in a galaxy far, far away
Light & Magic
Client
Imagine Documentaries, Disney+
Light & Magic is a Disney+ created docuseries that pulls back the curtain on legendary special effects studio Industrial Light & Magic and their work on some of the most iconic movie moments in history. It is not a stretch to say this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, so you can imagine how honored our team at BigStar was to be brought onto design the series and be given access to the treasure trove of archives that comprise ILM’s legacy.
rebellions are built on hope
Series Graphics
Once we were given the green light from our partners at Imagine Documentaries, we set about tackling the enormous volume of archival materials from ILM that were attached to the series. Being a company of artists, we were especially stoked to get to see the real life stuff that created some of the most memorable scenes in movie history. The work that ILM did ranges from Star Wars to Raiders of the Lost Ark to ET, so being invited into that and getting to see the process— the pencil marks, the craftsmanship, the love— was a really special experience.
After wrapping our heads around the massive quantities of materials we had to work with, our BigStar team approached the project with the same ethos as any other, focusing on our priorities of organizing, designing and delivering a high quality set of graphics to support the narrative of the series. Led by Creative Director Mark Thompson, we began with some of the larger graphic needs, setting a look and feel for our design that would carry through the rest of the series.
A key element of storytelling we graphically solved for in this project was to understand how the special effects initially came together for the original ILM team and then figure out how to visualize and explain that for the audience. For instance, flying spaceships through space in Star Wars— the complicated yet primitive technology the ILM team developed to get these shots would be the blueprint for special effects for years to come. To design these explainers, our BigStar design team learned how ILM was able to historically get the shot, and then we pulled back the curtain, graphically showing the magic trick from the other side to the audience.
These explainers pushed us to creatively express how these effects that are so ubiquitous now originally came to life using design. Moments we all remember- so it was a pretty special experience.
Series Graphics (continued)
The explainers element was one of several that we workshopped with the editors and the director, Lawrence Kasdan, a legend in his own right. They became the small focus group we used to guide the exploratory aspects of our design until we landed on an approach that felt authentic and would help propel the narrative forward. That look also became the series' overall style and would inform a lot of the rest of the series’ look and feel.
Designing for nonfiction storytelling is a foundational part of BigStar, and we get to work on some incredible stories. Documentaries are such a labor of love, and unlike others where graphics might not be as relevant in the initial creative process, we were involved from the very beginning of this series. This type of real-time synchronicity between us and the filmmakers expedites our timeline substantially because our team was able to develop graphic solves for pieces of the series as they happened.
We worked diligently on this project over the course of about a year and a half. During that time we tackled the massive amount of content and learned a ton about the movie industry and how essentially every massive blockbuster from the 80s and 90s were produced from a special effects standpoint. Not only was working on a series about this foundational group of artists incredible, but the team that was involved in creating this series was very special as well. It was a privilege to work on this project and at the end of the day, we feel like we can officially say, may the force be with you!
Props where props are due
Credits
Light & Magic
Executive Creative Director Josh NortonSr. Art Director Mark ThompsonExecutive Vice President, Executive Producer Carson HoodProducer Kristen PritchettDesign Carl Dempsey, Mark Thompson2D/3D Animation Carl Dempsey, Casey Drogin, Bryce Barsten, Brian Landisman, Ivan Viaranchyk