In a recent video for Vanity Fair's YouTube channel, Todd Vaziri, a Visual Effects Artist at Industrial Light and Magic (ILM), offers detailed insights into his work. The approximately 30-minute segment covers the creation of visual effects for films and series such as "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story," "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," "Transformers," "Star Trek: Into Darkness," "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves," and "Skeleton Crew."
In the discussion, Vaziri emphasizes his aim to highlight the artistic process and teamwork behind the effects. He states that the featured films are the result of the work of hundreds of artists, technicians, and production staff who collectively bring the director's vision to life. To underscore this collective effort, Vaziri points to the complete ILM credit lists for all projects discussed.
Practical examples illustrate the breadth of the work. Vaziri not only details obvious effects, such as the digital reconstruction of Princess Leia in "Rogue One," but also focuses on invisible effects that typically remain unseen by the audience. These include timing adjustments in "Dungeons & Dragons" or the creative problem-solving involving a rope he filmed himself for a scene in "Skeleton Crew" – shot with an iPhone in his garage.
Another key focus is the close collaboration with film directors. Vaziri addresses the perception that digital effects are a "black box" that takes control away from directors. He states this is inaccurate; instead, they work directly with filmmakers to realize their vision. He argues that working with visual effects does not fundamentally differ from other departments, such as costume design or production design, as all collaborate to tell a story with light and images.
The video is likely to appeal to anyone interested in the craft processes of filmmaking, offering a factual yet very human look behind the scenes of effects development at ILM.
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