Jim Rygiel (born February 17, 1955) is an American

visual effects supervisor In the context of film and television production, a visual effects supervisor is responsible for achieving the creative aims of the director or producers through the use of visual effects Visual effects (sometimes abbreviated as VFX) is the pr ...

. He has worked on major feature films since 1984, including ''The Lord of the Rings'' movie trilogy (for which he won three consecutive Academy Awards for Best Visual Effects) and ''

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''. He currently works at

FuseFX FuseFX (formerly known as The Outfit) is an American special visual effects company which was founded in Los Angeles, California in 2006 by David Altenau, Tim Jacobsen and Jason Fotter. The company is best known for developing special visual ef ...

visual effects studio.

Early life

Rygiel was born in

Kenosha, Wisconsin Kenosha () is a city in Kenosha County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Wisconsin, fourth-most populous city in Wisconsin, with a population of 99,986 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. S ...

. Rygiel attended St. Joseph Catholic High School in Kenosha, Wisconsin. He holds a Bachelor of

Fine Arts In European academic traditions, fine art (or, fine arts) is made primarily for aesthetics or creativity, creative expression, distinguishing it from popular art, decorative art or applied art, which also either serve some practical function ...

from the

University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee The University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee (UW–Milwaukee, UWM, or Milwaukee) is a Public university, public Urban university, urban research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. It is the largest university in the Milwaukee metropo ...

. In 1980, he received a Master of Fine Arts degree from Otis Parsons School of Design (now called

Otis College of Art and Design Otis College of Art and Design is a private art and design school in Los Angeles, California, United States. Established in 1918, it was the city's first independent professional school of art. The main campus is located in the former IBM Aero ...

Career

Pacific Electric Pictures

Starting his career in 1980, Rygiel joined Pacific Electric Pictures, one of the earliest companies to employ

computer animation Computer animation is the process used for digitally generating Film, moving images. The more general term computer-generated imagery (CGI) encompasses both still images and moving images, while computer animation refers to moving images. Virtu ...

for the advertising and film markets.

Digital Productions

In 1983, Rygiel's work took him to Digital Productions where he began work on '' The Last Starfighter'' (1984), a film notable for its pioneering use of digital imaging in place of models. While at Digital Productions, Rygiel's commercial work was nominated for numerous awards, winning a prestigious CLIO award for the introduction of the

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Pacific Data Images and Metrolight

From 1987 to 1989, Rygiel supervised numerous projects while at visual effects companies Pacific Data Images (PDI) and Metrolight.

Boss Film Studios

In 1989, Rygiel was asked to form and head a computer animation department at Boss Film Studios. This department of one grew to over 75 animators and 100 support staff within a little more than a year, winning several awards, including a CLIO Award for the Geo Prism automobile commercial. While at Boss, Rygiel supervised many feature films, both as Digital Effects Supervisor and Visual Effects Supervisor. His credits there include ''Starship Troopers'', ''Species'', ''Outbreak'', ''Air Force One'', ''The Scout'', ''The Last Action Hero'', ''Cliffhanger'', ''Batman Returns'', ''Alien III'', and ''Ghost''.

Post-Boss Films career

After Boss Films' closure, he went on to supervise '' The Parent Trap'', '' Star Trek: Insurrection'', ''

Anna and the King ''Anna and the King'' is a 1999 American biographical period drama film directed by Andy Tennant. Steve Meerson and Peter Krikes loosely based their screenplay on the 1944 novel '' Anna and the King of Siam'', which gives a fictionalized a ...

'', and ''

102 Dalmatians ''102 Dalmatians'' is a 2000 American crime comedy film produced by Walt Disney Pictures and distributed by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution. Directed by Kevin Lima from a screenplay by Kristen Buckley, Brian Regan, Bob Tzudiker and N ...

''. In 2006, Rygiel co-founded Rocket Science Studios. He currently serves as president of production.

Awards and nominations

In 2002, Rygiel received the

American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the History of cinema in the United States, motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private fu ...

's first AFI Digital Effects Artist of the Year award, the

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts award for Best Visual Effects for his work on '' The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring''. Rygiel is a member of the

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization in Beverly Hills, California, U.S., with the stated goal of adva ...

as well as the

Academy of Television Arts & Sciences The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), also colloquially known as the Television Academy, is a professional honorary organization dedicated to the advancement of the Television in the United States, television industry in the United S ...

, and The British Academy of Film and Television Arts.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rygiel, Jim Living people American people of Polish descent Best Visual Effects Academy Award winners Best Visual Effects BAFTA Award winners Otis College of Art and Design alumni University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee alumni Visual effects supervisors 1955 births