Early life and education
Vargo grew up in a military family. His father took part in the D-Day invasion,2 and his mother's lineage connects to the Daughters of the American Revolution.2 The family eventually settled in Florida, approximately 40 miles from Cape Canaveral,2 and Vargo spent his formative years during the height of the Space Race: he was in first grade when he witnessed Alan Shepard's launch and followed the NASA program through Apollo 8.
After high school Vargo worked construction and attended junior college in the evenings.2 He eventually transferred to Montana State University's Department of Film and Television, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in film production in 1977.2 Montana would remain a through-line throughout his career; he has maintained a permanent residence in Bozeman3 and later returned to MSU as an adjunct instructor.4
Career
Visual effects at ILM and EEG (1977-1988)
After graduation Vargo took a position in the maintenance department at Alpha Cine Film Lab in Seattle, where he taught himself to operate Oxberry aerial-image optical printing equipment.2 That self-training opened the door to Industrial Light and Magic, where he joined the optical department in 1979.2
Over the next four years Vargo contributed to a remarkable run of productions: Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), and Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983).2 ILM's optical department won four consecutive Academy Awards for Best Visual Effects during this period.1
In 1983 Vargo followed Richard Edlund to Entertainment Effects Group (EEG) as Optical Supervisor. Edlund had taken over exclusive management of the Marina del Rey facility from founders Douglas Trumbull and Richard Yuricich, launching Boss Film Corporation within EEG's structure, and assembled a team including art director John Bruno, cameraman Bill Neil, and effects editor Conrad Buff.56 In that role Vargo managed the complex integration of live-action plates, bluescreen photography, matte paintings, miniatures, and rotoscoped animation into the final composite shots on Ghostbusters (1984).
At the 57th Academy Awards (1985) Vargo shared a nomination for Best Visual Effects for Ghostbusters with Richard Edlund, John Bruno, and Chuck Gaspar.17
Transition to live-action cinematography (1989-2000s)
For Ghostbusters II (1989) Vargo returned to ILM, this time as Director of Effects Photography, overseeing the second film's visual effects photography at ILM's Marin County facility under visual effects producer Janet Mohler and visual effects art director Harley Jessup.8
Through the early 1990s Vargo began his transition from visual effects to live-action cinematography, serving as 2nd Unit Director of Photography on In the Line of Fire (1993)3 and as Visual Effects Supervisor on Outbreak (1995).9 He gradually shifted his focus toward live-action cinematography, with early credits including Cobb (1994) and Play It to the Bone (1999).2
Vargo subsequently built a substantial career as a second-unit director of photography on high-profile studio productions, handling action and VFX-heavy sequences that demanded a close understanding of both worlds. Notable second-unit credits include:9
- Tin Cup (1996)
- Deep Impact (1998) (also second-unit director)
- The Green Mile (1999)
- The Patriot (2000)
- Stuart Little 2 (2002)
- Poseidon (2006)
- 3:10 to Yuma (2007)
- The Ring Two (2005) (also second-unit director)
- The Way Back (2010)
- Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)
- Ted (2012)
- White House Down (2013)
- Transcendence (2014)
His second-unit work on Stuart Little 2 earned him a Visual Effects Society nomination for Best Visual Effects Photography in a Motion Picture in 2003.10
Vargo has spoken candidly about his transition from optical effects work: "I wanted to be closer to the story. I didn't want to be a bricklayer anymore."4 He has also used his career as a counter-argument to the assumption that filmmakers must be based in Los Angeles, noting that states such as Louisiana and New Mexico had developed competitive production infrastructure.4
Teaching
Vargo served as an adjunct professor at Montana State University in fall 2011, bringing production materials and industry contacts, including inviting director Rupert Wyatt to speak to students via video call after their collaboration on Rise of the Planet of the Apes.4 On May 1, 2018, he assumed the position of Cinematographer in Residence and Associate Professor at Florida State University's College of Motion Picture Arts in Tallahassee, Florida, where he develops curriculum for undergraduate and graduate programs in cinematography.1
Ghostbusters
Ghostbusters (1984)
Vargo is credited as Optical Supervisor at Entertainment Effects Group on Ghostbusters.7 His department was responsible for all optical compositing: marrying the live-action principal photography with the bluescreen-shot ghost elements, matte paintings, and miniature photography to create the film's signature visual effects sequences, including the Slimer hotel corridor shots, the Zuul/Gozer rooftop battle, and the Stay Puft sequences. The film's effects were produced at EEG's Marina del Rey facility.
Ghostbusters II (1989)
On Ghostbusters II, Vargo served as Director of Effects Photography at Industrial Light and Magic in Marin County, California.8 In this capacity he oversaw the physical photography of the film's visual effects elements, working alongside visual effects producer Janet Mohler and art director Harley Jessup.
