Who wants to work on Star Wars?
By Christa Starr
In his article "So Much for the Magic of Technology and the
Free Market," Robert McChesney traces the movement towards corporate
consolidation in today's economy, focusing on two ways in which corporations
cut down on competition. The modern corporation either absorbs its
competition through mergers or turns competitors into collaborators
by engaging them in joint ventures. McChesney points towards the entertainment
industry as a hotbed for this type of activity, laying the groundwork
for a worldview in which a very few corporations are shown to control
the majority of media output.
The special effects industry is no exception. Many major motion picture
studios like Sony Pictures and Dreamworks SKG have cut post-production
costs by opening in-house effects divisions. Industrial Light and
Magic, on the other hand, seems almost an anomaly, an independently
owned and operated special effects house. Started by George Lucas
in 1976 to create effects for his Star Wars films, it has remained
solely owned by Lucas ever since. By remaining outside of larger studio
interests, ILM is free to work on any project its management staff
chooses.
ILM is the effects house that Star Wars built, and it certainly
shows in the site design of www.ilm.com.
The blue and white site backgrounds, reminiscent of flying above the
clouds under a clear afternoon sky, a pale moon shape hovering above,
evoke the Star Wars universe without needing to mention it
by name. Somewhat surprisingly, however, besides references to affiliated
company Skywalker Sound, this background is the only way in which
the site explicitly mentions the famous films. ILM seems to not only
to assume that any surfer familiar enough with the company will know
of its major projects, but also to want to show they are much more
than just the home base for Lucas's films.
The site serves two distinct functions. The first is to showcase
the amazing talent behind the name ILM, with an interview series showcasing
famous effects gurus working at the facility and also a more intimate
"Portrait Series" which presents short documentaries featuring
artists from around the facility explaining their work and how they
fit in to the larger company structure. The second goal of the site
is to list job openings for all the Lucas-related companies, including
ILM, Skywalker Sound, THX, Lucas Learning, LucasArts, and more. As
such, the navigation is kept clear and simple, to not distract from
the information contained within.
ILM.com is a small site providing basic information pertaining to
the Lucas companies. So while people looking to learn more about the
latest Star Wars films or to make connections with other Star
Wars fans might be disappointed by the ILM site, those looking
to learn more about the house itself or find work there won't have
to venture any further. And, by the way, if any of you are interested
in working at ILM, there are many jobs open as the facility ramps
up post-production on Star Wars: Episode II.