78 Moving Images: Making Movies, Understanding Media

Greg Butler

Close-Up

Q

(^) In what ways did you first become involved in making
movies?

A

In 1989, I went to a small liberal arts college initially to study history

and avoid math. In my fi rst semester I applied to get into both fi lm

and video production courses, both of which were very popular. I

didn’t get into either, but I did get a work study job in the engineering

department. I quickly found that my combination of curiosity, technical

aptitude, and a set of keys to all of the video production facilities was

getting me all sorts of new connections and acquaintances in the fi lm

and video departments. I started helping older students and some of

the professors with their productions. In my third year, I was asked to

be the director of photography for a friend’s fi nal video project. Aft er

graduating, she got a job at Industrial Light and Magic. She helped

me to get an internship and later my fi rst job. I started at ILM in the

commercials division and quickly transferred to an entry level job in

the new computer graphics department.

Q

What were some of the most important early lessons you

learned?

A

One of the most important things I learned about the fi lmmaking process

is that it is incredibly interdisciplinary and requires a tremendous amount

of planning and organization. As a result, fi lms of any signifi cant length

can rarely be completed without a large number of people working

closely together. A fi lm can succeed or fail at so many diff erent points.

Everyone involved needs to keep focused on their job and work well

with everyone else.

Q

How did you move on from those initial steps?

A

(^) I started in the fi lm industry just at the moment that the transition
to digital was occurring. While I was a camera engineering intern

Behind the Scenes with Visual Effects

Supervisor

Visual effects supervisor

Greg Butler, whose credits

include the Lord of the

Rings series, Harry Potter

and the Order of the

Phoenix, Charlie and the

Chocolate Factory, Prince

Caspian, and many other

movies. (Courtesy of Greg

Butler)

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