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Richard Edlund | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Edlund at an exhibition of his photographs in 2008 | |
| Born | (1940-12-06)December 6, 1940 (age 84) Fargo, North Dakota, U.S. |
| Alma mater | USC School of Cinematic Arts |
| Occupation | Visual effects artist |
| Organization | |
| Known for | Co-foundingILM andBoss Film Studios; pioneering opticals & motion control photography |
| Notable work | |
| Spouse | Rita Kogan (m. 1993; died 2019) |
| Awards | See awards |
| Website | www |
Richard Edlund,ASC (born December 6, 1940) is an Americanvisual effects artist and inventor. He was a founding member ofIndustrial Light & Magic, having already foundedPignose amplifiers, and later co-foundedBoss Film Studios and DuMonde VFX. He has won twoAcademy Awards forBest Visual Effects (1978,Star Wars; 1982,Raiders of the Lost Ark), as well as twoSpecial Achievement Awards, twoScientific and Technical Awards, and theMedal of Commendation. He is also aBAFTA andEmmy Award recipient.
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Edlund was born inFargo, North Dakota and raised inFergus Falls, Minnesota. After first joining theUnited States Navy, he developed an interest inexperimental film and attended theUSC School of Cinematic Arts in the late 1960s. On the strength of a couple of short films, he was picked byJohn Dykstra to work as first cameraman at the embryonicIndustrial Light & Magic on the production onStar Wars for which he shared an Academy Award.
Edlund continued to work with Dykstra onBattlestar Galactica but was invited back byGeorge Lucas to work onThe Empire Strikes Back. Edlund's considerable technical challenge on this film was to opticallycomposite miniatures against a white background resulting in a second Academy Award. Edlund also did distinguished work for Lucas and ILM onRaiders of the Lost Ark andPoltergeist.
In 1983, following the completion ofReturn of the Jedi, Edlund set up his own effects company,Boss Films, whose credits includeGhostbusters,Big Trouble in Little China,Die Hard,The Hunt for Red October,Cliffhanger,Outbreak andAir Force One. Boss Film Studios was one of the first traditional effects houses that successfully transitioned from "tangible world" visual effects, to computer generated imagery, with many notable CGI artists beginning their careers at Boss.
Aside from film-work, Edlund also developed and manufactured thePignose portable-style guitar amplifier (co-designed by Wayne Kimball).[1] He is a Governor of theAcademy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, a founder of the Academy's visual effects branch and is chair of the Branch Executive Committee, also chairman of the Academy’s Science and Technology Council. He also serves as board member of theVisual Effects Society and on the board of directors of theAmerican Society of Cinematographers.[2]
Edlund was married to Rita Kogan, the only daughter of entrepreneurMichael Kogan,[3] before her death in 2019.[4]
| Year | Title | Contribution | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Star Trek | 'The Companion' design | Episode: "Metamorphosis" |
| 1978 | Battlestar Galactica | Director of photography: VFX unit | Episodes: "Saga of a Star World Parts 1, 2, 3" Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement - Creative Technical Crafts |
| 1988 | The Magical World of Disney | VFX producer | Episode: "Earth Star Voyager: Part 1" |
| 1989-95 | Tales from the Crypt | Producer | 5 episodes:
|
| 2003 | Angels in America | VFX supervisor | Miniseries; 4 episodes Nominated-Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Visual Effects for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special |
| Institution | Category | Year | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Award | Best Visual Effects | 1978 | Star Wars | Won |
| Special Achievement Award | 1981 | The Empire Strikes Back | Won | |
| Scientific and Technical Award | 1982 | The Empire Strikes Back[a] | Won | |
| Best Visual Effects | Raiders of the Lost Ark | Won | ||
| 1983 | Poltergeist | Nominated | ||
| Special Achievement Award | 1984 | Return of the Jedi | Won | |
| Best Visual Effects | 1985 | Ghostbusters | Nominated | |
| 2010: The Year We Make Contact | Nominated | |||
| 1987 | Poltergeist II: The Other Side | Nominated | ||
| Scientific and Technical Award | Poltergeist II: The Other Side[b] | Won | ||
| Best Visual Effects | 1989 | Die Hard | Nominated | |
| 1993 | Alien 3 | Nominated | ||
| Medal of Commendation | 2007 | — | Won | |
| American Society of Cinematographers | President's Award | 2008 | — | Won |
| BAFTA Award | Best Special Visual Effects | 1983 | Poltergeist | Won |
| 1984 | Return of the Jedi | Won | ||
| 1985 | Ghostbusters | Nominated | ||
| 1993 | Alien 3 | Nominated | ||
| Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Individual Achievement - Creative Technical Crafts | 1979 | Battlestar Galactica("Saga of a Star World") | Won |
| Outstanding Special Visual Effects for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special | 2004 | Angels in America | Nominated | |
| Saturn Award | Best Special Effects | 1981 | The Empire Strikes Back | Won |
| 1982 | Raiders of the Lost Ark | Won | ||
| 1984 | Return of the Jedi | Won | ||
| 1985 | 2010: The Year We Make Contact | Nominated | ||
| 1986 | Fright Night | Nominated | ||
| 1987 | Poltergeist II: The Other Side | Nominated | ||
| 1988 | Masters of the Universe | Nominated | ||
| 1991 | Ghost | Nominated | ||
| 1993 | Alien 3 | Nominated | ||
| 1994 | Solar Crisis | Nominated | ||
| 1996 | Species | Nominated | ||
| Sitges Film Festival | Best Special Effects | 1995 | Won | |
| Visual Effects Society | VES Fellowship | 2012 | — | Won |
| Lifetime Achievement Award | 2013 | — | Won |
Media related toRichard Edlund at Wikimedia Commons| International | |
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