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Ever heard of Industrial Light and Magic (ILM for short)?
Well, you should have, because that’s the company George Lucas founded in 1975 that made the epic Star Wars Trilogy possible.
Especially before computers were even a thing, the artists at ILM had to go above and beyond to fool audiences into believing that scenes in Star Wars were set on other planets. And they did it with oil paintings.
Names like Ralph McQuarrie, Frank Ordaz, Harrison Ellenshaw, Chris Evans (no, not Captain America) and Mike Pangrazio probably don’t mean much to you, but they were essential in bringing the planets and landscapes of the famed trilogy to life.
But let’s back up a bit because you might be asking yourself, “What are matte paintings?”
Basically, they’re fake sets. Artists (specifically the five previously mentioned) would paint on oversized panels like this one to create the details that cameras need to trick audiences when it was projected onto 40 foot screens.
The detail was spectacular. (Chris Evans pictured)
Photo Credit: Gizmodo
The finished results was even more impressive.
Photo Credit: Gizmodo
The fact that these paintings are not only so expertly and intricately detailed, but were also seamlessly integrated into the film in a way that none of us was even close to noticing is nothing short of mind blowing.
The teams would then use plexiglass to create masks where the characters were supposed to be. Note the strangely shaped black blob in the photo below. That’s a mask.
Photo Credit: Gizmodo
The live action was then filmed, the two pieces were married together and viola! Movie magic!
Photo Credit: Gizmodo
This was used constantly throughout the first trilogy, and in places you probably never expected.
Once you see it, it’s hard to unsee.
Photo Credit: Gizmodo
Imperial loading docks were a very common place to see this kind of method because building a set that big would have been nuts.
Photo Credit: Gizmodo
Yep, you remember this.
Photo Credit: Gizmodo
And this.
Photo Credit: Gizmodo
And the Ewok village would have literally been impossible to construct.
Photo Credit: Gizmodo
Again, impossible to unsee now.
Photo Credit: Gizmodo
Cloud city anyone?
Photo Credit: Gizmodo
These paintings fooled everybody for years. In fact, this method was still being used on films like Titanic in 1997.
Photo Credit: Gizmodo
So now you know the unsung heroes of your imagination! Best thing to do to honor them? Let EVERYBODY know!
