Phil Tippett: The Legendary VFX Artist, on the Cantina, AT-ATs and the Rancor
Today is the 50th episode of TALKING BAY 94 and, to celebrate accordingly, we’re talking to one of my heroes, one of the people who has been at the very top of the list to have on this show from the very beginning … two time Academy Award winner, the legend: Phil Tippett.
From the Cantina reshoots to the Dejarik chess table to the AT-AT stop motion to the ILM Return of the Jedi creature shop, Mr. Tippett was one of the driving forces of, not only the Star Wars world we know and love, but also the visual effects landscape as a whole.
It is really an honor to have him on the show. I haven’t stopped smiling since. It was literally a dream come true.
Be sure to visit MadGodMovie.com for information on how to watch his latest project and be sure to seek out Mad Dreams and Monsters, the new documentary about him, coming soon.
It’s been fifty episodes and I am so grateful to you all for the listens, support and love. This has been an incredible journey with you all and, really, we’re just getting started.
Bill Kimberlin: Working on the Most Complicated Shot in Motion Picture History (ROTJ)
Today I’m talking to Bill Kimberlin, who started at Industrial Light & Magic as a Visual Effects Editor on Return of the Jedi, working alongside Ken Ralston, on the infamous SB-19 shot … dubbed the most complicated VFX shot in motion picture history
We go through the history of ILM, the stories behind the movies and we even get into the Back to the Future sequels, which shouldn’t be a surprise if you know me at all.
For more of his stories, and to see some of the incredible pictures, drawings and scans we were discussing during the episode, check out his book, Inside the Star Wars Empire: A Memoir: https://www.amazon.com/Inside-Star-Wars-Empire-Memoir/dp/1493032313
Lorne Peterson: Legendary VFX Artist Behind Escape Pods, Tauntauns and the Millenium Falcon
This is an actual dream come true: today we’re talking to Lorne Peterson, visual effects artist and modeler for Industrial Light & Magic.
Working on the first six Star Wars films, Lorne goes through his experience building escape pods out of paint cans, manning Guatemalan outpost towers made out of trash cans and sourcing Tauntaun fur (which you have to hear to believe). And I am legitimately giggling the entire time, which is very embarrassing.
We barely scratch the surface of the incredible work that Mr. Peterson has done over the past forty years, so definitely check out his book, Sculpting a Galaxy, which is available from Insight Editions: https://insighteditions.com/product/sculpting-a-galaxy/
(There is also a super limited edition version of the book, which has been tempting me for years now, so buy it and make me very jealous.)
I want to give a huge thank you to Eric Chang and the rest of the great Insight Editions team for arranging this interview. We have some cool stuff in the works with them, including one more interview which was very fun.
Christian Alzmann: Conceptor of BB-8 and Maz Kanata
Christian Alzmann‘s unique art style and incredible design work has influenced the looks of The Force Awakens, Rogue One and even Star Wars: Rebels. From BB-8 to Maz Kanata, we explore the path to the big screen, including the stories behind the haunting “evil” Luke imagery and “The Jedi Killer”.
Bust open your copy of The Art of The Force Awakens by Phil Szostak, because we went through nearly every page of concept art, from Han Solo’s beard to Vader’s castle. It is a conversation I have wanted to have for such a long time and Mr. Alzmann was a real delight.
Follow him on Instagram to see even more examples of his art and ideas: https://www.instagram.com/calzmann