Once in a while I see someone in the movie business that
inspires me and it sets a fire deep inside: a fire to create awesome movies.
Rob Legato is one of those people. His lecture on Ted .com at http://www.ted.com/talks/rob_legato_the_art_of_creating_awe.html is very interesting and engaging. His
knowledge of special effects is evident and very inspiring. I absolutely loved
the way he integrates humor and wit to enhance what he is speaking about.
Mr. Legato was the special effects artist on the movies “Apollo
13”, “Titanic” and “Hugo”. In this presentation he goes behind the scenes to
show the audience how he’s achieved the effect. It is very interesting and to
me inspiring. His experience is seen by how he can create such spectacular
effects to recreate actual events or to build a gap with footage already taken
beforehand. It takes a very creative person to understand how to create such
intricate and exciting effects, which do create awe in the movies.
I have to admit that I am a bit jealous. I would love to be
the person with years of experience and know how to create such wonder. What a
special talent and treat to be able to awe audiences with scenes that look like
rockets taking off into space or deep sea exploration. I guess it’s the dreamer
in me that resonates with the building of fantasy and making it seem like
reality. How truly awesome of a skill to be able to create such things!
You can tell from his presentation that Rob is a smart man
with a quick wit. He is very entertaining and personable. I believe it takes
both qualities to be able to relate well with other people. If he was branding
himself, he would definitely be able to brand his knowledge and skill but also
his very outgoing personality. He is a fun person to listen to during the
presentation and I would recommend it to anyone, especially to anyone
interested in making movies.
As I’ve done some soul searching, it seems that special
effects and animation have a yearning place in my heart. I hope my
entertainment journey takes me on a route in one or both of these fields.
