualized well, and you are then able to bring that through to a satisfying realization, and see the initial concept in an as-good or better then hoped result, then I find that very fulfilling. When it’s your own idea then it’s a very special feeling, but successfully creating from external briefs is also very rewarding.
How did you get into this field?
I have a background in Fine Art and I was always interested in drawing and painting, but also studied photography, sculpture, and graphic design. I thought I was going to get into desktop publishing or maybe video editing, but then became very interested in 3D graphics and animation in the early 90′s. 3D was really exploding then, and at the time there was not really any structured form of education in 2D and 3D computer graphics, so myself and all of my work colleagues were really self taught. These days there is a myriad of tertiary and on-line resource if you are looking to get into digital design.
Why do you live in the mountains?
Probably this is the hardest question to answer for me because it’s very personal. For the most part I’d like to think that I’m a very logical, straightforward type, but I find the mountains have always given me an elevated sense of some sort…it seems to be a very common theme with people I have come to know in the mountains. The landscapes are obviously pretty amazing, but I’d have to say it’s more the people and the human dimension up here that really make me feel at home.
Where do you work?
I work from home about 95% of the time. Partially because I have young children, so have wanted to spend as much time around them in those first few years before they go to school, but I’ve also found that the home office situation really seems to suit me. I do have to go down to Sydney for meetings and shoots, but I kind of like that in any case. It keeps you feeling connected to what’s going on in the city, and outside of peak hour the drive is really ok - there’s not one traffic light between Glenbrook and the CBD whether you come in north on the M2 or south on the M5 so as long as you plan your travel time it’s really very easy.
What drives your creative direction?
I think that’s something that’s always changing. I like discovering new areas of life and then letting that filter back into my design work. Really just about every aspect of life is reflected in design in some way or another. I think it’s very important to draw stimulation from as far a field as possible.
Work-wise, what’s next on the horizon for you?
I’ve got a few things coming up at the moment. I ran the Blue Mountains Film Festival this year and found that very enjoyable. I guess on one level putting something like this together is a form of design and animation! I’m also very keen to get a few other film projects happening in the next 12 months, so doing the ground work for some of those at the moment.
What’s exciting you right now?
I’m surprised at how much David Michôd’s film Animal Kingdom has been reverberating around in my thoughts after watching it for the 2nd time the other day on tv. There were many things I liked about the film, but what really blew me away was just the simplicity of it… No special effects, no big action sequences really, just a good involving story and great performances. I thought it was really inspirational.
I’m also really excited by the new Evangelion movies…http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9Mt8VnXWTU
What’re your most memorable mountainside moments?
I was on my way back up the mountains one evening after quite a taxing few days working in Sydney and my wife called to say that she and the kids were at a bit of a spontaneous Friday evening get-together. Ten minutes later I was back with family and friends, enjoying a gin and tonic. That was quite a nice homecoming.
What are your favorite things to do in the mountains?
I’m a big fan of cafe breakfasts, so snooping around for the best breakfast spot is pretty fun. Lily’s Pad Cafe at the back of Leura carpark is a pretty good little spot if you are out with the kids, and the Leura Garage is a definite fav. Stockmarket Cafe was a great little nook.
We also like taking the kids out for a bit of a runaround. There are lots of little parks all over the mountains, but probably Blackheath Park is the most fun. Many different play areas spread around the park, as well as the pool in summer.
How do you escape from your work?
Well, I like coffee and I like driving, so driving somewhere and having coffee… That’s pretty good. I have a few friends over in the Hawkesbury area so I like meeting up with them in Kurrajong or Bilpin for a catch up.
Describe your perfect mountains weekend…
Time with the family…Happy giggling kids…Dinner with friends…Late night F1 race.
What advice would you give others wanting to get into your field?
Create a project of your own and use it as pathway into the skills you want to learn and as a goal to sustain your motivation. Create what you love and others will love it too.
WORDS KERIS MACARTHUR IMAGES NICOLA TAYLOR
Great article and exciting to see people galvanising the arts scene in the mountains. I really enjoyed the Blue Mountains Film Festival and look forward to seeing more from Tom Taylor.
Thanks Amanda, we were super excited to attend the Film Festival too! Can’t wait for next year’s, we think its just going to get better and better.
Cheers,
KM