By Katelyn S. Irons | Echo
When the credits roll for films like "Pirates of the Caribbean" or "Transformers," it's rare to see someone on the list who came from a tiny school in the cornfields. Yet major films such as these have Taylor grad Tim Naylor ('94) to thank for some of the visual effects that brought them to life.
Currently working as the co-founder of Creature Art and Mechanics, Naylor has over 15 years of experience in visual effects. He has worked on films such as "Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones," "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," "Transformers," "Rango," "The Lone Ranger" and "Evan Almighty."
During this year's Envision Film Festival, Tim Naylor will return as a special guest speaker. He said he is looking forward to speaking to students about using their creative talents for God.
"Working in the film industry has challenged my faith over and over again," Naylor said. "Through those challenges the foundation of my faith continues to stand firm. My experiences in film have also created clarity on why I need to be in the industry, how God intends to use his people in business and media."
Naylor cites his work for Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) as one of his most rewarding jobs. During his time with ILM, he worked as a part of the team that created the character Davy Jones for "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," a character which won the Oscar for visual effects.
"Working for Industrial Light & Magic was more than a childhood dream for me. It was the culmination of God's direct intervention during a pivotal time in my life," Naylor said. "I would constantly, even after being there for years, walk down the hall and wonder how I got there, could I really be working here? Walking the hallways of ILM I would pass movie artifacts that shaped much of my childhood and love for movies."
Naylor's company is run out of the original Lucasfilm property in Northern California, where he creates next-generation digital technology. Many of his employees started out there.
"Movies are really difficult to create and vfx (visual effects) is an intensive process, working from one seemingly unsolvable problem to the next," Naylor said. "We work long, long hours and the people around you become more than coworkers, they become the type of friends that you feel you went into digital combat with and came out alive in the end."
One of the biggest projects his company was contracted for was to create the Michael Jackson hologram for the Billboards Awards in May 2014. The hologram sang and danced for a three-and-a-half minute performance and was considered extremely lifelike.
Naylor will be speaking today during the 1 p.m. workshop on Visual Effects in Hollywood Filmmaking in Mitchell Theatre.
