In 1985, the long-running BBC documentary series Horizon took a trip to the visual effects powerhouse Industrial Lights and Magic. They visited with artists like Chris Evans, Mike Pangrazio, Frank Ordaz, Harrison Ellenshaw, and Ralph McQuarrie, who helped create lifelike matte paintings that provided the backgrounds for the original Star Wars and Indiana Jones films.
In an interview, Ordaz discusses how he got into the field.
By the time I graduated Art Center College of Design I was already painting for the movie industry and was hired by George Lucas’s company ILM. My first assignment was to paint a background establishing shot for ET. Spielberg liked it and my career took off.
via Gizmodo Sploid
