SUBMITTED BY Fred Hill
April 24, 2002 — Bill George talked with VFXPro
about what was done with the new release of E.T. He didn't work much on the
older version but did with this new one, however he still knows what was used
in the older version for special effects so he can compare the two versions.
 "ET
The Extra Terrestrial" was the first film that Bill George worked on when
he joined Industrial Light & Magic more than two decades ago. For the twentieth
anniversary of the film, George was charged with making the movie that charmed
audiences in 1982 even more magical. A lot has changed in effects over the years
-- while the ET of our memories materialized out of puppets and opticals, George
and his team turned to computer graphics to update the character.
George, however, is no stranger to models. Inspired by "Star Wars"
(1977) to create miniature spaceships, he turned a beloved hobby into a career.
"The film's success took them completely by surprise," George said.
"It wasn't until about a year later that the model kits came out. For me
that was great because it forced me to do research on how the models were built
and what materials they used, and to build things from scratch." Six months
after showing his models at a science fiction convention in Los Angeles, Greg
Jein offered George his first job in the industry, working on "Start Trek:
The Motion Picture" (1979). George quit college to take the job, thinking
it was a temporary shift. Twenty years later, it is clear that he had found
his calling.
Taking a bit of time away from his current project, "Harry Potter and
the Chamber of Secrets," George spoke with VFXPro about the fine balance
that must be struck when updating a classic.
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here for the full story.
These are images that ran with the story.
All are from the original film.
*Click to enlarge* |
