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1997–2006 San Rafael, California

Industrial Light & Magic

Where it started: nine years in feature-film visual effects at Industrial Light & Magic.

  • Visual Effects
  • Feature Film
  • Pipeline
A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001) — one of the ILM films from these years. Poster © Warner Bros.
A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001) — one of the ILM films from these years. Poster © Warner Bros.

Overview

Industrial Light & Magic is where it started — nine years (1997–2006) in feature-film visual effects, on films from Star Wars: Episode I through The Perfect Storm, A.I., War of the Worlds, and Pirates of the Caribbean. My desk was at the Kerner Optical Research Lab on ILM’s San Rafael campus, back when the work still mixed practical and digital and the hallways were full of the actual creatures and props.

With Darth Vader at ILM
On the receiving end of a Force choke.
With Chewbacca at ILM
Better company — with Chewbacca.
My office at the Kerner Optical Research Lab, ILM
My office at the Kerner Optical Research Lab.
My desk at Kerner Optical, 2002
My desk, 2002.