Twin brothers Adrian and Alexander Smith have enjoyed learning about the history of the Civil War since they were children. The Smith brothers were history majors at the New Mexico Military Institute and for a time even considered joining the United States military. They always had a passion for drawing and when Alexander came to Parsons to study the art of illustration in 2008, Adrian followed a year later. Now as recent Parsons illustration graduates, the Smith twins combined their passion for history and military with their love of art to direct the animated short film “The Wheatfield,” a historic fictional take on the Battle of Gettysburg. The film premiered at the Visitor Center in Gettysburg, PA, on the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg.
“The Wheatfield” tells the story of Civil War hero and Medal of Honor recipient James Jackson Purman, who in 1913 attended the 50t h anniversary of Gettysburg, where he told his personal account of the war to a crowd of veterans and civilians.
The short film was created and produced in the Manhattan animation and visual effects studio Omega Darling, where the Smith brothers work as creative directors. Adrian and Alexander started working on The Wheatfield project in their free time early this year with the help of many Parsons students and graduates.
Tony award-nominated stage and screen actor Stephen Lang, who appeared in movies like James Cameron’s “Avatar” and Civil War film “Gettysburg,” wrote the script, voiced the main character and did some of the motion capture. He is the son of philanthropist Eugene Lang, whose donations helped The New School’s liberal arts program turn into the four-year college it is today.
When Alexander Smith was still a student, Stephen Lang had provided voice over for Smith’s senior thesis project, which was an animated short about World War I. Lang later contacted the Smith brothers about working together on “The Wheatfield.”
“He [Lang] kind of enlisted us for it,” Adrian Smith joked.
The film’s plot evolved from Lang’s acclaimed show “Beyond Glory,” a one-man stage production about Medal of Honor recipients from various American wars. Lang performed the play in theaters around the U.S. and on United Service Organization tours to military bases around the world.
“It made sense for us to be a part of it [The Wheatfield],” Alexander Smith said.
The brothers enrolled their co-workers at Omega Darling in the filmmaking process.
“We even had one intern, Janet Sung, who wound up doing a lot of the design on the film,” Adrian Smith said. “She did the character designs and a lot of the production art and what I think we consider the main aesthetic of the actual film.”
The collaboration even included the Smith brothers’ boss.
“Our boss, Zach [Schukan] actually did some motion capture for a lot of the actions,” Alexander Smith said.
The Smith brothers submitted “The Wheatfield” to various film festivals and said they expect that the film will soon be accessible online.
Charlotte is majoring in Journalism + Design at Eugene Lang College and graduated high school in Bamberg, Germany. Her father is a soldier so she grew up moving around a lot. Outside of her interest in journalism, she is an aspiring novelist & screenplay writer who dabbles in acting. Charlotte loves reading, writing, road trips, red wine, videogames, music, sketch comedy and tennis.
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