Boss Film Studios

Boss Film Studios was a prominent American visual effects company, founded by visual effects veteran Richard Edlund after his departure from Industrial Light and Magic, producing visual effects for over thirty films from 1983 to 1997. Before that period Edlund had worked at ILM on films like ''Raiders of the Lost Ark'' (1981) and the original Star Wars trilogy (1977-1983).

History

Richard Edlund planned to leave Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) and start his own business. Ghostbuster director Ivan Reitman convinced Columbia Pictures to collaborate with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), which also needed an effects studio, to advance Edlund $5 million to establish his own company, Boss Film Studios.

Boss Film Studios (originally Boss Film Corporation) initially undertook two projects, ''Ghostbusters'' and ''2010'', simultaneously. In an effort to set up the new venture quickly, Edlund acquired Douglas Trumbull's Entertainment Effects Group, taking over their Marina Del Rey facility.

Competition with ILM

Boss Film soon established itself as one of ILM's competitors as it contributed to such projects as ''Die Hard'', '' Poltergeist II'', and ''Big Trouble in Little China''.

Edlund and his team chose to compete with ILM technically, continuing EEG's preference for using 65mm film for the creation of their optical effects work. This provided potentially cleaner effects than ILM's VistaVision format due to its much larger negative area.

Boss Game Studios

Boss Film branched out into video game production in 1994 through sister company Boss Game Studios. Boss Film also operated a commercial production company producing many television spots for companies including Budweiser, Dodge, United Airlines, and DHL.

Closure

Boss Film announced it was closing its doors on August 26, 1997, citing the difficulties of sustaining an independent effects house within the competitive environment at the time.

Awards

*Nominated for the 1993 Academy Award for Best Visual Effects for ''Alien 3''. The named nominees were Richard Edlund, Alec Gillis, Tom Woodruff Jr., and George Gibbs.
*Nominated for the 1989 Academy Award for Best Visual Effects for ''Die Hard''. The named nominees were Richard Edlund, Al Di Sarro, Brent Boates, and Thaine Morris.
*Nominated for the 1987 Academy Award for Best Visual Effects for '' Poltergeist II''. The named nominees were Richard Edlund, John Bruno, Garry Waller, and Bill Neil.
*Boss Film was awarded a Scientific and Engineering Award from the AMPAS in 1987 for the design and development of a Zoom Aerial (ZAP) 65mm Optical Printer. The winners were Richard Edlund, Gene Whiteman, David Grafton, Mark West, Jerry Jeffress, and Robert Wilcox.
*Nominated for the 1985 Academy Award for Best Visual Effects for both ''2010'' (Richard Edlund, Neil Krepela, George Jenson, and Mark Stetson) and ''Ghostbusters'' (Richard Edlund, John Bruno, Mark Vargo, and Chuck Gaspar).

Notable Boss Film alumni

* Brent Boates
* John Bruno
* Christian Colquhoun
* Randall William Cook
* Randy Cooper
*Richard Edlund
* Evan Jacobs
* Greg Jein
* Steve Johnson
* Patrick McClung
* Bill Neil
* Jim Rygiel
*Screaming Mad George
*Stephen Stanton
* Mark Stetson
* David K. Stewart
* Garry Waller
* Terry Windell
* Bruce MacRae

Facility location

13335 Maxella Avenue, Marina Del Rey, California

Filmography

''1984''
* ''Ghostbusters'' (credited as Effects Entertainment Group)
* ''2010'' (credited as Effects Entertainment Group)

''1985''
* ''Fright Night''

''1986''
* ''Big Trouble in Little China''
* '' Poltergeist II: The Other Side''
* ''Solarbabies''
* '' Legal Eagles''
* '' The Boy Who Could Fly''

''1987''
* ''Masters of the Universe''
* ''The Monster Squad''
* '' Date with an Angel''
* '' Leonard Part 6''

''1988''
* ''Switching Channels''
* ''Die Hard''
* '' Vibes''
* ''Twins''
* ''Big Top Pee-wee''

''1989''
* '' Tales from the Crypt'' series opening

''1990''
* ''The Hunt for Red October''
* ''Ghost''
* '' Solar Crisis''

''1992''
* ''Alien 3''
* ''Batman Returns''
* '' Far and Away''

''1993''
* ''Cliffhanger''
* ''Last Action Hero''
* '' Journey to Technopia''

''1994''
* ''True Lies''
* ''Drop Zone''
* '' The Scout''
* ''The Specialist''
* '' Demon Knight''

''1995''
* ''Outbreak''
* ''Species''
* ''Waterworld''
* ''Heat''
* '' Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls''

''1996''
* '' Multiplicity''

''1997''
* ''Turbulence''
* ''Air Force One''
* ''Starship Troopers''

''1998''
* '' Desperate Measures''

References

{{Animation industry in the United States

American animation studios
Computer animation
Special effects companies
Visual effects companies
Best Visual Effects Academy Award winners
Entertainment companies based in California
Companies based in Los Angeles County, California
Entertainment companies established in 1983
1983 establishments in California
American companies established in 1983