People may not always think of the masterminds behind digital effects in movies, but for computer science alumnus Michael Muir it’s an everyday occurrence.
Muir brings action to life through computer graphics. Using the skills he gained at BYU, Muir created the battle scene taking place in space at the beginning of “Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.”
In this opening scene, spacecraft battle each other, shoot lasers and missiles, weave around explosions, and avoid vulture droids.
“The opportunity to work on a ‘Star Wars’ movie was always a childhood dream of mine,” Muir said. “It was really fun to do that.”
Muir also took part in creating the fight sequences featuring Yoda and the arena scene in “Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones.”
Since his graduation, Muir has worked on many popular and award-winning films such as “Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl”, “Van Helsing”, “The Smurfs”, “The Amazing Spider-Man 2”, “Men In Black 3”, “Pearl Harbor”, “Planet of the Apes”, “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs”, “The Hulk”, and many more.
“We have to build everything from scratch, or close to that,” Muir said. “New aspects, new environments, and new characters have to be designed and built.”
Muir also worked on “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets,” where he created the Quidditch scenes. Muir designed the stadium, the snitch, and the digital doubles of the players as they flew on broomsticks.
In Tim Burton’s 2010 film “Alice in Wonderland,” Muir created the curious garden and forest seen when Alice first enters Wonderland.
“Every show is different, and there’s always something new to work on,” Muir said. “That’s what keeps me going and keeps me engaged.”
Currently working on “Hotel Transylvania II,” Muir is taking more of a managerial role as he works as the computer graphics supervisor.
“I really enjoy working with individuals. I love working with the technology and the artistic side of things,” Muir said. “[I love] being able to merge those two things together to create something that people can enjoy worldwide.”
Muir leads a team of artists and oversees about one fifth of the actual film shots. He ensures that the animation, effects, and various simulations are ready and available for the artists to put together for the final look of the movie. Muir also helps the crew with any technical issues they may run into.
“I enjoy working both on live action films and digital features,” Muir said. “It’s really a rare opportunity to be able to do that. . . . It keeps me on my toes.”