Article by Todd Vaziri Planning and orchestrating one of the biggest visual effects films in history took a great deal of cooperation and organization among hundreds of visual effects professionals. The two largest vendors, Tippett Studio and Sony Pictures Imageworks, were in deep into production on STARSHIP TROOPERS for over a year. Large companies had to cooperate in ways rarely seen in today's industry. For dozens of shots, visual effects elements passed from one house to another--from Boss to POP Film, from Banned from the Ranch to ILM (and VCE, and Compound Eye) from Tippett to Sony, then back to Tippett. All of the individuals involved agonized in front of cameras, computer screens, input devices and in model shops to bring Paul Verhoeven's vision of the future to life. From the most elegant of space battles, to the violent and dangerous alien species, to the invisible effects shots that don't make the audiences' collective jaw drop, the VFX HQ talked to a few of the professionals that had a part in creating these effects. Included in this article are a few peeks behind the curtain: the artists, producers and supervisors give insight into some of the techniques and stories behind the making of one of the most ambitious visual effects films in history. go to page 2

The Filmmakers The following individuals associated with STARSHIP TROOPERS contributed to this article: Phil Tippett Tippett Studio Scott E. Anderson Sony Pictures Imageworks Scott Squires Industrial Light & Magic Mark Sullivan Compound Eye Larry Weiss Tippett Studio Dave Chamberlain Thunderstone Tom Dadras Boss Film Studios Pete Kuran VCE Van Ling Sage Greco Banned From the Ranch Jay Cooper Sony Pictures Imageworks Andrea D'Amico POP Film

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