Hollywood Alum Returns for Career-based Talk
An animation pioneer, Castleton alum Rob Nitsch, class of ’95, made his way from the green mountains to the Hollywood hills, crafting a career in special effects and animation for box office classics.
Now years later with a list of popular movies added to his resume, he returned to share his famed experience.
“I always wanted to be in the film industry,” said Nitsch.
Earning a painting degree at Castleton, Nitsch developed a strong passion for black and white photography, before traveling west to break into the graphics and entertainment industry.
While working on his MFA in Visual Effects and Computer Animation at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, he was awarded the most prestigious internship in the business with film producer and screenwriter George Lucas.
“That was really my big break into the industry,” said Nitsch. “It really got things moving for me.”
Out of the nearly eight hundred students that applied for an intern position at George Lucas’ Industrial Light and Magic, Nitsch was one of eighteen accepted.
At ILM, he worked on “Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace,” the prequel to the film that defined the special effects industry.
With limited special effects capabilities previous to the movie, Nitsch and his fellow colleagues began to quickly transform industry standards.
As technology began to advance, the standard transformed from traditional animation techniques to 3-D. New forms of stop motion photography, as well as new and innovative uses of the blue and green screens, allowed movie animation to be taken to the next level.
“The industry was rapidly changing,” he said.
After a short stint designing video games at Lucas Arts, Nitsch was approached to come on board as an effects artist for the sequels to “The Matrix.” Continuing to work in digital animation, he also crafted effects in well-know films like “Hellboy,” “Serenity” and Sony Pictures’ “The Polar Express.”
Eventually teaming up with DreamWorks Animation, he also played a role in bringing to life lovable characters from films such as Kung Fu Panda, Shrek goes Forth, and Puss In Boots, before leaving the film industry.
“My work was very enjoyable,” he said, adding that he never quite shook the humbling feeling of seeing his name listed in the movie credits of big budget films.
It would seem as if Nitsch has come full circle from his original love of the New England countryside, after settling down in Cape Cod where he now works as a professional photographer.
On October 14 the Castleton Art Department alumnus returned to his alma mater to speak about his Hollywood career. His talk, titled “From the Green Mountains to the Hollywood Hills,” highlighted his journey through the film industry.
“What I learned from Castleton was how to think like an artist,” said Nitsch, adding that it was that forward thinking mindset that prepared him for his film animation career. “Anyone can do it. It just takes dedication and hard work.”