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Tefft Smith II

Director of Education , Gnomon

Tefft Smith received a bachelor of fine arts degree from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design in 1999, with a major in animation and a double minor in design and photography. Through Art School, Tefft ran a company he founded, ADORe Productions Inc., creating visual identities and advertisements for companies in the Minneapolis and Chicago areas. ADORe Productions Inc. is currently running successfully in Los Angeles as an event and design firm that Tefft and his wife, Kathy co-own.

Tefft received a High-End CG Certificate from Gnomon in 2001, where Tefft honed his computer animation skills. Tefft started working for Look Effects Inc., a Hollywood based post-production and animation house in 2000 and finished his career their as a 3D supervisor. He is currently the 3D supervisor at Gradient FX and head of the LA Office. Some of the films that he has been credited with have been Southland Tales (2006), Next (2007), The Fountain (2006), Rocky Balboa (2006), and The Passion of the Christ (2004). Tefft has taught at the USC art department and is currently an instructor at Gnomon.

What’s your background? Did you work in the arts or film before attending Gnomon?

I have always been involved in the arts to one degree or another. My first real foray into the professional world was a design company I started when I was 18 years old, primarily creating logos and brand identities for various clients. At that point I was entirely self-taught, and I started to realize that I would need some actual technical training to truly further my career. I soon learned of some great programs being offered at MCAD (Minneapolis College of Art and Design) and decided to attend. It was there that I developed a true love of animation, which led me to a double major in animation and design, with a minor in photography.

You went to art school before coming to Gnomon, didn’t you? What did you study there? Did you have traditional art classes?

The first two years of the program had nothing to do with computer graphics at all. Our design teacher had us start with traditional type setting. We were also required to take three life and/or object-based drawing classes, the medium being mostly chalk or pencil. As the years went on we started working on the computer, but our drawing classes were still the primary focus. For our animation requirements, we had minute-long sketch assignments practically every day before our actual class would start. Basically, our teacher was trying to get us to learn the key poses.

I was one of a few students who managed to branch off and find other means of fine-tuning my skills. I convinced my school to allow me to take dance classes for credits. I wanted to study the way my body’s muscles would react during extreme movements. I also took acting classes outside of school. I am a firm believer that traditional art techniques are still the best training for any aspiring artist.

You came to Gnomon for your final semester of art school. Did you know any 3D before you started at Gnomon?

Before I started college I taught myself the basics using a program called Strata 3D after attending a professional training seminar in St George, Utah. Once I got into MCAD, I started to teach myself Lightwave on the side. Luckily the school introduced it into their curriculum about the same time. So even though we weren’t allowed behind the computers yet, I made up for it at home and in the lab at night. Once I actually started the 3D program and my teacher was able to push me in many different directions. This led to my first short 3D film, which I am still very proud of. It had a lot to do with me being accepted into Gnomon – and to getting my first job.

Why did you attend Gnomon in the first place?

I was out in California looking at studios, trying to get some advice on what I needed to focus on in my last semester. The general consensus was that I really needed to focus my energy on learning Maya. Now, I only knew Lightwave at the time. And from what I was told, most film and TV studios were not using it. I got a name of a company from one of the studios I interviews at… I think it was "Banned from the Ranch'… and they said there was a guy by the name of Darrin Krumweide over at Gnomon who I should talk to.

So I called Gnomon asking for Darrin, and had a great chat with him, during which I found out two things; no one was really using Lightwave and secondly, Gnomon was a school that taught Maya. It now seemed pointless to go back to Minneapolis and finish out my senior project using Lightwave, when clearly Maya was the program that would benefit me both now and in my future professional career. I returned to MCAD determined to make them see it my way, and with a little coaxing I convinced them to allow me to transfer to Gnomon for my final semester, all within five days.

Why did you return for the Certificate Program?

After an intense nine weeks of 14 days, 6 days a week, I realized I hadn’t even scratched the surface of what Maya could do. I also knew that moving to Los Angeles straight out of graduating from an unknown art school that only taught Lightwave, would make it tough to get a job. So I looked at Gnomon as a way to better refine my talent. Gnomon did that and more. Their program, I believe, molded me into the artist I am today.

What were your goals when you entered the Certificate Program?

1. To take all my traditional art skills and learn how to translate them digitally. 2. To take my knowledge of art to a new level. 3. To learn from new people in the industry how to successfully sell myself to potential studios.

How did they change or remain the same while you were in the program?

My goals were reinforced when Gnomon began offering their wonderful analog programs. I wanted to be a great all-around artist, in every field. I saw beyond just the purely digital. By taking these new classes, my love for traditional art techniques was reinvigorated. This led to new goals I set for myself. 1) Try to get my life sketches more animated. 2) Try sculpting and creating something new. 3) Try all the things that I wouldn’t be able to do when I found a job; 4) Have fun with my art; 5) Take all I could from the teacher who is instructing me, and never take for granted what is right in front of me; 6) Ask as many question as I have the opportunity to ask, especially when you can ask Alex.

What was the most important aspect of the Certificate Program for you?

The fact that I was taught by some of the most brilliant minds in the industry (Darrin Krumweide, Andrew Orloff, Eric Hansen, Kevin Hudson, Daniel Szecket, Marcel De Jong and Alex Alvarez). Another important aspect is the continued friendship and help the school always gives me. The love from Pam, Kristen, Darrin and Alex.

What surprised you the most about your time at Gnomon?

When I first arrived at Gnomon, I was definitely not prepared for the 90-hour weeks that lay ahead of me. The time needed to learn and create was surprising, yet it prepared me for the 120-hour workweeks I now sometimes have to endure.

What affected you the most in your move to Los Angeles? Why?

I really didn’t have a chance to be affected. I was here for one reason: To learn the tools I needed to make a career in my chosen field. Once I got here I found a place to live. After that my days consisted of being at Gnomon from 11AM til one in the morning. I never really realized I was in LA until I came back for the certificate program, but by then I knew the area and I knew what was what. I was never really affected by the move. It just seemed to feel like home the second I got here. I belong here…it’s me in every way.

What was the most important thing you learned from/at Gnomon?

To always be an artist first, then listen to the outside world. Just so you don’t lose your job.

You’ve finished the program. What are your professional and personal goals?

I am always setting new goals, but the main one is to push myself as far as I can go. My main goal is to create art based on the love in my head with no one holding me down.

You started working before you finished the Certificate Program. What can you tell me about that?

I will always be thankful for Gnomon getting me the job I still have today, but I wish I could have finished the program. Due to work-related deadlines, I was not able to participate in a lot of the classes, do the homework to understand what I was learning, and to interact with my teachers. I lost track of a lot of my goals that last term, yet fulfilled my biggest goal. I am currently employed as the senior 3D supervisor for Look Effects, INC., and love every minute of it. I am sorry for the training this demanding position required me to miss out on.

What aspect(s) of the Certificate Program prepared you the most for working in the real production world?

Gnomon has some of the greatest professionals in the business. Learning from them is what prepared me for my present job. Having Pam, Kristin, Darrin, and Alex supporting you and making you challenge yourself makes you strive for excellence. To this day, when I come back to Gnomon, I always want to have something to impress them, something that makes them proud of me. Whenever I see Alex, I hear, "So what are you working on?" and as long as I have an answer, they did their job. They taught me everything I needed to create a great career in the film industry.

You graduated in 2002. What have you done since you left?

I actually graduated in 2001. Since my graduation I have been the lead 3D artist at Look Effects Inc. I have worked on various films such as Driven, Monkeybone, Frida, and Pavilion of Women. I also have worked extensively in TV on shows such as "Witchblade", "Night Visions", and "Dead Last". Recently I became 3D Supervisor and Head of Look’s 3D department. Since then I have been a senior 3D artist on The Passion of the Christ, creating most of the effects for the Satan character. I also oversaw the development of the 3D world in Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen. Other shows I have been involved with are Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius, Supercross, Havoc, and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.

What do you do when you’re not doing this?

What else is there? I actually have helped design and open two nightclubs in Hollywood and am working on another one. My wife and I have an event planning and design company that constantly calls for my skills in designing identities for companies and corporations. I also have done some teaching privately through Gnomon and personally. My real fun is hanging with my wife at a lounge, or at a movie (we watch at least two a week). Luckily we are both creative people, and we are constantly pushing each other to be better artists.

What advice do you have for students who are at Gnomon now?

When I was there we never had a choice of what area we would like to specialize in: games, films, dynamics, texturing, lighting and so on. I just concentrated on Maya throughout the entire program. My advice is to take all the classes you can and don’t ever settle. Do every analog class and continue to do them. Once you are done with one program, call and ask if you can take another. Continued education is what makes a great artist. As far as the digital goes, even if you want to be a modeler and that’s it, take a lot of lighting and texturing classes. Animators, take as many dynamics classes as you can. It’s a freelance business out there and to keep a job you need to know all the tricks of our trade.

What would you tell someone who is considering a career in 3D?

There is no 3D yet. 3D to most people is a program that you learn how to push buttons. If you want 3D, go back to the basics and learn how your body moves, learn how to act, because in the end that’s what you are doing. Take as many classes away from the computer as you can. It is easy to learn the buttons; it is hard to learn the craft behind it. Study all that you can. Be an artist not a programmer, make digital art an art form, a life form, make it real, make it ART.