San Francisco News
ILM Celebrates Star Trek Day
On this day, 55 years ago, Star Trek was born; a franchise that represented the hope of what space—the final frontier—could mean for all of humanity. ILM has played a significant part throughout Star Trek history, including the creation of the first completely computer-generated cinematic image sequence in a motion picture. Read on to learn…
MaterialX Joins the Academy Software Foundation as a Hosted project
The Academy Software Foundation (ASWF), the preeminent foundation for open source software development in the motion picture and media industries, today announced that MaterialX has been accepted by the Academy Software Foundation’s Technical Advisory Council (TAC) as the seventh Foundation-hosted project. MaterialX originated at Lucasfilm in 2012, and it has grown into the central format for material…
ILM Contributes Visual Effects for Disney Launchpad Shorts
Launchpad, a first-ever live-action shorts incubator program that provides the opportunity for filmmakers from underrepresented backgrounds to produce live-action short films for Disney+ enlisted the talent at ILM to provide visual effects for the films. For its part, ILM used the project as an opportunity to provide up-and-coming talent from underrepresented groups a chance to expand…
‘Inside ILM’ Series wins Silver Telly Award
Inside ILM: Creating the Razor Crest, received the Silver Telly Award at the 42nd Annual Awards for the short-form non-broadcast documentary category. The Telly Awards recognize creators who are bringing high-caliber stories to screens globally. The mini-documentary film chronicles the design, development, and construction of the miniature Razor Crest ship created for season one of…
In memory of David Owen, he captured light & magic.
We were greatly saddened to learn that over the weekend that our friend and colleague, David Owen, a still photographer and documentarian at ILM for nearly 25 years had passed away. David joined ILM in 1988 having relocated from his native England. He was one of a small cadre of people that worked behind the…
Remembering a Master, Ira Keeler
Long before the precision of computer-aided design and the perfection afforded by 3D printing, there was Ira Keeler. In the world of special effects miniatures and modelmaking, Ira stood out as a master craftsperson possessing the uncanny ability to sculpt even the most complex shapes from a block of solid wood with near-perfect symmetry. He…
This is the Way: The Behind-the-Scenes Magic of The Mandalorian Season 2
For the second season of Lucasfilm’s hit Disney+ series, The Mandalorian, Industrial Light & Magic reengineered their StageCraft virtual production platform rolling out version 2.0 in which ILM introduced among other things, Helios, Industrial Light & Magic’s first cinematic render engine designed for real-time visual effects. Engineered from the ground up with film and television…
ILM Executive Profile: Janet Lewin, SVP, General Manager
“I strive to make it easier to innovate — to create a supportive environment for groundbreaking creativity and excellence in production,” explains Janet Lewin, SVP and general manager of Industrial Light & Magic. Formerly vice president of Visual Effects at Lucasfilm, Lewin has spent a combined 26-years at the two companies. She currently oversees the…