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Category: Retro

CG 'Lion King
Articles, Retro

Before you see the new CG ‘Lion King’, re-visit the CG of 1994’s ‘Lion King’

Posted onJuly 17, 2019May 19, 2020

‘Stampede. In the gorge. Simba’s down there!’

Crew photo for the causeway work. Leslie Ekker sits on the far right
Articles, Retro

‘True Lies’ at 25: blowing up the causeway miniature

Posted onJuly 15, 2019May 19, 2020

Behind the scenes of that Florida causeway scene in the James Cameron spy adventure.

Forrest Gump movie scene
Articles, Retro

‘I want to see it!’ ILMers on the time Gary Sinise first saw his missing legs in ‘Forrest Gump’

Posted onJuly 4, 2019May 19, 2020

…and other stories about the film’s classic invisible VFX.

shooting 'Speed's' miniature L.A. Metro
Articles, Retro

A deep dive into shooting ‘Speed’s’ miniature L.A. Metro scenes

Posted onJune 11, 2019June 12, 2020

Crashing models, crafting sparks old-school, front projection (!), simulating anamorphic lens flares, and the mistake that stayed in the film.

'Speed': a tale of many buses
Articles, Retro

‘Speed’: a tale of many buses

Posted onJune 10, 2019May 19, 2020

One bus had a section made of rubber, just in case Keanu ‘got into trouble’.

'Speed' bus explosion with plane
Articles, Retro

Look closely and you can see the cable pulling the ‘Speed’ bus towards the plane before it explodes

Posted onJune 7, 2019May 19, 2020

But, so what…’splosions!

Speed Title
Articles, Retro

Shooting ‘Speed’s’ opening titles almost destroyed the miniature elevator

Posted onJune 6, 2019May 19, 2020

‘We shoved so much light into the miniature that it was literally melting and coming apart.’

Jumping bus on Speed
Articles, Retro

The bus in ‘Speed’ wasn’t supposed to land like a 747

Posted onJune 5, 2019May 19, 2020

But it did, and it was still spectacular.

Train in Speed
Articles, Retro

‘He lost his head’

Posted onJune 4, 2019May 19, 2020

How they made Keanu Reeves and Dennis Hopper fight atop that train in ‘Speed’.

explosion vfx in Speed
Articles, Retro

The first big explosion in ‘Speed’ was very nearly a major disaster

Posted onJune 3, 2019May 18, 2020

And it was thanks to someone who thought they had missed their bus.

Jar Jar Binks CG test
Articles, Retro

Jar Jar Binks was nearly a practical suit and a CG head

Posted onMay 24, 2019May 18, 2020

All about that ILM Jar Jar test which proved the character should be all-digital.

The Phantom Menace
Articles, Retro

Did they *really* use salt to help make the waterfalls in ‘The Phantom Menace’?

Posted onMay 23, 2019May 24, 2020

Yep.

The Phantom Menace
Articles, Retro

‘It cost about $65 to have a cold pizza delivered in the middle of the night to Skywalker Ranch’

Posted onMay 22, 2019May 18, 2020

The intensive previs process on ‘The Phantom Menace’.

The Phantom Menace shooting
Articles, Retro

The world already loved lightsabers, but then ‘The Phantom Menace’ made them even better

Posted onMay 21, 2019May 18, 2020

How new ways of shooting, new digital tools and lots and lots of roto resulted in the laser swords of ‘Episode I’.

Phantom Menace
Articles, Retro

How ILM’s work on ‘Hook’ led to ‘Phantom Menace’s’ podrace

Posted onMay 20, 2019May 18, 2020

Projection mapping played a key role in making those racers go fast. Real fast.

The Mummy VFX
Retro

Remember when Brendan Fraser took on all those mummies by himself?

Posted onApril 30, 2019May 18, 2020

A VFX oral history of ‘The Mummy’s’ coolest action scene.

Godzilla
Retro

Man-in-suit, miniatures, mechanics and modern CG: looking back at 20 years since ‘Godzilla’

Posted onApril 25, 2019July 26, 2020

VFX supe Volker Engel goes back to the film, the trailer, and the production of the 1998 film.

Iron Man driving shot
Retro

How driving around L.A. with a camera out the window led to one of the coolest shots in ‘Iron Man’

Posted onApril 24, 2019May 18, 2020

Storytelling with previs, VFX and a Sony hand-held camera.

Pleasantville
Retro

Going back to ‘Pleasantville’: when doing a DI wasn’t so easy

Posted onApril 22, 2019May 18, 2020

‘Pleasantville’ visual effects supervisor Chris Watts on bringing through a revolution in scanning/film-outs, the unexpected use of Shake, and the film’s hardest shots (they’re not what you think).

Yellow Nostromo
Retro

The Nostromo was originally yellow, and other stories from ‘Alien’s’ secret documentarian

Posted onApril 17, 2019May 18, 2020

Ridley Scott’s masterpiece is about to turn 40 – now’s the time to watch this treasure-trove of behind the scenes interviews.

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