Page 63 - Star Wars Insider #175

GRAPHIC DISPLAYS

07

a viable future,
and in 1979,
he established
Lucasfi lm’s
own Computer
Division, hiring
computer
scientist (and
future
co-founder
of Pixar) Ed
Catmull as
vice president. 08
Other key
early members
of the Computer Division 06 The X-wing of Khan, after which Duff and were tasked with creating six
targeting
were Alvy Ray Smith, who Reeves turned their CG shots—about 30 seconds
computer
joined as project leader and is so iconic, attention to developing of animation in all—to feature
director of computer graphics you can get it a proprietary animation in the briefing that takes

on a T-shirt!
research, Tom Duff, who had system for the division. place aboard Home One. They
(See left.)
previously worked with Catmull largely worked alone because,
at the New York Institute 07 Early artwork BACK TO THE in Duff’s words, “Who knew
for different
of Technology’s Computer aspects of DEATH STAR how to use the animation
Graphics Lab, and fellow Luke’s The timing was perfect for system? Just me and Bill,
targeting
programmer William Reeves. Return of the Jedi, which, like because we were the ones
computer.
One of the team’s fi rst major A New Hope, called for cutting- writing it!”
projects was the pioneering 08 An unlucky edge computer graphics during Working from storyboards
TIE fighter

“Project Genesis” sequence for a rebel briefing about the by visual effects art director
gets caught
1982’s Star Trek II: The Wrath out by Luke. Death Star. Duff and Reeves Joe Johnston, the pair used
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