Alumnus John Schlag has built a career at the intersection of engineering and Hollywood’s most iconic visual effects, helping bring some of the film industry’s legendary scenes to life.
After earning his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from UD in 1981, he followed what he describes as “a bit of a jagged path” into computer graphics, visual effects and filmmaking.
At UD, Schlag gravitated toward interdisciplinary work. As a junior, he volunteered in the Minorities-in-Engineering program, and it was there that a hallway conversation with an associate dean led him to pursue a senior thesis with professor Dave Robinson on digital signal processing for music synthesis.
“Some of the best conversations happen in hallways and break rooms,” said Schlag. “Don’t spend all your time at your desk!”
His thesis experience taught him the value of collaboration and “storming the castle” in neighboring departments to solve problems and build new ideas.
After graduating, Schlag studied at Carnegie Mellon’s Robotics Institute, where work in computer vision introduced him to an emerging tool for validating visual systems: computer graphics. He then moved to the New York Institute of Technology, home to one of the leading computer graphics labs of the era, where the group’s broadcast animation work exposed him to the creative side of visual effects and solidified his interest in film.
Schlag with cinematographer Olivia Rowe and cast and crew of his film “OVaXX.”
By the mid-1980s, as engineering and software development increasingly converged, he gravitated toward programming and digital imagery. After moving to California in 1986, he worked on graphics tools before joining Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) for “Terminator 2: Judgment Day.” He went on to contribute to a string of Academy Award-winning films—“Death Becomes Her,” “Jurassic Park” and “Forrest Gump”—helping pioneer techniques that were still being invented shot by shot.
The most memorable moments, he said, came during private crew screenings at ILM, when individual effects shots came together in a finished film and their full impact on the story became clear.
Later, Schlag contributed to Viewpaint, a 3D painting tool used in visual effects production that earned an Academy Scientific and Technical Award. He has since held leadership roles at companies including Adobe, Sony, NVIDIA and Google.
Now founder of Infinovation Film, he focuses on screenwriting and filmmaking. He returned to UD on May 6 to present “Math for the Movies,” a talk highlighting how accessible mathematics underpins the visual effects audiences see on screen.
Schlag’s path from electrical engineering to visual effects reflects the kind of technical curiosity, collaboration and interdisciplinary thinking that can open unexpected doors.