I would like to welcome everyone back to the blog. I hope you have been having a good week. I want to finish up the week with a really cool interview that I did with recent Alumni, Evan Clover. Evan works for Luma Pictures (a visual effects studio), as an animator. To give you a little background on Evan before we start, Evan worked on both Project X films; The Offering and Worlds Apart. He was an animator on The Offering and Animation Lead on Worlds Apart. Enough talk from me, let’s hear what the Clover guy had to say.
Zombie: Hey Evan, thanks for taking the time to talk to us. So we know that you worked on Worlds Apart, what were your responsibilities during the making of the film as Animation Lead? Also, how did you like the whole experience?
Evan: As Lead Animator of a 7 member team, my responsibilities in addition to animating were to work closely with our Director: Mike Huber, and Animation Director: Dave Perry. I would take notes, make suggestions, and make sure that my team was on top of things to keep us on schedule (of course they were, they were a great team), lest we incur the wrath of our Project Manager: Ivy Chien.
Zombie: Understood, “wrath” huh? It sounds like your manager knows how to crack the whip.
Evan: Yeah, haha.
Zombie: Did I hear a rumor that you…. umm ended up proposing to the Project Manager?
Evan: Yes. Ivy and I had been dating since before my time on The Offering. During our time on Worlds Apart, I asked her to marry me.
Zombie: That’s pretty cool! So now that we know all about your personal life, let’s get some details on your professional life. What have you been doing since Worlds Apart?
Evan: Well, as our production of Worlds Apart came to a close, I started sending applications out to numerous companies to see if I could land a job out in the industry. To be honest, there were some “no’s” and even an interview that resulted in “you’re not experienced enough,” but if Project X and my school taught me one thing, it was to persevere. Eventually I received a call from an effects house called Luma Pictures, asking me to please come down for an interview, so I drove down to Venice, and the next day was called back and offered a job. Since then, I have done work on Thor, Fright Night, X Men: First Class, In Time, and am currently working on Underworld Awakening.
Zombie: Those movies were great! So what were your roles on those films?
Evan: I am a Digital Animator.
Zombie: What kinds of things have you animated over the course of all the films you have worked on, including your own personal works?
Evan: In my experience as an animator, I have been able to animate a huge range of things, such as effects, various creatures, biped, quadruped, simple hard surface, and humanoid rigs. Oh! And floating alien scientists with robot arms……. and teddy bears.
Zombie: So pretty much everything? Is “everything” safe to say?
Evan: Ha! Not hardly, but I want to work with as much variety as I can in order to not be uncomfortable or inexperienced with anything, if that’s even possible.
Zombie: If you could work on any movie, for any company, what would it be?
Evan: ILM on the classic Star Wars in the 70′s, but that’s a completely different job. That would involve much more practical models and miniatures type stuff. Old-school effects work.
Zombie: Yeah, that would be a fun film to work on, Star Wars in its glory days. So i guess my last question to you is, how would you say that working on films like The Offering and Worlds Apart has helped you in your current professional career?
Evan: Well, I’d have to say that, over all the hard work, sacrifice, intense problem solving and long hours, in the end, our bond as a team and as friends has lasted long past our time at the college. As I made my way down to LA and the industry, I definitely was not alone, and definitely was not the first. Many of my friends from the projects now have successful careers at studios and the like. One of my close friends and roommates just did visual effects for The Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary Symphony. After the projects I realized that we had our own network started before we even got here, and that means a lot as friends and colleagues.
Zombie: Yeah! I just did an interview with Josh Hodges. Wasn’t the Editor from Worlds Apart the Director and Producer of the The Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary Symphony as well?
Evan: Yeah he was. His name is Jeron Moore, and is a close friend of mine down here in LA as well.
Zombie: That’s cool, I need to see if I can get an interview with him since all you guys are so close.
Evan: Yeah, I’ll talk to him and see if I can put him in contact with you.
Zombie: That would be great. Well thanks Evan, it was a treat to have you out and get to hear about your success so far.
Evan: Thanks, I had fun.
If you guys would like to see some examples of Evan’s personal work, head over to his Vimeo Account. Hope you enjoyed reading, see you all again soon.
-Zombie
