Tyranist let me know that Stan Winston passed away today. His subject was "Sorry your hero is dead," which freaked me out, since only one or two names come to mind when I hear "your hero." Makeup and mechanical effects guru Winston died yesterday at age sixty-two.I've been a fan for a long time, seeing his work in James Cameron's TERMINATOR films* and ALIENS (I often think of the feature on the DVD where we see the Queen Winston slapped together using wires and garbage bags, and marvel at how realistic even that was), the still-amazing dinosaurs in JURASSIC PARK, and the designs for the Penguin in BATMAN RETURNS, still the best of the Bat-films.
I first met Stan Winston in Hollywood, at the awesome Arclight/Cineramadome Theater on Sunset Boulevard. I was standing in line to get my parking validated, and he got in line after me. He struck me as a friendly and jovial fellow, eager to talk to fans of his work, and excited about his various projects. He later signed my ALIENS poster, which is what this is supposed to be a picture of:
I don't know if sixty-two is old, or if he was able to accomplish all he wanted to (doubtful, huh?). But I hope wherever Stan Winston is today, there are no Terminators or Alien Queens or T-Rexes or Predators around. Maybe just an Edward Scissorhands and a Pumpkinhead or two.Rish "Analog Domain" Outfield
**I remember, when I was in school, a special effects technician came to talk, and he mentioned that he had one of the robotic arms used in TERMINATOR 2. I told my friend Ian, "If he had brought that robot arm, I would get down on the ground and worship it." Ian found this a combination of amusing and disturbing.
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