Behind the Scenes with Camera Designer Joel Morillo

This chat with Joel is one of those conversations that reminds you how many different ways people end up in game development. Joel didn’t grow up imagining he'd work in games, in fact he spent nearly half his military career without touching one. But the creative spark he carried since childhood never went away, and once he had the chance to explore it, he didn’t hold back.

We talk about growing up in the Bronx and using games both physical & digital, comics, and D&D as his escape. We get into how Final Fantasy III / VI blew his imagination wide open, and how that emotional connection has stuck with him all throughout his career. We also explore how he promised himself he'd try something creative after leaving the military and how VFX Motion Design was his first passion! 

The real turning point is hearing how Joel went from making trailers to becoming a camera designer, a role so niche and so misunderstood that he essentially had to define it himself. His perspective on framing, emotion, and game feel is genuinely inspiring. You can hear how much he cares about helping players feel something, not just see something. And the partnership he later formed with a fellow engineer allowed them to navigate unfinished tech and build truly incredible camera systems - a great example of trust and collaboration.

Joel’s honesty about figuring things out as he went - backed by the resilience he built in the Navy - gives this episode a grounded, human heart that I think a lot of people will relate to.

Highlights

• Growing up indoors in the Bronx and discovering imagination through games and comics


• How Final Fantasy III / VI became a life-defining creative spark


• Missing entire console generations while deployed in the Navy


• Re-discovering games through Final Fantasy X on PS2


• Leaving the military to chase a creative career with no guarantees


• Breaking into Daybreak thanks to his Mentor


• Uprooting and moving cross country after a round of layoffs


• Defining a role that barely existed and navigating early-stage tech


• Discovering a passion for game feel, tone, and emotional framing


• How trust, resilience, and collaboration shaped his career

Find the Podcast at:

• Patreon: DevToDevPodcast


• RSS: https://feeds.castos.com/r37p9


• Instagram: @devto.devpodcast


• Bluesky: @devtodevpodcast.bsky.social‬


• TikTok: @devtodevpodcast


• YouTube: @DevToDevPodcast


• Email: DevToDevPodcast@Gmail.com

Find Joel At: 

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/joel-morillo-58861395/

Chapters

• (00:00:00 ) - DevtoDev: An Interview With Joel Marillo
• (00:00:40 ) - What first inspired you about video games?
• (00:03:22 ) - How to Get Your Brother to Play Games
• (00:04:32 ) - Veteran Video Artist on Finding His Voice
• (00:06:26 ) - Marine Veteran Reconsidered Video Games
• (00:09:08 ) - Bob Dylan on His Creative Bug
• (00:10:16 ) - What Made Visual Effects So Fun for You?
• (00:11:42 ) - VFX and Motion Design in San Diego
• (00:14:09 ) - How Did Sony Bring You On Board
• (00:15:27 ) - Former 'Daybreak' Producer on Social Media
• (00:16:34 ) - How To Make a Cinematic Trailer
• (00:19:23 ) - How to juggle your career and freelance work
• (00:20:19 ) - How Zenimax Online Studios moved from San Diego to Baltimore
• (00:21:24 ) - Bill Maher on The Job Shifting
• (00:22:01 ) - How a Cinematic Camera Designer Joined Zenimax
• (00:25:12 ) - How To Make a Cinematic Documentary
• (00:27:54 ) - The Video Production Test
• (00:29:58 ) - Having the Right Experience for Game Development
• (00:30:44 ) - Working on a startup in the early days
• (00:31:44 ) - Tom Cruise on His New Role
• (00:32:30 ) - How To Build a Team in Game Dev
• (00:35:19 ) - Graduating from Camera Designer to Senior Design
• (00:40:00 ) - Ratchet and Clank: Game Feel
• (00:43:22 ) - How To Make a Cinematic Action Story
• (00:47:23 ) - God of War: The Camera
• (00:50:11 ) - Andrew Hussie on Working in Game Development
• (00:55:15 ) - How Creativity Affects Your Family