Industrial Light & Magic, Lucasfilm's go-to for their Star Wars franchise, did wonders with the latest release, Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Dare we pull back the curtain and see how much they really created for the film?
What is real, anyway? A lot of people prefer practical effects to CGI (me too) but CG isn't a bad thing. When it's mixed seamlessly with regular footage and practical effects it can do wonders (and is why something like Jurassic Park still looks great). It's when it's not integrated well that it becomes an issue for viewers. Luckily, that's not a problem for The Force Awakens.
We are pleased to share a sample of the visual effects work created for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The history of ILM leads all the way back to 1975 and origins of Star Wars and The Force Awakens gave us the opportunity to once again push the boundaries of what is possible in character animation and visual effects while combining cutting edge practical effects and physical sets. ILM studios in San Francisco, Singapore, Vancouver and London each contributed to the film effects as did our partners Hybride, Base FX and Virtuos.
This isn't your run-of-the mill visual effects reel, it's a work of art in and of itself. ILM produces a LEGO building-type look to show off their skills yet again. Take a look.
If you think there was a lot of VFX there, you're right. Remember when ILM supervisors told /Film The Force Awakens had more VFX than The Phantom Menace? Even more impressive is how much I didn't notice.
Don't forget that new blu-ray release is coming later this year…
(via /Film)