ROEL BANZON ROBLES is the Filipino-American handling the concept and character design for the latest Disney movie, 'A Christmas Carol'.

He may not be an actor whose face you see on the big screen, but you most definitely have seen the works of Filipino-American Roel Banzon Robles in such blockbuster features like “Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace”, “Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones”, and “Beowulf”.

Robles works as a character and conceptual designer for ImageMovers Digital (IMD), and his most recent work can be seen on Disney’s “A Christmas Carol”, which is now playing in theaters all over the country.

In this Students and Campuses Bulletin exclusive, we talk to the native Manileño about his memories of Manila, introducing Filipino flavor to the “Star Wars” franchise, and what it takes for a Filipino to succeed in the field of animation and conceptual design.

STUDENTS AND CAMPUSES BULLETIN (SCB): Was it hard adjusting to the American way of life when you emigrated from the Philippines to the United States?

ROEL BANZON ROBLES (RBR): I was born in Manila. My father is Rolando Herrera Robles from Bicol and my mother is Elenita Banzon Robles from Bataan. Growing up, I have fond memories of going to Rizal Park, spending time on the playground and visiting the Japanese garden, Manila Zoo, Manila Aquarium, Mayon Volcano, and Cagsawa ruins in Albay. My family of four moved to San Francisco when I was 4 years old. It wasn’t very hard to assimilate for me since I arrived in the US at a very young age.

SCB: Were you still able to hold onto some Filipino customs and traditions despite growing up in the United States?

RBR: I feel that I have a good balance between the two cultures. I’m very American in the way that I am confident and aggressive and go after what I want, but still believe in the Filipino way of being humble.
I attribute all my Filipino qualities to my parents. My parents would speak Tagalog to me, but I would always respond back in English; that’s why I can understand Tagalog very well but cannot speak it fluently. My parents, especially my mother, always stress the importance of hard work, trust and honesty. I really believe in these qualities and really, after you are stripped of everything that you have, all you have left is your integrity.

I’m also very American in the way I communicate. I know many Filipinos hide what they really feel and shy away from conflict, but I believe that communication is key in any relationship be it work, family or love. Communication needs to go both ways and cannot just be one way.

I also have kept with Filipino traditions in that I’ve practiced Filipino martial arts for 23 years. It has taught me about my homeland and has gotten me more in touch with my roots.

I’ve also gathered all of my mother’s Filipino recipes, and I love to cook all the traditional foods such as adobo, sinigang, pancit, lumpia, leche flan, and all the other goodies. It’s been nice to introduce a taste of Philippines to my American co workers.

SCB: What inspired you to become a conceptual designer?

RBR: The movies of Ray Harryhausen were a huge inspiration for me growing up. He created all the effects for movies like “Jason and the Argonauts”, “Sinbad” and “Clash of the Titans,” and he is what made me want to work in the film industry.

When the original Star Wars came out in 1977, I knew right then and there that I wanted to work in the film industry. I was mesmerized and transported into the world that they created and it’s been a dream come true to be working with people that I grew up admiring. It’s still my favorite trilogy to this day, with Lord of the Rings coming in a close second.

Ralph McQuarrie, Joe Johnston and Nilo Rodis Jamero, the artists from Star Wars were also a great inspiration to me, especially Nilo since he’s Filipino. It helped me realize that I could also be in the same profession as he.

SCB: And your love for animation, where did that come from?

RBR: I’ve loved animation all my life, especially anime!

I can remember being five years old and always drawing. My father is actually a pretty good artist and he would always draw my comic book covers for me such as “The Hulk”, “Captain America”, and “Superman”. I guess I was inspired by my father to draw at an early age.

It wasn’t till later on that I realized my mother was good at storytelling, as well. She told me tales of how she would recite and make up stories for her younger siblings and cousins and how she always pretended to be Darna.

SCB: So were they receptive to the idea of you doing this for a living?

RBR: I think when I said I wanted to do art, my parents were thinking of fine art and art galleries, from which, honestly, it would be very hard to earn a living. However, I was always thinking of animation, comic books, and film. Luckily I was able to end up in a profession that I’ve always wanted to do as a kid.

A FILIPINO SABER IN STAR WARS!

SCB: What was your first job in the industry?

RBR: I was lucky enough to get hired at Lucasfilm, and “Star Wars Episode One” was the first movie that I have ever worked on.

SCB: That must have been something!

RBR: Well, working on Skywalker Ranch was a dream come true and working with Doug Chiang and the talented art department was icing on the cake.

SCB: So how did you get into Skywalker Ranch?

RBR: I did not have an art degree or five years of film experience so I applied for a mail clerk position at Skywalker Ranch. I put my head down and did the best job to my abilities. Soon after I got in, I earned the reputation of being a very hard working and competent worker. People also saw that I could draw and that got me an introduction with the producer and the artists.

When I got hired at Lucasfilm in 1997, I told myself that I would give myself a year to see if I could make it into the art department.

Luckily for me, things worked out and, after only six months, I was already working in the art department.

After completing work on “Star Wars Episode Two,” I’ve been doing concept designs, character designs and storyboards for different feature films and video games. It’s been a great journey so far and I look forward to what the future holds.

SCB: In your work on the Star Wars prequels, what are you proudest of?

RBR: I’m really proud that I was able to contribute to the design of Count Dooku’s lightsaber and add a piece of Filipino history into the Star Wars world. We were coming up with the look of Count Dooku’s lightsaber and Doug Chiang, the design director, had me line up all of my own personal swords on the table. They were mostly Filipino swords, and George picked the handle of the Barong, which was my favorite. I strategically placed it in the center and I’m glad that it was the one chosen for Count Dooku’s lightsaber.

CHRISTMAS FOR EVERYONE

SCB: Filipinos love celebrating Christmas, so was it especially great for you to be involved in Disney’s “A Christmas Carol”?

RBR: It’s my favorite time of the year! Growing up, I have always looked forward to watching the Albert Finney Scrooge movie on TV. For the last several years, our family has been going to the “Great Dickens Christmas Fair” in San Francisco at the Cow Palace. The sets look like old London and everyone is dressed and speaks in old English.

I was pretty excited to hear that we would be working on Disney’s “A Christmas Carol”, and to finally see it on screen is pretty amazing! This is the best motion capture 3D film that we’ve worked on and I think it shows!

SCB: Could you tell us about your work on Disney’s “A Christmas Carol”?

RBR: I was involved in helping design the characters of “A Christmas Carol”. Doug Chiang, the production designer, would give us his thoughts on the characters and we would go off and do our take on a particular character. I believe I worked on every character except for “Marley” and “The Spirit of Christmas Yet To Come.”

During post production, I also helped design the weather vane in the beginning of the movie and redesigned Scrooge’s nephew and the Cratchits’ dining room tables. I also had a fun time creating the look of Christmas Presents’ feet dissolving from flesh to bone to dust.

I’m also proud to say that I had a part in creating the motion capture helmet that allowed our studio to capture all the nuances of the muscles of the face. I came up with the design for the motion camera (Mocam) helmet, which resembles a bike helmet with cameras attached to a rod that captures a person’s facial movements.

SCB: Aside from you, we also have Ronnie del Carmen working with Pixar. Filipino illustrators also used to work for the Hanna-Barbera studios back in the day. What do you think is it about Filipino animators that make them attractive to these studios?

RBR: I think it has more to do with talent than nationality. Guaranteed we do have good work ethics and we are able to keep our egos in check, but if you have the skills and the imagination to bring out the director’s vision, you’ll have a job in this industry.

The percentage of Filipino artists is still pretty small, but with the guys up at Pixar like Ricky Nierva, Nelson Bohol, Ronnie del Carmen, and my other friend, Ed Natividad from Star Wars, we are starting to have a little bit more presence now in this predominantly American industry.

SCB: What advice would you give to young Filipinos looking to pursue a similar career as your own? What does it take to be good at what you do?

RBR: Go for your dreams and work hard. If you put your mind to it, anything is possible.

Go to a good art college and build a solid foundation. Take advantage of those four years and really immerse yourself in art and have a strong understanding of the basic tenets (value, composition, perspective, etc.) because that’s what you will always revert back to. With hard work, perseverance,
and a little bit of luck, I’m sure anyone can achieve his/her dreams.