Was it fate, hard work or something more ubiquitous like the Force?
Whatever it was, Luke Spence Byrd, a digital artist and former Jasperite, had the year of his dreams working on some of Hollywood’s biggest blockbusters last year, including the new James Bond, Jurassic Park and Star Wars films.
“Two thousand and fifteen was a huge year for me. I got to work on three of my favourite franchises of all time,” said the 31-year-old who now lives in Vancouver.
“I’ve always been a huge Star Wars fan so it was a huge dream come true.”
Born and raised in Jasper, Byrd has spent the past six years working for Industrial Light and Magic, an American visual effects company that was founded 40 years ago by Star Wars creator George Lucas.
As a digital artist, Byrd’s job involves using computers to bridge the gap between what is shot on set and what exists in the digital word.
In layman’s terms he helps make the impossible possible, creating spaceships, dinosaurs and lightsabers and making it look like they were all shot with the same camera as the actors.
“It’s kind of like digital set building,” he explained.
“It’s a lot more complicated than that, but it’s like replicating what was there on set. You kind of have to marry reality with the computer world.”
He said he started working on Star Wars: The Force Awakens in March and was still tweaking it in November, a few weeks before it hit theatres in December.
“We were still getting some shots back that needed some fixes or some touch ups. They’re constantly working the movie and making changes. Some shots are in, then they’re out, then they’re back in, so until it’s in the theatre it’s not done, we’re not finished with it,” said Byrd.
He said the hardest part about working on Star Wars, or any of the films he works on, is he can’t tell anyone about what he is doing.
“You’re privy to a lot of detailed information and you can’t say anything to anybody,” said Byrd, explaining he regularly has to sign non-disclosure agreements when he works on films.
“It’s top secret stuff,” he said. “They have a big poster in the office that says ‘loose lips sink starships.’”
While it might be tough to keep the films a secret, he said he and his colleagues usually get a private screening of the films they work on before the films are released to the public, and when it came to Star Wars it was no different.
“I thought the whole movie was really well paced and sitting there watching the whole thing I thought it flowed really nicely, and I almost forgot that I worked on it and I could be a fan again,” he said.
When asked to name his favourite Star Wars character, it was a no brainer.
“I’d have to go with Luke Skywalker, it’s my nickname, I grew up with that so it’s the obvious choice,” said Byrd, adding Hans Solo and Chewbacca are close seconds.
He said he first started getting into film around the age of nine when the first Jurassic Park movie came out.
After graduating from high school he decided to pursue his passion and moved to Vancouver.
“I wasn’t sure if I was ever going to get into the film industry, but it was always something I wanted to do and eventually I just dove in head first.”
The risk paid off and he was eventually accepted into the Vancouver Film School, considered one of the most competitive films schools in the country.
The rest, as they say in Hollywood, is history.
Paul Clarke
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