USC Cinematic Arts

John Knoll joined Industrial Light & Magic as a technical assistant in 1986, Since that time, he has been promoted to Visual Effects Supervisor helming the visual effects on more than twenty feature films and commercials. His film background coupled with an advanced understanding of digital technologies has made Knoll a much sought-after supervisor with three Academy Award nominations and in 2006 Knoll completed work on Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest for which he received both a BAFTA Award and an Academy Award® for visual effects.

Founded in 1975 by George Lucas, Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) is the leading effects facility in the world with offices in San Francisco, Singapore, Vancouver and London. The company serves the motion picture, commercial production and themed attraction industries. ILM has set the standard for visual effects, creating some of the most stunning images in the history of film. At the forefront of the digital revolution, ILM continues to break new ground in visual effects and in the process, has been honored with 15 Academy Awards for Best Visual Effects and received 26 Scientific and Technical Achievement Awards. In addition, the company’s first animated feature film, Rango, directed by Gore Verbinski won the Oscar for Best Animated Film in 2012.