From answering the phones at ILM to previs on The Phantom Menace, Alia Agha tells Ed Kramer how she became a “matchmove master” in CGI Fridays Episode 5. It’s hardly surprising when Ed Kramer introduces us to someone with a hand in one of the landmark visual effects sequences in science fiction cinema. What is surprising is that when it comes to James Cameron’s The Abyss (1989), Alia Agha literally had a hand in the eerie funnel of sentient water.

Alia Agha's full IMDb profile is:

The Quarry (Video Game) (facial integration artist: Digital Domain)

The Captain (digital artist: Whiskytree)

Pacific Rim (digital artist: Industrial Light & Magic)

Battleship (digital artist: Industrial Light & Magic)

Transformers: Dark of the Moon (digital artist: Industrial Light & Magic)

Rango (digital artist)

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (digital artist: ILM)

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (digital artist: ILM)

Iron Man (digital artist: ILM)

Eragon (lead layout artist: ILM)

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (digital artist: ILM)

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (matchmove lead: ILM)

A Series of Unfortunate Events (3D camera matchmove artist: ILM)

The Day After Tomorrow (lead matchmove artist: ILM)

Hidalgo (matchmover: ILM)

Men in Black II (lead 3D matchmover: ILM)

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (3D matchmove artist: ILM)

Mission to Mars (3D camera matchmover supervisor: ILM)

Galaxy Quest (location matchmove supervisor: ILM)

Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (3D matchmove artist: ILM)

Snake Eyes (3D camera matchmover: ILM)

Deep Impact (3D camera matchmove artist: ILM)

Men in Black (3D matchmove artist: ILM)

Mars Attacks! (3D camera matchmove artist: ILM)

Twister (rotoscope artist)

Congo (digital rotoscope & paint artist: ILM)

Star Trek: Generations (visual effects coordinator: ILM)

Wolf (visual effects coordinator: ILM - as Alia Almeida Agha)

Maverick (visual effects coordinator: ILM - as Alia Almeida Agha)
The Nightmare Before Christmas (stage coordinator - as Alia Almeida Agha)

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (production assistant: ILM - as Alia Almeida Agha)

The Doors (production assistant: ILM - as Alia Almedia Agha)

Back to the Future Part III (production assistant)