LIGHT & MAGIC
When George Lucas set out to make Star Wars, little did he know he would end up revolutionizing an industry. This is the story of a team of creative geniuses who put the magic in the movies we love.
Overview
When George Lucas set out to make Star Wars, little did he know he would end up revolutionizing an industry. This is the story of a team of creative geniuses who put the magic in the movies we love.
Carrie Beck
Creator / EP
Meredith Kaulfers
Producer
Episodes
1. "Gang of outsiders."
The year is 1975, and George Lucas has a problem. There is no visual effects company in Hollywood capable of realizing the massive vision behind his new film “The Star Wars”. George and camera expert John Dykstra assemble an unlikely team of artists and dreamers for the job, but despite their best efforts and some remarkable new technology, the ILM team falls woefully behind.
2. "On the bucking bronco."
When a near fatal wreck thwarts his boyhood dream of racing cars, George Lucas finds success as a filmmaker. He spends his own money on the special effects of an ambitious new “space opera”, but progress is painfully slow. With the help of key new hires, ILM rallies to finish the film on time. Star Wars premieres to worldwide success, yet George remains curiously unsatisfied with the results.
3. "Just think about it."
After Star Wars, ILM moves north to a new facility—but not everyone is invited. As work begins on The Empire Strikes Back, the team faces unprecedented new challenges. Frustrated by the available tools, George creates a new division to help modernize filmmaking. Upon the release of Empire, ILM takes on outside work for the first time, setting the stage for a remarkable string of success.
