Craig Barron

Craig Barron is Creative Director at Magnopus, a Los Angeles media company specializing in augmented and virtual reality experiences. His recent projects include directing an augmented reality experience for the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on the future of virtual production (2024), and The Wizard of Oz at Sphere (2025), where he helped adapt the film into an immersive presentation at Sphere in Las Vegas. Barron began his career at Industrial Light & Magic, contributing to The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982). Later, at his own VFX studio, Matte World Digital, he worked on films such as Zodiac (2007), Alice in Wonderland (2010), and Hugo (2011), earning credits on more than 100 films. His honors include an Emmy for By Dawn’s Early Light, an Oscar nomination for Batman Returns (1992), and an Academy Award for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008). He is currently developing “Secrets of the Hollywood Archives” with co-presenter Ben Burtt for TCM Original Productions, and is also a film historian, author, lecturer, and university educator focused on visual effects across both traditional and digital eras.

Role with the VES

Founding member of the Visual Effects Society.