The Empire Strikes Back
Of Ice Planets, Bog Planets and Cities in the Sky
Article by Don Shay
As special effects supervisor for The Empire Strikes Back, Richard Edlund was responsible for reestablishing the Star Wars effects facility and presiding over the production of some four hundred optical effects shots. A seasoned veteran of the original Lucasfilm epic, Edlund discusses how three years of advancing technology, coupled with a top notch technical crew enabled Industrial Light & Magic to segue into an even more complex project — and with better results ...
Star Trek — The Motion Picture
Star Trekking at Apogee with John Dykstra
Article by Don Shay
Approximately one third of the optical work in Star Trek — The Motion Picture was produced under the supervision of John Dykstra at his Apogee effects facility. Covering Apogee's involvement from stem to stern, Dykstra discusses in detail the Klingon and Epsilon 9 sequences and the exterior V'ger passage. He further elaborates on Apogee's approach to the digitization and energy probe effects, as well as some old standards such as the transporter beams and photon torpedos.
Greg Jein
Miniature Giant
Article by Brad Munson
From less than auspicious beginnings sculpting spacecraft models for porno parodies and student films, two-time Oscar nominee Greg Jein has become — in five years — one of the giants in the field of movie miniatures. In addition to detailing his early work, accounts are provided of his landscapes and mothership for Close Encounters of the Third Kind, the remarkable detailed settings of 1941, the V'ger interior and spacewalks props for Star Trek — The Motion Picture, and the add-on work for Close Encounters reissue.