Farrar joined Industrial Light & Magic in 1981 as a camera operator on Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. In 1985, Farrar received an Academy Award® for Best Visual Effects for his work on Cocoon, and two years later he was promoted to Visual Effects Supervisor for Who Framed Roger Rabbit? Farrar’s ability to carry out the vision of filmmakers has earned him several additional honors including Oscar® nominations for Backdraft in 1991, A.I. Artificial Intelligence in 2001 and The Chronicles of Narnia: the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in 2005. Farrar earned British Academy Award nominations for his breakthrough work on A.I. Artificial Intelligence and his futuristic environments in Minority Report. In 2007, he received an Oscar® nomination for Best Visual Effects for his work on Transformers. Farrar was also the Visual Effects Supervisor on Transformers: Dark of the Moon, and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. Farrar has continued his tradition of working with big name directors on blockbuster franchises including Marc Forster and Gary Ross. This year he completed the fourth installment in Michael Bay’s billion dollar franchise, Transformers: Age of Extinction.
Prior to coming to ILM, Farrar worked as a freelance cameraman in Los Angeles. In 1975, he was invited to visit the set of the then unknown Star Wars and saw the first motion control system in action. Inspired by what he saw, he began work for Robert Abel and Associates, and eventually for Doug Trumbull working on Star Trek: The Motion Picture.
A California native, Farrar received his Bachelor of Arts and Masters of Fine Arts in Theater Design with an emphasis in Film from the University of California at Los Angeles.
ILM CREDITS
Feature Films
2014 TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION – Visual Effects Supervisor
2013 WORLD WAR Z – Visual Effects Supervisor
2012 THE HUNGER GAMES – Second Unit Director
2011 TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON – Visual Effects Supervisor
Academy Award Nomination – Best Visual Effects
Visual Effect Society Nomination – Best Visual Effects in a Visual Effects Driven Motion Picture
Hollywood Film Festival Award – Hollywood Visual Effects of the Year
2009 TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN – Visual Effects Supervisor and 2nd Unit Aerial Director
Visual Effects Society Nomination – Outstanding Visual Effects
Hollywood Film Festival Award – Hollywood Visual Effects of the Year
2007 TRANSFORMERS – Visual Effects Supervisor
Academy Award Nomination – Best Visual Effects
Visual Effects Society Award – Best Visual Effects in a Visual Effects Driven
Motion Picture
Visual Effects Society Award – Best Single Visual Effect of the Year
Hollywood Film Festival Award – Hollywood Visual Effects of the Year
2005 THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE –Visual Effects Supervisor
Academy Award Nomination – Best Visual Effects
British Academy Award Nomination for Best Achievement in Visual Effects
2005 XXX: STATE OF THE UNION – Visual Effects Supervisor
2005 THE PACIFIER – Visual Effects Supervisor
2003 PETER PAN – Visual Effects Supervisor
2003 TEARS OF THE SUN – Visual Effects Supervisor
2002 MINORITY REPORT – Visual Effects Supervisor
British Academy Award Nomination for Best Achievement in Visual Effects
2001 A. I. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE – Visual Effects Supervisor
Academy Award Nomination – Best Visual Effects
British Academy Award Nomination for Best Achievement in Visual Effects
2000 SPACE COWBOYS – Visual Effects Supervisor
1999 THE HAUNTING – Visual Effects Supervisor
1999 STAR WARS: EPISODE I “The Phantom Menace” – VFX Sequence Supervisor
1999 THE MUMMY – Opening and Hamunaptra Collapse Sequences VFX Supervisor
1998 DEEP IMPACT – Visual Effects Supervisor
1997 AMISTAD – Visual Effects Supervisor
1997 MEN IN BLACK – Visual Effects Supervisor (End Sequence)
1996 DAYLIGHT – Visual Effects Supervisor
1995 CONGO – Visual Effects Supervisor
1994 CASPER – Visual Effects Plate Supervisor
1994 MAVERICK – Visual Effects Supervisor
1994 WOLF – Visual Effects Supervisor
1993 JURASSIC PARK – Plate Supervisor
1993 ALIVE – Visual Effects Supervisor
1993 MANHATTAN MURDER MYSTERY – Visual Effects Supervisor
1991 STAR TREK VI: THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY – Visual Effects Supervisor
1991 BACKDRAFT – Visual Effects Supervisor
Academy Award Nomination – Best Visual Effects
1990 DIE HARD 2 – Plate Photography Supervisor
1990 BACK TO THE FUTURE, PART III – Visual Effects Supervisor
1989 BACK TO THE FUTURE, PART II – Visual Effects Supervisor
1988 COCOON: THE RETURN – Visual Effects Supervisor
1988 WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT? – Visual Effects Supervisor
1988 WILLOW – Effects Camera Operator
1987 EMPIRE OF THE SUN – Effects Camera Operator
1987 STAR TOURS (Simulator ride for Disneyland) – Effects Camera Operator
1986 THE GOLDEN CHILD – Effects Camera Operator
1986 CAPTAIN EO (3-D film for Disneyland) – Effects Camera Operator
1986 HOWARD THE DUCK – Stop-Motion Camera Operator
1985 YOUNG SHERLOCK HOMES – Effects Camera Operator