Holiday season's hottest animated film "Rise of the Guardians" features work by Rockville native

William Moten among 12 SCAD student and alumni artists who contributed to film

Related Media

Jamie awakens to find The Guardians—Tooth, Jack Frost, North, Sandman and Bunnymund—in his bedroom in DreamWorks Animation’s RISE OF THE GUARDIANS. Image courtesy of DreamWorks Animation.

SAVANNAH, GA (11/20/2012)(readMedia)-- Ask any film buff, and they'll tell you one of their greatest desires is to see their name in lights. Beginning Nov. 21, 12 Savannah College of Art and Design student and alumni visual effects artists will get the chance to do just that with the premiere of "Rise of the Guardians," one of the most highly anticipated films of the year that features their technical and storytelling mastery.

"Working on 'Guardians' was the biggest and greatest collaborative project in which I've ever participated. I worked with people who created my favorite childhood films," said William Moten, a Rockville, Md., native and SCAD alumnus who earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in visual effects in 2011. "I personally worked on several sequences in the tooth palace, and most of the sequences at the end of the movie. I provided technical support in both our lighting/compositing package, set up depth-of-field per shot, and implemented changes across the entire film to speed up render times in complex environments. An important part of my job was to make sure everything was running and working before we finished the movie."

DreamWorks Animation has recruited student and alumni artists from SCAD for a number of years and employs nearly 50 SCAD alumni at its locations in Northern and Southern California. "The reason that Savannah College of Art and Design alumni are successful at DWA is in large part due to the curriculum as well as the hard work the students are putting in while at SCAD," noted DreamWorks Animation's Head of Outreach Marilyn Friedman.

Based on the children's book series "The Guardians of Childhood" by William Joyce, "Rise of the Guardians" is an epic adventure that tells the story of a group of heroes - each with extraordinary abilities. When an evil spirit known as Pitch lays down the gauntlet to take over the world, the Immortal Guardians must join forces for the first time to protect the hopes, beliefs and imagination of children all over the world. The film was directed by Peter Ramsey and features the voices of Chris Pine, Hugh Jackman, Alec Baldwin, Jude Law and Isla Fisher.

SCAD was the first university in the United States to offer an accredited degree program in visual effects and continues to lead in the discipline. Visual effects artists combine the skills of a computer programmer with the artistry of a designer. As members of motion picture, television and animation production teams, visual effects artists turn scriptwriters' and filmmakers' inventions into visual representation. Visual effects degree programs are offered at the university's locations in Savannah, Atlanta and Hong Kong. For more information, visit www.scad.edu/visual-effects.

SCAD: The University for Creative Careers

The Savannah College of Art and Design is a private, nonprofit, accredited institution conferring bachelor's and master's degrees at distinctive locations and online to prepare talented students for professional careers. SCAD offers degrees in more than 40 areas of study, as well as minors in nearly 60 disciplines in Savannah and Atlanta, Georgia; in Hong Kong; in Lacoste, France; and online through SCAD eLearning.

SCAD has more than 20,000 alumni, and offers an exceptional education and unparalleled career preparation. The diverse student body, consisting of more than 11,000 students, comes from 49 states and nearly 100 countries worldwide. Each student is nurtured and motivated by a faculty of nearly 700 professors with extraordinary academic credentials and valuable professional experience. These professors emphasize learning through individual attention in an inspiring university environment. SCAD's innovative curriculum is enhanced by advanced, professional-level technology and learning resources and has garnered acclaim from respected organizations and publications, including 3D World, American Institute of Architects, BusinessWeek, Design Intelligence, U.S. News & World Report and the Los Angeles Times.

For more information, visit scad.edu.

DreamWorks Animation SKG

DreamWorks Animation SKG is devoted to producing high-quality family entertainment through the use of computer-generated (CG) animation. With world-class creative talent and technological capabilities, our goal is to release two CG animated feature films a year that deliver great stories, breathtaking visual imagery and a sensibility that appeals to both children and adults.

In 2004, DreamWorks Animation SKG became the first animation company to produce and distribute two CG animated features in a single year, including Shrek 2, the third highest-grossing movie of all time.

With each film, we strive to tell great stories that are fun and comedic, told with a level of sophistication and irreverence that appeals to the broadest audience possible and captures the imaginations of all people regardless of age.

Our management is one of the most experienced and dynamic teams in the entertainment industry, overseeing a stellar collection of artistic and technical leaders from a wide range of backgrounds in film and animation production, computer graphics and information technology. Many of them have been with the company since its inception.

###