Contents Return of the Jedi: Jedi Journal: After dazzling audiences worldwide with the first two installments in his Star Wars saga, George Lucas set out to surpass even himself with Return of the Jedi. Doing so involved not only bringing the middle trilogy to a satisfying and dramatic conclusion, but also mustering forth the considerable capabilities of his oft-awarded effects facility - Industrial Light & Magic. Since the latest Star Wars entry involved more effects shots - and of greater complexity - than either of its two predecessors, and since the work would be compressed into a somewhat shorter time frame, it was decided to split ILM into three primary effects units. At the helm of each was a seasoned Star Wars veteran - Richard Edlund,Dennis Muren and Ken Ralston. As the postproduction effort progressed, each supervisor recorded a month-by-month account of the work as it developed and changed, producing in the process a fascinating account of how a major effects production comes together - the anticipation and planning, the crushing workload, the delights and disappointments. Edited by Don Shay

Contents Low-Tech Effects - The Right Stuff: When Phillip Kaufman set out to film The Right Stuff, he was faced with the task of creating believable flying effects - of familiar real-world aircraft and space vessels - that could be convincingly intercut with Air Force and NASA documentary footage. To accomplish the job, he engaged experimental filmmaker Jordan Belson and USFX effects supervisor Gary Gutierrez. What followed was a two-year odyssey of discovery and growth, during which all three found that high technology did not always produce high satisfaction. Article by Adam Eisenberg

Brainstorm - Getting the Cookie at the End: More than a decade after Silent Running, effects maestro Douglas Trumbull landed his second directing assignment on Brainstorm, only to become embroiled in a debilitating two-year struggle just to see the film completed. A key element in the postproduction effort was the creation of a point-of-view representation of the death experience - an eerie journey through a figurative heaven and hell that dominates the film's climax. Trumbull, effects supervisor Alison Yerxa and six other members of the crew, discuss the unique production. Article by Brad Munson

Twilight Zone - The Movie: Shadow and Substance: With Twilight Zone - The Movie, four top-notch directors joined forces to extract the essence of Rod Serling's ever-popular teleseries and transform it into a theatrical experience worthy of its progenitor - an anthology of filmic fantasies, old and new, ranging from the poignant to the harrowing. Though special effects, in general, were to take a back seat, two of the film's episodes featured exuberant displays of makeup prowess and postproduction opticals - discussed in detail by the principals involved. Article by Don Shay and Paul Sammon

Contents David Dryer - Never Say Never Again: Never Say Never Again - the maverick James Bond film starring the original 007, Sean Connery - emerged this fall as one of the series' strongest entries. To helm its postproduction opticals, producer Jack Schwartzman selected Oscar nominee David Dryer. Dryer - who utilized the high-tech facilities of Apogee - details the techniques employed to produce the pivotal cruise missle hijacking, the holographic videogame confrontation between Bond and Largo, and other less apparent illusions. Interview by Don Shay

The Day After: Waging a Four-Minute War: In a storm of protest and praise, ABC's video presentation of The Day After descended upon the American public as a grim reminder of the potential horrors of nuclear weaponry. Recalling the highly-charged atmosphere of creative enthusiasm and emotional abhorrence, effects supervisor Robert Blalack and members of his Praxis Film Works team discuss their involvement on the film augmented by Mike Minkow of Movie Magic; and with additional recollections from director Nicholas Meyer, his predecessor Robert Butler, and production designer Peter Wooley. Article by Adam Eisenberg

Photographs and Memories - Ralph Hammeras: In a career spanning almost half a century, effects pioneer Ralph Hammeras worked on some one thousand motion pictures - garnering, in the process, four Academy Award nominations and one Oscar. As recounted in his own words - put to paper nearly twenty years ago - Hammeras reminisces about his early days in the film business, his development of the 'glass shot' and rear process photography, and his work on such significant effects productions as The Lost World, Just Imagine and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Edited by Don Shay

Contents Rick Baker - Maker of Monsters, Master of the Apes: When ten-year-old Rick Baker first began experimenting with the most basic of makeup materials, his emerging passion for the sorts of illusions which could be wrought with these arcane substances was decidedly out of the ordinary. Motion picture makeup - the kind that transforms actors into monsters, aliens or even animals - was not at all the stellar occupation it has come to be; and at the time, there was little in the way of instructional materials an enthusiastic novice could draw upon, let alone a clearly marked path toward professional involvement. Baker's unwavering dedication, coupled with a single-minded pursuit of excellence, was to serve him well, however - vaulting him past such obstacles to a position of prominence in a burgeoning career field in which he now has few peers. From the early, low-budget efforts of Octoman and Schlock, through It's Alive and The Incredible Melting Man, and eventually on to loftier assignments in Star Wars, The Incredible Shrinking Woman and the lamentable King Kong remake, Baker honed his skills and developed his talents - ultimately reaching full maturity in response to the diverse challenges of An American Werewolf in London, Videodrome and Greystoke. From simple pie dough makeups to the most complicated of bodily transformation, Baker delves into his life and work, offering an incisive look at the artist and his art. Article by Jordan Fox