In the 40 years that it has been making the unreal real, Industrial Light & Magic has pioneered countless special effects---a man made of mercury, CG dinosaurs, all those insanely intricate Transformers. But as amazing as those creations are, they're temporary. Effects get better all the time; the velociraptors in Jurassic World inevitably will look cooler and more lifelike than those in the original (even if the movie itself can't compete).
The truly great stuff, though, that's forever. Luke's lightsaber. Darth Vader's helmet. Indy's whip. CGI is cool, but give us props. They're the real source of movie magic---objects built from everyday materials that moviemakers transform into icons. Kids everywhere still beg their parents for a lightsaber---the heavier and more real-feeling, the better.
When we set out to compile an oral history of Industrial Light & Magic, we didn't just want replicas. We wanted to see the originals. George Lucas himself granted us permission to enter the vault, where photographer Dan Winters went nuts. These are his photos of the very props from films that made history and defined a generation. With just a glance, each creates a powerful, collective nostalgia. What kind of computer-generated image can do that?
