Spring 1997

SCOTT TEREK: BRINGING KINGS, HERCULES TO LIFE ON BIG SCREEEN

Walt Disney Studios' "The Lion King" may be remembered for its beautiful musical score, touching story line and amazing animation, but it took Scott Terek's computer mastery to help tie everything together into a crowd-pleasing, award-winning motion picture. A software engineer in Disney's feature animation division for nearly four years, Terek ('89, E.E.) has received on-screen credit for his role in the creative process for such critically acclaimed movies as "Pocahontas," "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" and "The Lion King." He also assisted in this summer's major release, "Hercules," and is now working on "Dinosaur," a computer-generated production of Disney's new digital studio division.

"People had to remain in the movie theater a long time to see my name in the credits (under Technology Development Support) for 'The Lion King.' And, when the movie was shown on television, you needed a microscope to see my name. But it was quite thrilling," says Terek, a native of Merrillville, Ind. "They're all special, but 'Lion King' will always hold a special place in my heart, since it was my first movie.

"Even though I had seen various parts of the film in various stages of production, and had probably seen the entire thing in unfinished form a number of times, it really gave me a sense of accomplishment to see the finished film at the premiere."

The production of animated features has changed dramatically since the day Walt Disney roamed the company's Burbank, Calif., studios. Each scene in a movie is still hand-drawn by talented artists and animators. However, instead of transferring the drawings to celluloid sheets (commonly referred to as "cels"), drawings are scanned into computer code, where computer artists digitally add ink, painting, compositing scenes (with backgrounds) and convert to film.

That's when Terek becomes involved in the creative process. He has to make sure the millions of software computer codes -- from hundreds of scenes -- properly work together to form the two-hour motion picture. This includes database management, file tracking and transfer, networking, and short- and long-term file archiving. It's a long process that can take up to five years -- from initial story development to final prints.

"Technically, every day is a challenge. We're one of the largest database sites in the world. We're dealing with 'tons' of data, moving it between three studios on two continents, making sure the artist and production personnel can do their jobs," Terek said. "The software I work on is much more on the back end of things. Unfortunately, I can't point to the screen at anything and say 'I did that.' That's the artists' job. I'm making sure the artists can do their jobs and the production gets done on time. It intrigues people that I get screen credit for what I do."

Now, he's moving into a more complex world, where computers produce entire movies, like the Academy Award-winning "Toy Story." Tentatively due for release in 1999, "Dinosaur" is scheduled to be the first production from Disney's digital studio.

"I'm still working on the data management half, which is an enormous undertaking in an all-computer-generated production," said Terek during a telephone interview from his home in Sherman Oaks, Calif. "But I'm also helping to design and write a system to handle much greater volumes of data than necessary for traditional features." (The animation data management software should be available at Disney's studios this summer to enhance the production of "Dinosaur.")

Terek had admired Disney's magical touch in such artistic masterpieces as "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," "Sleeping Beauty," and "Fantasia." However, he didn't know how an electrical engineer could help animators bring Pocahontas and Hercules to life on the big screen.

Luckily, Disney was expanding its computer software division and preparing for digital studio productions. Terek had experience in database development and management, computer programming and software development during a four-year assignment at Andersen Consulting.

"I fell into the job at Disney somewhat by accident," Terek said. "I was planning on leaving my job at Andersen to go to graduate school, and I happened to find a job posting for Disney on Usenet. I applied, thinking that lots of more qualified people would surely apply . . . and I got the job."

Terek and Disney were a perfect fit. (He recently signed a contract to remain with the company through the year 2000.)

"It was too interesting of an opportunity to pass up," Terek said. "I'll stay at Disney as long as the challenges are here. It's a fun, creative place to work. There's such a creative environment that it rubs off on every employee. Animators and artists are still the vital aspect of creating Disney movies, but computers help make the artists' work come to life."