Richard Edlund, A.S.C. (born December 6, 1940) is a multi-Academy Award-winning US special effects cinematographer.Edlund was born in Fargo, North Dakota and raised in Fergus Falls, Minnesota. After first joining the United States Navy, he developed an interest in experimental film and attended the USC School of Cinematic Arts in the late 1960s. On the strength of a couple of short films, he was picked by John Dykstra to work as first cameraman at the embryonic Industrial Light & Magic on the production on Star Wars for which he shared an Academy Award.Edlund continued to work with Dykstra on Battlestar Galactica but was invited back by George Lucas to work on The Empire Strikes Back. Edlund's considerable technical challenge on this film was to optically composite miniatures against a white back ground resulting in a second academy award. Edlund also did distinguished work for Lucas and ILM on Raiders of the Lost Ark and Poltergeist.In 1983, following the completion of Return of the Jedi, Edlund set up his own effects company, Boss Films, whose credits include Big Trouble in Little China, Die Hard, Ghostbusters, The Hunt for Red October, Cliffhanger, Outbreak, and Air Force One. Boss Film Studios was one of the first traditional effects houses that successfully transitioned from "tangible world" visual effects, to computer generated imagery. Many notable CGI artists began their careers at Boss.Aside from film-work, Edlund also developed and manufactured the Pignose portable-style guitar amplifier (co-designed by Wayne Kimball).
Board member of the Academy since 1995, Chair of its Scientific & Technical Awards Committee.
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Board member of the ASC, Recently received the ASC President's Award.
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Member of the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) since 1982.
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On February 10, 2007, he was honored with the John A. Bonner Medal of Commendation by the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Named in honor of the late director of special projects at Warner Hollywood Studios, the John A. Bonner Medal is awarded for "outstanding service and dedication in upholding the high standards of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.".
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He was a key member of George Lucas' Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), a company that has become a Hollywood powerhouse of cutting-edge film technology. In 1981 he and ILM won two Scientific and Engineering Awards from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for the development of the Empire motion picture camera system and a beam-splitter optical composite motion picture printer.
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Member of the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Visual Effects Branch) [-2006 & 2007-].
Visual Effects
Title
Year
Status
Character
Barely Lethal
2015
visual effects supervisor: duMonde VFX
Bullet to the Head
2012
visual effects supervisor
21 Jump Street
2012
visual effects supervisor: DuMonde Visual Effects
Charlie Wilson's War
2007
visual effects supervisor
Anamorph
2007
senior visual effects supervisor
The Stepford Wives
2004
visual effects consultant: Tippett Studio
Angels in America
2003
TV Mini-Series visual effects supervisor - 5 episodes
Bedazzled
2000
visual effects supervisor
Desperate Measures
1998
visual effects plate supervisor: Boss Film Studios
Air Force One
1997
visual effects supervisor
Turbulence
1997
visual effects co-supervisor: Boss Film Studios
Multiplicity
1996
visual effects supervisor: Boss Film Studios
Species
1995
visual effects supervisor
Tales from the Crypt
1989-1995
TV Series producer - 3 episodes
Alien³
1992
visual effects producer
The Judas Project
1990
visual effects producer
Ghost
1990
visual effects supervisor: Boss Film Studios
Vibes
1988
visual effects producer
Big Top Pee-wee
1988
visual effects producer
Die Hard
1988
visual effects producer
Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color
1988
TV Series visual effects producer - 1 episode
Leonard Part 6
1987
visual effects supervisor
Date with an Angel
1987
visual effects producer
The Monster Squad
1987
executive visual effects supervisor: Boss Film Studios
Masters of the Universe
1987
executive visual effects supervisor: Boss Film Studios
Solarbabies
1986
visual effects producer
The Boy Who Could Fly
1986
visual effects supervisor
Big Trouble in Little China
1986
visual effects producer
Legal Eagles
1986
visual effects supervisor
Poltergeist II: The Other Side
1986
visual effects supervisor
Fright Night
1985
visual effects producer
2010
1984
visual effects supervisor
Ghostbusters
1984
visual effects
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi
1983
visual effects
Poltergeist
1982
visual effects supervision
Raiders of the Lost Ark
1981
visual effects supervisor
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back
1980
special visual effects
The China Syndrome
1979
miniature photography
Battlestar Galactica
1978
special effects photography: miniature and optical effects unit
The Manitou
1978
mechanical special effects - uncredited
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope
1977
first cameraman: miniature and optical effects unit
Producer
Title
Year
Status
Character
Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight
1995
producer: opening sequence
Solar Crisis
1990
producer
Miscellaneous
Title
Year
Status
Character
Shadows of the Bat: The Cinematic Saga of the Dark Knight - Dark Side of the Knight
2005
Video documentary short source: photographs, illustrations and footage
The Making of 'Alien³'
2003
Video documentary photos
The Creeping Terror
1964
TV Movie title designer - uncredited
Special Effects
Title
Year
Status
Character
Anamorph
2007
special effects director - uncredited
Solar Crisis
1990
special effects - uncredited
Assistant Director
Title
Year
Status
Character
Bedazzled
2000
second unit director
Camera Department
Title
Year
Status
Character
Farewell to the King
1989
director of photography: special water unit, Waimea Bay, Hawaii
Thanks
Title
Year
Status
Character
Shadows
2016/IV
Short special thanks post-production
Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films
2014
Documentary our deepest appreciation
They Are Here: The Real World of the Poltergeists
2007
Video documentary short special thanks
Empire of Dreams: The Story of the 'Star Wars' Trilogy
2004
Video documentary special thanks
Indiana Jones: Making the Trilogy
2003
Video documentary special thanks
Hollywood Stuntmakers
1999
TV Series special thanks - 2 episodes
Ghostbusters' SFX Team Featurette
1999
Video documentary special thanks
Visions of Light
1992
Documentary special thanks: AFI
Self
Title
Year
Status
Character
You're So Cool Brewster! The Story of Fright Night
2016
Documentary post-production
Himself
Cleanin' Up the Town: Remembering Ghostbusters
2016
Video documentary post-production
Himself
Toy Masters
Documentary completed
Himself
Star Trek: Inside the Roddenberry Vault
2016
Documentary
Himself
Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers Centennial Gala
2016
Video
Himself
Star Trek: The Journey to the Silver Screen
2016
Documentary
Himself
Star Wars: Greatest Moments
2015
TV Movie documentary
Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films
2014
Documentary
Himself
The Creep Behind the Camera
2014
Documentary
Himself
11th Annual Visual Effects Society Awards
2013
TV Special
Himself
Decoding Die Hard
2013
Video documentary
Himself
Industrial Light & Magic: Creating the Impossible
2010
TV Movie documentary
Himself
Slimer Mode
2009
Video documentary
Himself - Visual Effects Supervisorr
Raiders: The Melting Face!
2008
Video short
Himself
Vision of a Future Passed: The Prophecy of 2001
2007
Video documentary short
Himself
Cinematographer Style
2006
Documentary
Himself
Ray Harryhausen: The Early Years Collection
2005
Video documentary
Gone with the Wind: Restoring a Legend
2004
Video documentary short
Himself
Species: Designing a Hybrid
2004
Video documentary short
Himself
Empire of Dreams: The Story of the 'Star Wars' Trilogy
2004
Video documentary
Himself - Cameraman, Miniature and Optical Effects
The Making of 'Alien³'
2003
Video documentary
Himself
The Light and Magic of 'Indiana Jones'
2003
Video documentary short
Himself
The Hand Behind the Mouse: The Ub Iwerks Story
1999
Documentary
Himself
Ghostbusters' SFX Team Featurette
1999
Video documentary
Himself
Movie Magic
1994-1996
TV Series documentary
Himself
Ben-Hur: The Making of an Epic
1993
Video documentary
Himself - Special Effects Director
The Making of 'Alien 3'
1992
TV Movie documentary
Himself
King Kong 60th Anniversary Special: 'It Was Beauty Killed the Beast'
1992
Video documentary short
Himself
Reflections on 'Citizen Kane'
1991
TV Short documentary
Himself
Vista: The New Magicians
1985
TV Series documentary
Himself (1985)
2010: The Odyssey Continues
1984
Documentary short
Himself (uncredited)
The 56th Annual Academy Awards
1984
TV Special documentary
Himself - Winner: Best Visual Effects
The 54th Annual Academy Awards
1982
TV Special documentary
Himself - Winner: Best Visual Effects
The 53rd Annual Academy Awards
1981
TV Special
Himself - Winner: Best Visual Effects
SPFX: The Empire Strikes Back
1980
TV Movie documentary
Himself
The 50th Annual Academy Awards
1978
TV Special
Himself - Winner: Best Visual Effects
Archive Footage
Title
Year
Status
Character
Troldspejlet
2003
TV Series
Himself
Won Awards
Year
Award
Ceremony
Nomination
Movie
2013
Lifetime Achievement Award
Visual Effects Society Awards
2012
VES Fellow
Visual Effects Society Awards
2008
President's Award
American Society of Cinematographers, USA
2007
Medal of Commendation
Academy Awards, USA
1995
Best Special Effects
Sitges - Catalonian International Film Festival
Species (1995)
1987
Scientific and Engineering Award
Academy Awards, USA
1984
Special Achievement Award
Academy Awards, USA
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
1984
BAFTA Film Award
BAFTA Awards
Best Special Visual Effects
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
1984
Saturn Award
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA
Best Special Effects
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
1983
BAFTA Film Award
BAFTA Awards
Best Special Visual Effects
Poltergeist (1982)
1982
Oscar
Academy Awards, USA
Best Effects, Visual Effects
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
1982
Scientific and Engineering Award
Academy Awards, USA
For the concept and engineering of a beam-splitter optical composite motion picture printer.
1982
Scientific and Engineering Award
Academy Awards, USA
For the engineering of the Empire Motion Picture Camera System.
1982
Saturn Award
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA
Best Special Effects
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
1981
Special Achievement Award
Academy Awards, USA
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
1981
Saturn Award
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA
Best Special Effects
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)