Disney+’s new six-part “Light & Magic” series takes audiences inside the magic and history of Industrial Light & Magic, beginning with George Lucas’ vision of “Star Wars” and covering how the innovative stageCraft group virtual productions changed the game in filmmaking.
talk with diverseJanet Lewin, senior vice president of Lucasfilm Visual Effects and general manager of ILM, remembers fondly the first time she saw Star Wars. “I was seven years old and was totally blown away. I literally thought there were galaxies like this, so far away,” she recalls.
Years later, Lewin worked as a visual effects producer on “Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith,” overseeing all aspects of the visual effects and animation business for Lucasfilm and ILM.
Documenting the rise of ILM, the series follows the pioneers and pioneers of VFX behind the magic Like Phil Tibbett and Dennis Morin.
Tippet is a legend in the world of visual effects. His contributions over five decades include creating the Millennium Falcon’s Holochess, AT-AT Walkers as seen in “The Empire Strikes Back” and dinosaurs in “Jurassic Park.” Maureen, too, is a master of the craft, a seven-time Academy Award winner who worked on speed bike shots in Return of the Jedi and mine car chases in Indiana Jones and Dom Temple.
Lowen says series director Lawrence Kasdan (“The Empire Strikes Back”) shows how these geniuses have influenced the film industry. “It’s humbling to see that and see their stories.”
The artists and the history of ILM as the first major special effects house are the characters in this story. When asked what it was like when Kasdan approached him to relive the company’s past and share their experiences, Tippett said despite the countless interviews he had given, this was different. “This was final. Larry kept digging and digging and shaking our memories.”
In addition to demonstrating the magic of visual effects, the series also shows how ILM’s advanced StageCraft LED wall technology has evolved. The LED wall concept has been talked about for several years, but it wasn’t until the release of Disney+ “The Mandalorian” that the world saw its game-changing technology and capabilities for the first time. An LED wall surrounding the actors with realistic scenes was used for nearly half of the scenes in “The Mandalorian” and pushed the virtual production to the fore in the industry.
Not only has carbon emissions reduced, but the technology has also allowed crews to go back in time or into the future and travel anywhere on a project without ever leaving the studio. And during the pandemic, virtual productions have helped many shows re-emerge as the world shuts down.
Lewin says she hopes the series will not only feature success stories, but will inspire more people to enter the field. “There is a lot of growth in the field of visual effects.” She says, “We keep innovating every day with Stagecraft, but I think the real magic is the artists. If you are passionate about the art of visual storytelling, I encourage you to give it a try with visual effects.”
When asked why they have all been with the company for decades, their answers are all the same. “We’re like family,” Tibbett says.
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