The dynamic between visual development, visual effects production and the shaping of creative choices underpins the flow of work across departments at Industrial Light & Magic. In its work on movies and television projects, in live-action and animation, the ILM art department comprises a team of professionals based across all of the company’s studios. Its origins reach back to the 70s and the work of Ralph McQuarrie, who had been engaged by writer-director George Lucas to visualise key scenes and characters in action for Star WarsAcross the decades, that fluid dynamic between concept, image and screenplay has underpinned the studio’s work on a diverse range of projects. Most recently, the ILM art department has contributed to movie releases including Lilo & Stitch and Superman, creating images that help to capture the feeling and tone of a given moment of visual spectacle. Jason Horley, supervising art director at ILM's London studio, offered us a detailed insight into life for the artists at the fabled studio, unpacking process and the spirit of creative exploration in a peek behind the curtain. Also see our article on what is concept art and our feature on how to get a job at ILM.
