Reno Raijnes
Reno Raijnes
Writer / Game Designer / Designer / Art Director / Cartoonist / Producer
Masterton, Wellington, NZ
WHAT DO YOU DO?
“I’m a digital product designer, game writer/artist, comic writer/cartoonist, interactive space designer and narrative writer for amusements, video producer, instructional writer, art director - also freelance game writer, web designer, design documentation writer, narrative writer for amusements/exhibits, manuscript assessor, quirky portrait sketch artist and cartoonist-for-hire.”
More specifically, I write and produce low-budget indie video feature movies - mostly minimalism, cerebral action/drama (sometimes in a fantasy setting), grimdark, urban or suburban techno fantasy, homage to 80’s/90’s/70’s nostalgia, postmodern fantasy, hard scifi, and scifi/fantasy with a Troma influence - but strong narrative, clinical attention to the craft and deep characters. Quirky horror, epic horror, morbid/absurd humour. I make comics and cartoons, songs for video, and games. Design characters, clay/silicon creatures, digital products (mechatronics, software and hardware - I’m mostly interested in developing with new technologies, designing new products and developing creative solutions and tools), toys, play spaces, merch based on my grimy, funky, silly humour, comic strips. I draw design art and direct visual designs for animation and produce tabletop games and design indie video games. I'm also an e-course writer.
WHAT STEPS DID YOU TAKE TO GET TO WHERE YOU ARE NOW?
Aced algebra at 15, 98% highest score in my high school. Then came depression and I dropped out two years before graduating. After a year to decide what to do with my life I decided I wanted to get into art. I would need another year of high school. I completed that year at a different school and went into Uni at 17. Studied Television, Theatre and Radio. Got lost in parties but continued writing. Then in 2008, I found a Bachelor's in creative writing. So I signed up, completed that in 2011 March. While studying I wrote 3 screenplays. After Uni I wrote a novel which won a mentorship by the NZSA. I studied cartooning and 2d digital art for 2.5yrs graduating with a grad dip with honours.
In 2013 I finished my last University program, had a lot of internal struggles and did a lot of writing and it wasn’t until 2018 that I began to see that I could use - my combination of expert knowledge and understanding of craft and form, and eagerness to communicate in such a way as to create new energy around a topic - by freelancing online, making tiny budget grassroots community artworks collaboratively and still continue being a solo creative, but also learning new useful skills that could springboard my opportunities - such as tinkering with game engines and self-studying production design, DIY FX and 2d animation.
What a writer who is also a game developer, cartoonist, video producer and mecha artist with a fascination for puppets, digital products and toy design, usually does, when struggling in writing for film to get past the gatekeepers, is write a novel. And I am going down that route, but I also have a wealth of experience at producing micro-budget video and working as a volunteer in art direction, and in the indie game dev community and open source / crowdfunding online community. So I can do a lot myself.
How do you stand out in your field?
I write 10-20 feature manuscripts yearly, my web design prices are extremely affordable, and I have been writing, and designing games and toys since I was eleven, as an amateur. I have 6.5 years of university study to sculpt and polish my process, my craft, and my technical ability. During my University studies I completed a Bachelor of Applied Arts in Screenwriting and a Graduate Diploma (with honours) in 2D Digital Art and Art Direction. As well as a 1-year Certificate majoring in making short movies on video for Television, minored in all aspects of Radio and co-writing, producing, performing and touring a children’s play around primary schools by bus.
My voice is unique, it doesn’t get much darker, while still optimistic and quirky. It doesn’t get much more self-investigative and intellectual, while sparing time for sentiment and romanticism; and effective emotional expression - I’m a born poet. But there is always substance and meaning amongst the magic and chaos. I never do the same thing twice and I am always looking to explore; to create something that didn’t exist before.
WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON RIGHT NOW?
A feature documentary video movie about nerd startups with a focus on marketing. Also a dual biopic - simply animated (3yrs), and a dual monologue with unique FX (5yrs). After the documentary we are developing three fiction short 24min video movies with similar tone and topic, to stitch together and sell as our first feature movie (our response to Bad Taste and It’s Such A Beautiful Day.) Then work up to bigger movie projects. I have two screenplays in contests currently. From December I’m working on a three-year 30min 2d animated short film project using Moho - which will be the first of three to also stitch together as a feature film (9yrs).
Writing: 2-5 feature manuscripts every 3 months + 2-4 epic manuscripts yearly.
Including 12 novels and novellas (one is a 1200-page epic horror novel), 20 screenplays, tv, theatre, 7 game narratives (the first has its linear script at 245pgs, when that’s done next year, I will write the non-linear game script with celt-x, to develop using a game engine, with three artist friends starting in 2023), 3 comics, experimental ebooks, songs for video and animation shorts.
I’ve just finished 3 screenplays and am currently writing a novella, 3 more novels, several screenplays, a book of short stories and 2 game narratives.
12 full-page concept cartoons in 4 years.
9 x 5yr massive indie video game projects from 2023.
6 production design mood books in 3yrs.
3 issues of a comic book series written, pencilled, coloured digitally and lettering all by myself, due in 2.5yrs per issue.
A collaborative webcomic series, a graphic novel anthology - for both I am writing the scripts, based on my own concepts. I am working with artists, not drawing myself.
Fantasy map-making.
Writing an e-course over the next three years.
Saving my profits from web design gigs and other freelancing, to produce feature fiction video movies based on my scripts and develop software and toys based on my designs, and hire an engineer (3hrs/day x 2 days/wk) to help build my bigger hardware and mechatronics projects.
I’m also saving funds to start developing tabletop games.
WHAT'S YOUR STYLE/PERSPECTIVE/TASTE? DO YOU HAVE A PROJECT THAT REPRESENTS THIS?
My style is: The quirky New Zealander specialist vibe - and the gothic horror intellectual experimental vibe.
As a self-taught professor of the fantastic, my style is either about deep thought, or something well thought through. Deep and abstract BUT specificity in the action/setting.
I have learned to write three kinds of narratives: 1. the magical and scientific, because I’m very passionate about believing in the supposedly impossible. 2. minimalist indie intellectual action/drama – because I’ve always been super-fixated on dismantling and the function and functioning of various processes – especially mental and creative. 3. when I am challenged to write with certain limitations – budget, number of locations, characters, etc.
I am seriously fascinated by the development of digital works. “Digital products” encompasses software, hardware, consumer electronics and mechatronics. Mechatronics is a combination of mechanical output and electronic parts (usually the brain and power source and control system are electronic.) This includes but is not limited to animatronics. You can have mechatronic spaces, toys, art installations, etc. I also do digital cartoons.
Currently I focus on writing, scriptwriting, production design, producing videos and toys, digital design, indie game development, and cartooning/zine production/animation.
I like Jim Henson, Hal Hartley, David Cronenberg, Stephen King, Greg Egan, Glen Duncan, Casey Pugh, Harmony Korine, Lars Von Trier, Shane Carruth, Terry Pratchett, Don Hertzfeldt, Tony Wong, Jack Cole, Jhonen Vasquez, Bruce Timm, Sam Kieth, Brendon Small, Richard Garfield, Cas Holman, Eric Chahi, Doug TenNapel, David Scott Jones, Jay Silver, Olivier Assayas, Park Chan-wook, Alexandr Kumpan, Dogmo Dog, Pancake Wendy, Ken Reid, Sho Yamamoto, Robert Bauder, Ryan Todd, David Meng, Stephen Chiodo, Catdaddy Gillespie, Christian Alvart, Joe Penhall, Ben Ketai, Bill Gaines, Mechtild Nienaber, Anna Mantzaris and Paul Bonner.
My sense of humour is similar to a blend of Stephen Sinclair, Steve Wrigley, David Firth, Rik Mayall, Matt Lucas, Lloyd Kaufman, Bill Bailey and Chris O’Neill (Oney).
WE ARE ALL SLASHIES WITH MULTIPLE SKILLS, WHICH ONE DO YOU WISH YOU COULD DO MORE OFTEN?
Cartooning - and writing for different mediums with creative control/freedom, under contract.
WHAT IS FRUSTRATING YOU RIGHT NOW?
Trying to focus on my work when there are so many distractions - mental stutters. Trying to make sure that I exercise daily when I just want to lie on my bed and get work done.
Trying to socialise, I'm a friendly person but I too often have difficulty with anxiety in open groups.
IF YOU COULD HIRE SOMEONE FOR $20/HR, WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE THEM DO TO MAKE YOUR DAY EASIER?
Finding and connecting with my tribe and finding new clients + 3DCAD industrial design and arduino prototyping.
LET'S BRING OUT THE TIME MACHINE. WHAT DO YOU WISH YOU COULD HAVE TOLD YOURSELF, WHEN, AND WHY?
I wish I could have really pushed myself into the actual ‘building’ part of game development, as well as toy design, interactive narrative writing for live spaces/mechatronic amusements and art direction, when I first read Stephen King at thirteen and was inspired to write my first novel. I would love to be as much of an expert in those other mediums as I am at writing, game design and producing video.
IF YOU COULD TALK TO AN EXPERT TO GAIN MORE INSIGHT ON SOMETHING, WHAT WOULD IT BE ABOUT?
Emerging social problems and the latest emerging technologies.
Bob Russell - software designer for the C64 - I’d just like to pick his brain. The C64 was a monumental success, a game changer - and my real introduction to video games. Tom Kalinske, I’ve got a short interview with him as part of my documentary, but I’d like to have weeks of long chats so I can really get a handle on business and marketing strategy. How to ask for more from my connections without making it awkward. Dean Kamen…
I know the business side of video production, fiction writing, blogging, and web development. But I’d like to get more insight into the business side of game development, hardware product development, toy development, comic/zine publishing and installation art.
WHAT KIND OF OPPORTUNITIES/PROJECTS ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?
Projects where I can lean on my strongest skills: design mechanics, theoretical design, narrative writing, scriptwriting, interaction design, interactive narrative design, character design, video production, toy design, critical analysis and art direction. I’m still new at software, but I can do enough that people often ask me for help and become my clients - I am starting to find national and international clients as well as clients for game writing and design documentation feedback, and also I have done about 9 manuscript assessments and an amusement design gig with 100% satisfied clients. I do avoid actually performing/acting.
Teaming up with someone equally talented and technically adept who is more physically inclined at crafting and more experienced at art direction - just someone who has something to bring to the table. What I really want to do collaboratively is something totally outrageous. I do also want to find more comic illustration and cartooning clients. I’d love to do an interactive space - made with a hybrid of woodcraft and another material. Woodworking is the only physically crafty thing I’m good at.
DESCRIBE YOUR IDEAL JOB/CLIENT/COLLABORATION.
Large written projects where I have creative control/freedom of the written part. Art direction for animation. Narrative design for live puppetry and interactive art spaces. A mix of mediums (like comics and toys) or something completely out of the box - with a focus on story, world, design, sophisticated silliness, craft and intellect. Horror or gothic intellectual experimental. A mix of software and hardware. I could really get into projects that can span 1-5 years - as long as I feel like both parties are contributing the same amount of work. Made with environmentally sustainable materials and/or small footprint. Ideally with funding.
I’d love to work with a talented animator who has a unique vision.
My career is getting away from student projects and is more of a combination of aspiring for critical merit, grassroots community artworks, and helping others as a service. with also a little bit of self-publishing and guerilla super-micro-budget organisation. I plan to write that big blockbuster and collaborate with fascinating people. A lot of the time I’d turn down the big paycheck for a smaller one with total creative control. But I would love to work with Ant Timpson (48hrs filmmaking competition and The ABCs of Death) and Stephen Hall-Jones (Mothras Dunedin.)
Who is a creative that has helped you elevate your work?
Lynda Chan-wai Earle - she really understood what I was getting at with my graduating manuscript. That critique really pushed me to keep going, but go deeper and get better and follow through.
Cartoons by Chris Hallbeck and Dogmo Dog and Pancake Wendy.
And reading Terry Pratchett and Stephen King I learn so much from the way they tell stories.
Reading about Jane Hamsher, Peter Jackson's early work and David Cronenberg was really meaningful.
A letter I got from Tom Holland, Director of Child's Play 1, The Temp, Fright Night and The Langoliers. It was really in-depth, generous, kind and full of good advice.
Matt Forbeck and Peter Tamte have been really supportive on Facebook. Both of them and Tom Kalinske agreed to be in my zero-budget feature video documentary movie, so that was nice.
HOW SHOULD SOMEONE APPROACH YOU ABOUT WORKING TOGETHER?
Contact me via my website - I’m not on twitter, facebook or insta anymore.
HOW DO YOU STAY CREATIVE?
I write every day - or try to: 700 words on a major project or 7-23pgs rewrites + 30mins comic writing + blog + 25mins free writing + 20mins e-course writing. I tinker throughout the day. I draw and colour most days. I also enjoy design research and digital tools/game engine tinkering/either 2d animation or production design self-study. And video production/editing.
I try to take the day off on Mondays to do my shopping.
This member profile was originally published in December 2020, Updated May 2021.