Living in 3D – Interview with a Motion Designer Alexandre Tms

I’ll be the first to admit I have a certain attachment to Instagram. And while a lot of people have bad things to say about the platform and the overuse of social media, I find that for me it does more good than bad. Yes, it’s the go-to place to seek validation from strangers on the internet. But it’s also a platform that celebrates creativity and and showcases a whole new world of artists and creators. And Instagram is the place where I found Alexandre, a Motion Designer who captivated me with his graphic videos. I wanted to learn more about what he does and how he does it.

Alexandre started pursuing motion design a year ago in continuation of his design studies. “I wanted to do web design, which led me to animate models, which then led me to 2D motion design and finally 3D“. He adds that now he sees himself working as an artist doing 3D design, which is what makes him feel the most comfortable and free.

Nature, music & other artists

I was eager to find out where he finds the inspiration for his designs. He explained that he’s very inspired by contemporary artists. “I go to many exhibitions in my city like The Frac, that’s how I discovered people like Sara Masuger, Ivan Seal & The Caretaker. Also, I’m very influenced by all the content found on Vimeo or Instagram”. Alexandre also adds that music plays a significant role in his creative process. “You’ll notice in my work that the music is incorporated quite well with the visual, made when I listen to certain artists like Model 86, Flume, Odesza & Amnesia Scanner I am transported to a world that I then try to translate visually“.

He also mentions turning to nature for inspiration. “Corals, trees, flowers with their system that’s always similar but not identical, the repetitions of organic forms, in a kind of logical and mathematical implementation have always fascinated me“. Lastly, he also notes literature, especially philosophy. “When an abstract concept in philosophy intrigues me, I like to try to translate it visually so that it becomes more comprehensible to me“.

I was interested to find out if there have been any other artists that have been influential to his work. He noted several. “At first I was led in the motion design by Aeforia and Matteyyy, they pushed me to open doors in the quality of my renderings. Then Ondrej Zunka, Lukas Vosjir, Florian Dks and Petertarka really launched me into more in-depth research. Their work is amazing, they all have a very strong identity“.

From start to finish

I was curious about the software he uses to make his designs come to life. To which Alexandre replied that it’s not the software that makes the difference. It’s important to work with what you’re most comfortable with. “Personally my work juggles between Houdini, Octane and Cinema 4D. But I think that Blender does the job on a lot of spots for example“. He also adds that the whole process is rather long and he puts a lot of research into his work. The research phase can take from a few hours up to several days. “Sometimes research that I would do today would be published in 2 months“.

Getting back to our roots

Over the past couple of years I’ve seen a huge rise in popularity of ASMR. And graphic motion videos are often deemed as very satisfying to watch. Often I find myself browsing them on Instagram and not being able to stop. I wondered what Alexandre’s thoughts on this trend was. “I think that the satisfactory elements of motion design are becoming more popular because it shows us a perfect world or “perfect” nature. Knowing that man is, I find, more and more disconnected from nature, it is a way to reconnect with it. Somehow“.

Direction over technique

I find it fascinating how fast technology has evolved over the last couple of years. And while it gives artists more freedom to express themselves, I was wondering if he had any concerns about the advancement of technology. “Not really. What counts for an artist is direction, not technique, so it’s very good news that things get easier“. He adds that he sees a lot of people worry about the advancement of AI. “I have a very positive vision of the thing again, as long as everything is used wisely – it’s perfect. Thanks to more powerful computing powers and new intelligence to accompany us, we can go further in medicine and space conquests“.

Future plans & collaborations

Next I asked Alexandre if he has any new projects coming up. “I have two collaborations that I’m preparing with motion designers, and another with a musician“. He’s also planning to enter an art school next year to open up his mind and discover new points of view. Lastly, I wanted to find out what advice he would give to an aspiring motion designer to which he replied: “Nothing new compared to what is often said – work a little BUT every day“!