George Clooney in "The Descendants": Being Mr. Mom Isn't Easy

Thelma Adams is a New York Film Critics Circle member and the author of "Playdate," a novel.Remember the famous line about Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, "Sure he was great, but don't forget Ginger Rogers did everything he did backwards ... and in high heels"? Keep that in mind while enjoying Alexander Payne's The Descendants, in which disaffected dad George Clooney finds himself by sliding into his wife's shoes.

Even as the balance between working parents gradually shifts in America, and co-parenting becomes the hard-won norm, on the screen it tends to be a big deal when mom disappears and suddenly dad has to tie on her apron. Mom sacrifices her life to awaken dad's inner parent -- it's so Bambi!

Clive Owen did the single-parent weepy The Boys Are Back; Steve Carell touchingly separated laundry in Dan in Real Life; and just in time for Christmas, Matt Damon does a similar dance in We Bought a Zoo. In each case, a mom's death or coma forces the hero to cast aside his selfish ways, belatedly appreciate the major task mothering is and, ultimately, evolve into responsible adulthood.

As much as I adore The Descendants, it amuses me that male-driven Hollywood believes motherhood has more dramatic impact when presented by a man. What's funny, given how few strong leading roles there are for women, is that it's front-page news when an actor like perennial bachelor Clooney has to put the kids to bed at night -- and realizes that being a mother isn't easy. Who knew?

In movies, parenthood often equals motherhood. And, in an unfortunate twist, this focus continues to marginalize the mothers while making a hero of the "Mr. Mom" who rises to the occasion. It's like the old whine that when dad stays home with the kids it's "babysitting," and when mom does it, that's her job and anything less is suspect.

Clooney's character, Matt King, doesn't even spend time "babysitting." While his comatose spouse slips away following a water-skiing accident, this charming but selfish Hawaiian lawyer must reconnect with his two daughters. Meanwhile, the clock is ticking on his decision to sell a tract of family-owned Hawaiian paradise to developers.

As the movie opens, Matt is a paper-shuffler in paradise; he sees the sky and palm trees outside his office window, but he's disconnected from the beauty. Matt's also estranged from his family. But with his wife on life support, Matt suddenly finds himself solely responsible for their two daughters, Alexandra (Shailene Woodley) and Scottie (Amara Miller).

King's awkward in this new role. When he says he was "the backup parent," there's a bit of pride there, like a kid who's gotten someone else to do his homework. But it's left him ill-prepared when the girls "test" their father -- they don't automatically do what they're told. Hello: That's what kids do; they don't need a mom-in-a-coma to know their roles. They need to be parented, and since Matt's been the emotionally unavailable father, they also need to be nurtured (read: mothered) through the kind of crisis that either galvanizes or cripples a family.

Hard-partying Alexandra calls her father out in that way teens have: It may be true that no one sees us more truly, or more unsparingly, than our teenage children. And so Alex drops a bomb: She'd caught Mom cheating before the accident. That news gets Matt's attention and sets him on a path toward real change. Perhaps, unconsciously, Alexandra knows that if she doesn't wake her father up, she'll be saddled with the mother's role.

After the revelation, jealousy motivates Matt. Bereaved and enraged, Matt tries to identify and confront his rival. It's a useless journey, but Matt brings his daughters along. Sure, he would have been better off taking them to a ballgame, or to see The Help, but at least they have a unified mission. Gradually, by acting together, they bond and begin to build an honest relationship. A genuine father is born. In Hollywood at least (though not under my roof), this committed male parent is still a novelty.
By being forced to assume the role of mother in his wife's absence, Matt gradually evolves. His character moves from being contentedly absent to joyfully present. He gains empathy and compassion. This change also returns him to nature -- he's no longer willing to let profit drive his decision to sell his family birthright to a developer.

It's as if, in our society, until a man takes on that load, until he stays home and shepherds the kids, the simple everyday achievement lacks dramatic weight. It's an irony that Ginger Rogers, dancing backwards, would have appreciated. 

View the original article here

"Contagion," George Lucas, and Women in Scifi Film: It's Mailbag Time

John Scalzi is an award-winning science fiction writer.It's been a few weeks since I did a mailbag column, and some e-mails are piling up about recent movies and columns. So ... hey! Let's do a mailbag column!

First question:

My friend and I are having a philosophical disagreement about whether Contagion qualifies as science fiction or not. I say it does because the virus is fictional and it's an end-of-the-world scenario. He says no, mostly because it takes place in present day. Who's right?

Well, just because something takes place in "present day" doesn't mean it can't be science fiction. Look at Source Code or the latest Transformers film, or E.T., or two of the four Terminator films, or the Men in Black films, or so on. Science fiction can take place in the future, but it doesn't have to.

That said, when science fiction films take place in the present day, it's useful for them to have some technological or story element that's generally considered to be out of the ordinary experience: Time travel in the case of Source Code or the Terminator films; aliens in the case of E.T or Men in Black; talking robots in the case of Transformers. Those are the elements that kick it into science fiction land.

The virus in Contagion is fictional, but it's still a pretty commonplace variety of virus; it doesn't turn people into vampires (Ultraviolet) or zombies (28 Days Later), it just kills them. Likewise, the way people in the film combat the virus is with modern technology. And yes, there's something of an apocalyptic scenario in the film, but not every possible apocalypse is science fiction.

So my vote is: No, Contagion is not science fiction. It just makes you want to coat every possible surface with hand sanitizer.

Next question:

A couple of weeks ago you wrote about women in science fiction films, but you didn't go into why women in science fiction films are poorly written. Why do you think it is?

My opinion: Because science fiction filmmakers don't think they have to bother. There are two reasons for that: One, I think science fiction films are assumed to have a generally young, male audience, which is not an audience assumed to particularly value strong female characters outside the "spinny killbot" variety. Two, it's a shibboleth of Hollywood that women will go see films with men as the primary characters more readily than men will go see films with women as the primary characters.

Both of these assumptions are highly arguable and become something of a "chicken and egg" problem, in that if you don't write strong female science fiction characters, how do you know guys won't watch them? They seemed to watch Ellen Ripley and Sarah Connor just fine. But when it costs you $100 million to make a film, you end up being conservative in your thinking and going with what you think you know works rather than taking one more risk in the film production.

I think it's a little silly to still be worried in 2011 that science fiction fans won't watch females characters who can't gyrate wildly and behead at the same time, but I also admit I'm an optimist about human nature. Perhaps filmmakers feel they can't afford to be.

Last question:

Come on, Scalzi. Do you really believe that without George Lucas, modern films would be that different? Someone else would have come up with most of the technological advances that Lucas did, sooner or later. Probably Spielberg.

Well, to be clear, I do agree that even without Lucas, the technological state of the art in the film industry would have advanced, and that the 2011 film-going experience would be closer to what it is today than to what it was in 1977. But I don't think it would have advanced as systematically.

Whatever else George Lucas is, he was, is, and always will be a huge film nerd, and because of that he has a very deep focus on the quality of film presentation. His film company didn't just advance visual and sound effects and presentation because there was a market for it -- it did it because at the end of the day, Lucas wanted as much control over every aspect of the process as possible so he could make exactly the film he wanted (and when he couldn't, he worked the tech until it could fix what he saw as a flaw -- and in the process drive the fans nuts with his "improvements").

Would these things have happened without Lucas? Probably; he's not the only hyper-exacting film nerd in Hollywood by a long shot. But it would have been all over the place -- and very possibly less well done -- than it was with Lucas calling the shots. The cinematic world of today would be different enough to be noticeable, at the very least.

View the original article here

EXCLUSIVE: VFX Legend John Dykstra Praises George Lucas for Tweaking Star Wars: The Complete Saga Blu-ray

Visual Effects supervisor John Dykstra comments on George Lucas tweaking Star War on Blu-rayVisual Effects Supervisor John Dykstra is a legend in the business who has worked on such timeless classics as Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, Spider-Man, and Inglourious Basterds. His latest handiwork can be seen in the exceptional summer superhero adventure X-Men: First Class, arriving on Blu-ray and DVD this Frist Class Friday, September 9th. While discussing this Marvel Mutant prequel, we asked John what he thought about George Lucas tweaking three of the six movies included in Star Wars: The Complete Saga Blu-ray, including his own work in A New Hope.

Some might think otherwise, but John Dykstra is actually okay with his work being changed, tweaked, and even sometimes destroyed by his director. This is what he had to say.

"God love him! He should tweak it until his heart's content. You never finish a movie. It is always pried from your grasping hands. There is always something you can fix. Does it always make it better? Mmm...That is questionable. I think executing something, you make decisions as you execute, in terms of priority. Sometimes those priorities are formed by more than just whether or not it was a good technical execution."

Star Wars: The Complete Saga Blu-ray arrives with its digital facelift on September 16th.

X-Men: First Class arrives on Blu-ray and DVD this Frist Class Friday, September 9th.

View the original article here

Bill George Talks I Am Number Four Special Effects

May 20, 2011 by Brian Gallagher

Disney's new sci-fi adventure I Am Number Four will be available on Blu-ray, DVD, and Blu-ray/DVD combo pack on May 24. To help promote this home video release, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment held a virtual roundtable sessions with visual effects supervisor Bill George, who discussed his work on I Am Number Four. Take a look at what he had to say below.

What advice would you give to someone who dreams about wanting to get a job in the visual effects industry

Bill George: There is a tremendous power in doing. Years before I got my first job in the industry building models, I built them as a hobby. I'd advise someone to do what they dream of doing and they will learn so much from the experience.

What was the most challenging aspect for the team when it came to the visual effects of I Am Number Four

Bill George: The design of Bernie was our biggest challenge. He needed to be both aggressive and appealing at the same time. (Director) D.J. (Caruso) wanted him to be able to kick the Piken's ass but still have the audience go "Awwwww". We revised his design a lot.

You have such a spectacular curriculum, and have been involved in some of the most talked-about movies lately. That does not come easy does it What would you say has been the key factor to your success

Bill George: ILM has such a long and successful history and it's really nice to have been a part of that. As a supervisor my job as a creative is pretty visible but there are so many production people on our shows that are more hidden and their contributions are just as important. Being one of the industry leaders, large effect projects are drawn to ILM.

What's the most fun part of your job

Bill George: I LOVE leading the creative team on a show. It's like having the best toys! There is a lot of planning that goes into a project like I Am Number Four but my favorite part is when you are on the set and things change, or the director comes up with a new idea, and you have to shoot form the hip for a solution. That flash of creative "on the spot" problem solving is when things get really fun for me.

Since you worked on Blade Runner and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, did those experiences help you for this film

Bill George: Absolutely! On every show I learn something and I bring all those lessons with me when I show up on set. The experience of seeing how directors and DPs work is something I really value. My job is always to get inside the director's head to provide from them the shots they need for their movie and my past experience really helps with that.

How did you start out working with visual effects

Bill George: I started out making models for a hobby after Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope came out in 1977. Two years later I got a job in LA building models for movies. In 1981, I got a job at ILM in the model shop working on Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi. After that show, ILM allowed me to try new things and expand my abilities. I was lucky in that as the company grew, so did I.

What was the most significant factor or challenge in creating the proper imagery from the book

Bill George: That was left up to our director D.J. Caruso. It was his movie and my focus was to create the visuals he wanted.

Besides the digital creatures in the film we also can see digital doubles and other really spectacular effects, such as Number 6 fighting against the bad guys in high school, with her ??appearing and disappearing. What can you tell us about these shots

Bill George: There were over 700 visual effects shots in the film. The majority of those were supervised by Greg McMurray. I supervised the sequences with the CG creatures (Piken/Bernie) and the Mog blast in the end of the film. I do know there was a huge amount of complex stunt work that went into those shots.

How did you work through some challenges of CGI to make sure that the characters were always real

Bill George: When we are working on our CG creature shots, they usually take a few weeks to create. During that time, our entire team views them daily as they progress. Everyone is welcome to offer their view of what is working and what needs improvement. This method really helps us to get a realist result. It's all about observation and refinement.

In this film we can see several digital creatures, like those two of the bad guys and the chimera, who helps John. What could you explain to us about these digital creatures and the shots where they appear Which were the main challenges with them

Bill George: When you are adding a CG creature into a shot, the key to its success is the interaction it has in the scene. We spent a lot of time with the cameraman lining up the shots with cut-outs of the creatures to help them compose the shots and blocking in the action so the actors got their movements right. It's important to always be looking ahead to what the final shot will look like when shooting the actors to make sure their performance will work in the shot. Things like shadows, debris and camera shake are all little factors that add up to a shot being realistic and dynamic.

Is there still room for practical effects, or are there restraints that make CGI a better solution

Bill George: Having come from a practical background I love using miniatures when possible. CG effects do have the benefit of being more changeable and are more "production friendly" If you blow up a practical miniature you only get one chance at it. If you do a CG explosion you can make changes up until the end. We really like to give the directors we work with the maximum amount of control so CG is many times the preferred solution.

What type of impact did the film's rating have on the visual effects as a whole

Bill George: Very little. Never were we asked to pull back on anything like that because those types of decisions are really made in the edit.

What was the most challenging scene to create with IMAX in mind

Bill George: Good question. ILM is a tool that adapts to each director we work with. Working with D.J. and watching him film non-effects shots gave us a guide as far as what our FX shots should look like. We wanted to make something unique that would show the audience a glimpse of what Lorian was like.

In the film we can see the transformation of the dog in the chimera and later from the chimera in the dog. Were these particularly complicated shots What can you tell us about them

Bill George: The transformation of Bernie in the car was quite a challenge. We didn't build a CG version of the dog so we had to get the "dog actor" to act mean for the lead in to the transformation. The problem was that the real dog was so dang cute! The trainer was able to train him to act aggressive (by taking away a juicy bone) but we had to shoot him against a blue screen. We then had to shrink our "big Bernie" CG model down to fit the real dog. That took a lot of digital pounding.

What was the most dangerous scene to film and how brave were the actors

Bill George: I was shocked to see Teresa (Palmer) hanging 60 feet in the air for the scene where the Piken picks her up off of the Football field. She was amazing and fearless! That stunt was really impressive.

How long did it take to get the right effects for the movie, and do you feel like some good ideas had to be lost

Bill George: Our post-production schedule was a short 3 months. We had to slam out rough animation quickly so D.J. could get it in the first cut of the film. The editorial process has to be fluid because the film as a whole will evolve over time. We tried to be adaptable as possible with our shots to make the movie as great as it could be and I don't believe we compromised in any way.

Which visual effect in I Am Number Four are you the most proud of

Bill George: I really love the shot of Number 6 riding the Piken down the stadium stairs. It was a real design challenge. The first animation I saw I burst out laughing! In the end I thought it looked really great.

Is it hard to find the right balance between CGI and 'real' effects And does the balance change for every film you work on

Bill George: My approach is to always try to get as much as you can practically. At the very least you are going to be getting a good reference take. So much time is spent making a CG asset look real so if you can get something practically you can use that time elsewhere.

You have a long, illustrious history in visual effects. Which film are you the most proud of

Bill George:Blade Runner, Innerspace and Galaxy Quest.

Was D.J. Caruso a hands-on director or did he hand you and your team the keys to the sandbox

Bill George:I Am Number Four is D.J.'s movie. He gave us freedom to try different things and was very supportive of us creatively, but every shot and animation he directed.

Is there a director working today who you'd love to work with, or whose creative vision you really admire

Bill George:John Waters, probably because what he does is so different from our regular genre of filmmaking.

How much time do you have to spend on set when working on a big effects movie such as I Am Number Four

Bill George: I was there in Pittsburgh for 6 weeks. In that we shot the "plates" that would be used for all the creature work. Being there on set is so important for me to be able to see how the director shoot his movie and how the DP lights the scenes so when we create our CG effects we can match their looks.

With a sequel planned, did you have a variety of different effects that you wanted to keep in reserve for the next film

Bill George: Nope. We went all out on this one. However, I was very excited about the idea of flashbacks where we get to see the destruction of Lorian. That was in the first script I read but was omitted. That is something I would love to see!

How many weeks did it take to complete all the visual effects for this movie

Bill George: Our post schedule was about 3 months. While the film was being shot though we were building Bernie and the Piken and working on walk cycles and look development. We had to be ready to go as soon as DJ turned over the sequences to us to get the movie done. Personally, I was on the show about 11 months.

Can you tell us what kinds of projects are you involved now

Bill George: I'm just finishing up the re-boot of Star Tours for Disney. The ride opens in Orlando this Friday. I'm really looking forward to seeing the project done. It's in 3D and has a "branching" storyline. Quite a step up from the beloved original.

I am looking at the trivia written about you on IMDb.com and it says: "As a teenager, he used to forage through the dumpsters outside the Van Nuys facility of Industrial Light and Magic, looking for souvenirs." - Is this a true story

Bill George: Yep, I still have some of the artwork, film and model pieces I got out of that dumpster. I also learned by going through their trash that the folks at ILM drank a LOT of beer!

So, if a teenager was to go through ILM's dumpsters today, can they still make out with cool artwork or model pieces or is everything these days, shredded and destroyed

Bill George: It's all shredded and destroyed and you'd probably be arrested! It was a different time back in 1978.

Star Wars or Star Trek? You've been intimately involved in the creation of both film universes, after all. Which do you prefer

Bill George: Sophie's choice! I love them both. Seriously, they both have their own unique charms.

Have you turned down work on a movie and regretted it later

Bill George: Never. There have been shows we really tried to get and were disappointed to lose and then later, when the film came out, were relieved we didn't get. I'm not saying which ones though....

For those not familiar with your job, on a film like I Am Number Four, what were your responsibilities on the film

Bill George: I oversaw the creation of the shots involving the Piken, Bernie and the stadium explosion. I was there when the backgrounds were shot in Pittsburgh to make sure that when the CG characters were added all the pieces would fit together. I then led the team of artists here at ILM that worked on the shots and interfaced with D.J. to get his input and feedback.

With many films going 3D lately, does that change your approach to visual effects and that visual effects will need to be planned with 3D in mind

Bill George: 3D is another level of design that needs to be considered when working on shots, so ideally we need to know ahead of time if the film is going to be released in 3D.

How was the process to create the visual effects on Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban? What were your references How different was it to creating visual effects for I Am Number Four

Bill George: For both of these films we looked more toward the directors than the books for guidance. Of course the books are always hovering out there, but movies are a different medium and have to stand on their own. The sparkle effect in Twilight was something that the studio did want us to match the description in the book. They didn't want all the fans to be thrown by something different than the "diamond skin".

Bill, you have worked with some of the greatest sci-films in America but I was wondering, as many films are become released on Blu-ray and seeing how visual effects look so much better on HD such as Blade Runner and Galaxy Quest, which look absolutely great on Blu-ray, do you watch your films on Blu-ray

Bill George: Many of them I do. Mostly I want to make sure that our effects look OK. For the older films there was a "film finish" that tends to degrade the image quality. Nowadays most all big films have a digital finish so that digital file goes directly to the Blu-ray with no loss of quality.

Bill, any final thoughts on I Am Number Four

Bill George:I Am Number Four was a really fun project to work on. D.J. has such and infectious enthusiasm that pushed us all to do our very best work. It was a real pleasure to be a part of.

I Am Number Four will be available on Blu-ray, DVD, and Blu-ray/DVD combo pack on May 24.

I Am Number Four was released February 18th, 2011 and stars Alex Pettyfer, Timothy Olyphant, Teresa Palmer, Dianna Agron, Callan McAuliffe, Kevin Durand, Jake Abel, Jeff Hochendoner. The film is directed by D.J. Caruso.

View the original article here

Bill George Talks I Am Number Four Special Effects

May 20, 2011 by Brian Gallagher

Disney's new sci-fi adventure I Am Number Four will be available on Blu-ray, DVD, and Blu-ray/DVD combo pack on May 24. To help promote this home video release, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment held a virtual roundtable sessions with visual effects supervisor Bill George, who discussed his work on I Am Number Four. Take a look at what he had to say below.

What advice would you give to someone who dreams about wanting to get a job in the visual effects industry

Bill George: There is a tremendous power in doing. Years before I got my first job in the industry building models, I built them as a hobby. I'd advise someone to do what they dream of doing and they will learn so much from the experience.

What was the most challenging aspect for the team when it came to the visual effects of I Am Number Four

Bill George: The design of Bernie was our biggest challenge. He needed to be both aggressive and appealing at the same time. (Director) D.J. (Caruso) wanted him to be able to kick the Piken's ass but still have the audience go "Awwwww". We revised his design a lot.

You have such a spectacular curriculum, and have been involved in some of the most talked-about movies lately. That does not come easy does it What would you say has been the key factor to your success

Bill George: ILM has such a long and successful history and it's really nice to have been a part of that. As a supervisor my job as a creative is pretty visible but there are so many production people on our shows that are more hidden and their contributions are just as important. Being one of the industry leaders, large effect projects are drawn to ILM.

What's the most fun part of your job

Bill George: I LOVE leading the creative team on a show. It's like having the best toys! There is a lot of planning that goes into a project like I Am Number Four but my favorite part is when you are on the set and things change, or the director comes up with a new idea, and you have to shoot form the hip for a solution. That flash of creative "on the spot" problem solving is when things get really fun for me.

Since you worked on Blade Runner and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, did those experiences help you for this film

Bill George: Absolutely! On every show I learn something and I bring all those lessons with me when I show up on set. The experience of seeing how directors and DPs work is something I really value. My job is always to get inside the director's head to provide from them the shots they need for their movie and my past experience really helps with that.

How did you start out working with visual effects

Bill George: I started out making models for a hobby after Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope came out in 1977. Two years later I got a job in LA building models for movies. In 1981, I got a job at ILM in the model shop working on Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi. After that show, ILM allowed me to try new things and expand my abilities. I was lucky in that as the company grew, so did I.

What was the most significant factor or challenge in creating the proper imagery from the book

Bill George: That was left up to our director D.J. Caruso. It was his movie and my focus was to create the visuals he wanted.

Besides the digital creatures in the film we also can see digital doubles and other really spectacular effects, such as Number 6 fighting against the bad guys in high school, with her ??appearing and disappearing. What can you tell us about these shots

Bill George: There were over 700 visual effects shots in the film. The majority of those were supervised by Greg McMurray. I supervised the sequences with the CG creatures (Piken/Bernie) and the Mog blast in the end of the film. I do know there was a huge amount of complex stunt work that went into those shots.

How did you work through some challenges of CGI to make sure that the characters were always real

Bill George: When we are working on our CG creature shots, they usually take a few weeks to create. During that time, our entire team views them daily as they progress. Everyone is welcome to offer their view of what is working and what needs improvement. This method really helps us to get a realist result. It's all about observation and refinement.

In this film we can see several digital creatures, like those two of the bad guys and the chimera, who helps John. What could you explain to us about these digital creatures and the shots where they appear Which were the main challenges with them

Bill George: When you are adding a CG creature into a shot, the key to its success is the interaction it has in the scene. We spent a lot of time with the cameraman lining up the shots with cut-outs of the creatures to help them compose the shots and blocking in the action so the actors got their movements right. It's important to always be looking ahead to what the final shot will look like when shooting the actors to make sure their performance will work in the shot. Things like shadows, debris and camera shake are all little factors that add up to a shot being realistic and dynamic.

Is there still room for practical effects, or are there restraints that make CGI a better solution

Bill George: Having come from a practical background I love using miniatures when possible. CG effects do have the benefit of being more changeable and are more "production friendly" If you blow up a practical miniature you only get one chance at it. If you do a CG explosion you can make changes up until the end. We really like to give the directors we work with the maximum amount of control so CG is many times the preferred solution.

What type of impact did the film's rating have on the visual effects as a whole

Bill George: Very little. Never were we asked to pull back on anything like that because those types of decisions are really made in the edit.

What was the most challenging scene to create with IMAX in mind

Bill George: Good question. ILM is a tool that adapts to each director we work with. Working with D.J. and watching him film non-effects shots gave us a guide as far as what our FX shots should look like. We wanted to make something unique that would show the audience a glimpse of what Lorian was like.

In the film we can see the transformation of the dog in the chimera and later from the chimera in the dog. Were these particularly complicated shots What can you tell us about them

Bill George: The transformation of Bernie in the car was quite a challenge. We didn't build a CG version of the dog so we had to get the "dog actor" to act mean for the lead in to the transformation. The problem was that the real dog was so dang cute! The trainer was able to train him to act aggressive (by taking away a juicy bone) but we had to shoot him against a blue screen. We then had to shrink our "big Bernie" CG model down to fit the real dog. That took a lot of digital pounding.

What was the most dangerous scene to film and how brave were the actors

Bill George: I was shocked to see Teresa (Palmer) hanging 60 feet in the air for the scene where the Piken picks her up off of the Football field. She was amazing and fearless! That stunt was really impressive.

How long did it take to get the right effects for the movie, and do you feel like some good ideas had to be lost

Bill George: Our post-production schedule was a short 3 months. We had to slam out rough animation quickly so D.J. could get it in the first cut of the film. The editorial process has to be fluid because the film as a whole will evolve over time. We tried to be adaptable as possible with our shots to make the movie as great as it could be and I don't believe we compromised in any way.

Which visual effect in I Am Number Four are you the most proud of

Bill George: I really love the shot of Number 6 riding the Piken down the stadium stairs. It was a real design challenge. The first animation I saw I burst out laughing! In the end I thought it looked really great.

Is it hard to find the right balance between CGI and 'real' effects And does the balance change for every film you work on

Bill George: My approach is to always try to get as much as you can practically. At the very least you are going to be getting a good reference take. So much time is spent making a CG asset look real so if you can get something practically you can use that time elsewhere.

You have a long, illustrious history in visual effects. Which film are you the most proud of

Bill George:Blade Runner, Innerspace and Galaxy Quest.

Was D.J. Caruso a hands-on director or did he hand you and your team the keys to the sandbox

Bill George:I Am Number Four is D.J.'s movie. He gave us freedom to try different things and was very supportive of us creatively, but every shot and animation he directed.

Is there a director working today who you'd love to work with, or whose creative vision you really admire

Bill George:John Waters, probably because what he does is so different from our regular genre of filmmaking.

How much time do you have to spend on set when working on a big effects movie such as I Am Number Four

Bill George: I was there in Pittsburgh for 6 weeks. In that we shot the "plates" that would be used for all the creature work. Being there on set is so important for me to be able to see how the director shoot his movie and how the DP lights the scenes so when we create our CG effects we can match their looks.

With a sequel planned, did you have a variety of different effects that you wanted to keep in reserve for the next film

Bill George: Nope. We went all out on this one. However, I was very excited about the idea of flashbacks where we get to see the destruction of Lorian. That was in the first script I read but was omitted. That is something I would love to see!

How many weeks did it take to complete all the visual effects for this movie

Bill George: Our post schedule was about 3 months. While the film was being shot though we were building Bernie and the Piken and working on walk cycles and look development. We had to be ready to go as soon as DJ turned over the sequences to us to get the movie done. Personally, I was on the show about 11 months.

Can you tell us what kinds of projects are you involved now

Bill George: I'm just finishing up the re-boot of Star Tours for Disney. The ride opens in Orlando this Friday. I'm really looking forward to seeing the project done. It's in 3D and has a "branching" storyline. Quite a step up from the beloved original.

I am looking at the trivia written about you on IMDb.com and it says: "As a teenager, he used to forage through the dumpsters outside the Van Nuys facility of Industrial Light and Magic, looking for souvenirs." - Is this a true story

Bill George: Yep, I still have some of the artwork, film and model pieces I got out of that dumpster. I also learned by going through their trash that the folks at ILM drank a LOT of beer!

So, if a teenager was to go through ILM's dumpsters today, can they still make out with cool artwork or model pieces or is everything these days, shredded and destroyed

Bill George: It's all shredded and destroyed and you'd probably be arrested! It was a different time back in 1978.

Star Wars or Star Trek? You've been intimately involved in the creation of both film universes, after all. Which do you prefer

Bill George: Sophie's choice! I love them both. Seriously, they both have their own unique charms.

Have you turned down work on a movie and regretted it later

Bill George: Never. There have been shows we really tried to get and were disappointed to lose and then later, when the film came out, were relieved we didn't get. I'm not saying which ones though....

For those not familiar with your job, on a film like I Am Number Four, what were your responsibilities on the film

Bill George: I oversaw the creation of the shots involving the Piken, Bernie and the stadium explosion. I was there when the backgrounds were shot in Pittsburgh to make sure that when the CG characters were added all the pieces would fit together. I then led the team of artists here at ILM that worked on the shots and interfaced with D.J. to get his input and feedback.

With many films going 3D lately, does that change your approach to visual effects and that visual effects will need to be planned with 3D in mind

Bill George: 3D is another level of design that needs to be considered when working on shots, so ideally we need to know ahead of time if the film is going to be released in 3D.

How was the process to create the visual effects on Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban? What were your references How different was it to creating visual effects for I Am Number Four

Bill George: For both of these films we looked more toward the directors than the books for guidance. Of course the books are always hovering out there, but movies are a different medium and have to stand on their own. The sparkle effect in Twilight was something that the studio did want us to match the description in the book. They didn't want all the fans to be thrown by something different than the "diamond skin".

Bill, you have worked with some of the greatest sci-films in America but I was wondering, as many films are become released on Blu-ray and seeing how visual effects look so much better on HD such as Blade Runner and Galaxy Quest, which look absolutely great on Blu-ray, do you watch your films on Blu-ray

Bill George: Many of them I do. Mostly I want to make sure that our effects look OK. For the older films there was a "film finish" that tends to degrade the image quality. Nowadays most all big films have a digital finish so that digital file goes directly to the Blu-ray with no loss of quality.

Bill, any final thoughts on I Am Number Four

Bill George:I Am Number Four was a really fun project to work on. D.J. has such and infectious enthusiasm that pushed us all to do our very best work. It was a real pleasure to be a part of.

I Am Number Four will be available on Blu-ray, DVD, and Blu-ray/DVD combo pack on May 24.

I Am Number Four was released February 18th, 2011 and stars Alex Pettyfer, Timothy Olyphant, Teresa Palmer, Dianna Agron, Callan McAuliffe, Kevin Durand, Jake Abel, Jeff Hochendoner. The film is directed by D.J. Caruso.

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