M E R I D I A N     M A G A Z I N E

What You Dream, We Create
By Bettyanne Bruin

Stephen Sobisky sat in his parents’ car, looked up at the bigger-than-life screen that appeared before him at the San Fernando, California’s drive-in theaters, and dreamt of creating visual effects. “I was amazed at how the creators could create a world that does not exist.”

From there, he began to create drawings for his family, complete with special effects. Eventually, he landed his first job on the set as a best boy (an assistant to a film crew department head) and than as an assistant prop-master, where he helped design and set up sets. “I always enjoyed working on the sets, but I really wanted to create visual effects on the computer screen.”

Moving to Utah, he worked with a local company, Viewpoint Datalabs. “They were the premier 3D modeling house in the country,” he says.

Hired to be the 3D modeling producer, he worked on “a very large film that would set the ground for animated films.” It was called ANTZ.

Stephen Sobisky in his office.

From there, Sobisky worked on more than forty films of which he had many different rolls: Godzilla, Batman & Robin, Armageddon, Flubber, and George of The Jungle, Mission Impossible, to name a few.

After managing the ANTZ project for a year and a half, he decided PDI/DreamWorks was where he wanted to be. “I got the opportunity to be interviewed for a full time position at PDI/DreamWorks in Palo Alto California and was able to work with my mentor, Hael Kobayashi, who was the Production Supervisor on ANTZ and many other projects for PDI/DreamWorks. Then, I got the job as the lighting effects supervisor on the latest animated film, Shrek.”

About Shrek, he said, “I learned so much about the animation world for the three and a half years I worked on that project.” After Shrek, he added, “There where many other positions I served in while at PDI/DreamWorks. I became the production manager in the Café (Commercial and Film Visual Effects) department. This is where I truly got the bug to do live action visual effects. I was fortunate to work with some other very talented artist during the many pictures we did there, like ANTZ, Evolution, Legend of Bagger Vance, Mission Impossible II, and The Mexican.”

A convert to the LDS church at age 19, Sobisky says this is a life adjustment. “Being LDS in an industry that has different standards and practices can be difficult at times. I think for me, the challenge is being an example on and off the sets I am working on. I think we are always being looked at to see if we mess up. I think when people challenge your belief, they think you will cave into the pressures, to do things that you know you should not do.

“I do think being LDS on a film set, and being the only Mormon on set, is unique. People know that we do not drink, smoke, swear, or lie. That is a key thing that people know; that we are honest in our dealings. People know that what you see with me, or my company, is what you get. We try to be that example in all we do.”

The company Sobisky refers to is Sandman Studios, located in Pleasant Grove, Utah. Sandman Studios is a full-service creative agency specializing in CG animation, visual effects production and interactive multimedia. It delivers everything from initial concept and design to development, production, post-production, integration and implementation. Sandman’s principals have worked extensively among a diverse and prominent portfolio of Entertainment, Media, Technology and Fortune 500 corporations.

Recently, Sobisky created all of the visual effects for Chris Heimerdinger’s latest movie, Passage to Zarahelma, which will be released in Utah theaters June 8, 2007.

Says Sobisky of this film, “Chris Heimerdinger’s Passage to Zarahemla contains the largest amount of special effects of any LDS film ever. In Passage to Zarahemla, an unprecedented 185 special effects scenes were used. Passage to Zarahemla almost certainly contains more special effects than any other Hollywood film ever produced for under a million dollars.”

Using what he terms the “layering effect,” various scenes in Passage to Zarahemla were filmed separately and then layered together to create the special effects used for the appearance of the ancient Nephites and Gadianton robbers in modern-day Leeds, Utah (located just outside of St. George). This is where the main character, Kerra McConnell (Summer Naomi Smart), deals with the fallout following her mother’s death and Department of Family Services’ efforts to separate her from her younger brother, Brock (Brian Kary).

Having sold nearly one million copies of his books, Chris Heimerdinger is best known for his “Tennis Shoes Among the Nephites” series. After being approached for years in regards to bringing his novels to the big screen, the strength of this particular book’s fantasy storytelling, along with the quality of Sandman Studio’s special effects is exactly what Heimerdinger has been waiting for. And Sobisky agrees. “This was a nice opportunity for us to show what we can really do,” he said.

“Stephen’s team really knows their stuff,” adds Heimerdinger. “They were the perfect fit. Without them, this story couldn’t be told.” Heimerdinger wrote the screenplay, directed, acted, and even composed a couple of songs for this film. “I studied filmmaking in college,” he says. “But I turned to writing novels to feed my family. I’m just now getting back to my original filmmaking plans.”

Stephen Sobisky, surrounded by friends.

Of his company, Sobisksy states, “The talent at Sandman Studios is unbelievable. We have some of the most creative visual effects, animation, and interactive media people in the industry. We have grown as a company and have learned that we get better in time. We have a philosophy that we want to overachieve our client’s expectations. By doing this, our clients know that we are working with them, not as a service company, but as a partner to their project.”

From gazing up at the drive-in movie screen and dreaming about everything that has now become an incredible portion of spectacular reality in his life, Sobisky is now focused on the future. “I think the one thing that my company and I want to bring to the industry is that we can create good family entertainment that our children can be proud of. I am not doing this to impress anyone but my family. Our company slogan is dream, image, and create. If you can dream it or imagine it we can create it.”