Part of: 2025 Nellie Wong Magic of Movies Essay Contest
The Art & Science of Lucasfilm: James Tooley – ILM Creature Supervisor
As the screen lit up with a montage of galaxies, animals, and some of my favorite characters and movies. I sat in admiration of the visuals that brought me back to my childhood and transported me to my couch curled in a blanket watching my television intently. I came to a realization that behind every sizzle reel of film lies a mix of not only art and creativity, but science, math, and technology. Attending the SF FILM screening and listening to ILM’s James Tooley, opened my eyes to a world where math and science met arts and creativity. That adaptation is key to the success of any industry, reshaping how I see the professional world.
Before this event I had no idea how much science, technology, and research went into developing a creature for film. Watching how these artists used anatomy, mapping of joints, and simulating movement to make something that appears believable on screen, was way beyond simply drawing. He gave demonstrations of how they use kinesiology to analyze real life creatures that they then apply to their CGI. Using technology to create a skeleton, muscles, and skin to resemble a creature. Then rigging and painting the model to simulate movement. It shows an intricate process that uses biology, math, and evolving software. Learning through a film and speaker made it much more memorable than reading an article or textbook.
As someone who never viewed math or science as creative, this experience changed my perspective. I suddenly valued physics in animation and biology in movement. The idea that different fields can combine to create a real world-impact has inspired me to explore my classes into more depth, especially with tools like AI now changing the game. Meeting James Tooley after the presentation gave me the opportunity to ask meaningful questions that sparked insightful discussions and thoughts in the students present. I got the chance to delve deeper into his experiences in adapting from traditional animation to computer science, especially with the rise of AI shifting the film industry. His advice was to always evolve, adapt, and put in the work, which stuck with me. I thought about how as I go down my path I can stay open to change, just like he did.
This event showed what is possible and the amazing things I can be a part of as I enter the workforce. Whether I am going into film and animation, the lessons I learned from James Tooley apply everywhere, to be bold, be flexible, and never stop learning. Something that was sparked by a simple screening that can change my viewpoint on my future trajectory. In the words of James Tooley, “If someone had told me that my current job would rely so much on what I would be learning in school, I would have studied a little harder.” and I think this is something every student should hear, and something he left me to ponder on for the remainder of my high school career.