On Location With Jared Cowan

One day prior to leading multiple tours of the original location of Industrial Light & Magic, in Van Nuys, CA, for over a hundred people, renowned visual effects innovator and nine-time Academy Award winner Dennis Muren met up with us at the location. It was the first time Dennis had stepped foot inside the building in nearly fifty years, making it once-in-a-lifetime 'On Location" episode. We talked about the maddening pressure of creating the groundbreaking visual effects for "Star Wars" (1977) at this nondescript industrial property outside the Van Nuys airport, why he wanted to work for George Lucas and the filmmaker's clear cinematic vision, meeting Steven Spielberg for the first time at ILM, Van Nuys, his genuine love of movies and filming locations, and his feelings on the reemergence of VistaVision. Today, the location is home to Neiman & Company, an established architectural signage firm that's been in business since 1965 and purchased the building in the early 2000's. www.neimanandco.com