IN AN EARLY scene from Disney's new television series, "The Man-dalorian", a door opens to reveal a barren, icy landscape. The camera swoops outside to follow the titular character, a solitary gunslinger in silver armour, making his way across the vast expanse of ice. It is an impressive, expensive-looking shot, of the kind you might expect for a show set in the "Star Wars" universe. The "Star Wars" franchise has been pushing the limits of filmmaking technology for more than 40 years. Its creator, George Lucas, set up a now-iconic special-effects company, Industrial Light and Magic (ILM), specifically to serve the fantastical effects needs of his space opera. ILM went on to create special effects for dozens of films, including some of the earliest computer-generated 3D characters in "The Abyss", "Terminator 2" and "Jurassic Park", pioneering a new industry in the process. Now ILM is at the forefront of using computer-generated reality to bring cinematic special effects to the small screen-and it is using game engines to do it.
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