Editing Industrial Light & Magic (section)

== History ==
Lucas wanted his 1977 film ''[[Star Wars (film)|Star Wars]]'' to include visual effects that had never been seen on film before.<ref name=SW>{{cite web|url=https://www.starwars.com/themovies/saga/19990715news.html|title=Industrial Light & Magic: History|work=StarWars.com|publisher=Lucasfilm|date=July 15, 1999|access-date=February 1, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110216050728/http://www.starwars.com/themovies/saga/19990715news.html|archive-date=February 16, 2011}}</ref> After discovering that the in-house effects department at [[20th Century Fox]] was no longer operational, Lucas approached [[Douglas Trumbull]], best known for the effects on ''[[2001: A Space Odyssey (film)|2001: A Space Odyssey]]'' (1968) and ''[[Silent Running]]'' (1972). Trumbull declined as he was already committed to working on [[Steven Spielberg]]'s film ''[[Close Encounters of the Third Kind]]'' (1977), but suggested his assistant [[John Dykstra]] to Lucas. Dykstra brought together a small team of college students, artists, and engineers and set them up in a warehouse in [[Van Nuys]], California.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cnet.com/culture/john-dykstra-star-wars-anniversary-industrial-light-and-magic-special-effects/ |title='Youth and ignorance' drove eye-popping 'Star Wars' effects |website=CNET |date=May 4, 2017}}</ref> After seeing the map for the location was zoned as [[Light industry|light industrial]], Lucas named the group Industrial Light and Magic,<ref>{{Citation|title=Interviewing Return of the Jedi Lucasfilm VFX Editor Bill Kimberlin - Rule of Two| date=7 April 2021 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeIXcIwJ-Zo| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211109/aeIXcIwJ-Zo| archive-date=2021-11-09 | url-status=live|access-date=2021-04-08}}{{cbignore}}</ref> which became the Special Visual Effects department on ''Star Wars''. Alongside Dykstra, other leading members of the original ILM team were [[Ken Ralston]], [[Richard Edlund]], [[Dennis Muren]], [[Robert Blalack]], [[Joe Johnston]], [[Phil Tippett]], [[Steve Gawley]], [[Lorne Peterson]], and Paul Huston.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.starwars.com/news/ilm-reunion-40-years-of-star-wars |title=We Meet Again At Last: ILM Veterans Reunite To Celebrate 40 Years Of Star Wars |website=StarWars.com |date=June 14, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.starwars.com/news/legends-of-ilm-interview-light-and-magic |title=From Space Battles To StageCraft: The Legends Of ILM Discuss Half A Century Of Movie Magic |website=StarWars.com |date=August 18, 2022}}</ref>

[[File:ILM first Headquater.jpg|thumb|500px|Parking lot and building of the first company headquarters of ILM in [[Van Nuys]], where the special effects of the first ''Star Wars'' movie were produced]]
In late 1978, when in pre-production for ''[[The Empire Strikes Back]]'', Lucas reformed most of the team into Industrial Light & Magic in [[Marin County, California]]. From here on, the company expanded and has since gone on to produce special effects for over three hundred films, including the entire ''[[Star Wars]]'' saga, the ''[[Indiana Jones]]'' series, and the ''[[Jurassic Park]]'' series.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.wired.com/2015/12/the-untold-story-of-ilm/ |title=The Untold Story of ILM, a Titan That Forever Changed Film |magazine=Wired |date=December 21, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://collider.com/16-things-to-know-about-ilms-history-from-star-wars-to-michael-bay/ |title=14 Things to Know About ILM's History: From STAR WARS to Michael Bay |website=Collider |date=May 19, 2015}}</ref>

After the success of the first ''Star Wars'' movie, Lucas became interested in using [[computer graphics]] on the sequel. He contacted [[Information International, Inc.|Triple-I]], known for their early computer effects in movies like ''[[Westworld (film)|Westworld]]'' (1973), ''[[Futureworld]]'' (1976), ''[[Tron]]'' (1982), and ''[[The Last Starfighter]]'' which ended up making a computer-generated test of five [[X-wing fighter]]s flying in formation. He found it to be too expensive and returned to handmade models. Nevertheless, the test had shown him it was possible, and he decided he would create his own computer graphics department instead. As a result, they started investing in [[Apple Inc.|Apple]] and [[Silicon Graphics|SGI]] computers. One of Lucas' employees was given the task to find the right people to hire. His search would lead him to NYIT, where he found [[Edwin Catmull]] and his colleagues. Catmull and others accepted Lucas' job offer, and a new computer division at Lucasfilm, named The Graphics Group, was created in 1979, which technically belonged to another division than ILM, with the hiring of Ed Catmull as the first NYIT employee who joined the company.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~ph/nyit/morrison/1970s.txt|title=1970s - School of Computer Science - Carnegie Mellon School of Computer Science}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fnBqEAAAQBAJ&dq=Sprockets+Systems+Research+and+Development+Lucasfilm+EditDroid+THX&pg=PT170|title=The Empire of Effects: Industrial Light and Magic and the Rendering of Realism|first=Julie A.|last=Turnock|date=14 June 2022|publisher=University of Texas Press|isbn=9781477325322 |via=Google Books}}</ref> Lucas' list for them was a digital film editing system, a digital sound editing system, a laser film printer, and further exploration of computer graphics.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pixar.com/our-story-pixar|title=Pixar Animation Studios|website=Pixar Animation Studios}}</ref> [[John Lasseter]], who was hired a few years later, worked on computer-animation as part of ILM's contribution to ''[[Young Sherlock Holmes]]''. The Graphics Group was later sold to [[Steve Jobs]], named [[Pixar Animation Studios]], and created the first CGI-animated feature, ''[[Toy Story]]''.<ref>{{cite web|first=Alvy Ray |last=Smith |author-link=Alvy Ray Smith |url=http://alvyray.com/Pixar/default.htm |title=Pixar Founding Documents |website=Alvy Ray Smith Homepage |access-date=January 11, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050427012806/http://alvyray.com/Pixar/default.htm |archive-date=April 27, 2005 |url-status=dead |df=mdy }}</ref> In 2000, ILM created the [[OpenEXR]] format for [[high-dynamic-range imaging]].<ref name="About OpenEXR">{{cite web|title=About OpenEXR|url=http://www.openexr.com/about.html|publisher=ILM|access-date=5 November 2012|archive-date=8 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130508221152/http://www.openexr.com/about.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[File:ILM logo 2005.svg|thumb|right|Logo used from 2005 to 2023]]
ILM operated from an inconspicuous property in San Rafael, California until 2005. The company was known to locals as [[Kerner Optical|The Kerner Company]], a name that did not draw any attention, allowing the company to operate in secret, thus preventing the compromise of sensitive information on its productions to the media or fans.<ref>Rubin (2006); p. 253</ref><ref name="EmpireOfDreams">{{Cite video|title=[[Empire of Dreams]]: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy|medium=DVD|date=2004|publisher=Star Wars Trilogy Box Set DVD documentary}}</ref> In 2005, when Lucas decided to move locations to the Presidio of San Francisco and focus on digital effects, a management-led team bought the five physical and practical effects divisions and formed a new company that included the George Lucas Theater, retained the "Kerner" name as Kerner Technologies, Inc. and provided physical effects for major motion pictures, often working with ILM, until its Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2011.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/2011/film/news/kerner-optical-shutters-amid-bankruptcy-1118042318/ |title=Kerner Optical shutters amid bankruptcy |website=Variety |date=September 6, 2011}}</ref>

In 2005, ILM extended its operations to Lucasfilm [[Singapore]], which also includes the Singapore arm of [[Lucasfilm Animation]]. In 2006, ILM invented IMoCap (Image Based Motion Capture Technology).<ref name="beforesandafters.com">{{cite web |url=https://beforesandafters.com/2019/09/10/computer-pajamas-the-history-of-ilms-imocap/ |title='Computer pajamas': the history of ILM's IMocap |website=befores & afters |date=September 10, 2019}}</ref> By 2007, ILM was one of the largest visual effects vendors in the motion picture industry and had one of the largest [[render farm]]s (named [[Death Star (ILM)|Death Star]]).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.datacenterknowledge.com/archives/2007/01/26/the-real-death-star-data-center |title=The Real "Death Star" Data Center |website=DataCenter Knowledge |date=January 26, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6584075.stm |title=The power behind LucasFilm magic |website=BBC News |date=April 24, 2007}}</ref> In 2011, it was announced the company was considering a project-based facility in [[Vancouver]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/lucasfilms-industrial-light-magic-exploring-221520/ |title=Lucasfilm's Industrial Light + Magic Exploring Opening New Facility in Vancouver |website=The Hollywood Reporter |date=August 10, 2011}}</ref> ILM first opened a temporary facility in Vancouver before relocating to a new 30,000-square-foot studio on Water Street in the Gastown district in 2014.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/ilm-launches-new-vancouver-visual-689174/ |title=ILM Launches New Vancouver Visual Effects Facility |website=The Hollywood Reporter |date=March 17, 2014}}</ref>

In October 2012, Disney bought ILM's parent company, Lucasfilm, acquiring ILM, [[Skywalker Sound]], and [[LucasArts]] in the process.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/2012/film/news/disney-buys-lucasfilm-new-star-wars-planned-1118061434/ |title=Disney Buys LucasFilm, New 'Star Wars' Planned |website=Variety |date=October 30, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2012/10/disney-acquires-lucasfilm-star-wars-creator-362389/ |title=Update: Breaking: 'Star Wars' Returns – 'Episode 7' Slated For 2015 And More Movies Planned As Disney Buys Lucasfilm |website=Deadline Hollywood |date=October 30, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/la-xpm-2012-oct-30-la-et-ct-disney-lucasfilm-20121030-story.html |title=Disney to acquire Lucasfilm for $4.05 billion |website=Los Angeles Times |date=October 30, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://ew.com/article/2012/10/30/disney-buying-lucasfilm-new-star-wars-film/ |title=Disney buying Lucasfilm, prepping new 'Star Wars' movies for 2015 and beyond -- Video |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |date=October 30, 2012}}</ref> Disney stated that it had no immediate plans to change ILM's operations,<ref name=latimes/> but began to lay off employees by April of the next year.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://starwarsprequelappreciationsociety.wordpress.com/2013/04/03/lucasarts-shut-down-layoffs-at-ilm/|title=LucasArts Shut Down, Layoffs At ILM|website=Star Wars Prequel Appreciation Society|date=April 3, 2013|access-date=September 4, 2013}}</ref> Following the restructuring of LucasArts in April 2013, ILM was left overstaffed and the faculty was [[Layoff|reduced]] to serve only ILM's visual effects department.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887323916304578400962825215302|work=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|access-date=April 18, 2013|date=April 3, 2013|title=Disney to Shut LucasArts Videogame Unit}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Cohen|first=David S.|title=LucasArts Shutdown Triggers Layoffs at ILM|url=https://variety.com/2013/digital/news/lucasarts-shutdown-triggers-layoffs-at-ilm-1200332765/|access-date=April 6, 2013|newspaper=Variety|date=April 3, 2013}}</ref> ILM opened a [[London]] studio headquartered in the city's [[Soho]] district on October 15, 2014.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Ritman|first1=Alex|title=Lucasfilm's Industrial Light & Magic Opens London Studio|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/lucasfilms-industrial-light-magic-opens-740986|work=The Hollywood Reporter|date=October 16, 2014|access-date=November 4, 2014}}</ref>

On November 7, 2018, ILM opened a new division targeted at television series called ''ILM TV''. It will be based in ILM's new 47,000-square-foot London studio with support from the company's locations in San Francisco, Vancouver and Singapore.<ref>{{cite web|first1=Peter|last1=Caranicas|access-date=November 7, 2018|title=ILM Launches TV Unit to Serve Episodic and Streaming Content|url=https://variety.com/2018/artisans/news/george-lucas-star-wars-ilm-launches-tv-unit-1203022007/|website=Variety|date=November 7, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Industrial Light & Magic Launches ILM TV, Which Will Handle Visual Effects For 'The Mandalorian'|url=https://www.slashfilm.com/562221/ilm-tv/|website=/Film|date=November 7, 2018}}</ref> In July 2019, ILM announced the opening of a new facility in [[Sydney]], Australia.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/lucasfilms-ilm-open-sydney-studio-1224109/ |title=Lucasfilm's Industrial Light & Magic to Open Sydney Studio |website=The Hollywood Reporter |date=July 14, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/2019/film/asia/industrial-light-magic-ilm-effects-australia-sydney-1203267367/ |title=ILM to Open Latest Effects Facility in Sydney, Australia |website=Variety |date=July 14, 2019}}</ref> In the same year, ILM introduced [[StageCraft]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/the-mandalorian-ilm-stagecraft-1202212389/ |title='The Mandalorian': How ILM's Innovative StageCraft Tech Created a 'Star Wars' Virtual Universe |website=IndieWire |date=February 20, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2021/07/stagecraft-ilm-disney-plus-mandalorian-vfx-cannes-magazine-disruptor-1234787530/ |title=How ILM's Stagecraft Team Is Pushing The Boundaries Of VFX And "Moving The Tech Forward Right Now" |website=Deadline Hollywood |date=July 8, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://postperspective.com/the-evolution-of-icvfx-ilm-stagecraft-and-dimension/ |title=The Evolution of ICVFX: ILM Stagecraft and Dimension |website=postPerspective |date=July 20, 2022}}</ref> Also known as "The Volume", it uses high-definition LED video walls to generate virtual sceneries and was first used in ''[[The Mandalorian]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.slashfilm.com/955412/how-ilms-volume-technology-reinvents-visual-effects-and-what-it-means-for-the-future/ |title=How ILM's Volume Technology Reinvents Visual Effects (And What It Means For The Future) |website=/Film |date=August 7, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://collider.com/industrial-light-magic-what-is-the-volume-stagecraft-technology/ |title=Industrial Light & Magic's Digital StageCraft Technology: What We Know About the Volume |website=Collider |date=August 14, 2022}}</ref> Following [[Acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney|Disney's acquisition of 21st Century Fox]], [[20th Century Studios#Fox VFX Lab|Fox VFX Lab]] was folded into ILM, including the Technoprops division.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Technoprops {{!}} Industrial Light & Magic |url=https://www.ilm.com/technoprops/ |access-date=2022-03-17 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Giardina |first=Carolyn |date=2020-09-10 |title=Industrial Light & Magic Expands Virtual Production Services, Supports 'Thor 4' |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/industrial-light-magic-expands-virtual-production-services-supports-thor-4-4057886/ |access-date=2022-03-17 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US}}</ref> In October 2022, ILM opened a new studio in [[Mumbai]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/2022/artisans/news/ilm-production-facility-mumbai-india-1235397773/ |title=ILM Announces Full Production Facility in Mumbai (Exclusive) |website=Variety |date=October 10, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.awn.com/news/ilm-launches-mumbai-studio |title=ILM Launches Mumbai Studio |website=Animation World Network |date=October 10, 2022}}</ref> In May 2023, ILMxLAB was rebranded as ILM Immersive.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/2023/artisans/news/industrial-light-magic-rebrands-ilmxlab-as-ilm-immersive-1235629284/ |title=Industrial Light & Magic Rebrands ILMxLAB as ILM Immersive (Exclusive) |website=Variety |date=May 31, 2023}}</ref>

In August 2023, Lucasfilm announced it would close the ILM studio in Singapore due to economic factors affecting the industry and the [[2023 Hollywood labor disputes]]. The closure affected 340 Singapore-based jobs. Employees continued working until the end of the year. Disney confirmed that it would be helping employees to either find work with local companies with similar skills requirements or relocate to ILM's other studios in [[London]], [[Vancouver]], [[Sydney]] and [[Mumbai]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Frater |first1=Patrick |title=Lucasfilm's Industrial Light & Magic to Close VFX and Animation Facility in Singapore Due to 'Economic Factors Affecting the Industry' |url=https://variety.com/2023/film/news/lucasfilm-industrial-light-magic-singapore-vfx-animation-1235696678/ |access-date=August 17, 2023 |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date=August 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230816130421/https://variety.com/2023/film/news/lucasfilm-industrial-light-magic-singapore-vfx-animation-1235696678/|archive-date=August 16, 2023|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Goldbart |first=Max|url=https://deadline.com/2023/08/lucasfilm-closing-singapore-hub-after-two-decades-1235519680/ |title=Lucasfilm Closing Singapore VFX & Animation Studio After Two Decades |work=[[Deadline Hollywood]] |date=August 15, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Lucasfilm to shut Singapore operations, affecting more than 300 employees |url=https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/lucasfilm-shut-operations-singapore-studio-animation-visual-effects-disney-3700061 |access-date=August 17, 2023 |work=[[Channel News Asia]] |date=August 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230816091254/https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/lucasfilm-shut-operations-singapore-studio-animation-visual-effects-disney-3700061|archive-date=August 16, 2023|url-status=live}}</ref> An ILM Singapore employee confirmed that the closure of the Singaporean studio was linked to the strike.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/lucasfilm-ilm-studio-closure-vfx-visual-effects-animation-industry-challenges-strikes-layoffs-3712461 |title='No one's feeling good': Visual effects industry hit by global challenges as Lucasfilm ends Singapore operations |website=Channel News Asia |date=August 28, 2023}}</ref>