Robertson joins SCAD as visual effects chair

By: Sunny Nelson

Published: Friday, January 11, 2008

  The Savannah College of Art and Design School of
 Film and Digital Media announced Stuart Robertson as
 the new chair of its visual effects program in Savannah
 and Atlanta. As chair, Robertson will provide academic
 leadership, be instrumental in creating new curriculum,
 and serve as a resource for faculty and students.

Robertson brings vast professional experience as well as many awards and accolades to his new position. Most recently, he was associate professor and resident filmmaker at the College of Motion Picture, Television and Recording Arts at Florida State University in Tallahassee. Before that, he was an independent visual effects supervisor in Los Angeles, where his clients included Columbia Pictures, Paramount, New Line Cinema, MGM, ABC Television, Miramax Films and Centropolis FX.

In 1998, Robertson won the Academy Award for Achievement in Visual Effects for his work on the film “What Dreams May Come,” and he was nominated for an award by the Visual Effects Society for his work on Stephen King’s “Rose Red” in 2002.  Some of his other motion picture credits include Woody Allen’s “Zelig” (1983), “The Abyss” (1989), “Back to the Future Part II” (1989), “Ghost” (1990), “The Last Action Hero” (1993), “The Ghost and the Darkness” (1996), “The Patriot” (2000) and “Scary Movie 3” (2003).

Robertson earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in film from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in Illinois. He is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, for which he served on the executive committee in 2005-06, and he also serves on the executive board of the Visual Effects Society.

SCAD is the only university in North America to offer specific degrees in visual effects. Students learn the craft of visual effects as a combination of technology and art through a unique blend of programming and technical instruction. Students work individually and collaboratively within a framework of cooperative activity that reflects the real-world experience of film production using high-end, industry-standard digital tools.


Nelson is director of communications.