John Knoll(born October 6, 1962) is an Americanvisual effects supervisorandchief creative officer(CCO) atIndustrial Light & Magic(ILM).[1]One of the original creators ofAdobe Photoshop(along with his brother,Thomas Knoll), he has also worked asvisual effects supervisoron theStar Warsprequels and the 1997 special editions of the original trilogy. He also served as ILM's visual effects supervisor forStar Trek GenerationsandStar Trek: First Contact,as well as thePirates of the Caribbeanseries. Along with Hal Hickel, Charles Gibson and Allen Hall, Knoll and the trio's work onPirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chestearned them theAcademy Award for Best Visual Effects.[2]
John Knoll | |
|---|---|
 Knoll in 2007 | |
| Born | October 6, 1962 Ann Arbor, Michigan,U.S. |
| Education | USC School of Cinematic Arts |
| Occupation(s) | Visual effects supervisor,chief creative officer(CCO) |
| Spouse | Jennifer Knoll |
| Children | 4 |
| Relatives | Thomas Knoll(brother) |
Knoll has been praised by directorsJames Cameron,Gore Verbinski,Guillermo del Toro,andBrad Bird.Del Toro, who worked with Knoll for the first time onPacific Rim,stated "He basically has the heart of a kid and the mind of a scientist, and that's a great combination."[3]
Knoll is also the inventor of Knoll Light Factory, alens flaregenerating software inspired by his work at Industrial Light and Magic.[4]He was the Computer Graphics Project Designer onThe Abyss,an achievement which earned ILM its tenthOscar,and worked on twoStar Trekepisodes:Star Trek: The Next Generation's pilot episode ( "Encounter at Farpoint") and theStar Trek: Deep Space Nineepisode "Explorers".
Knoll had a cameo appearance inStar Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menaceas a fighter pilot,[5]helped pitch the story ofRogue One,a feature film set in theStar Warsseries, for which he also worked as writer and executive producer.[6]
John Knoll reflected on his work withGeorge Lucason the Star Wars prequel trilogy: "I still feel like I owe George a lot to have been given that opportunity. On those three films, I feel like I got a whole career's worth of experience packed into eight years. George never constricted his thinking to what he knew for sure the tools were capable of; his attitude was," Yeah, well, I'm writing what I want to see, so you guys will figure it out. "I loved that he would constantly throw those challenges out with the confidence [that] you guys will figure it out. That was great."[7]
In 2016, John Knoll and his brother Thomas were inducted into theInternational Photography Hall of Fame and Museum.[8]
At the2019 Oscars,John and his brother Thomas were awarded a Scientific and Engineering Award for the original architecture, design and development of Photoshop.[9]
Filmography
editFilm
edit
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Captain EO | Motion control camera operator |
| Jared: The Movie | Motion control camera operator | |
| 1987 | Star Trek: The Next Generation | Motion control camera operator |
| Empire of the Sun | Motion control camera operator | |
| Innerspace | Motion control camera operator | |
| 1988 | Willow | Motion control camera operator |
| 1989 | The Abyss | CG supervisor |
| 1990 | Spaced Invaders | visual effects supervisor |
| The Hunt for Red October | visual effects supervisor | |
| 1991 | Hook | visual effects supervisor |
| Hudson Hawk | visual effects supervisor | |
| 1994 | Baby's Day Out | visual effects supervisor |
| Star Trek Generations | visual effects supervisor | |
| 1996 | Mission: Impossible | visual effects supervisor |
| Star Trek: First Contact | Visual effects supervisor | |
| 1999 | Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace | Visual effects supervisor, onscreen cameo |
| Deep Blue Sea | Visual effects supervisor | |
| 2000 | Mission to Mars | visual effects supervisor |
| 2002 | Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones | Visual effects supervisor |
| 2003 | Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl | Visual effects supervisor |
| 2005 | Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith | Visual effects supervisor |
| 2006 | Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest | Visual effects supervisor |
| 2007 | Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End | Visual effects supervisor |
| 2008 | Speed Racer | Visual effects supervisor |
| 2009 | Confessions of a Shopaholic | Visual effects supervisor |
| Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince | Digital artist | |
| 2009 | Avatar | Visual effects supervisor |
| 2011 | Super 8 | Digital artist |
| Rango | Visual effects supervisor | |
| Hugo | Visual effects supervisor | |
| Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol | Visual effects supervisor | |
| 2013 | Pacific Rim | Visual effects supervisor |
| 2015 | Tomorrowland | Visual effects supervisor |
| 2016 | Rogue One: A Star Wars Story | Visual effects supervisor, executive producer, story |
| 2018 | Ready Player One | Visual effects production |
| The Other Side of the Wind | Visual effects supervisor | |
| Aquaman | Production and technical support | |
| 2019 | 6 Underground | Additional visual effects supervisor |
| 2021 | Jungle Cruise | Visual effects supervisor |
| 2022 | The Batman | Visual effects production |
| 2023 | Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny | Additional visual effects supervisor |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2019-present | The Mandalorian | Additional visual effects supervisor |
| 2021-2022 | The Book of Boba Fett | Senior visual effects supervisor |
| 2024-2025 | Star Wars: Skeleton Crew | Visual effects supervisor |
Awards
edit| Year | Organisation | Work | Category/award | Co-nominees | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 91st Academy Awards | Photoshop | Scientific and Engineering | Thomas KnollandMark Hamburg | Won | [10] |
| 2017 | 89th Academy Awards | Rogue One | Visual Effects | Mohen Leo,Hal HickelandNeil Corbould | Nominated | [11] |
| 2008 | 80th Academy Awards | Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End | Visual Effects | Hal Hickel,Charles GibsonandJohn Frazier | Nominated | [12] |
| 2007 | 79th Academy Awards | Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest | Visual Effects | Hal Hickel, Charles Gibson andAllen Hall | Won | [13] |
| 2004 | 76th Academy Awards | Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl | Visual Effects | Hal Hickel, Charles Gibson andTerry Frazee | Nominated | [14] |
| 2003 | 75th Academy Awards | Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones | Visual Effects | Rob Coleman,Pablo HelmanandBen Snow | Nominated | [15] |
| 2000 | 72nd Academy Awards | Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace | Visual Effects | Dennis Muren,Scott Squiresand Rob Coleman | Nominated | [16] |
Books
edit- John Knoll,J. W. Rinzler:Creating the Worlds of Star Wars: 365 Days with CDROM; Book about the Making of the Star Wars Saga;ISBN0-8109-5936-4
References
edit- ^Cohen, David (May 23, 2013)."Industrial Light & Magic Ups John Knoll to Chief Creative Officer (EXCLUSIVE)".Variety.RetrievedJune 1,2013.
- ^79th Academy Awards#Awards
- ^Cohen, David (May 28, 2013)."John Knoll Hailed By Helmers Bird, Verbinski, del Toro and Cameron".Variety.Archivedfrom the original on June 16, 2013.RetrievedJune 23,2013.
- ^"Red Giant - Products - Knoll Light Factory 3.0 - More Info".Red Giant Software.Archived fromthe originalon June 7, 2013.
- ^Barry, Nathan (February 10, 2012)."Some Good Things About The Phantom Menace".Wired.Archivedfrom the original on June 1, 2023.RetrievedApril 10,2023.
- ^Frei, Vincent (January 9, 2017)."ROGUE ONE – A STAR WARS STORY: John Knoll – Overall VFX Supervisor & Chief Creative Officer – Industrial Light & Magic".Art of VFX.Archivedfrom the original on September 16, 2018.RetrievedApril 10,2023.
- ^Brooks, Dan (May 24, 2019).""All Films Are Personal": An Oral History of Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace ".Star Wars.Archivedfrom the original on December 16, 2023.RetrievedApril 10,2023.
- ^"John Knoll".International Photography Hall of Fame.Archivedfrom the original on July 24, 2022.RetrievedJuly 24,2022.
- ^"Scientific & Technical Awards | 2019".Oscars.Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. February 9, 2019.Archivedfrom the original on June 2, 2020.RetrievedMay 29,2020.
- ^"Scientific & Technical Awards 2019".The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.February 9, 2019.Archivedfrom the original on June 2, 2020.RetrievedJanuary 10,2023.
- ^"The 89th Academy Awards - 2017".The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.February 26, 2017.Archivedfrom the original on April 17, 2018.RetrievedJanuary 10,2023.
- ^"The 80th Academy Awards - 2008".The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.February 24, 2008.Archivedfrom the original on June 30, 2023.RetrievedJanuary 10,2023.
- ^"The 79th Academy Awards - 2007".The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.February 25, 2007.Archivedfrom the original on October 3, 2023.RetrievedJanuary 10,2023.
- ^"The 76th Academy Awards - 2004".The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.February 29, 2004.Archivedfrom the original on March 14, 2023.RetrievedJanuary 10,2023.
- ^"The 75th Academy Awards - 2003".The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.March 23, 2003.Archivedfrom the original on April 17, 2018.RetrievedJanuary 10,2023.
- ^"The 72nd Academy Awards - 2000".The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.March 26, 2000.Archivedfrom the original on April 17, 2018.RetrievedJanuary 10,2023.