One of those game-changer VFX films.
The first Mission: Impossible film came out 30 years ago this week. It was one of those movies, I think, that really changed the game in visual effects. That’s because effects was making that transition from practical and optical to digital at the time, and Mission made use of everything. There’s huge practical stunts and effects. There’s miniatures. There’s incredible CG work. There’s stunning digital compositing.
Principal vendor Industrial Light & Magic was responsible for the cornerstone VFX in the film, under visual effects supervisor John Knoll. I’ve talked to Knoll previously about some of the early projection mapping work ILM utilized here, which came into play also on Star Trek: First Contact, then on the Star Wars Special Editions, and then hugely in the podrace on The Phantom Menace.
As a special treat, here’s a spread from my Industrial Light & Magic: 50 Years of Innovation book about the train and helicopter sequence set in the Channel tunnel. This spread showcases ILM’s miniatures work.
Link to larger image here.
Congrats to ILM and all the VFX vendors and artists who worked on Mission: Impossible. One of my fave VFX films ever.
