A film still from Star Wars: A New Hope. Luke and C3P-O look on as R2-D2 shows them a hologram message from Princess Leia.

Francois Chardavoine

Chief Technology Officer

Francois Chardavoine's headshot

Francois Chardavoine

Chief Technology Officer

As Chief Technology Officer, Francois is responsible for all aspects of global studio and on-set technology for Lucasfilm and Industrial Light & Magic.

With a background in computer science engineering, Francois was initially involved in industry-driven research to enable real-time collaboration through immersive displays and virtual reality. After co-founding a company whose goal was to provide R&D consulting services to smaller visual effects studios, he later worked for Sony Pictures Imageworks, where he helped drive production technology for more than a decade before joining Lucasfilm in 2016.

Starting in his teenage years with a passion for practical and in-camera special effects, and now with over 20 years experience in the VFX and Animation industry, Francois describes joining the Lucasfilm and ILM family as a childhood dream come true. Francois is a member of the VFX Branch of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences and the Visual Effects Society Technology Committee.