Visual Effects in "Jurassic Park"
- Although most dinosaur-effect shots in "Jurassic Park" were ultimately done by computers, the initial intention was to create the effects using go-motion, which is a more advanced form of stop-motion animation. Phil Tibbett had designed miniature dinosaurs for the go-motion process. These effects would be combined with full-scale models created by Stan Winston and his team. A mold was taken of these full-scale dinosaurs, which was then placed over a robotic model of the dinosaur. The mold was altered to look like skin, and the robotic dinosaurs movements were controlled off-camera. Dennis Muren -- a member of Industrial Light and Magic, or ILM -- and his team would combine the go-motion dinosaurs and the Stan Winston created dinosaurs within the film, creating the illusion that real people and dinosaurs shared the same screen.
- During early test shots of the go-motion process, Steven Spielberg had his doubts, worrying that the process was not convincing enough. Dennis Muren -- who had worked on the CGI (computer generated imagery) effects for "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" -- suggested that computers create the majority of the dinosaurs for the film, with Stan Winston's robotic creations filling out the rest. Spielberg saw two early CGI test shots: one that only featured the skeletons of dinosaurs running in a stampede, and another of a T-Rex -- fully fleshed out -- walking. Based off these two shots, Spielberg and Tibbett both agreed that computer animated dinosaurs were the way to go. In the end, not a single go-motion shot was used.
- Even though Spielberg was in essence making a monster movie, he wanted to make sure the dinosaurs within the film were more than just monsters, actually moving and interacting with their environment as they really would. To create this effect, he hired paleontologist Jack Horner to advise. Horner is convinced that dinosaurs are most closely related to birds, and that their movements should match that of birds. During one test shot, Phil Tibbett had a velociraptor stick his tongue out, as a snake would. Horner said a velociraptor would never do this, and the shot never made it into the final film. All dinosaur movements within "Jurassic Park" were based on bird movements, a fact which is mentioned within the film itself.
- The combination of CGI and animatronic dinosaurs within "Jurassic Park" earned the film numerous visual effects awards. The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) awarded the film "Best Special Effects" while the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films honored the film with a Saturn Award for "Best Special Effects." The film also took home the Oscar for "Best Visual Effects." The T-Rex within "Jurassic Park" won the MTV Movie Award for "Best Villain."
