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HDD Interviews the Cast and Crew of 'Jurassic Park'

Thu Sep 22, 2011 at 05:00 PM ET
Tags: Jurassic Park, Steven Spielberg, Michael S. Palmer (all tags)

by Michael S. Palmer

With the 'Jurassic Park Trilogy' coming to Blu-ray next month, Universal Studios Home Entertainment graciously invited High-Def Digest to sit down four members of the blockbuster film's cast and crew. On the crew side, we met Dennis Murren (the Godfather of CGI who cut his teeth on 'Star Wars' and 'Close Encounters'), Phil Tippet (a stop motion animator who also worked on 'Star Wars' and 'Temple of Doom'. He was original hired to do the dinosaurs for 'Jurassic Park' until the decision was made to go digital; he later designed the creatures for 'Starship Troopers' and runs a VFX studio), and John Rosengrant (who worked with Stan Winston until he passed away in 2008; his credits include everything from 'The Terminator' through 'Iron Man' and the last two 'Twilight' films). After talking to these guys, we then sat down with Ariana Richards, who played Lex in 'Jurassic Park' and 'The Lost World.'

Dennis Murren, Phil Tippet, and John Rosengrant are effects wizards any film geek could follow around for days (or weeks), picking their brains and finding out how they did this or that. Sadly, we were only given a few minutes to speak with all three. It definitely wasn't enough time to get anything in depth, so for that I apologize in advance. Here's what they had to say:

IT'S REALLY AN HONOR TO MEET ALL OF YOU. THANKS FOR TAKING THE TIME. DO YOU GUYS HAVE HOME CINEMAS?

[Phil and John shake their heads, no.]

Dennis: No, but I have a 65-inch big screen TV.

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE DEMO DISCS?

Dennis: All of them… '2001', 'The Shining', 'Black Narcissus', 'Citizen Kane'…

John: I just watched 'Bullit' the other day and thought it was fantastic.

'JURASSIC PARK' IS ONE OF THE FIRST INSTANCES OF A PHOTO-REALISTIC CGI CHARACTER OR CREATURE, YET WHY DOES IT LOOK BETTER THAN MANY, MORE MODERN USES OF CGI?

Dennis: Well, we had been working on the technology for that for at least a year or two, just to see if it was ready. And Phil had been studying animals for decades. And Stan's group had been studying animal sculpting for decades. So the basis of the look and the motion is in reality. I think what's going on now, and it's been going on for the last ten years, is that people are copying movies instead of copying reality. So if you see a dinosaur film that was made ten years ago, they were probably looking at 'Jurassic Park,' but those of us who made 'Jurassic Park' were looking at wild animals like rhinos and giraffes. We were looking at the real thing. I think that's so important to be able to make this stuff look real.

Phil: You use your observational skills.

John: There's this video game mentality too. You know, there's no gravity and it should be flying at 150mph. And with these animals, it was 'Oh, what could these animals really run at? How would he really move?'

Phil: There's also an economic aspect to it too, which is off-shoring stuff. Sending it taxed based places where the studios get back millions of dollars, but the talent pool isn't there. So they save a bunch of money, but they get crap work.

John: And if it does well at the box office that enables them to keep doing it. Because they're not looking at it from an artistic point of view. It's a bean counter's point of view.

WHAT WAS EACH OF YOUR LOWEST POINTS DURING THE PRODUCTION, AND WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF?

Phil: I did fail! I thought I was going to get fired, but they kept me on.

[editor's note: Phil was originally hired to use his go-motion stop animation to create the dinosaur effects before the decision was made to have digital dinosaurs. Spielberg kept him on the crew to help supervise Dinosaur movements and animation. One way he did this was by creating a stop-motion puppet with digital sensors; imagine an early version of motion-capture.]

John: You switched tools; you got a new wrench.

Dennis: I think every day could have been a failure, and I'm serious about that, but the dailies the next day were so exciting you just kept on moving and saying this is amazing stuff. But every day there were serious problems.

John: It's hard work, but a labor of love. We were really excited about doing this so long hours or whatever it was taking to create a 9,000 pound T-Rex, we waded through it because it was so exciting to see that thing move.

ARE THE T-REXS AND SPINOSAURUS THE BIGGEST CHARACTERS YOU'VE EVER CREATED?

John: Yes. Absolutely, the Spinosaurus was enormous. It was 24,000 pounds, a thousand horsepower with the accumulators all moving. That thing was like a small plane.

PHIL, DID YOU EVER IMAGINE YOU'D BE WORKING WITH DIGITAL EFFECTS IN YOUR CAREER?

Phil: There were no digital effects when I started my career, so how could I possibly imagine it! It snuck up and bit me on the thigh. [he turns to John] What did you guys do with the T-Rexs.

John: I think they were all dismantled.

THEY'RE KICKING ME OUT. THANKS, GUYS.

[THE STERN-LOOKING FOLKS OFF TO THE SIDE KICK ME OUT. I THEN RUSHED OVER TO ANOTHER ROOM TO MEET ARIANA, WHERE WE HAD A FULL FIVE MINTUES.]

HI, ARIANA. I CHECKED OUT YOUR ART, AND IT'S FANTASTIC. REALLY IMPRESSIVE.

Ariana: You did? Thank you so much.

FIRST, HDD PRIMARILY REVIEWS BLU-RAY. DO YOU HAVE A HOME CINEMA OR ANY FAVORITE BLU-RAYS?

Ariana: Of course, and how could I not care about seeing Jurassic on Blu-ray. I'm excited to see what they do with the HD for sure.

HAVE YOU SEEN IT YET?

Ariana: No, I actually haven't gotten to see it on Blu-ray yet, but it is coming very soon.

IS THERE A QUESTION NO ONE EVER ASKS IN THESE PRESS JUNKETS THAT YOU'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO ANSWER (OR A SUBJECT YOU'VE WANTED TO TALK ABOUT)?

Ariana: That's a very good question. Do you have something in mind?

NO, I FIGURE YOU'RE HEARING THE SAME THING OVER AND OVER AGAIN, SO I WAS TRYING TO SPARE YOU THAT.

Ariana: That's really nice of you, but I don't know. I'd like you to surprise me.

OKAY, IN YOUR ART/PAINTINGS. HAS WORKING WITH A VISUAL MAESTRO LIKE STEVEN SPIELBERG, BEING ON SET AND WORKING WITH HIM, HAS THAT INSPIRED OR INFLUENCED YOUR WORK?

Ariana: That is actually a really good question and thank you so much for that. Absolutely, working with Steven was so impactful for me. Watching the way he would work and visually compose scenes. He would walk around and do this [Ariana makes the universal director hand-framing a shot gesture] and frame up an image. That was very common for me to see, and I did. I embraced that and brought it into my work along with wanting to express the essence. When you play a character, you want the emotion to come through. So I'm doing that when I paint these portraits of people and express that magic of bringing them to life. Really, in a sense, becoming my own director.

WHAT WAS THE CASTING PROCESS LIKE? I IMAGINE IT WAS MONTHS AND MONTHS.

Ariana: The casting process was not months and months, actually. It was very fast. Steven had seen me in some other projects I had done prior to Jurassic and liked my work. And he wanted me to come in and audition screaming and be put on tape just screaming. I didn't even really know anything about the project at that time; I hadn't read the script for anything. So I screamed and then he, apparently, watched the tape of all the girls screaming that day. He was sitting at home on the couch next to his wife, Kate, who was sleeping. He went through a couple screamers, and there I was. As soon I started screaming, she leapt up off the couch and started running into the hallway to see if her kids were okay. So, shortly after that, Steven invited me to come into his office and meet him. This was on my way to Disneyland, so I decided it was okay to take a detour --

HA.

Ariana: And after a few minutes, Steven asked me 'So, Ariana, are you busy this summer?' Of course I said no, and that was the beginning. And I have to say, maybe he did this on purpose, but when I first walked into his office, he got up and bumped his head on the chandelier, which put me at ease right away. So I think maybe he did that on purpose.

WHAT'S IT LIKE ACTING AGAINST NOTHING (FOR THE CGI) VS. ACTING AGAINST ANIMATRONIC DINOSAURS?

Ariana: Acting with the dinosaurs was so remarkable because they were so incredibly realistic, the level of detail that Stan Winston and Phil Tippet and Dennis Muren put into these dinosaurs. There was so much for me to draw from. I stepped into that world and really felt like I was in Jurassic Park. There were only very few times when there wasn't a dinosaur there, and in that case I would remember what it was like to work with them.

AT THE TIME YOU'D BEEN ACTING SINCE A YOUNG AGE, BUT WHAT'S IT LIKE TO BECOME WORLD FAMOUS AS A TEENAGER?

Ariana: That's an interesting question too. I went through Jurassic and it was so exciting. I had no idea it was going to be so huge afterwards. Then it hit and everybody was so excited about it. As an example, I couldn't eat lunch without a line of people wanting to talk to me and ask for my autograph. It was really intense, but at the same time, a lot of people were so positive about it, so excited. I never had anyone be difficult; they were always really appreciative of it, and excited to meet me. I have to say there were times when it got a little overwhelming.

LAST QUESTION. YOU MENTIONED IN ONE OF THE BLU-RAY'S NEW DOCUMENTARIES THAT ONE OF THE REASONS YOU LOVED YOUR CHARACTER WAS THAT SHE WAS AN INSPIRATION TO YOUNG GIRLS IN TERMS OF COMPUTERS AND SCIENCE [editor's note: remember, this is 1993 folks and home computers were not quite as ubiquitous], DID YOU EVER GET A CHANCE TO MEET ANY OF THOSE FANS?

Ariana: I did. Actually, I was really happy when I got a chance to talk to people who said, 'You know what, Ariana, after all these years, I wanted to let you know how much your work in Jurassic affected me, how much the story affected me and inspired me to take this direction in my life and learn these skills. And I want you to know how much you meant to me. And that is really been rewarding to me.

EXCELLENT, THANKS VERY MUCH.

AND THANKS AGAIN TO EVERYONE AT UNIVERSAL HOME ENTERTAINMENT. I WISH WE COULD HAVE SPENT MORE TIME WITH THE VFX WIZARDS, BUT IF YOUI CHECK OUT THE BLU-RAY ON OCTOBER 25TH, IT HAS A NEW SIX-PART DOCUMENTARY WHERE YOU GET TO KNOW THEM PRETTY WELL.

WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE SCENE OR EFFECT IN 'JURASSIC PARK'? AND HOW WOULD YOU RANK THE TRIOLOGY IN TERMS OF QUALITY? HIT UP THE FORUM LINK BELOW. CHEERS!

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Spielberg Camp Shuts Down Latest HD DVD Rumors

Mon Oct 08, 2007 at 03:50 PM ET
Tags: Steven Spielberg, Universal (all tags)

Although a presentation from Universal Japan late last week appeared to indicate otherwise, Steven Spielberg's longtime spokesman is denying reports that several of the director's classic flicks are headed to HD DVD.

As we first reported last Friday, a slide from a presentation made by Universal Japan at last week's CEATAC conference included mention of 'Jaws,' 'E.T.' and 'Jurassic Park' among other high-profile Universal titles apparently headed to HD DVD.

Given the director's apparent preference for Blu-ray, and his previous denials of any immediate plans for HD DVD release of his titles, the image of Spielberg tiles on a page wrapped by the "Look and Sound of Perfect" graphics common to all of Universal's HD DVD discs was enough to whip fans into a near-frenzy on our own forums and elsewhere online.

Today, however, in a statement to Blu-ray.com, Spielberg spokesperson Marvin Levy put the rumors to bed.

"There are no plans to release these titles on HD DVD," said Levy. "It was a mistake and someone inadvertently put those titles into a presentation."

Levy went on to tell Blu-ray.com that Universal would be making a public statement regarding this mistake in the coming days.

As we've previously reported, back in February of this year, the official HD DVD Promotions Group (of which Universal is a member) issued a public apology to the director after listing several of his titles in a "Coming Soon" list that was apparently never approved by the director.

See what people are saying about this story in our forums area, or check out other recent discussions.

Related links:
Spielberg Spokesperson: Universal Japan HD DVD Announcement was "A Mistake" [Blu-ray.com]
Earlier on High-Def Digest:
Universal Japan Touts Spielberg Titles in HD DVD Presentation
Exclusive: Spielberg "Big Supporter" of Blu-ray, But Future High-Def Releases Uncertain
HD DVD Promotions Group to Spielberg Fans: Whoops!

Exclusive: Spielberg "Big Supporter" of Blu-ray, But Future High-Def Releases Uncertain

Tue Aug 21, 2007 at 11:46 AM ET
Tags: Industry Forecasts, Steven Spielberg (all tags)

Confirming mounting speculation, we've got exclusive word this morning that Steven Spielberg is indeed "a big supporter" of Blu-ray, and that the one-sentence "Spielberg carve out" in yesterday's Paramount/DreamWorks HD DVD announcement was designed to allow the legendary director to release future titles on Blu-ray.

With many of his early blockbusters distributed by Universal Pictures ('E.T.,' 'Jurassic Park' and 'Jaws,' among them), it was once assumed that the combination of Steven Spielberg's classic titles and Universal's exclusive HD DVD support would be one of format's biggest weapons against rival Blu-ray, but a series of developments have led many to speculate that perhaps Spielberg himself has other ideas.

The first hint of trouble for HD DVD came back in February when the HD DVD promo group issued a public apology to Spielberg after listing several of his titles in a "Coming Soon" list that was apparently never approved by the director.

Then, just last month came news that the very first Spielberg high-def title -- a 30th anniversary edition of 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind' -- would be released on Blu-ray, not HD DVD. (That release is due November 13, day and date with the standard-def DVD edition.)

Finally, yesterday's stunner of a Paramount/DreamWorks HD DVD exclusivity press release included a conspicuous one line carve-out, stating that Spielberg's DreamWorks films would be exempt from the terms of the HD DVD exclusivity arrangement, opening the door to the possible future release of more recent Spielberg blockbusters on Blu-ray.

So what's the deal? We put that question to the source for all things Spielberg -- his longtime spokesman and DreamWorks marketing exec Marvin Levy. Speaking exclusively with High-Def Digest, Levy confirmed Spielberg's active support of Blu-ray with the selection of 'Close Encounters' for his next-gen debut.

"It was important to Steven that if any of his films were to be released [first] on high-definition, that it would be a classic," said Levy. "Steven is big supporter of Blu-ray, and chose 'Close Encounters' to be the first of his films on either format."

Spielberg approved the new high-def transfer made for the film, and among the Blu-ray's supplements is a new introduction recorded by the director specifically for the release, as well as a storyboard comparison.

Levy further clarified the Paramount/DreamWorks press release, saying that "...his movies, like 'Saving Private Ryan' and 'War of the Worlds,' are not included in that deal. They are not exclusive to HD DVD, nor [are they] planned for that format at this time.'"

Levy went on emphasize that beyond 'Close Encounters,' Spielberg has no other films in the high-def pipeline on either format. "At this moment, there are no plans for something further [on either format]. Anything in the future will be decided on a title-by-title basis. There certainly won't be more titles in 2007."

See what people are saying about this story in our forums area, or check out other recent discussions.

Discs mentioned in this article: (Click for specs and reviews)
Close Encounters of the Third Kind: 30th Anniversary Edition (Blu-ray)
Earlier on High-Def Digest:
Spielberg to Hit High-Def With 'Close Encounters' (Jul 26, 2007)
HD DVD Promotions Group to Spielberg Fans: Whoops! (Feb 05, 2007)

'Jaws' to Take a Bite Out of HD DVD After All?

Wed Feb 14, 2007 at 04:02 PM ET
Tags: Disc Announcements, Steven Spielberg, Universal (all tags)

The Spielberg on high-def saga continues, with word coming from a most unlikely source that 'Jaws' may be headed to HD DVD, after all.

For those new to this mini-drama, the whole thing started late last month when Universal Studios Home Entertainment issued a press release touting over a hundred new HD DVD releases in 2007. Fans were quick to note that the list was conspicuously absent any Steven Spielberg blockbusters, a large chunk of which the studio holds home video distribution rights to.

Then came word from the HD DVD Promotions Group that a trio of Spielberg titles -- 'E.T.,' 'Jurassic Park' and 'Jaws' -- would hit the format this year. A day later, that statement was retracted.

Now comes yet another indication that 'Jaws' may be indeed headed to HD DVD. Responding to rumors that Universal is working on 'Jaws 5' as a direct-to-DVD sequel, indie auteur Kevin Smith (and life-long 'Jaws' fan) said this to the online blog Slashfilm:

"Allow me to debunk [the 'Jaws 5' rumors]. I dropped an email to [Universal Studios Chairman] David Linde to ask if this was true, and he said folks are confused: there's an HD 'Jaws' DVD on its way, but no 'Jaws 5,' straight-to-DVD."

Smith also went on to add: "And if you can’t believe Universal’s top brass, who can you believe?"

Of course, whether or not Linde's email came after -- or before -- the HD DVD Promotions Group retraction and the subsequent rumors that Spielberg may not be too keen on having his titles hit the format just yet, we do not know.

But there is one definitive and absolutely positive piece of news to come out of all of this -- it looks like we'll all be spared a crappy direct-to-video 'Jaws 5.' At least, for now...

See what people are saying about this story in our forums area, or check out other recent discussions.

Related links:
Rumor Killer: Jaws 5 goes Direct to DVD [slashfilm]
Earlier on High-Def Digest:
HD DVD Promotions Group to Spielberg Fans: Whoops! (Feb 05, 2007)
HD DVD Promotions Group Touts Spielberg Classics 'Jaws,' 'Jurassic,' 'E.T.' (Jan 30, 2007)
Universal Plans 100 New HD DVD Titles in 2007 (Jan 25, 2007)

HD DVD Promotions Group to Spielberg Fans: Whoops!

Mon Feb 05, 2007 at 03:08 PM ET
Tags: Disc Announcements, Steven Spielberg, Universal (all tags)

Before enticing HD DVD fans with the promise of titles by Hollywood's biggest director, perhaps someone at the HD DVD Promotions Group should have given Steven Spielberg a call first?

The possibility of some of Spielberg's biggest hits coming to HD DVD first lit up the web following a January 29 update of the HD DVD Promotions Group official "Coming Soon" HD DVD release list. The web site added three of the director's biggest Universal blockbusters ('Jaws,' 'Jurassic Park' and 'E.T.') to its release schedule, causing a fast and widespread wave of excitement among early adopters. Fans not only continue to highly anticipate the first Spielberg blockbusters in high-def, but consider the combo of the director's top titles and Universal's HD DVD-exclusive support to be one of the format's biggest weapons against rival Blu-ray.

The Promotions Group, which is the official umbrella PR organization for the HD DVD Forum (which includes primary format backers Universal and Toshiba), updates its schedule routinely, and its "Coming Soon" list is considered one of the key indicators of new titles expected on the format.

Unfortunately, it seems the Spielberg trio was a bit premature. Today, the HD DVD Promotional Group has removed the offending titles from its list, and issued a full apology via its website:

The inclusion in the January 29 update of our 'Coming Soon List' of three Steven Spielberg classics was an error on our part. The HD DVD Promotion Group expresses sincere apologies to Steven Spielberg, Universal Studios Home Entertainment and HD DVD fans for this mistake. We will endeavor to prevent any similar mistake and to provide accurate information.

As for Universal's response to the news, they continue to express the same sentiments as always regarding any big A-list titles from top directors. A request for comment from the studio brought this now-canned response, first made by Ken Graffeo, EVP of Universal Studios Home Entertainment, regarding the studio's 2007 HD DVD plans:

Universal feels the key to getting a great HD DVD disc is filmmaker participation. They have been educating filmmakers about the possibilities for interactivity, picture and sound available with HD DVD. There are other challenges like scheduling that come into play when working on DVD/HD DVD releases with filmmakers. Universal is committed to working with filmmakers whenever possible to put out the best quality presentation they can.

At the risk of sounding cynical, we can't say we're particularly surprised by this news. As battle-scarred survivors of the early DVD days -- when Spielberg notoriously held off the release of any of his major titles from the format for years -- this is par for the course. Spielberg and fellow behemoth George Lucas have never been known to quickly embrace new home video formats, and we expect that won't change anytime soon -- especially with a next-gen battle raging, and no clear winner yet in sight.

Of course, we all want the biggest and the best movies on high-def as soon as possible, including those by Spielberg. So as we all continue to dream of next-gen dinosaurs and man-eating sharks, watch this space and we'll keep you posted on any further developments.

See what people are saying about this story in our forums area, or check out other recent discussions.

Related links:
Spielberg Apology Notice [HD DVD Promotions Group]
A Conversation with Universal Studios Home Entertainment [Home Theater Forum]
Earlier on High-Def Digest:
HD DVD Promotions Group Touts Spielberg Classics 'Jaws,' 'Jurassic,' 'E.T.' (Jan 30, 2007)

HD DVD Promotions Group Touts Spielberg Classics 'Jaws,' 'Jurassic,' 'E.T.'

Tue Jan 30, 2007 at 03:04 PM ET
Tags: Disc Announcements, Steven Spielberg, Universal (all tags)

Generating lightning fast buzz among early adopters, the HD DVD Promotions Group has added a trio of exclusive Spielberg classics to the "Coming Soon" section of its 2007 HD DVD release list, suggesting that the first of the director's long-awaited classics may finally be hitting the format.

The group, which is the official promotional organization for format backers including Universal and Toshiba, routinely updates its HD DVD title list (which can be found in PDF form here) with officially announced titles, as well as those confirmed to the group as being in the planning stages by the major studios.

Though not all of the "Coming Soon" titles the group has been listing on its site for the past year have actually seen release, the list does provide a strong indicator of what fans might expect in the coming months.

So needless to say, with the appearance of the Steven Spielberg classics 'Jaws,' 'Jurassic Park' and 'E.T.,' hopes are now high among HD DVD fans that the director's first titles will hit high-def this year.

Of course, as DVD enthusiasts know all too well, Spielberg turned out to be one of the longest hold-outs of the standard-def format, refusing to release his major titles for many years despite much pleading from the fanbase. It is also worth noting that Universal itself, in a press release and statements made only late last week, promised 100 new HD DVD titles in the coming year, but ino Spielberg titles were included on the list pending "filmmaker involvement." So we'll take a wait-and-see attitude towards the news, if only for fear of being disappointed.

Should even one of these Spielberg gems see release this year, however, it would certainly prove to be a boost for the HD DVD format, as most of the director's titles are currently distributed by Universal Studios releases, the sole studio holdout from the Blu-ray camp.

As always, stay tuned... we'll keep you posted.

See what people are saying about this story in our forums area, or check out other recent discussions.

Related links:
HD DVD Promotion Group [Official Site]
Earlier on High-Def Digest:
Universal Plans 100 New HD DVD Titles in 2007, Still Says No to Blu-ray (Jan 25, 2007)

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