Academy Award-winning special effects artist Grant McCune has died, losing his battle with cancer at age 67.
Long known as a visual effects leader, McCune was chief model maker for George Lucas' sci-fi touchstone Star Wars and took home an Oscar in 1978 for Best Visual Effects for his efforts. As a specialist in miniatures and models, he worked on more than 200 projects, among them genre favorites such as Jaws, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Speed, Child’s Play and Batman Forever. Through his company Grant McCune Design, he was involved with many classic flicks, including X-Men 2, Long Kiss Goodnight, Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2 and Serenity.
McCune is survived by his wife, his two children and his sister. In a contemporary Hollywood sorely lacking in innovation and originality, he will be greatly missed. Rest in peace, sir.
Of all the effect people working I have particular respect for model and miniature makers.
Some would say it's a dying art in the age of CGI but as LORD OF THE RINGS showed, there is still a place for the painstaking work that good model makers put in. And the result is, in my opinion, always better than something that is completely digital.
Yes, miniature and model making is a craft, and those that practice this craft are true artisans. It's also a link to the past, to the history of film. While CGI is absolutely an important tool, there is still a place for models and miniatures, especially in low-budget film. When combined with forced perspective photography and matte painting, whole worlds can be created. CGI is so sexy, people forget this important option.
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A mind is like a parachute. It doesn't work if it's not open.
A recent movie that used some great model work was MOON.
A recent low-budget flick that cleverly used miniatures with forced perspective was The Lost Skeleton Returns Again. The movie isn't all that good, but the model work was quite impressive. The special features has a good behind-the-scenes look at how the miniatures were made and employed.
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A mind is like a parachute. It doesn't work if it's not open.
Academy Award-winning special effects artist Grant McCune has died, losing his battle with cancer at age 67.
Of all the effect people working I have particular respect for model and miniature makers.
Some would say it's a dying art in the age of CGI but as LORD OF THE RINGS showed, there is still a place for the painstaking work that good model makers put in. And the result is, in my opinion, always better than something that is completely digital.
R.I.P. Grant McCune.