Speaking with the ever-awesome James Floyd, ILM veteran Warren Fu discusses his work on the Star Wars saga in Star Wars Insider #213, out now in the States and coming to the UK at the start of October.
Star Wars Insider: How did you become part of the Star Wars movie making process?
Warren Fu: I started at Industrial Light & Magic as an art department intern during my last semester at UC Berkeley. I was making photocopies, doing research, and organizing art from Men in Black (1997) into binders. When postproduction on Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (1999) began, I was hired as a full-time production assistant. Visual effects art director David Nakabayashi (aka “Nak”) was the first to believe in me, giving me small assignments, like the display graphics for Darth Maul’s binoculars. It was a big moment for me when I saw that binocular shot on the big screen during dailies and George Lucas approved it. I went on to do more on The Phantom Menace, designing display screens and storyboarding. I also worked on a few matte paintings on that film, earning my first credit as a concept artist. Nak ended up being like a big brother, a friend, and a mentor throughout my time at ILM.
A big turning point in my Lucasfilm career was seeing Doug Chiang around ILM doing review sessions. A lot of artists I knew in my classes were quiet, shy types, but Doug was this confident artist and leader that was George’s right-hand man in creating the visual language of the new trilogy. He had a calm, yet assertive way of communicating. You respected him and worked hard because he knew exactly what he was talking about. The most important thing I learned from Doug was that you don’t have to be intimidating or mean to be a strong leader. Seeing that he was a successful Taiwanese American with experiences similar to mine also really inspired me.
VINTAGE-INSPIRED PACKAGING: The Star Wars The Vintage Collection 3.75-inch-scale classic Star Wars figure 4-pack features original Kenner branding
ICONIC STAR WARS CHARACTERS: This action figure 4-pack is inspired by the characters in Star Wars: The Bad Batch, and includes Clone Captain Rex (Bracca), Clone Captain Ballast, Clone Captain Grey, and Elite Squad Trooper figures presented on individual Vintage Collection cardbacks
ENTERTAINMENT-INSPIRED ACCESSORIES: The Star Wars The Vintage Collection special 4-pack comes with 10 detachable entertainment-inspired accessories, including helmets and blasters
PREMIUM DESIGN AND ARTICULATION: These fully articulated figures feature poseable heads, arms, and legs, as well as premium design and detail
COLLECTIBLE TOYS: Look for other Star Wars 3.75-inch scale The Vintage Collection figures and vehicles to collect, swap with friends, or give as gifts (Each sold separately. Subject to availability.)
Exploring the galaxy since 1978, Mark wrote his first fan fiction in 1981 and been a presence online since his first webpage Fanta War in 1996. He's contributed to Star Wars Insider (since '06) and Starburst Magazine (since '16) as well as ILM.com, SkywalkerSound.com, StarWars.com, Star Wars Encyclopedia, Build The Millennium Falcon, Geeky Monkey, TV Film Memorabilia, Model and Collectors Mart, Star Trek magazine and StarTrek.com. He is a four-time Star Wars Celebration Stage host, the only podcaster to have appeared on every Celebration podcast stage since the stage began in 2015, the Daily Content Manager of Fantha Tracks and the co-host of Making Tracks, Canon Fodder and Start Your Engines on Fantha Tracks Radio.
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Speaking with the ever-awesome James Floyd, ILM veteran Warren Fu discusses his work on the Star Wars saga in Star Wars Insider #213, out now in the States and coming to the UK at the start of October.
Star Wars Insider: How did you become part of the Star Wars movie making process?
Warren Fu: I started at Industrial Light & Magic as an art department intern during my last semester at UC Berkeley. I was making photocopies, doing research, and organizing art from Men in Black (1997) into binders. When postproduction on Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (1999) began, I was hired as a full-time production assistant. Visual effects art director David Nakabayashi (aka “Nak”) was the first to believe in me, giving me small assignments, like the display graphics for Darth Maul’s binoculars. It was a big moment for me when I saw that binocular shot on the big screen during dailies and George Lucas approved it. I went on to do more on The Phantom Menace, designing display screens and storyboarding. I also worked on a few matte paintings on that film, earning my first credit as a concept artist. Nak ended up being like a big brother, a friend, and a mentor throughout my time at ILM.
A big turning point in my Lucasfilm career was seeing Doug Chiang around ILM doing review sessions. A lot of artists I knew in my classes were quiet, shy types, but Doug was this confident artist and leader that was George’s right-hand man in creating the visual language of the new trilogy. He had a calm, yet assertive way of communicating. You respected him and worked hard because he knew exactly what he was talking about. The most important thing I learned from Doug was that you don’t have to be intimidating or mean to be a strong leader. Seeing that he was a successful Taiwanese American with experiences similar to mine also really inspired me.
VINTAGE-INSPIRED PACKAGING: The Star Wars The Vintage Collection 3.75-inch-scale classic Star Wars figure 4-pack features original Kenner branding
ICONIC STAR WARS CHARACTERS: This action figure 4-pack is inspired by the characters in Star Wars: The Bad Batch, and includes Clone Captain Rex (Bracca), Clone Captain Ballast, Clone Captain Grey, and Elite Squad Trooper figures presented on individual Vintage Collection cardbacks
ENTERTAINMENT-INSPIRED ACCESSORIES: The Star Wars The Vintage Collection special 4-pack comes with 10 detachable entertainment-inspired accessories, including helmets and blasters
PREMIUM DESIGN AND ARTICULATION: These fully articulated figures feature poseable heads, arms, and legs, as well as premium design and detail
COLLECTIBLE TOYS: Look for other Star Wars 3.75-inch scale The Vintage Collection figures and vehicles to collect, swap with friends, or give as gifts (Each sold separately. Subject to availability.)
Exploring the galaxy since 1978, Mark wrote his first fan fiction in 1981 and been a presence online since his first webpage Fanta War in 1996. He's contributed to Star Wars Insider (since '06) and Starburst Magazine (since '16) as well as ILM.com, SkywalkerSound.com, StarWars.com, Star Wars Encyclopedia, Build The Millennium Falcon, Geeky Monkey, TV Film Memorabilia, Model and Collectors Mart, Star Trek magazine and StarTrek.com. He is a four-time Star Wars Celebration Stage host, the only podcaster to have appeared on every Celebration podcast stage since the stage began in 2015, the Daily Content Manager of Fantha Tracks and the co-host of Making Tracks, Canon Fodder and Start Your Engines on Fantha Tracks Radio.
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Star Wars Insider: How did you become part of the Star Wars movie making process?
