This weekend, moviegoers turned out in droves for Jurassic World: Dominion. While the franchise has been an unstoppable behemoth for years, there are arguably three men who the series owes its life too. One, of course, is Steven Spielberg. The other is the late author, Michael Crichton. And the third is, without a doubt, the VFX guru Stan Winston.
In the 1980s and 90s, what we thought was possible in movies from a VFX standpoint shifted radically, largely thanks to the efforts of one man, Stan Winston. Rising to prominence in Hollywood for his work with Rob Bottin on John Carpenter’s The Thing, he cemented his place on the A-list when he designed the effects work for James Cameron’s The Terminator, and the two would re-team two years later for Aliens, which would net Winston his first Academy Award. His work on Terminator 2: Judgement Day would revolutionize the industry (and win another Academy Award), plus there was his iconic contribution to Predator and its sequel, Predator 2.
However, perhaps Winston’s crowning achievement would be Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park, which did the impossible. They brought dinosaurs to life in a real way. Before tragically passing away in 2008, he would help design the VFX for Iron Man and Avatar, ensuring a whole new generation of film lovers would go on appreciating the magic he brought to the big screen. On the anniversary of his passing, we remember the great Stan Winston.
This episode of We Remember is written by Mathew Plale, narrated by Travis Hopson, edited by Juan Jimenez and produced by Taylor James Johnson. Click this link to see all earlier episodes and let us know your favourite Stan Winston VFX moment below.