Help back a project for “Stuart Ziff: The Special Effect” at Indiegogo.com, a new, feature-length documentary about special effects legend and ILM pioneer Stuart Ziff as he recounts his journey in the golden era of Hollywood FX, including all three original Star Wars films.
At last, special effects legend and ILM (Industrial Light and Magic) pioneer Stuart Ziff recounts his journey in the golden era of Hollywood FX in a new, feature-length documentary, complete with never-before-seen photos, interviews and exclusive details behind the making of classics like Ghostbusters, Dragonslayer, and, of course, all three original Star Wars films – A New Hope, Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi.
Known as “The Professor” or “Mr. Fix It,” Stuart had his hand in developing and fixing some of the most challenging technical problems on the biggest film sets in movie history and even won a technical achievement Oscar for his work on Dragonslayer. Over 20 hours of new interviews have been recorded with Stuart and other filmmakers and special effects legends Kirk Thatcher (Return of the Jedi, Muppets Haunted Mansion, Muppet Treasure Island), Mark Bryan Wilson (Slimer in Ghostbusters), Bill Bryan (Stay Puft in Ghostbusters), Rob Burman (The Thing, Super Mario Bros, Star Trek), Teresa Burkett (Dune, Darkman) along with a Ghost Shop reunion 40 years in the making. Future interviews are planned with legendary VFX pioneers Richard Edlund (Star Wars, ILM) and Phil Tippett (Star Wars, Dragonslayer, Jurassic Park).
Film by film, Stu shares some hilarious memories of his former crew and cast members, all the while coming to the inspiring realization that his life’s work continues to be admired and cherished by fans and filmmakers alike. With your support, we aim to edit and release “Stuart Ziff: The Special Effect” in Spring 2027.
Take the link below to help fund this documentary.
