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Peter Kavanagh Interviews Dr Mark Snoswell of Ballistic Publishing ----
There has been some confusion concerning the exact title of the book. It seems that every source we find has a different variation. Could you clear up this confusion?
The full title is: The Art of Oddworld Inhabitants: The First Ten Years 1994 – 2004
Did Oddworld Inhabitants approach Ballistic about developing the art book, or was it the other way around?
It was a happy circumstance that was totally unplanned by anyone. I was visiting Oddworld in San Luis Obispo to meet with Lorne Lanning just after we had finished the work on EXPOSÉ 2. We had invited Lorne to join the advisory board after he emailed us raving about EXPOSÉ 1 (the only fan mail Lorne has ever sent), which is a real compliment—you should see Lorne’s extensive library of art books!
After an excellent meeting over lunch where Lorne and I found we had much in common we were touring their offices and I was introduced to Cathy Johnson . Cathy had been bugging Lorne and Sherry to do a book for years… from there on it was a no-brainer. We all instantly agreed that we must do a book together—and so we have.
What was the experience like to work with Oddworld Inhabitants in this collaborative project? I understand that Ballistic Media is based in Australia , yet Oddworld Inhabitants is based in the United States . Did this have any impact on the project?
Everyone here in Ballistic is an expert at working in a virtual global office—in many ways I think it's almost more efficient than being in the same physical office. We are on MSN all the time and regularly talk by phone as well. Working with Oddworld people is fantastic. The project is truly collaborative, and we are thrilled with the work Cathy and the others put in at Oddworld—way more than we could ever have reasonably hoped for. During half of the production time I was down in LA as a CG Supervisor for work we did for the film: A Sound of Thunder. In the evenings I would be on the phone to my editor in Australia reviewing page layouts and other material prepared the previous day. Every month or so I would drive up the coast to visit Oddworld. They are a friendly-sized company with a passion for their work. It’s a pleasure to work with everyone there.
You've had a long history with Oddworld Inhabitants. Ballistic's flagship publication, the EXPOSÉ series, has seen a number of high quality Oddworld artworks included over the years. What is your personal opinion of these artworks, and Oddworld artwork in general?
Ballistic Media has only been going just over a year—so we don't have a long history dealing with Oddworld. Mind you, like many others we have long known of Oddworld and the fantastic creatures and artwork that appear in their games. This is one of the reasons that we have a unique opportunity working with Oddworld. They have a brand recognition that goes way beyond their user base. The artwork they have and the vision that ties it all together are truly unique—and excellent. They are as edgy as any game maker, but they achieve this based on a foundation of good sound morals rather than the baseless violence that characterises much of the current games world. These are the ingredients for a truly successful company that will probably be around in a generation when many (most) of the other games franchises will have long faded from memory. We intend to be around for as long and working with Oddworld.
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