While that may very well appear to be a lovingly intentioned, somewhat flippant summarisation of what fuelled the creativity of ILM back in the day, a view of Light & Magic reveals that the optical teams of the 70’s and 80’s required little more motivation than that. Vanity Fair take a look at this melting pot of creativity with series director Lawrence Kasdan, delving into a documentary that has been a vibrant nostalgia trip and a revealing journey all at the same time.
The wild aspect of ILM adds a dose of flash and color, but Kasdan believes Light & Magic tells a story that’s inspiring about people who refused to conform—Lucas included. “Genius always requires that,” Kasdan says. “Otherwise you’re just like a journeyman. You’re just taking all the tools that already exist and you’re trying to put them together in new ways. You’re hoping for your best. George never thought that way. He thought: ‘I want to change the world. And I certainly wanna change the world of filmmaking. I want every aspect of it to be different from what it is now.’ Well…most people don’t think that way.”
