[Watch the video interview on YouTube here]
Film Courage: What was the first thing that Steven Spielberg said to you on the set of Jurassic Park?
Craig Caton-Largent, Visual effects artist and current Chair of 3D Animation & VFX at New York Film Academy (NYFA) Los Angeles: Action!
Film Courage: Okay.
Craig: No. Well, I mean there were a lot of discussions before we ever got to set.
One of the main things that he was very interested in is he wanted the dinosaurs to have birdlike motions. Both myself and my secondary puppeteer, we both owned Parrots and Macaws and stuff like that. A lot of the Raptor’s movement that you see in Jurassic Park is all based off of my Amazon Green-Cheeked Parrot, the way he would look through things with his left eye.
Steven was really big into that. He just said at one point he came up to us and said:
There’s no budget and there’s no time limit. Just make me the best dinosaurs you can.
We did that. We broke so much new ground on that movie that people actually never realized for instance we used motion flight simulator technology to create the T-Rex. That hadn’t been done before. What was going on was we were trying to figure out a way to build a T-Rex. This was two years before the movie came out. This is how long we were working on that project.
The first thing is there was an old ride at Universal that burned down. It was the King Kong ride. Basically you would go through this tram ride and inside this building was a giant full-sized King Kong but he was an inflatable. He was basically like a Macy’s Parade float balloon that had mechanized arms in them but if you looked in the bottom he had these giant ritter fans that would keep them inflated. They would spray banana scent in there too so when you drove through it you smell bananas like his breath. We thought that was pretty cool. I wanted a little something more than that.
Then the next thing that happened was this Fievel Goes West attraction at Universal (another Steven Spielberg movie) and in it there is this two-foot, two-story tall cat puppet that was in the ground. It was on a….(Watch the video interview on YouTube here).
About Craig:
With over 40 years in the film industry, Craig Caton-Largent is a legendary visual effects artist and the current Chair of 3D Animation & VFX at New York Film Academy (NYFA) Los Angeles. He has worked on over 100 films, creating some of Hollywood’s most iconic creatures, including the Slimer ghost in Ghostbusters (1984), the penguins in Batman Returns (1992), and the raptors in Jurassic Park (1993). Craig has collaborated with top directors like Tim Burton, Steven Spielberg, and James Cameron, earning six Academy Award nominations for Best Visual Effects. A pioneer in digital effects, Craig co-founded Digital Domain and developed groundbreaking VFX software like Animservo, used by top studios and theme parks. As the Chair of the Visual Effects and Animation Department at NYFA, Craig is dedicated to helping his students develop animation and storytelling skills that will lead to success in the industry. Craig is also a sought-after speaker on motion capture technology at film festivals and universities worldwide.
CONNECT WITH CRAIG CATON-LARGENT
About New York Film Academy:
Founded in 1992 by Jerry Sherlock, the New York Film Academy (NYFA) provides an accessible, hands-on education in filmmaking, media, and the performing arts. With a mission to make the film industry more accessible to all, NYFA empowers students from diverse backgrounds to tell powerful stories through a project-based, immersive curriculum. Students work closely with industry professionals, gaining invaluable mentorship and real-world experience while building creative, technical, and collaborative skills. NYFA’s global community includes students from over 160 countries, fostering a network of passionate storytellers. From day one, students dive into creating projects that refine their craft and prepare them for successful careers. With a focus on practical experience and individualized support, NYFA equips students with the tools and confidence to excel in the competitive world of filmmaking and the arts.
CONNECT WITH NYFA
Nyfa.edu/location/nyfa-los-angeles
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