It's a great series but has anyone else noticed that a lot of the footage of the Original Star Wars films (I am not talking the behind the scenes footage) appears not the remastered Lucas endorsed editions but actual original old footage, some shots look real sharp like they arent taken from archive footage freely available. What source did the Kasdan tap into? Any other documentaries or behind the scenes, especially made by Disney or Lucasfilm, you'll find that the movie footage they use is the Lucas approved special editions even if they are talking about the original making of, with the history being washed over, so this is actually a big deal that Kasdan managed to showcase the original OT footage so freely here.
At first I was afraid that it was going to be like the extras on recent BluRay movies: people complimenting each other. I was wrong and this documentary by Kasdan capture the magic behind Industrial Light and Magic. It describes the story of the company founded by George Lucas with the stories of the people that worked and still work there.
It also shows the difficulties and challenges of this evolving industry. Phil Tippet's interview was the one that stuck with me, because of his depression and fear of being replaced by digital technology.
It is a nice documentary to understand the evolution of visual and special effects. A lot of familiar faces if you are a fan of LucasFilm productions. Lucas' contribution was fundamental and I appreciate even more his ability to select the right people for the job.
@FinFan , I hope you'll give this a chance.
Today I was watching the season finale of Willow and could actually see nods to earlier ILM effects and the 1988 movie. It is amazing how ILM has pushed the envelope and changed how movies are made. These folks were driven! Can you imagine starting a project, not having any idea how, or even if, you are going to get the shots the director wants? These folks built modern day special effects including building the hardware and writing code and software from the ground up.
I love how the old school practical effects people at ILM referred to the computer department as the dark side. For better or worse they truly did put lots of those folks out of work. Such an informative series! A must see for anyone curious as to how some of the great movies of our time were made.
Review by FinFanBlockedParent2022-08-15T14:09:55Z
I've always had an interest in how movies were made, especially SFX. I don't know if people really see the scope of what ILM did for movies. They were always inventing new tech, pushed by George Lucas demands of what he had in his mind. But Lucas wasn't a dictator, he just knew how to get the best out of them. And because of that ILM is still industry standard. They are still there pushing technology to the limit and beyond.
Listening to all of them talking about the times way back when, and seing a lot of photographs and short clips, gives you a great feeling what a tight knit group they were. Those are people with a passion for what they are doing. Plus, those interviews are real and not put together from different sources to make this docu. I was stoked to have Lucas himself in it. Seeing the transition from physical to digital effects was also very interesting to follow from the perspective of the ones who've been there. You feel sympathy for Tippet who was a genius in his field. Althought he didn't became obsolete over night, on the contrary. He was still needed and I hold his work in high regard.
So wether you're just a Star Wars fan, or a movie fan in general, who likes to know how they did it, WATCH THIS ! And quite frankly, avoid the other Star Wars docu that is airing parallel to this.
@andreas1138
Like promised, here's my review.