emmy

50 Years | 500+ Film and TV credits | 135+ Awards

SINCE 1975

The Television Academy today announced the recipients of the 74th Engineering, Science & Technology Emmy® Awards honoring an individual, company, or organization for developments in broadcast technology. Industrial Light & Magic is proud to be the recipient of an Emmy Award for its StageCraft™ virtual production tool suite. StageCraft has been used on such series as The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, How I met your Father, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and The Old Man.

“Innovation is a vital part of television production; and the talented engineers, scientists and technologists we have recognized are essential to the growth of our industry,” said Frank Scherma, chairman and CEO of the Television Academy. “These pioneering companies and visionaries have leveraged the power of technology to elevate television and storytelling in fundamental ways.”

ILM StageCraft is an end-to-end virtual production tool suite that bridges the gap between practical physical production methodologies and traditional digital post-production visual effects by providing the ability to design, scout and light environments in advance of the shoot and then capture that vision in camera during principal photography. StageCraft brings together a real-time engine, a real-time renderer, high-quality color management, physical camera equipment, LED displays, motion-capture technologies, synchronization methodologies and tailored on-set user interfaces to digitally create the illusion of 3D backgrounds for live-action sets.


“Earlier this year the Academy formed the Science & Technology Peer Group representing members who are involved in the strategy and development of technologies that enable or advance the storytelling process for the television industry,” said Committee Chair John Leverence. “Under the leadership of the new peer group’s governors and co-chairs Wendy Aylsworth and Barry Zegel, this year’s newly constituted Engineering Emmy Awards Committee honors a wide range of innovative solutions to once seemingly intractable technical problems.”

The Television Academy announced its winners for the 73rd Annual Primetime Creative Arts Emmy® Awards over the weekend, celebrating a diverse group of talent from across television. ILM’s creative teams were honored with an award for Outstanding Special Visual Effects in a Season or a Movie for The Mandalorian, alongside nominations for their contributions on The Boys, WandaVision, and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.  This is the second year in a row that the hit Lucasfilm series has received the Emmy Award for Special Visual Effects, a testament to the groundbreaking work that the show is known for.

Animation Supervisor Hal Hickel, VFX Producer Abbigail Keller, VFX Supervisor Joseph Kasparian (Hybride), and Environments Supervisor Enrico Damm in attendance at the 73rd Annual Primetime Creative Arts Emmy® Awards.

The visual effects team representing this win, included: Joe Bauer, Richard Bluff, Abbigail Keller, Hal Hickel, Roy K. Cancino, John Knoll, Enrico Damm, John Rosengrant, and Joseph Kasparian. Special recognition is also in order for ILM Producer Stacy Bissell, ILM Animation Supervisor Paul Kavanagh, and the entire StageCraft team for their incredible contributions.

Richard Bluff, Visual Effects Supervisor on The Mandalorian, added, “I want to take this opportunity on behalf of the visual effects team to congratulate all the artists, production, and the technical support staff who contributed to the Visual and Special Effects on season two of The Mandalorian. We continue to be in awe of the spectacular work and the effortless partnerships we enjoy with all of our vendor partners. The time and effort invested in the visuals by ILM, Hybride, Image Engine, Important Looking Pirates, Ghost VFX, Lola, Stereo D, Tippett Studios, Base FX, Raynault, Virtuous, and Yannix has been exceptional and this recognition is fully deserved. Everyone associated with the show couldn’t be happier or more grateful for what we all achieved together.”

In addition, The Mandalorian was also recognized with Emmys in the following categories: Sound Mixing, Cinematography, Prosthetic Makeup, Stunt Coordination, Stunt Performance, and Music Composition.

The 73rd Emmy Awards will be hosted by Cedric the Entertainer at  L.A. Live in Downtown Los Angeles, California. Executive Producers Reginald Hudlin and Ian Stewart and Director Hamish Hamilton have been selected to helm the show for production companies Done+Dusted and Hudlin Entertainment. Highlights from the 73rd Annual Creative Arts Emmy Awards will be broadcast on Saturday, Sept. 18 (8:00 PM ET/PT) on FXX. The 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards will be broadcast live on Sunday, Sept. 19 (5:00-8:00 PM, PST) on the CBS Television Network, and as well as streaming live and on-demand on Paramount+.

The Television Academy announced its nominations for the 73rd annual Emmy® Awards today recognizing a wealth of innovative storytelling, exceptional new programs, and a robust and diverse group of talent nominees. ILM is honored to have contributed to 4 of the 5 nominated shows in the Special Visual Effects category and is named on the nominations of 3 of them. ILM’s creative teams were recognized on the nominations for The Boys, The Mandalorian, and WandaVision. Additionally, the studio contributed work to The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

Richard Bluff, Visual Effects Supervisor for The Mandalorian noted, “despite the unprecedented global pandemic Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni knew it was important to bring Season 2 of The Mandalorian to Disney+ on time to help give a lift to our expectant and loyal Star Wars fans,” adding, “to achieve this and ultimately be rewarded with a Visual Effects Emmy Nomination is a testament to the talent and leadership at Industrial Light & Magic and our vendor partners worldwide who continue to astound us with their exceptional artistry and dedication. We want to congratulate all those visual effects companies and every individual artist, production member, and support staff who stayed with us on this journey and delivered a remarkable series.”

Rob Bredow, ILM SVP, Chief Creative Officer noted, “I’d like to recognize the entire crews of The Mandalorian, The Boys, WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Their hard work, creativity, and flawless execution did not go unnoticed and it’s truly rewarding to see the Academy recognize these projects.”

ILM was awarded the 2020 Emmy Award for Special Visual Effects for its groundbreaking effects and virtual production work on the first season of the hit Lucasfilm series, The Mandalorian.

 The 73rd Emmy Awards will be hosted by Cedric the Entertainer. Executive Producers Reginald Hudlin and Ian Stewart and Director Hamish Hamilton have been selected to helm the show for production companies Done+Dusted and Hudlin Entertainment. The Emmys will be broadcast on Sunday, Sept. 19 (8:00-11:00 PM, live ET/5:00-8:00 PM, live PT) on the CBS Television Network and will be available to stream live and on-demand on Paramount+. The 2021 Creative Arts Awards will be broadcast on Saturday, Sept. 18 (8:00 PM ET/PT) on FXX.