When it comes to non-digital special effects there are four names that stand out from all the rest – Ray Harryhausen, Jim Henson, Rick Baker and Stan Winston. More than fifty years after he started creating his stop-motion monsters, Ray Harryhausen’s special effects still hold a special place in the hearts of fantasy film fans everywhere, even if they are no match for their modern counterparts. The latter two effects guys, between them, seem to have worked on all the major genre titles of the last 25 years. Baker specialises in make-up with a penchant for fur, while Winston’s speciality is scaly skin and animatronics, which is clearly evident in the fantastic tome, The Winston Effect from Titan Books.
Whether by accident or not, the publication of this book coincides with the DVD re-release of the TERMINATOR trilogy, the films that firmly established him as Hollywood’s go-to-man for special effects, and he has been involved in some of the biggest iconic creatures in genre movies. From THE TERMINATOR to ALIENS to PREDATOR and on to JURASSIC PARK, Winston and his studio have produced work of such stunning detail that you can’t but help believe they are real. Although everyone was marvelling at ILM’s digital dinos it was Winston’s creatures that really brought the wow-factor to JURASSIC PARK.
To his credit, Winston hasn’t just stuck with make-up and animatronics and has moved with the times into the digital realm supplying effects to films like FANTASTIC FOUR and SKY CAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW. He also runs his own film and TV production company, directs the occasional film and music video and runs another company that creates and supplies collectable models, such as you find in large comic shops like Forbidden Planet.
With such a huge body of work behind him, The Winston Effect makes a fantastic read. Written by Jody Duncan, the editor of Cinefex, one of the industry’s best journals, it takes an in depth look at the man’s career from his early days as a make-up artist at Disney, while he was waiting for his big break as an actor, up to his most recent work designing an AI robot in conjunction with MIT. Interestingly, Winston was responsible for the effects on Spielberg’s AI.
The text goes into quite a bit of detail about how the effects were created, but not to the extent of making it a how-to-do book so you can try it at home. With over 800 photos and illustrations, this book really highlights the impeccable craftsmanship of Winston and his team that elevate what could easily be described as throwaway props into works of art that put to shame most of the contemporary “art” that adorns modern galleries.
For anyone interested in considering a career in make-up or special effects, or already working in the industry, this is an inspirational volume. For sci-fi movie fans this makes a fantastic coffee table book that charts the progress of some of the genre’s best and most memorable movies. You can’t but help look in awe at what he has achieved, which is further supported by the pages of filmographies and awards listed at the back of the book.
Highly recommended as an ideal gift for any sci-fi movie fan, even if you make it a present to yourself.
The Winston Effect by Jody Duncan is published by Titan Books on November 24 and can be ordered from Amazon. To order the alternative cover click on the image.
Due to unforeseen circumstances Stan Winston’s visit to the UK has been cancelled, along with all the previously announced events and signings.
The Terminator image is © 2006 Stan Winston Studio. All rights reserved