Richard Edlund
Edlund at an exhibition of his photographs
Born (1940-12-06) December 6, 1940
Alma materUSC School of Cinematic Arts
OccupationVisual effects artist
Organization
Known forCo-founding ILM and Boss Film Studios; pioneering opticals & motion control photography
Notable work
SpouseRita Kogan (m. 1993; died 2019)
AwardsSee awards
Websitewww.richardedlund.com

Richard Edlund, ASC (born December 6, 1940) is an American visual effects artist and inventor. He was a founding member of Industrial Light & Magic, having already founded Pignose amplifiers, and later co-founded Boss Film Studios and DuMonde VFX. He has won four Academy Awards for Best Visual Effects (1978, Star Wars; 1982, Raiders of the Lost Ark), as well as two Special Achievement Awards, two Scientific and Technical Awards, and the Medal of Commendation. He is also a BAFTA and Emmy Award recipient.

Life and career

Edlund was born in Fargo, North Dakota and raised in Fergus Falls, Minnesota. After first joining the United States Navy, he developed an interest in experimental film and attended the USC School of Cinematic Arts in the late 1960s. On the strength of a couple of short films, he was picked by John Dykstra to work as first cameraman at the embryonic Industrial Light & Magic on the production on Star Wars for which he shared an Academy Award.

Edlund continued to work with Dykstra on Battlestar Galactica but was invited back by George Lucas to work on The Empire Strikes Back. Edlund's considerable technical challenge on this film was to optically composite miniatures against a white background resulting in a second Academy Award. Edlund also did distinguished work for Lucas and ILM on Raiders of the Lost Ark and Poltergeist.

In 1983, following the completion of Return of the Jedi, Edlund set up his own effects company, Boss Films, whose credits include Ghostbusters, Big Trouble in Little China, Die Hard, The Hunt for Red October, Cliffhanger, Outbreak and Air 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 the Pignose portable-style guitar amplifier (co-designed by Wayne Kimball).[1] He is a Governor of the Academy 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 the Visual Effects Society and on the board of directors of the American Society of Cinematographers.[2]

Edlund was married to Rita Kogan, the only daughter of entrepreneur Michael Kogan,[3] before her death in 2019.[4]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Contribution Director Notes
1964 The Creeping Terror Opening & closing titles designer Vic Savage Uncredited
1977 Star Wars Director of photography: VFX unit George Lucas Academy Award for Best Visual Effects
1979 The China Syndrome VFX supervisor James Bridges
1980 The Empire Strikes Back Irvin Kershner Academy Award for Best Visual Effects
1981 Raiders of the Lost Ark Steven Spielberg Academy Award for Best Visual Effects
1982 Poltergeist Tobe Hooper BAFTA Award for Best Special Visual Effects
Nominated- Academy Award for Best Visual Effects
1983 Return of the Jedi Richard Marquand BAFTA Award for Best Special Visual Effects
1984 Ghostbusters Ivan Reitman Nominated- Academy Award for Best Visual Effects
Nominated- BAFTA Award for Best Special Visual Effects
2010: The Year We Make Contact Peter Hyams Nominated- Academy Award for Best Visual Effects
1985 Fright Night VFX producer Tom Holland (filmmaker)
1986 Poltergeist II: The Other Side VFX supervisor Brian Gibson Nominated- Academy Award for Best Visual Effects
Legal Eagles Ivan Reitman
Big Trouble in Little China VFX producer John Carpenter
Solarbabies Alan Johnson
The Boy Who Could Fly VFX supervisor Nick Castle
1987 Masters of the Universe Gary Goddard
The Monster Squad Fred Dekker
Date with an Angel VFX producer Tom McLoughlin
Leonard Part 6 Paul Weiland
1988 Die Hard John McTiernan Nominated- Academy Award for Best Visual Effects
Big Top Pee-wee Randal Kleiser
Vibes Ken Kwapis
1989 Farewell to the King Director of photography: VFX unit John Milius
1990 Ghost VFX supervisor Jerry Zucker
Solar Crisis Producer Richard C. Sarafian
1992 Alien 3 VFX producer David Fincher Nominated- Academy Award for Best Visual Effects
Nominated- BAFTA Award for Best Special Visual Effects
1995 Species VFX supervisor Roger Donaldson
1996 Multiplicity Harold Ramis
1997 Turbulence Robert Butler
Air Force One Wolfgang Petersen
1998 Desperate Measures Barbet Schroeder
2000 Bedazzled VFX supervisor/2nd unit director Harold Ramis
2004 The Stepford Wives VFX consultant Frank Oz
2007 Anamorph VFX supervisor Henry S. Miller
Charlie Wilson's War Mike Nichols
2012 21 Jump Street Phil Lord
Christopher Miller
Bullet to the Head Walter Hill
2015 Barely Lethal Kyle Newman

Television

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:
  • "The Man Who Was Death"
  • "What's Cookin'"
  • "The Pit"
  • "The Assassin"
  • "You Murderer"
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

Awards and honors

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[lower-alpha 1] 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[lower-alpha 2] 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

Notes

  1. for "the Empire Motion Picture Camera System" and "the concept and engineering of a beam-splitter optical composite motion picture printer."
  2. for "the Zoom Aerial (ZAP) 65mm Optical Printer"

References

  1. Pignose History, Pignose company website
  2. "Richard Edlund, ASC - About". www.richardedlund.com. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  3. "Thanks a Million, DARE Donors". Los Angeles Times. April 22, 1993. Retrieved November 20, 2016.
  4. "Estate of Late Space Invaders Heiress Lists Three Brentwood Ranches". Variety. July 5, 2019. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
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