Asian VFX artists on the rise as seen in Star Wars

At a galaxy not so far away, Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), a division of Lucasfilm production company based in Asia, has constructed the crucial lightsaber scene in The Rise of Skywalker.

Were you in awe of Kylo and Rey, the descendants of Palpatine, who clanged their lightsabers on top of a wrecked Death Star with 12-storey-high choppy waves? Did you that the CG effects were processed in Singapore, also known as “the little red dot of Asia”.

To map out the digital sequence, Irfan Sherif who works as a layout artist of ILM, together with other colleagues, placed multiple tracking spots on real-world objects; and Elvin Siew, texture and development lead of ILM, and his team, worked on another pivotal battle between the Empire and the rebels’ ships.

Furthermore, the team in Singapore also contributed to interior and exterior clips of Death Star’s wreckage, Millennium Falcon chase, and alien horses.

Siew told CNA (Channel News Asia): “From the colour palette that was picked to the design of the decals, the stripes that you’ll see and the big, giant canon underneath, they were all built here (in Singapore). The final ship design retained about 50% of its original look with the other half being all new.”

Siew also revealed that ILM was involved in the upcoming season of The Mandalorian and other highly anticipated Disney films.