Nick: Do you have a favorite special effects artists that made you want to make special effects—Stan Winston, Tom Savini, Rob Bottin, etc?

Dallas: There are many legendary special effects artists I look up to and have been a great inspiration [to me] on my journey as a special effects artist. My favorite artists are Dick Smith, Rick Baker, Rob Bottin, Chris Walas, Ve Neill, Howard Berger and Joel Harlow. There are so many others but these innovative special effects artists would be my top picks.





Nick: Apart from your own company, are there other effects companies that you feel do especially good work?

Nick: Team Scott or Team Cameron?

Nick: What was your first Alien experience? Can you describe the first time you saw an Alien movie, and which one it was?

Giger's Necronom V (1976; image from Alien Explorations). Necronom V

Favorite Monsters, Movies and Special Effects

The excellent use of digital effects in Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) is seamless and effective (image from Peta Pixel). Mad Max: Fury Road

Walas and his team bring Cronenberg's "Space Bug" to life (image from Horrormade).

The Current State of Special Effects



Nick: In the digital age, the norm seems to be CGI. Are you worried that practical effects will be replaced by digital more and more, until digital completely replaces practical as was the case with The Thing (2011)? In the digital age, the norm seems to be CGI. Are you worried that practical effects will be replaced by digital more and more, until digital completely replaces practical as was the case with ADI's effects work for(2011)?

Dallas: People ask me this question all the time, as it's becoming a bigger discussion in our design community. I think there will always be a place for practical effects. Things are definitely moving in the CGI direction and there are many things practical effects just can't do. I always say special effects are just another tool box, one side practical and one digital. Just pick the tool that works for the effect and who cares what it's called!



The upcoming The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (2019) uses practically-driven, classic puppetry enhanced by CGI (image from The Verge). The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance People ask me this question all the time, as it's becoming a bigger discussion in our design community. I think there will always be a place for practical effects. Things are definitely moving in the CGI direction and there are many things practical effects just can't do. I always say special effects are just another tool box, one side practical and one digital. Just pick the tool that works for the effect and who cares what it's called!



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The first time I saw the original(1979) was on an old VHS tape a friend lent me as an early teen. When I saw the Ovomorph egg chamber I'll never forget how detailed and creepy the eggs were. The set, prop design and makeup effects have always stood out—especially in the Engineer Pilot, Chestburster puppet and egg sequences. I was already into H. R. Giger art before I saw it [on-screen] and his designs have always been a strong influence on my art style. The way he designs organic and robotic anatomy to make it functional has always been fascinating to me.Is it typical for someone to "fall in love" with movie magic by watching monster movies? [The Monster SquadI know many effects artists who would say they fell in love with a certain creature movie that sparked their curiosity to enter the special effects field. For me those movies were Jim Henson's(1982),(1981) and(1987) and(1988).Are there certain movies in the franchise that you enjoy purely for their special effects?The first twofilms I can watch again and again for their iconic special effects and design. I am also a fan of the more recent(2012) designs. But nothing beats the original effects from the 1979 film.Do you think that special effects are more than just icing on a cake, that they can tell a story all by themselves?Special effects can set the tone and build an original feel for a film or take back seat to a story, depending on the vision of the production team. The most recent(2015) does a great job of bringing the in-camera special effects to the forefront with so many original character personalities. [This is] helped by special effects makeup and props, [but] even the stunt vehicles seem to have their own attitude and character style—one of the best special effects action films in recent years!One of my favorite movies about special effects is(1988). It's not a documentary, per se, but still manages to shed a lot of light on special effects and how they're made. The stop-motion is pretty badass.Are there any examples of movies (documentaries or otherwise) like that, for you; or, are there are examples of "must-see" special effects movies for up-and-comers in the special effects industry—the kind that might be shown in your workshops, that your crew watches on a regular basis?(2011) is a must-watch documentary for anyone wanting to learn about character and creature creation. It is a wonderful film about one of the most talented special effects artists and stop-motion animators to ever live. A true legend, I highly recommend watching [Ray's work]. In the studio, we also watch a lot of behind-the-scenes extras when a new film with special effects comes out. Getting to see the on-set and in studio workings of a production being built is a great way for up-and-coming special effects artists to learn about the craft.In general, what are you favorite movie monsters?I'm a huge fan of director Guillermo Del Toro and his legendary monster creations. The Pale Man and the Fawn from(2006)—[both]played by actor Doug Jones—are two of my very favorites. The designs of Del Toro's creatures in his two(2004, 2008) movies are also very creative and I enjoy that style of character creation very much. Other favorites are Chris Walas' multi-stage designs and makeup effects for(1986). Rob Bottin's effects work on(1982) is also outstanding and has influenced my art style greatly.Somethings bad effects can be a good thing. Are there any instances of really bad effects that you love to watch, precisely because they're so bad?I love campy old school bad effects. On one hand, it shows what to never do if you are trying to achieve realism. And on the other side, I find it highly entertaining and great fun. Movies like Peter Jackson’s(aka, 1992) andfranchise are great examples of bad effects that are still a good time. They say you can never have enough blood!The word "bad" is pretty subjective. In your opinion, what constitutes bad special effects?In my opinion, bad effects happen when the production creates them without thinking enough about (or putting budget towards) the creature design, environment and planning customized lighting the effect-in-question needs to be realized. It doesn't matter whether [the effect is] practical in-camera, or digital—as long as the effect looks like it is in the scene and interacts properly when required.What does thefranchise need moving forward to avoid falling into the "bad effects" category?As long as thefranchise moves forward with that in mind and doesn't just hide everything in total darkness, I have hope. [AlienPrometheusAlien: CovenantAlienAliens vs. Predator: RequiemI think some of the best results occur when they are combined.(1991) did it with digital, but I still love(1956) and how it combined practical effects with hand-drawn analog effects. On that note, Gothic stories often involve the animation of ghastly artworks, like those from H. R. Giger or Stephen Gammell (the artist for the infamous[1981-1991] series). This concept goes back even further to 17th century Neo-Gothic novels, where paintings literally "come alive" in various ways. If a painting came alive, it might be difficult to give it an "oil-in-motion" appearance without some digital assistance. The killer painting from(2017) leaps to mind, or the Balrog from(2001), which, itself, was been based off old paintings from earlier fantasy artists.Do you think most monsters can, or should, be created exclusively with practical effects; or, is there ever a point when a monster should be totally digital, for a kind of "painterly look?"Sometimes it's best to integrate both technologies to achieve the optimal effect. Many films are taking this approach nowadays and I think practical effects will still be around for a long time.