Football may be at the forefront of the infamous UCLA-USC
rivalry, but competition extends beyond just the field. Hollywood
also owns a piece of the war, thanks to the universities’
equally prestigious film programs.
Think Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas. Rob Reiner and Ron
Howard. Adam Fanton and Darren Fanton? Twin brothers Adam, a UCLA
alumnus, and Darren, a USC alumnus, attended the rival schools
after working together closely on graphic design projects
throughout high school. Two summers ago, after going separate ways,
the two were reunited for the biggest opportunity of their
undergraduate careers.
“(Director) Martin Curland called me (through the USC
Special Effects Club) about if I knew any alumni (to work on his
film “Zerophilia”), but I said I was very interested
and he took me up on my offer. He really liked my work
ethic,” said Darren. “We found out that there were a
lot of visual effects that we were going to need on the project. So
I brought Adam and began work.”
“Zerophilia,” which opens in Los Angeles on Friday,
follows Luke, a teen who has a rare genetic condition that forces
him to switch genders and ultimately, his sexuality. The
Fantons’ graphic skills helped to bring the gender switch to
life.
Adam’s degree in Design | Media Arts from UCLA aided his
work on physical effects on set as well as with the opening
animated title sequence as the film’s special effects
supervisor. Darren, whose studies were more concentrated in film
production at USC, was named visual effects supervisor for
“Zerophilia,” concentrating on green screen and
postproduction effects.
“They’re very competitive and have very different
personalities,” said Curland, who describes Adam as more
free-spirited and pegs Darren as the business-minded brother.
However, choice of schools aside, the pair tends to stick
together. “We both got into graphic design and visual effects
the summer after eighth grade,” Darren said. “We worked
together for snowboard designs, posters and T-shirts for local
companies.”
The two even created a graphic design club together to teach
graphic design to their friends and classmates and work on graphic
design projects for their high school.
“We always worked together whether it was inside or
outside of school,” Adam said. “It was always really
competitive. If he made something really good, I would try to make
something better and it would just go back and forth, but it was to
our benefit.”
Though the competition was healthy, the Fantons often have
conflicting visions.
“We had our areas, but we also overlapped a lot,”
Darren said. “We helped each other, but we did have different
ideas on how to pull off a shot.”
Although the brothers were only 20 years old when working on the
film, their youth and inexperience did not phase director
Curland.
“I was asking incredible things of them but they did
whatever they needed to get it done,” Curland said.
Adam and Darren also left a positive impression off camera
through their energy and enthusiasm, according to Curland.
“(Enthusiasm) can generate a positive set and it really shows
up on screen. They contributed more than they realize,” he
said.
The Fanton brothers now live together in Los Angeles and have
not yet collaborated on a feature film since
“Zerophilia.” However, the film remains a big part of
their lives.
“It was a huge learning experience for us,” Adam
said. “We did have our fights, and it was difficult, but with
time we were able to understand each other’s strengths and
weaknesses and it ended up working fine. Whenever I work on a set I
remember everything from those four weeks in Oregon.”
“I couldn’t ask for a better film to work on for my
first feature film,” added Darren. “I learned more from
the “˜Zerophilia’ film shoot than from all my four years
of classes combined.”