The initial news of Rick McCallum’s retirement was announced fairly quietly, but now we have the the official word. Here’s what George Lucas had to say about his long-time colleague:
“We had hit the limit of production technology, and I needed someone with conviction and passion to help us into the digital realm,” says Lucas. “Rick became an evangelist for the endless possibilities digital technology offered filmmakers. Rick and I fought many battles side-by-side, constantly facing nay-sayers who were convinced we could never make the lasting changes in the movie business that we set out to make. I cannot be more proud of what Rick accomplished. We worked with over 60 companies and hundreds of amazing engineers and artists over a 10-year period to bring about overdue changes: now digital cameras routinely capture images, films are released digitally, and the entire production pipeline maintains unprecedented quality by being digital. As I go off to make my own experimental films — and I hope to be able to collaborate with Rick again on one of these projects — I wish him the best and look forward to seeing his new films.”
McCallum has relocated to Prague and is “now in development of a slate of smaller, independent films that more closely resemble the projects he was involved with prior to his association with Lucasfilm.”
Don’t miss the slideshow, which features a cameo from Pablo Hidalgo and perhaps the thickest laptop I have ever seen.
Thank you, Lucasfilm, for honoring a loyal, hard working and passionate collaborator with such a comprehensive farewell post! Much appreciated!