Ander Pardo Hormaza: "Animation is a fabulous way of narrating".
Ander Pardo Hormaza is a lecturer on the Higher Degree in 3D Animation, Games and Interactive Environments at UDIT. A graduate in Fine Arts and a Production Technician from the Official Institute of Spanish Radio and Television, his career includes directing, scriptwriting and the visual development of audiovisual projects.
His medium-length film Overrun, inspired by Jurassic Park, caught the attention of the production company Plano a Plano, with whom he directed the innovative web series La pasionaria Millennial for Instagram. In this interview, he shares his views on the current state of the digital entertainment sector, the new opportunities in the world of video games and the role of animation in storytelling and storytelling using different prisms.
- You have worked as a scriptwriter, director and trainer. What would you say has been the common thread of your creative career?
There are two strands. The first is creativity which, in my case, manifests itself in storytelling. Writing and making (or directing if you prefer) are ways of telling stories that I find very involving.
The other aspect is the contact with people. Teaching is about reaching out to others. It is, in a way, being able to share your professional passion in a didactic and entertaining way. If you transmit with passion, you reach people much better, which is the ultimate goal of every artist: that their work reaches them.
- You come mainly from the audiovisual world. What do you think that "real image" can contribute to an almost exclusively digital centre such as the Higher Degree in 3D Animation, Games and Interactive Environments?
I think it's important to always bear in mind that both animation (whether in 3D or 2D) and video games are inevitably based on reality. That reality can be reinterpreted, stylised or transformed by the design and creativity of its authors, but it still constitutes the fundamental basis of any visual creation. Concepts such as weight, lighting or the physics of movement are elements that come directly from the real world and are essential to give credibility to any virtual environment.
Moreover, nowadays the use of digital effects is completely transversal in the audiovisual industry. In films, series or advertising, it is common to use digital elements to integrate signs, scenery, creatures or characters into real images. In this context, artists cannot detach themselves from the physical and visual parameters of these images: their job is precisely to ensure that their creations are integrated coherently and credibly into a realistic environment.
- Visual language, from storyboarding to 3D animation, has been a constant in your work. How do you assess the role that animation is currently playing as a narrative tool? What kind of projects do you find most interesting and what do you think is the current state of "Spanish animation"?
Ander Pardo: Animation is a fabulous way of narrating. You can stylise reality and tell stories with a different expression to conventional cinema or live action. Something I really like about working at UDIT is rubbing shoulders with great animators, many of whom were present in the films of my childhood. Seeing the guts of the profession is very illustrative: there is, and always has been, a great quantity and quality of professionals in animation in Spain.
I know that several feature films and short films are being produced in our country and the most interesting thing is that their themes are very varied. There are also many active companies, and the supply of animation studios is stable.
- What would you say are the main strengths of the "Higher Degree in 3D Animation, Games and Interactive Environments" taught at UDIT?
I like to think that we are a committed teaching team that transmits its subjects as "living" contents, because they are part of our own professional experience. In addition, we try to offer students immersive and enriching experiences. We have invited professionals from the sector, organised visits, promoted video game competitions... and we have always had the backing of the management, who have valued and supported our initiatives.
The training is also very broad and varied. The Higher Degree offers multiple skills that can be applied in different fields, because, although animation and video games are the main pillars, the range of opportunities is much wider. In the 3D sector alone, the opportunities are enormous.
But there is always a desire to improve. At the moment, I can assure you that there is a very interesting future ahead.
- The video game industry has consolidated itself as one of the most powerful sectors of the moment, with large productions in which hundreds of millions of euros are invested, but also with a good number of independent studios that are often the ones that allow the industry to move forward by betting on new narratives. How do you see the sector and what advice would you give to a new graduate in this degree on their arrival in this industry?
With the "big" games, those known as triple "A" games, I sometimes have some concerns. Although what they do is spectacular, they are very complex games to make. They require a lot of time and money, and a lot of studios gamble everything on one release. In addition, and obviously, the release of these games is more spaced out in time.
On the other hand, I am very excited about the production of "indie" games. Although they tend to have a much smaller budget, they generally have more creative freedom, which translates into more original proposals.
That's why I would always tell a newly graduated student that nowadays they have at least the real possibility to develop their own projects and create their own games. Technology in 2025 is available to almost everyone.
It has nothing to do with how it was a few years ago: when I was a kid, it was unthinkable to have access to certain tools - I couldn't ask my parents for $100,000 for a Silicon Graphics station! So if this is your vocation, I would encourage you to dedicate time, effort and, yes, a minimum of discipline to create your own games. Most importantly, don't stand still.
- The new VR/XR realities have started to gain prominence in recent years, both in the video game industry and when designing new immersive or augmented reality experiences. How do you imagine us in ten years' time? Will we abandon smartphones and start wearing glasses instead?
Well, some people I think are looking forward to getting brain implants so they can leave their phones at home... but joking aside, I have no doubt that VR/XR will continue to be the focus .
Ten years from now, immersive experiences are likely to continue to evolve. In particular, VR and XR technologies will have more and more applications in professional sectors. For example, they will be key tools for training and coaching in complex environments or in situations that, in real life, would be difficult or even impossible to recreate safely.
For entertainment, on the other hand, the technology will evolve according to public response. It will mainly be seen in increasingly spectacular video games, although we have also seen that not everyone has the same level of tolerance or willingness to immerse themselves in 'virtual' reality. Still, VR and XR will continue to evolve. As long as we don't reach a scenario worthy of The Matrix, it's safe to say that we're on the right track.
- Finally, what three animated films do you think are must-sees for anyone who wants to develop a career in this field? How have they impacted you personally?
I'll tell you which ones have had the biggest impact on me: first of all, "The Lion King", for its beauty, colour, grandiloquence and soundtrack. Then "Toy Story" for the huge impact it had on me , the first feature film in 3D!!! I confess that my first short films were, in fact, Toy Story sequels.
Finally, Akira. I find it incredible that such a work of science fiction is so well made, and in 1988! Thanks to it, to a large extent, the anime phenomenon started here. Naruto can say thank you. To a new student, I would certainly recommend it, as well as other great anime classics that are a must. I would also recommend current films. Mainly because the techniques he will use will be closer to the Cintiqs than to the
Cintiqs, rather than the longed-for acetates and acrylics that were used in "Akira" or "The Lion King". Besides, it would also be good for them to see Spanish films, so that they have a close contact with what has been done "near" them, and because Spanish films will probably be the first productions where they will work.
