Richard Edlund

Visual Effects

Richard Edlund

Born 1940-12-06 · Fargo, North Dakota, USA

Richard Edlund, ASC (born December 6, 1940) is an American visual effects artist and inventor. He was a founding member of Industrial Light & Magic, having already founded Pignose amplifiers, and later co-founded Boss Film Studios and DuMonde VFX. He has won two Academy Awards for Best Visual Effects (1978, Star Wars; 1982, Raiders of the Lost Ark), two Special Achievement Awards, two Scientific and Technical Awards, and the Medal of Commendation. He is also a recipient of the BAFTA and Emmy Awards. Description above from the Wikipedia article Richard Edlund, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Acting credits

Masters of Illusion: The Wizards of Special Effects poster
9.0

Documentary focused on the creation of movie and television special effects, hosted by Roy Scheider and Jonathan Brandis, featuring behind the scenes look at how the visual effects were created for popular films of the era.

Masters of Illusion: The Wizards of Special Effects

1994

Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films poster
7.2

A documentary about the rise and fall of the Cannon Film Group, the legendary independent film company helmed by Israeli cousins Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus.

Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films

2014

Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy poster
7.6

From the earliest versions of the script to the blockbuster debuts, explore the creation of the Star Wars Trilogy.

Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy

2004

Cleanin' Up the Town: Remembering Ghostbusters poster
6.9

The documentary that tells us the full story from where it all started through to the future of the "Ghostbusters" franchise.

Cleanin' Up the Town: Remembering Ghostbusters

2020

Industrial Light & Magic: Creating the Impossible poster
6.7

Leslie Iwerks' documentary takes audiences behind the scenes at ILM with in depth interviews with some of the company's top talent and showcases never before seen footage highlighting many of their pioneering milestones. From creating the first ever computer generated character in a feature film to the latest advancements in visual effects for film franchises like Transformers and Iron Man, ILM has created some of the most memorable movie moments in recent history.

Industrial Light & Magic: Creating the Impossible

2010

Power of Grayskull: The Definitive History of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe poster
7.0

This documentary looks to forge the greatest, most definitive, documentary on everything He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, She-Ra, the live action movie, New Adventures of He-Man, the 200x series and much more! They delve into the toys, comics, cartoons, and movies from all eras by talking to the artists, creators, executives and actors who helped make it a reality.

Power of Grayskull: The Definitive History of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe

2017

Star Wars: Greatest Moments poster
7.1

Alex Zane counts down the top 20 Star Wars moments as voted by the public. Includes contributions from famous fans as well as the stars and crew of the intergalactic saga.

Star Wars: Greatest Moments

2015

Ray Harryhausen: The Early Years Collection poster
8.0

For over a half century, Ray Harryhausen has amazed and inspired countless filmmakers and fans around the world with his breathtaking motion picture effects and stop-motion animation. Presented here for the first time ever is the authorized collection of his earliest work, along with hours of supplemental features.

Ray Harryhausen: The Early Years Collection

2005

Wreckage and Rage: Making 'Alien³' poster
7.8

The creation of the film Alien³ (1992) is covered here in this feature-length documentary in exhaustive detail. Many interviews with the cast and crew give us an idea of how hard of a time David Fincher had creating his first feature film, as well as present us with much information about every element that went into making this film, including how the plot and script changed drastically through filming.

Wreckage and Rage: Making 'Alien³'

2003

The Hand Behind the Mouse: The Ub Iwerks Story poster
7.6

There's not a person in the world who wouldn't recognize Mickey Mouse. But until now, not many knew the man who originally gave shape, movement and personality to the world's most beloved icon. "The Hand Behind the Mouse: The Ub Iwerks Story" takes you behind the scenes to meet Walt Disney's best friend and chief animator.

The Hand Behind the Mouse: The Ub Iwerks Story

1999

Rubberhead: The Life & Monsters of Steve Johnson poster
NR

Known for his intense work ethic, perfectionism, and obsession with breaking new ground, Steve Johnson has created iconic creatures and effects for some of the most beloved genre films in cinema history, working with everyone from John Carpenter, David Cronenberg, and Sam Raimi to James Cameron, Steven Spielberg, and Guillermo del Toro. His drive and ambition also led to heartbreaking acts of self-sabotage, divorce, and a serious drug addiction.

Rubberhead: The Life & Monsters of Steve Johnson

2026

SP FX: The Empire Strikes Back poster
8.2

Hosted by Mark Hamill, this revealing documentary offers behind-the-scenes glimpses into the amazing special effects that transformed George Lucas’ vision for Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back into reality!

SP FX: The Empire Strikes Back

1980

Star Trek: Inside the Roddenberry Vault poster
5.8

Fifty years after the original Star Trek first arrived on television, is there anything about Gene Roddenberry's space opera that hasn't been uncovered? Plenty! On December 13, 2016 fans can experience Star Trek: The Original Series - The Roddenberry Vault, a newly produced multi-part documentary featuring footage from the cutting room floor, long preserved in film canisters by the Roddenberry Estate. The origins of the classic series are explored with new interviews featuring cast and production personnel combined with newly-found deleted scenes, alternate angles, outtakes, behind the scenes moments, and original visual effects elements to tell the definitive story on the making and enduring legacy of Gene Roddenberry's creation.

Star Trek: Inside the Roddenberry Vault

2016

The Creep Behind the Camera poster
5.0

An exploration of the making of b-movie sci-fi cult classic "The Creeping Terror" and its con-man director Art "A.J." Nelson/Vic Savage.

The Creep Behind the Camera

2014

Vision of a Future Passed: The Prophecy of 2001 poster
6.0

This documentary about "2001: A Space Odyssey" looks at some of the things that seemed fanciful in 1968, which don't seem quite as much anymore.

Vision of a Future Passed: The Prophecy of 2001

2007

2010 : The Odyssey Continues poster
10.0

This promotional short for 2010 (1984) shows moviegoers how some of the film's visual effects were created. This includes makeup for Keir Dullea's character, how the astronauts float in space, and the construction of the spaceship in which the astronauts carry out their mission. The vehicle is so large, the two largest sound stages on the MGM lot were used to construct it.

2010 : The Odyssey Continues

1984

Ben-Hur: The Making of an Epic poster
7.7

The story of how the classic epic "Ben-Hur" was made.

Ben-Hur: The Making of an Epic

1993

Star Trek: The Journey to the Silver Screen poster
2.8

In celebration of Star Trek's 50th anniversary, this two-hour documentary explores this enduring franchise by offering viewers an unprecedented, candid exploration into the original series cancellation and subsequent resurrection as one of the most successful series of motion pictures in Hollywood history. Features new interviews with key creative and production people as well as never before seen images from the production of all six classic Star Trek films along with details on all the un-produced Trek theatrical projects including The God Thing, Star Trek: Planet of the Titans, Star Trek: The Academy Years, and many other aborted big screen voyages for the crew of the Enterprise. Chapter 1 - The New Frontier: Resurrecting Star Trek Chapter 2 - Maiden Voyage: Making Star Trek The Motion Picture Chapter 3 - The Genesis Effect: Engineering The Wrath of Khan Chapter 4 - The Dream Is Alive: The Continuing Mission Chapter 5 - End of an Era: Charting The Undiscovered Country

Star Trek: The Journey to the Silver Screen

2016

Toy Masters poster
5.3

First ever feature-length documentary on the world-wide phenomenon that inspired an entire generation of children and became a billion dollar franchise--"Masters of the Universe". Features interviews with the key creative personnel behind every version of the best selling toy line and all incarnations of "Masters of the Universe" on television, film, stage, and print, tracing the inception and ups and downs of the fantasy juggernaut.

Toy Masters

2014

Restoring a Legend: Gone with the Wind poster
8.2

DVD featurette on the restoration of Gone with the Wind (1939).

Restoring a Legend: Gone with the Wind

2004

The Lost Legacy of Tony Gaudio poster
7.5

De Sica, Fellini, Loren, Benigni, Sorrentino. Many Italians have won an Academy Award®. But who was the first ever?

The Lost Legacy of Tony Gaudio

2024

King Kong 60th Anniversary Special: "It was beauty killed the beast." poster
8.0

Documentary on the making of the 1933 RKO film King Kong. Contains interviews with George Turner, Linwood Dunn, Rudy Behlmer.

King Kong 60th Anniversary Special: "It was beauty killed the beast."

1992

Behind the camera