Latest in ILM

Robert Blalack, a towering figure in the world of visual effects, died on Wednesday. His wife Caroline Charron-Blalack confirmed the news to Deadline. He was 73. Blalack said he specialized in “solving the Visual Effects requirements of ‘can’t be done’ Motion Picture productions.” He proved the truth of that statement…

Industrial Light & Magic's new LED technology has revolutionized sci-fi and is about to bring period drama into the 21st Century. But its time and energy-saving benefits will change everything. Prior to the pandemic, virtual production—the use of digital tools to mimic and replace live-action production paradigms—was…

“I think Season 1 really only scratched the surface of what was possible. We keep talking with Jon [Favreau] and [production designer] Andrew Jones about what could be possible with this technology, and it's very exciting. We certainly have not reached our limits, even after shooting Season 2.” — Richard Bluff    To…

The Hollywood industry has seen some huge obstacles — to say the least — since the coronavirus outbreak. Theaters have shut down, productions have halted, movie release dates have been pushed, festivals have canceled, many film and TV staffers have lost their jobs. And all of it is affecting the often-overlooked…

On Martin Scorsese's The Irishman, VFX Supervisor Pablo Helman faced the "astronomical" challenge of de-aging Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci for a gangster epic that jumped back and forth in time, developing groundbreaking software and a three-part camera rig through which the team at ILM could pull the job…

Between Saving Private Ryan and Ready Player One—the critically acclaimed adaptation of Ernest Cline's 2011 novel—VFX supervisor Roger Guyett has been along for the ride on two of the most demanding projects of Steven Spielberg's career. An entirely different animal than the former picture—a 1998 war drama which won…

Oscar nominated for their labors on Marvel’s Doctor Strange, visual effects supervisors Stephane Ceretti and Richard Bluff are emblematic of the magic their craft can bring to big screen endeavors. Injecting magic into the Marvel Cinematic Universe with the Benedict Cumberbatch-starring film, the pair had an important…

A six-time Oscar nominee and winner for Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Man's Chest, John Knoll has been with the George-Lucas founded visual effects company Industrial Light & Magic for decades, eventually climbing to the company's zenith, as ILM's Visual Effects Supervisor and Chief Creative Officer. Working in some…

London Mayor Sadiq Khan is eyeing the possibility of a new film and TV studio being built in the capital. He’s teamed with Film London, the London Local Enterprise Panel and the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham to commission a feasibility study into creating the city's first new studio in 25 years. A new…

Rob Bredow, a VFX supervisor at Industrial Light & Magic since 2014, has been promoted to Chief Technology Officer of its parent company Lucasfilm.  He initially joined the company as VP New Media and as the head of Lucasfilm's Advanced Development Group, which develops tools and techniques for real-time…