Exclusive - India is vital and a cornerstone to ILM’s future, VFX powerhouse behind Star Wars, Marvel Avengers

"We're not looking at Mumbai as an outsourced studio at all. It's part of our future, and we are looking to have the  same complexity of work executed in Mumbai as we do at all of our other studios," she explained.

Talking more about the Mumbai studio which was set up in October last year, Lewin believes, "We made absolutely[A1]  the right decision by coming to India. We expect ILM Mumbai to be a cornerstone of our future, probably our biggest studio."
During the conversation, Janet said their company's focus on innovation and artistry has been a key factor in its success.

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"We don't develop technology for technology's sake. Production drives technology. We are an artist company, and we support our artists with the best tools available. We continuously look for ways to make those tools more efficient, so they can focus on their creative work."

Janet also spoke about the work of ILM, especially in the recent Star Wars projects, including The Mandalorian and Obi-Wan Kenobi that have been particularly noteworthy.

The use of virtual production and LED volumes has revolutionised the way VFX is done. "Our more recent Star Wars projects have been in the streaming space, and the big challenge there was trying to figure out how to get that same scope and scale and big epic Star Wars feel, that we're known for in our feature films, in a much tighter schedule and budget. And so out of that was born this idea of the real time, LED volumes.," she said.

Janet says as they continue to push the boundaries of VFX at ILM, India will play an important role in the company's future strategy.

When quizzed whether AI will hamper the VFX industry, to this Janet said: "AI at heart is a tool. We have used machine learning techniques and automation throughout our history. Anything we can do to make our artists more efficient, we embrace. But I don't see as a creative tool per se. The artists drive the creativity.”

Excerpts from the interview:

What are some of the most significant advancements you've seen in the visual effects technology?

Janet: Well, that is a great question, and I've seen a lot. I've been in the industry and at ILM for thirty years. In fact, ILM is this year celebrating our 50th anniversary. So we have been on the journey from the very beginning of the evolution of visual effects. In my experience, I've witnessed the, the digital revolution, moving from pictures and motion control to, full CG. I will say we have advancements every single day. We at ILM, our motto is really about having creatives and stories drive our innovation and our technology.

And we're really proud that we get the opportunity to partner with these amazing filmmakers who have incredible imaginations that enable us to create groundbreaking visual effects, methodologies. And also we have an amazing artist base who has grown with the industry and a lot of our technological advancements come from, you know, trying to create more efficient workflows and looking for opportunities to cross pollinate with different, with different mediums.

So that's one of the other things that I think we're really seeing today is, this convergence of real time, game technologies, making their way into the visual effects pipeline as an example.

Another advancement, we're really proud of in our more recent history is our StageCraft, end-to-end full production pipeline, which we really pioneered with Jon Favreau for The Mandalorian, in culmination of, the LED wrapped stages, which we call volumes, with real time graphics. So, I think every day we find, either more efficient ways of working or new challenges to overcome and that's part of what I think is so exciting about being in visual effects.

Ques: And what is it like, working with the Lucasfilm, ecosystem? And how do you collaborate with other teams to bring Star Wars stories to life?

Janet:  Lucasfilm was created by the filmmaker George Lucas, he is and remains an inspiration to all of us. His way of working was extremely innovative, collaborative and filmmaker centric. His ideas were in service of creating a better way of working and breaking boundaries and that’s a great framework to think of in terms of how we collaborate at Lucasfilm. We also have leaders in Lucasfilm who came from ILM, we have a lot of cross pollination of talent throughout the organization. So when we set to make a film it is a holistic undertaking. VFX is on the ground floor We are working, visual effects is on the ground floor. The very first day that, a project is in development, we're talking about how to leverage visual effects. And, that's one of the advantages to ILM is that we really have a seat at the table at the very early days of our Lucas film projects, so that we can be, amazing partners to our Lucas Film filmmakers.

But we also have a great relationship with our sister company Skywalker Sound, and, our games division, our franchise team, we all are inspired by each other and it's a very, very collaborative, environment.

Ques: And, you know, how do you balance the need to push, the boundaries of visual effects with the need to stay true to the spirit of Star Wars franchise?

Janet: Well, interestingly, I think those are kind of one and the same. What I was saying earlier about George Lucas and his innovative mindset lives in our DNA today. We love to push the boundaries of visual effects. So that is something that we do in in all of our Star Wars projects but at the same time, we are honoring the legacy of Star Wars and paying homage to those nostalgic methodologies like miniatures and motion control that get that sort of handmade, signature Star Wars look.

It's a really interesting dynamic of innovation and legacy. We see that time and again, with our current Star Wars projects where we're still, you know, working with Phil Tippett on stop motion shoot elements that we incorporate into our groundbreaking, StageCraft volumes as an example. You know, it's sort of this, interwoven, methodology that creates that really unique, and special Star Wars look.

Ques: There's a lot, being talked about AI's intrusion. Do you think AI is hampering the VFX industry? And do you think it can adversely affect the business at one point of time going forward?

Janet: I don't think it's hampering the industry. I think AI at its heart is a tool. We have used, machine learning techniques and automation throughout our history, anything we can do to make our artists more efficient, we embrace. And I think, that said, I can't speculate about other visual effects companies or the way in which, AI might be used that could adversely affect outcomes. For us, we're not looking at AI as a magic solution. We're looking at, just ways that we can continue to make the process easier for our artists and more cost effective for our clients.

Ques: Do you believe that there's any any way in the future that AI can merge and help create better VFX also? I mean, as you said, that it can be a tool for, for cost efficiency. So do you do you see that that AI can merge and help create better VFX also?

Janet: I do. I think, you know, really any tool that allows our artists to get up to speed faster and partner with our filmmaking clients to develop their creative, is going to be a benefit but again, I don't think of it necessarily as a creative tool per se. I think the artists are the ones who are driving the creative and this is a tool in our toolbox that if we can get to a decision faster by expediting some process, I think that's going to be a good thing.

Ques: And, why do you think India is an important market for the VFX industry?

Janet: India is a vital and very important part of ILM and and the visual effects industry at large. We took our time and really, did our homework before deciding to expand our operations into India. And, what we really looked at first and foremost was the talent base. And, over the last two decades, really, the India talent base has just, exploded. There's such sophisticated talent, that we felt that the time was right for us to, get into, the India market. We are now two years into our, India studio, which is really exciting. And we have about  300 people in the studio now. We're already doing full sequences, complex work. I think we made absolutely the right decision by coming to India. We expect ILM Mumbai to be a cornerstone of our future, probably our biggest studio. So it's mostly about the talent and then there are also economic benefits that we can pass off to our clients, which we're always looking for that sweet spot of the best quality at an affordable price.

Ques: And, how do you think that the increasing demand for streaming content will impact the visual effects industry? And what opportunities and challenges do you see arising from this trend?

Janet: I think with the boom in streaming, it really reinforced the fact that visual effects is ubiquitous. It's everywhere. It's a filmmaking tool that enables great storytelling and it doesn't necessarily, matter what the medium is. If you look at the level of visual effects in episodic work, it's just as high quality as what you see in, the blockbuster releases. So, I think that has been a really good thing. We've had to push our ways of working to, accomplish the scope and scale of episodic ambitions on tighter budgets and shorter schedules, which I think we can actually bring back to the filmmaking process. That spirit of cross pollinating and learning, actually is an advantage. So, you know, that said, we've had a bumpy road, last year with strikes and, content shifting and changing. At ILM, we always want to be poised for anything.

That's why we sort of intentionally diversify the projects we're working on and the clients that we, collaborate with so that we can, just always be available to do the best work no matter what's happening in the market.

Ques: The recent blockbusters that, Bollywood has produced or even, the regional cinema in India has produced have been high on VFX. Like, for example, a very, small story that was told, Munjya, it was only on VFX. So do you also see ILM, collaborating with Bollywood or with the regional cinema to get us, the better quality?

Janet: I think anything's possible. That is not our primary reason for for being in Mumbai.

We're primarily there to continue to offer services to our existing client base, and we expect Mumbai to be contributing at the same level as any of our other studios. So that's first and foremost our priority and our sort of, mandate. That said, I agree with you that there's really exciting filmmaking in Bollywood, and our leader of our Mumbai studio, Kiran Prasad, has really done an outstanding job of reaching out to the local talent, in India to be a resource for filmmakers, whether or not ILM is engaged on projects today with them. We're developing relationships. We have, master classes that we're making available to the community so that we can really, be there for the industry in India, when the time is right for us to, potentially partner, you know, on a project together. I think we see that as a really exciting possibility, but it's not something we're actively pursuing today.

Ques: Can you share any insights on the visual effects process for recent Star Wars films like the Mandalorian or the Obi Wan Kenobi or any other, you know, the recent ones?

Janet: I think our more recent Star Wars projects have been in the streaming space. And, as I mentioned, the big challenge there was trying to figure out how to, get that same scope and scale and big epic Star Wars feel, that we're known for in our feature films in a much tighter, schedule and budget. The episodic shows have thousands of visual effects shots. So they're very large undertakings. And so that sort of conundrum is what drove our innovation in virtual production as an example.

Because Jon Favreau really wanted to figure out how do I execute the work in a tighter schedule, and still have that big epic Star Wars feel. And so out of that was born this idea of the real time, LED volumes. ILM India has played a critical role in our recent release of the Star Wars: Skeleton crew. John Knowl who is our, Visual Effects Supervisor on The Mandalorian and Grogu movie was just out to meet the team in Mumbai who will also be working with him on that film.

So it's really exciting that, we're at a place now, in India to really bring people into the fold and have a meaningful role on the Star Wars films. But I wouldn't say that the way that we think about Star Wars, execution is necessarily different than the way we partner with any of our other filmmakers. It's just that we're on on the ground a little bit earlier.

Ques: And you've, also mentioned that ILM India will handle the full breadth of work like other global studios. So, is there any specific examples of the type of projects and tasks the Indian studio will undertake beyond just the visual effects?

Janet: ILM does visual effects, feature animation, immersive entertainment projects like we did for Abba Voyage in London, work we do in the sphere, immersive, AR, VR, XR, extended experiences. We do all of those, types of projects. Right now, we're focusing Mumbai on visual effects. And when I say that they will handle the full breadth of work, it means we have the entire pipeline already up and running in Mumbai. So every single discipline, is representing in this, where they're doing full sequences that include animation, FX, the whole cornucopia of visual effects type work. And we're going to continue to build on that.

Mumbai will be working on, feature animation with us, and there it's going to be interchangeable with our other studios in terms of the type and complexity of work we're, gonna be bringing to Mumbai.

Ques: You've always emphasised on the fact that ILM is not just an old outsourced entity. So how does ILM's approach to its India studio differ from the other VFX studios that are operating in India, and what specific measures are in place to ensure this distinction?

Janet: It's hard for me to opine on the way in which other studios are necessarily set up in India. So I will just talk about our philosophy and approach, which is the way that we lead the company is to think of one ILM holistically, sharing information. Kiran Prasad, who is our Executive in Charge there, and David Vickery, serving as our Creative Director, are part of the leadership team. They are helping drive our future. They are also leading the studio with the ILM values that, it's really exciting to see the way in which that has been implemented in Mumbai. So our values of, sharing information, collaboration, innovation, are alive and well in India. You know, Kiran Prasad has set up a great paradigm for in office work, five days a week, but really respecting and enforcing, the work life balance. Everybody's out of the office by 05:30. And when they're in, they're learning from each other. There is a great camaraderie. We have amazing talent at all of our studios who's really invested in the success of Mumbai. And I think that's also part of our value at ILM.

We really look out for each other globally, and then we implement locally. So I think, the other distinction probably is that we're not looking at Mumbai as an outsourced studio at all. It's part of our, future and we are looking to have the exact same type of work and complexity of work executed in Mumbai as we do at all of our other studios.

Ques: And, how do you see the technology is evolving, and how do you actually balance the use of technology with the need of artistry?

Janet: The way that we think about technology at ILM is that we don't develop technology for technology's sake. Production drives technology.

So we are always looking to be inspired by our filmmakers and, be poised to leverage our legacy of innovation and technology to advance and be ready for the next, groundbreaking innovation that our filmmakers need.

So it's hard for us to predict where that will go but we're seeing a lot of convergence of techniques that is exciting. And then I would say artistry is at the core of what we do. We are an artist, company and we support our artists with the best tools, available. We look for ways to make those tools more efficient, so that they can do their creative work. We are all about how to elevate and expedite the creative process. And so technology is an enabler of that.

Ques: What inspired you to pursue this career in visual effects?

Janet: Well, I think I lucked out. I, I got a  temporary job at ILM thirty years ago. In the purchasing department. I  had always wanted to be in film. I didn't really know what visual effects was, so I just sort of stumbled into the opportunity. But I, fell in love with a company, and I still am in love with the company, because it's primarily, it's about the people. These brilliant rebels who come together to solve these really big challenges.

And visual effects is about teamwork, innovation, fun, pressure, and diversity, diversity of talent and diversity of projects. So, I continue to be inspired by and motivated by the fact that it's always changing. There are always new challenges. There are always new opportunities. And I love thinking about how ILM can be available to the very best creatives to realize their visions and to create a home for artists who can do their best work and can hopefully build careers like mine that can span decades at the company.

What are ILM’s next big projects?

Janet: We work on between 30 and 40 projects at a time so we’re juggling a tonne of projects that are in all stages of production. Some of the larger ones include the new Superman  film for James Gunn, Jurassic World Rebirth with Gareth Edwards, Disney’s Lilo & Stitch, Mission: Impossible - Final Reckoning, and The Electric State – so lots of really exciting projects and television series as well.