Hal Hickel
Hal T. Hickel is an Academy Award - winning film technician who specializes in visual effects, working for Industrial Light & Magic.
Life
With twelve years Hickel wrote a letter to Lucasfilm with idea sketches for a sequel to A New Hope, for which he received a polite rejection from producer Gary Kurtz. Today, the letter hangs on the wall of the office of Hickel at ILM. 20 years later, Hickel was at work for Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace as lead animator again. Hickel began his career in 1994 at Pixar Animation, where he worked on Toy Story and some other Pixar short films. When he heard that a new Star Wars trilogy was in pre-production, he joined Industrial Light & Magic and he began working as Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, and finally to Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones where he was responsible for the movements of the droidekas.
His other films include: A. I. - Artificial Intelligence, Space Cowboys, Dreamcatcher and Van Helsing. In 2007, Hickel won the BAFTA Award and the Oscar for best visual effects along with John Knoll, Charles Gibson and Allen Hall, for Pirates of the Caribbean - Pirates of the Caribbean 2
Filmography (selection)
Visual Effects:
Animation:
Awards
- 2004: BAFTA Award: nomination for Best Visual Effects for Pirates of the Caribbean
- 2004: Oscar: nomination for Best Visual Effects for Pirates of the Caribbean
- 2006: Satellite Award: Award in the category Best Visual Effects for Pirates of the Caribbean - Pirates of the Caribbean 2
- 2007: BAFTA Award: Award in the category Best Visual Effects for Pirates of the Caribbean - Pirates of the Caribbean 2
- 2007: Oscar: Award in the category Best Visual Effects for Pirates of the Caribbean - Pirates of the Caribbean 2
- 2008: BAFTA Award: nomination for Best Visual Effects for Pirates of the Caribbean - At World's End
- 2008: Oscar: nomination for Best Visual Effects for Pirates of the Caribbean - At World's End
- 2009: BAFTA Award: nomination for Best Visual Effects for Iron Man