2013 (Production)

2013-10-02 (Production)

English (Original)

Interviewee: Robert Swarthe
Interviewer: Sienna McLean LoGreco

Professional production

United States

Visual effects artist Robert Swarthe is interviewed by Sienna McLean-LoGreco at the Lighthouse Theater in New York City in 2013. Swarthe charts the progression of his career from working in animated short films and commercials through creating innovative visual effects sequences for feature films from CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977) and THE OUTSIDERS (1983).

Visual effects artist Robert Swarthe is interviewed by Sienna McLean-LoGreco at the Lighthouse Theater in New York City on October 2, 2013. Swarthe starts the interview with memories of growing up in Los Angeles and his early interest in film. He describes his exploration with still and moving image photography during his high school years, while further noting his aptitude as a 16mm camera operator. Swarthe discusses his enrollment at UCLA and attending the Animation Workshop, commenting on his budding interest in cel animation photography. He recounts getting a summer job at Graphic Films in Hollywood, where he worked alongside visual effects luminaries Douglas Trumbull, Con Pederson and Robert Abel. Swarthe talks about animating his student film THE UNICYCLE RACE (1966) while detailing the process of drawing directly on 65mm film. He goes on to discuss his subsequent work with the Haboush Company on a series of animated television commercials. Swarthe speaks on his stylized animation experiments, beginning with K-9000: A SPACE ODDITY (1968) then KICK ME (1975). He muses on the latter film’s Oscar nomination for Best Animated Short. Swarthe recalls being tapped by former Graphic Films alum Douglas Trumbull to assist with the visual effects on CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977). He details his contributions to the film’s imagery from animating the luminosity effects of the alien mothership to crafting the starlit skies. He goes on to reflect on the differences in his role as a visual effects artist and animator. Swarthe gives insight on his work for STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE (1979), with attention to supervising the design of the wormhole interiors and concluding transcendence sequence. He takes an aside to mention the challenges encountered during the film’s troubled production. Swarthe then covers the creation of special effects for director Francis Ford Coppola’s ONE FROM THE HEART (1982) and THE OUTSIDERS (1983). He comments on his decision to leave the Los Angeles film world and work on independent projects in New York. Swarthe concludes with thoughts on the technological advancements in animation and effects-making, advice for budding visual effects artists, and the importance of preserving avant-garde and experimental films.

Robert Swarthe (born 1942) is a visual effects artist and animator. Born in Hollywood, Swarthe spent his youth fascinated by the processes behind filmmaking. Motivated by his love of visual trickery and effects, Swarthe studied filmmaking and animation at UCLA, receiving both a B.A. and an M.A. Upon leaving school, Swarthe began work for the Haboush Company, creating animation and visual effects for short films and commercials. In 1975, he received an Academy Award nomination for his short film KICK ME. After his initial success in shorts, Swarthe began generating visual effects for commercial feature films. Working with Douglas Trumbull, Swarthe helped to craft memorable effects in both CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977) and STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE (1979). He later went on to create visual effects for Francis Ford Coppola’s ONE FROM THE HEART (1982) and THE OUTSIDERS (1983). Swarthe’s short films KICK ME and THE UNICYCLE RACE (1966) have been preserved by the Academy Film Archive.

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