Page 74 - Star Wars Insider #181

INTERVIEW: DOUG CHIANG

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myself and went into areas that I 13 An acrylic “When I arrived at ILM in 1989, it was
was uncomfortable with—things production
painting of
like character design, costume the Gungan rumored George Lucas was never
design, and painting. It was army for The
Phantom
really hard, but I felt it was really going to make another Star Wars
Menace.
important to do. And, the great
thing is, after that year, I saw 14 A digital movie, so I put that dream aside.”
concept
a noticeable improvement in
painting of
my skills, and I had amassed a a spaceship
really diverse portfolio that was transport, (1992), Forrest Gump (1994) with the writer-director, Lucas
circa 2011.
distinctly me.” and The Mask (1994). For announced the new position
During his day job, Chiang Death Becomes Her, he won of head of the Lucasfi lm art
worked as the VFX art director the Academy Award for Best department. Chiang applied for

on seminal films such as Ghost Visual Effects and began a long the job and landed it.
(1990), Terminator 2: Judgment collaborative relationship with “Doing that homework for
Day (1991), Death Becomes Her director Robert Zemeckis. a year really paid off,” Chiang
But most importantly, Chiang says with pride, “because what I
states, he found his style during was doing on my own—merging
14
that period, which made him genres and combining old and
a candidate for his dream job: new—was exactly what George
working on a Star Wars movie. was doing with Star Wars. He
“When I arrived at ILM in saw something in my portfolio,
1989, it was rumored George and that’s how I got the job. If I
Lucas was never going to make hadn’t gone through that painful
another Star Wars movie,” he year of learning on my own, I
remembers. “So, I just put that wouldn’t be where I am today!”
dream aside, and then went into
visual-effects designs. Eventually Next issue, Doug Chiang
George announced he was going talks about working with

to create new films, and by then I George Lucas, the lessons he
had a portfolio!” learned about design and the
Seeking an artistic collaborator Star Wars signature style, and
to craft the look of the Star Wars the challenges of shaping the
prequels and work side-by-side future of the universe.

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