Tricks of the Trade

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Dennis Muren, ASC

When we started making the computer graphic Tyranosaurus and Raptors for Jurassic Park, I was having trouble getting them to look really alive. Their motions were great. Their skin looked real. But they just weren't as powerful and threatening as they would be if I were standing there looking at real ones.

Then I realized that I couldn't "see" them think. I couldn't "see" their soul. What was missing? This led to the obvious, time-honored answer: the eye light. And because these were digital creatures lit by digital lights, I had ability to illuminate only their eyes. That way I was able to digitally light the animals as dramatically as I wanted and still see an evil glint in their eyes.

For the darker, rim-lit sequences in The Lost World, I applied the same trick to the mouths and teeth by putting a lightsource inside their mouths. I then animated its brightness up, when appropriate, to subliminally remind the audience of what could happen if you get too close!