Making Movie Magic of His Own

Mechanical Designer David Covarrubias ‘86 on his Career in Special Effects

By Sara Nguyen

David Covarrubias can pinpoint exactly when he decided to pursue a career doing special effects in the film industry. The son of Mexican immigrants who started their own aerospace manufacturing company, David grew up working in their shop, fabricating metal parts. In his twenties, he started his own company doing similar work, but over time he found the work unsatisfying. Foreshadowing his future career path, in his spare time he constructed robots out of scrap material as a creative outlet. David then enrolled in community college, still uncertain about what path to take. One day, he happened to watch a TV program called Movie Magic. Says David, “I saw it and thought, ‘that’s exactly what I want to do.’

There’s art, everything’s different and they’re always building something new, and it’s mechanical, which I felt was my strong suit. I was living in San Diego at the time and didn’t know anyone in the film industry, but I thought, ‘if there’s anything that I’m meant to do, it’s that.’ After that it was a matter of pushing my way in.”

After sending out letters to various special effects companies, David secured an entry-level job at Michael Burnett Productions, and eventually moved to the mechanical department, where he assisted the lead mechanical designer doing animatronics, puppeteering – basically, whatever was needed. With the addition of David, the department comprised a grand total of only two people, and the projects were low-budget, so creativity, resourcefulness and the need to wear many different hats was the norm. When the lead mechanical designer left, David continued running the department on his own. He then heard about openings at the Stan Winston Studio, and decided to apply even though he felt it was a longshot. “I didn’t think anything I had in my portfolio was going to be able to get me in there; they were working on films like Jurassic Park at the time. But because the guy before me quit, I was able to tell them I ran the mechanical shop at Mike Burnett’s. It wasn’t really a lie, but I sort of bluffed my way through the interview. What I didn’t know was at the time they were already gearing up for The Lost World: Jurassic Park, so maybe they realized that at the very least they had a good machinist in me, and they were going to need parts made. So somehow, I got through that interview and the first movie.”

“I would like to get kids interested in robotics, perhaps by doing small workshops or presentations in areas where children might not be aware of this as a possible career.”

Working at Stan Winston’s was like taking a crash course in animatronics and David was determined to live up to the opportunity he had been given. He spent his lunch breaks with a notepad in hand, studying the animatronic models from previous projects that Stan Winston had on display, such as the previous Jurassic Park dinosaurs. Says David, “How did they make that elbow move? How did they hinge that jaw? How did they construct that eye mechanism? I learned so much before I had to do it for them. They put me on the raptor team for The Lost World, and they never realized that I really had no idea what I was doing.” Upon

“[At Chaminade] I learned a lot about discipline, about wanting to be a perfectionist and to do the best I could and get as far I possibly could in whatever I set my mind to do."

Stan Winston’s passing, David moved on with some original team members to Legacy Effects, where he continues to work as a mechanical designer.

Over the past twenty-five years, David has worked on films like Instinct and Iron Man and has done animatronics and puppeteering for projects like The Muppets movies. He has worked on countless commercials featuring memorable animatronic creations like the Budweiser frogs and the Geico pig. More recently, he worked on Star Wars characters “the Child” (aka “Baby Yoda”) and Kuiil from the Disney+ television series The Mandalorian. An avid traveler and photographer, David says he sometimes takes on projects based on where they are being filmed and has worked all over the world filming projects like commercials for Samsung in South Korea and Bollywood films in India. His photography can be viewed online at www.cammotion.net.

In reflecting back on his early life, education, and in particular his experiences as a student at Chaminade, David laughingly describes himself as “a bit of a shy kid…maybe a self-inflicted outcast…the heavy metal kid during the new wave era.” But in much the same way that he absorbed the work ethic and skills his parents exhibited while he was growing up, David says that at Chaminade, “I learned a lot about discipline, about wanting to be a perfectionist and to do the best I could and get as far I possibly could in whatever I set my mind to do. That all came from Chaminade. And the other thing I learned was to have empathy. From all the religious classes to campus ministry and the retreats, that’s where I realized ‘it’s not all about me.’” David is acutely aware that he represents the first generation in his family to have these sorts of educational and career opportunities, and one of his current goals is to assist in giving underprivileged people a chance to go to school. He adds, “I would like to get kids interested in robotics, perhaps by doing small workshops or presentations in areas where children might not be aware of this as a possible career.” Having charted his own unique path, he now aspires to show the younger generation it’s possible for them, as well.