On 24th September, Matt Rank, visual effects supervisor at Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), will stream a presentation into the first of a new MediaCity event series called The Innovators.
Aimed at professionals in visual effects, game design, XR and storytelling, the event will uncover the techniques and creative decisions that go into crafting convincing, emotionally resonant virtual environments. There will also be a live Q&A.
Attendees will have a chance to:
- Hear from Matt Rank (via Zoom) about his work at ILM – process, challenges, inspirations on projects including The Mandalorian, The Batman and Abba Voyage (pictured)
- Join a Q&A session to dig into craft, tools and pipelines
- Network with peers across immersive tech, VFX, game and film sectors
Industrial Light & Magic was founded by George Lucas on May 26, 1975 when he began production on the original Star Wars, now technically the fourth episode of the Skywalker Saga. It is a division of the film production company Lucasfilm, which Lucas also founded and was acquired, including ILM, by Disney for $4.05bn in October 2012.
As of 2025, Industrial Light & Magic has won 15 Academy Awards (aka Oscars) for Best Visual Effects, including for Star Wars (1977 and 1980), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981 and 1984), Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991) and Dune (2021).
“With nearly 20 years in the Industry working across feature film, HETV, commercials and gaming I’ve been lucky enough to work on many great projects, with amazing creatives, and brilliant mentors,” said Rank. “My career has taken me from early performance capture, through to breath-taking digital doubles and environments, supervising digital units, through to helping bring the use of virtual production into the mainstream from Hollywood blockbusters to local language originals.”
The Innovators is a new speaker-series for digital creators, filmmakers, visual effects artists and immersive technologists. Each event brings in industry experts to share practice, technique, inspiration and real-world insight, creating space for community, learning and collaboration.
This first event takes place at Hot House, MediaCity, from 6pm on Wednesday 24th September. Tickets are available free but places are limited so book early via Eventbrite.
