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Show 14 -- LIFESTYLE DIXIE SUN '17 Dosoitsy aouomnic sz n no rl I I J r a " I r-- WEDNES WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 29, 2003 v HAL imw 3 (Crvnued frt migrate 1980s. scl film 1998. H four kic U, 1 Dave Northe years after getting his start in animation, Bob Simmons comes to DSC to teach animation and illustration. 31 by Megan Truman Dixie Sun Lifestyle Editor Bob Simmons always knew he wanted to be an animator. "I didn't know what animation was, but if anybody asked me what I was going to be I told them that I was going to be a Animator. Walt Disney Disney was a big influence in my life and I just loved to draw." A DSC adjunct instructor of art, Simmons didnt have the formal education that most computer animators today experience. "They didnt have animation classes in college back then," he said. He did go to school to study art, however, but then the U S. Army drafted him during the Vietnam War. Because he was an art major, the army utilized his training and he became an illustrator designing graphs, charts and even cartoons. He never had to go to Vietnam, but instead was stationed in Texas. During this time m his life, he married his wife, Jill, and they became the parents to four children. After the war, Simmons returned to school on the GI Bill. He attended the Art Center in California and studied illustration. He worked with famous illustrators including David Willis. Three years later, in an effort to escape the growing LA area, Simmons moved to Orem, Utah. There Simmons started his own company producing freelance work for the large clientele he built throughout the U.S. His illustrations were mainly logos for CD covers and posters. During his five years in Orem, Simmons also taught animation and tion at BYU. illustra- From Simmons Utah, received a job offer in Dublin, Ireland working for a former Disney animator, Don Bluth, one of the animator indusSimmons trys giants. enjoyed his years working for Don Bluth Animation and was elevated to the role of director and trainer in animation. But when the opporSimmons arose, tunity returned to California and lived his childhood dream of working for Walt Disney. However Simmons couldnt leave Don Bluth completely. He continued to work at their Burbank studio, and also worked for Dreamworks during that time. Bluth allowed me the freedom to be more ere ative. the I had experiences with working appreciate when Simmons received a job offer from an old student and colleague, Mark gies will give you some Swan of Swan Animation located in St. George, he sim- turn it down. V 'ihi have always had a common goal of doing feature animation that would be more wholesome, said Simmons of his ' with Swan. We wanted to get away from the Hollywood idea of 'Let's see what we can get "We rela-tionshi- V U p away with.'" Surrounded by illustrations and figures of y along with many completed designs, his studio is filled with recognizable characters from his cartoon collection. But at least one thing is noticeably absent. He does not have a computer in his office. am the only one in here (Swan Animation) that doesn't have a computer, he said. Although, I have had many opportunities to work with them, the type of animation I do does not lend itself well to computer graphics. Simmons explained that computers were first used to move inanimate objects around the screen. As with Pixar, they have directors who are former animators, so they already know how to get the form and movement they want, he said. s has had the opportunity to teach animation and illustration on many occasions in his life and offers this advice to aspiring Visual technolostudents. It is no wonder ply couldn't Kurt, He I Bob Simmons displays several of his recent designs in his studio. Simmons is a new teacher at DSC and works at Swan Animation. pro-ect- Don. that pre-la- Simmons has had the opportunity to work on many over the years. His favorites include Cats Dont Dance and Prince of Egypt, and several more. yy I will always attendi so you have to have a lot going on to keep it interesting. They have trained animators to work with computers, not the other way around, and that is why they have had so much success. It doesn't matter so much what medium you use, so long as you have a good story line. No matter what youre drawing, it should tell a story. Either way, animation can be diffi- cult. Movie animators today face additional challenges with the introduction of new film creIn the movies you ations. have live action, said Simmons. You can sit there and stare at an actor's face and know by the expression lines in his face, what emotions you're supposed to be feeling. Animation is really about the illusion of life and the changes that take place. Only a few select animators can portray such features in a character, back- ground on characters, but the actual process of learning animation itself is your ability to draw and learn about story panels and the process. Animation hasn't got to the point where drawing is comsaid pletely obliterated, Simmons. One of the most valuable ways I learned was by assisting experienced animators. Animation takes a lot of studying to understand how something would naturally move. Simmons noted there are few schools remaining that teach animation. There is one school near Toronto, Canada and Disney has an animation school, however, Disney recently laid off a lot of animators following the trend toward computer generation. Movies today now have a lot of computer graphics in For them, said Simmons. creative people who really like to draw, animation is a good way to go. 31 years of experience behind him, Bob Simmons' resume is extensive. Glen Blakley, professor of art at With DSC said, "Bob Simmons is a first class animator and illustrator. We are honored to have him teach here at DSC. He has worked on many major videos and movies and has been involved in front line animation. 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