It's interesting the most established supes are the ones that are most comfortable doing that. We’d do those sessions periodically, something I am now trying to encourage everyone to do. Something I used to do all the time was if I was struggling with a shot, and I had lost my first impression and had seen the shot too many times and didn't know what to do with it, I would get the guys together, get the group together and we would brainstorm it. If we’re smart we’ll make use of all that talent. One of the strengths we have as a company is our big bench of talent - all the supervisors - and that we are stronger working together than anyone is working individually. If it's a good idea we are going to use it. If they had an idea and if that was a cool idea, they should go ahead and say it.
#John knoll star wars free#
I used to run my dailies where I created an atmosphere in which people felt free to make suggestions. I am trying to keep alive this idea that good ideas are good ideas no matter where they come from. I’m there to help, to offer up suggestions to help the project, to encourage folks to share with their peers, something that's been a very successful part of ILM culture in the past. So, I stay in touch with the state of all the shows, what they are struggling with and where they might need some help, to make sure they get all the resources that they need. I make the rounds through the dailies of all the shows in production, just seeing what's going on. Now I oversee all the company’s creative projects, which are kind of divided into the seven or eight shows that are in production at once. So in a way, what I’m doing now is just one level up. At that point, I’d put leads on in a sort of hierarchical structure. John Knoll: I’ve worked on a lot of really big films that required breaking the show up into different sequences. What all does the job entail and how does it differ fundamentally from what you were doing previously? What does one of your days look like?
I recently had a chance to sit with John, who shared his insights on the ownership change, new Star Wars production, continued problems within the visual effects “business” and how the loss of the visual “wow factor” in films is forcing directors to tell more compelling stories.ĭan Sarto: You’ve taken on a new role at ILM as Chief Creative Officer. While the announcement of a new slate of Star Wars movies should ensure the hum of ILM renderfarms for many years to come, these days not even ILM is immune to the economic pressures that continue to cause such turmoil across the global visual effects business landscape. Clearly, he’s been busy.īut as they say in business, “That’s great, but what have you done for me lately?” Well, last May, John took on the role of Chief Creative Officer at ILM, ushering in a new era at the venerable visual effect studio as it settles into the fold of its new corporate owner, The Walt Disney Company. Oh, and add in an Oscar for Best Visual Effects for his work on Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest along with four other nominations. Along with his brother Thomas, he created Photoshop, arguably the most important digital creative tool in history. A career spent supervising visual effects on many of the most successful feature films in history provides only a glimpse of his impact on the world of computer graphics, filmmaking and visual development. When he speaks, he truly speaks from experience. Few people in the visual effects industry talk with as much clarity and perspective as ILM’s John Knoll.
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