After a stellar seven-year association with the Lucasfilm family, four-time Oscar-winner Richard Edlund departed Industrial Light & Magic to establish his own effects organization at Entertainment Effects Group. Ghostbusters - his first independent assignment - presented him with the challenge of producing nearly two hundred varied and complex effects shots in considerably less than a year. Before he could even begin, however, the facility - formerly operated by Douglas Trumbull  and Richard Yuricich - had to be restructured, additional equipment had to be designed and built, and a top-notch crew had to be assembled from the ground up.  Edlund details the problems involved and - together with key members of his production unit - discusses the magic that went into Ivan Reitman's supernatural comedy.

Article by Adam Eisenberg

When John Whitney Jr. and Gary Demos established Digital Productions in 1981, they did so with an eye towards building a facility that would revolutionize the field of computer generated imagery and at the same time introduce to the film industry a viable alternative to optical effects and motion control photography. Armed with the Cray X-MP - the world's most powerful computer - they turned their high tech talents loose on The Last Starfighter, generating an unprecedented twenty-five minutes of digital scene simulation. Whitney and Demos discuss the unique nature and capabilities of Digital Productions, while individual members of the simulation team delve into the specifics of their premiere film - featuring, among other things, some of the most complex computer imagery every produced.

Article by Peter Sorensen