Stan Winston’s studios remain open to this day so that they continue his legacy and impact on the film industry, while the studio itself has recently been renamed Legacy Effects it still maintains the many aspects that Stan had taught to his students
His Most Famous Work
Stan has been credited on his visual work on various films such as Avatar, Jurrasic Park, however it was his work on the Terminator movies that truly established his name in the film industry as his work was recognised with him earning 2 Oscar awards for his work on Terminator 2: Judgement Day, many people have praised Stan for his brilliance in the characters designs, for example below is a few references from the Winston Effect book about the work he has done as well as quotes about Stan Winston himself.
‘’He was passionate about his work, larger than life, funny in a way that challenges you to step up and play, full of a kind of frenzied energy like a mad scientist’’. (James Cameron)
‘’Stan and his team did an amazing job on a pinched budget and created one of filmdom’s iconic fantasy characters.’’ (James Cameron -Terminator 1 )
‘’Stan is the best I’ve ever worked with… He does not think of his work as special effects. Rather he sees his work as creating characters for film.’’ (Tim Burton)
‘’I wouldn’t have had the career I had in movies if it hadn’t been for Stan. He helped me so much in Terminator – and Predator. He is a genius who carved a special niche for himself.’’(Arnold Schwarzenegger).
‘’His creations are the creations of horror and fantasy and science fiction and imagination and pure unmitigated genius. That’s my friend. Stan Winston.’’ (Steven Spielberg)
The Terminator
What type of film/genre is The Terminator?
The Terminator is a action and sci fi film that focuses on a human looking cyborg that is sent back in time to kill a woman called Sarah Connor
The Plot Of The Terminator
The main plot of The Terminator focuses on a cyborg that looks like a human who is sent back in time to kill a woman called Sarah Connor
Other Information about The Terminator
Ratings On The Terminator – Most users on IMDB have given The Terminator a positive rating, overall The Terminator has a rating score of 8.1 out of 10, this is calculated out of the 242,000 users who have rated The Terminator
Famous Quotes & Taglines – ‘’your future is in his hands’’ ‘’I’l l be back’’ (Terminator)
Release Date – 11th Of January 1985 (UK) – 26th of October 1984 (USA)
Duration – 1hr & 47 mins (approx)
Director – James Cameron
Budget -$6,400,000 (estimated)
Gross - $78,371,200 (Worldwide) The opening weekend of The Terminator in cinemas gained approximately $4,020,663 in the US shown over across 1,000 screens, the next week the film gained more success in terms of gross at approximately $4,219,463 shown at 1,112 screens, after this however The Terminator gained less gross in due to being shown in less screens across the US.
Dates that the film shoots took place were between 8th of February 1984 – 12th of May 1984
Main Cast
Arnold Schwarzenegger – The Terminator
Linda Hamilton – Sarah Connor
Michael Biehn – Kyle Reese
Paul Winfield – Lieutenant Ed Traxler
Lance Henriksen – Detective Hai Vukovich
Bess Motta – Ginger Ventura
Earl Boen – Dr Peter Silberman
Stan Winston had a major impact on the making of the first Terminator movie, it was because of this success that led him to becoming one of the film industries best visual artists.
Below is a link to a video on Youtube that shows Stan Winston giving out an interview about the first Terminator movie, in the interview itself he explains
References of info used for this essay
Books – The Winston Effect
Internet- IMDB
