Interview with Leonardo Amora

Today I talk to Leonardo Amora, from amoraleite.com He is the author of Monsters vs Robots.

I founded my studio shortly after the Ubisoft company, where I worked, has closed the production studio here in Brazil. I worked there for 6 years with video games for various platforms like NDS, PSP, PS2, 360 and others. At amoraleite.com, which is 2.5 years old, I work doing artwork for small businesses and game developers. My main work includes two published children’s books, four games, and at least 6 video games. Check my website to see my portfolio.

I always had the desire to create my own product. I created art for various companies, but the feeling I had was that he was delivering a child for adoption. What I created literally ceased to be mine. And this feeling was that drove my entry into this market. Monsters vs Robots is the first app I do entirely alone. Since music, programming with Kwik, story and art. And now I’m learning one of the hardest parts, the market.

In my search for a shortcut for programming, I came across some software. I studied all of them and realized that the most complete, easy and accessible was Kwik. Every step I do, I keep saying to myself, it could not be so easy! I bought Kwik 1 then I won Kwik 2 in a competition sponsored by Kwiksher. Since then I’ve been surprised with the updates.

As users, I am sure we have the best tool for app market mobile. I have no doubt of that.

My process is simple. It all starts with pencil sketches, import them into Illustrator or Photoshop to refine and paint. I left for the last step the programming. When I finally had all art ready I start programming. I prefer to do small projects in Kwik to test things I would like to see, for example, two or more pages on one. Once I felt safe, it took everything to the main project on the Kwik. This process helped me to learn everything faster. For the music, I used my GarageBand, another sensational tool.

The story I read and reread several times a day. As I am not a writer, this was one of the hardest parts for me.

Besides a great story and gorgeous animations, what I love the most, in a technical standpoint, is the way you set two pages inside a page. How did you achieve that? Any tips and tricks to someone willing to follow your steps? 

Thank you Alex! Actually as I come from the area of games, I always thought I could do something different from what we see in digital books. The idea was to make the pages like game phases, rather than just pages to read. I do not like the idea of seeing a page that being passed without some attention being given. Having seen some children reading digital books, I realized that if there’s nothing visible to interact, they will move on into the next pages without even finish to listen or read the current text, unless they have an adult saying to wait until the narrator finished speaking

In Monsters vs Robots the trick is not see the pages as “regular pages”, but as actions or scenes that are revealed within a Kwik page.

I am a beginner in marketing. Just as I was with music, and as a writer, and as a programmer. I have a lot to learn still about the topic. But I am testing every medium. I tested with YouTube and Facebook campaigns. But I want to invest in other areas and find out which is the best one for applications like mine.

For sure! Besides updates planned for Monsters vs Robots, I want to continue to generate other applications in the same line! I have other plans and I hope to reveal them soon! Fact is, I am very pleased to be selling “my own lemonade” on my own “stand”.

Kwik is really an amazing tool! Alex is an extraordinary person, and he will do everything so that you have the expected success. I felt safe here and this is the reason I made my app with Kwik. I would love to have the support of all to spread the Monsters vs. Robots. Thank you and keep buying Monsters vs Robots! 🙂