In Effect: Special Effects, Production Labour & Creative Agency in U.S. Fantasy and Science Fiction Cinema From 1975 to 1987

Abstract

Abstract This thesis represents the first relative study of photo-chemical effects houses operating between 1975 to 1987. Specifically, this thesis examines Apogee Inc., Future General Corporation (FGC), Entertainment Effects Group (EEG), Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), and finally Boss Film Corporation, the rebrand of EEG as re-incorporated by Richard Edlund. Through the study of special effects labour this thesis challenges the auteur theory and asserts that the effects house technician had a far more pervasive influence on filmmaking than previously given credit for by journalists, academic scholars and by other industry professionals. More specifically, the intention of this research is to demonstrate that the study of auteurism has transitioned beyond the investigation of the more familiar Cahier du Cinéma-era theorists to underscore that SFX artists, and production studies scholars are widening the understanding of how technicians complicate the traditional notion of authorship, both through their behind-the-scenes contributions and through their role in the marketing of these science fiction and fantasy film properties. This study emphasizes that the SFX houses did not operate in a labour vacuum but rather learned and evolved from one another’s experiences, while simultaneously growing in their confidence to promote their own individual contributions and challenge the promotional behind-the-scenes narratives that emphasized the director/superstar producer as the central intellectual force. By looking towards the activities of these practical effects companies, this study offers a revisionist account of the scale of collaboration, independence and creative agency present during the late 1970s and 1980s decades, thus far overshadowed by investigations into the digital effects era, after 1992. This 6 investigation emphasizes that the photo-chemical effects artist was no mere functionary but achieved an increased sense of importance in conjunction with rapid technological strides being made during the post-Star Wars years.