Creating a Legacy of Innovation at Industrial Light & Magic
From Star Wars: A New Hope to The Acolyte, Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) has been paving the way for visual effects (VFX) technology and innovation. Since 1975, ILM has set the standard, creating some of the most stunning images in the history of entertainment.
We interviewed a few of our employees to learn more about their experiences working at ILM and how they’ve contributed to some of Lucasfilm’s iconic stories.
Julian, VFX Supervisor
As a lifelong Star Wars fan, Julian was excited to receive the offer to join the team at Industrial Light & Magic in London. “ILM has a history and legacy that makes them unique,” Julian told us. “There’s so much history, and a lot of the classic visual effects of cinema were all done by ILM. I wanted to be part of that family.”
In his role as a VFX Supervisor, Julian is often involved in a project right from the start. While visual effects are added in post-production, VFX artists contribute to the preparatory phases through creative suggestions, pitches, and script development.
He explained, “During pre-production, VFX have an involvement called ‘pre-vis,’ which is where we visualize any of the action or stunt sequences before filming them. This helps us know what the VFX, stunt, and camera requirements will be.”
Charmaine, VFX Supervisor
Charmaine started with ILM as a Digital Research Assistant, where her eyes were first opened to the breadth and pipeline of visual effects. While her first role was very technical and consisted of data management, it helped her finetune her career goals and aspirations. After moving through the company in various departments like compositing, working on-set, and with real-time rendering, her experience led to becoming a VFX supervisor.
One of the projects Charmaine had the opportunity to work on was The Mandalorian. While in Los Angeles, she worked on-set during filming. Then, she moved to London to help the team finish production. She shared, “One of the great things about working for ILM is that we have offices across the world. It opens up so many talented artists that you can work with. I never thought I would work in a different country.”
Stefan, Executive VFX Producer
As an Executive VFX Producer, Stefan oversees the team through initiating contact with clients, making sure the skill sets and dynamic of the ILM leadership team will gel with the production and creative vision of the project. Stefan’s key goal is to make sure the team is set up for success from the beginning to the end of a project by establishing a framework of a production and financial plan and to guide the expectations of all parties to deliver the creative vision of the filmmakers.
At ILM, Stefan is likely to be one of the first people on a project, as he plans out schedules, shooting and VFX methodologies, and budgets to assess what that project needs. "For example, I was given The Acolyte scripts a few years ago. I looked through to find what was going to be the large VFX components, what type of work ILM would be particularly strong at executing, which of our global facilities would be creatively and financially best suited and who the ILM leadership team would be made up from. It's a unique role...because after a while, when the show is in production I can become more of an observer as everything is running smoothly, it tells me I’ve done my job!"
Dave, VFX Supervisor
Dave’s journey to VFX was a non-traditional route! While in school, he studied and earned a degree in biology. Then, he worked at a post-production company, where he was first introduced to a video editing suite. In Dave’s words, “I was hooked!” After some late-night reading, hard work, and networking, he found himself working in compositing and visual effects and, eventually, for ILM.
Through VFX, Dave helps bring some of the most beloved stories to life. He said, “We take whatever the challenge [the client] gives to us and we perform it in the most appropriate way, whether that be adding danger or suspense, dynamism or chaos. It could be a simple smoke addition to a practical set build or creating a fully computer-generated character.”
Ready to be part of this iconic legacy? Join ILM by applying today: ILM.com/careers
