UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Penn State students had the opportunity to learn from alumnus Jacob Stephens when he returned to the University Park campus last week to share his experiences creating digital visual effects for "Avatar," "The Hobbit" trilogy and many other projects for Weta Digital in New Zealand.
Stephens said he was “thrilled at the opportunity and extremely grateful to Dan Willis (professor of architecture) for organizing it.” He only wished he could bring his family and co-workers along with him to experience it, “as they've heard me talk about Penn State so much."
Stephens gave a lecture, “From Central PA to Middle Earth: An Architecture Student’s Journey,” to a standing-room-only crowd of about 200 students Jan. 15 in the Jury Space of the Stuckeman Family Building. He also participated in the Penn State designXchange workshop Jan. 16.
The Penn State designXchange is a multi-disciplinary design/think workshop bringing together faculty and professionals. Stephens taught the workshop participants the design process he uses in creating visual effects and shared how his training as an architect prepared him for this career. He also guided them through a design charrette where they had to create a movie storyboard based on topics he provided them.
Stephens was excited to see the new home of the architecture program along with the other campus developments over the past 20 years and to see what challenges the students face these days. He also managed to stop by the Berkey Creamery for a cup of peanut butter swirl ice cream.
After graduating from Penn State with a bachelor's degree in architecture in 1996, Stephens began working at George Lucas’ computer games company LucasArts, where he designed and built levels for several "Star Wars" games. He then joined Weta Digital in 2008 to work as a senior layout technical director on James Cameron’s Academy Award-winning "Avatar." He continued work as a lead layout technical director on "X-Men: First Class," Stephen Spielberg’s "The Adventures of Tintin," Ridley Scott’s "Prometheus" and Peter Jackson’s "The Hobbit" trilogy.
“I am a lifelong (J.R.R.) Tolkien fan and knew from the moment I first saw the teaser trailer for 'Fellowship of the Ring' in 1999 that Weta was something I wanted to be a part of. After much persistence — and a fair few rejection letters — I got my wish, and I have been able to help contribute to some amazing films and work with my heroes. I still have to pinch myself nearly every day,” he said.
Although Stephens didn't enter Penn State with this career path in mind, he was always a fan of cinema, citing the original "Star Wars" trilogy as a foundational influence as well as "Jurassic Park" and "Toy Story" as landmark experiences that drove him toward computer graphics. He is also certain that the first steps toward his unorthodox career began with the creative, open-minded encouragement of the architecture faculty, in particular Dan Willis, James Kalsbeek and Katsu Muramoto. In fact, Loukas Kalisperis and the Stuckeman CAD lab (now the Stuckeman Center for Design Computing (SCDC) offered Stephens his first exposure to 3-D modeling and computer graphics.
“Penn State's architecture program was a great balance of a classical education and practical preparation for my career — history, arts, engineering, creative problem-solving, the ability to withstand withering critiques. Nor am I the exception: five out of six of my teammates at LucasArts were architecture school grads or architects,” said Stephens.
Born and raised in Pennsylvania, Stephens combines his mother’s love of art and his father’s knack for engineering and construction in his work. Stephens’ father, George (engineering, Class of 1965), is also a Penn State alumnus, and his grandfather was an enormous Penn State fan.
Describing the role of a layout supervisor, Stephens said, “Layout is somewhat like set design on the computer: we work closely with the art department to help establish what is required in each shot and provide valid scenes to the animation and lighting teams. We helped build the digital versions of Laketown, Dale, Erebor, Dol Guldur and Ravenhill for 'The Battle of the Five Armies,' using the beautiful assets made by our models team.
“It requires a lot of technical problem-solving and serves as the hub for other departments. It also requires a lot of time sitting in front of a computer and a lot of specialization.”
When Stephens is not in front of his computer creating fantastical realms, he enjoys the scenery and experience of New Zealand.
“New Zealand is every bit as breathtaking as it appears in the movies, and it is matched by the kindness and spirit of the people who inhabit it. It's wonderful to be able to step outside and get recharged and inspired by such a beautiful landscape and people. I feel very fortunate to have been able to bring my children up here and share this adventure with them,” said Stephens.
Although Stephens is not able to reveal what he is currently working on at Weta Digital, he did admit, “I'm very excited to see what 2015 has in store."