RAY HARRYHAUSEN: MASTER OF CINEMA MAGIC
MONDAY, JUNE 29 • 7:30
June 29 would have been Ray Harryhausen’s 100th birthday. Ray Harryhausen (1920-2013) was the artist and designer behind such film fantasy milestones as The 7th Voyage of Sinbad and Jason and the Argonauts, and this legendary stop-motion animator influenced generations of filmmakers, visual effects artists, and animators.
Smith Rafael Film Center Director of Programming Richard Peterson gathered with some of Harryhausen’s students and friends to discuss his influence and legacy – A conversation with Oscar-winning visual and special effects artists Craig Barron, Ben Burtt, Dennis Muren, and Phil Tippett, who shared film clips and insights into the master’s worked how it influenced their own.
Watch the recorded conversation:
PARTICIPANTS:
CRAIG BARRON
Craig Barron has been an innovator in the realm of visual effects, winning an Academy Award for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. He is the co-author of The Invisible Art: The Legends of Movie Matte Painting and frequent collaborator with Ben Burtt on special-effects presentations at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, on Turner Classic Movies and at the Rafael.
BEN BURTT
A sound designer, film editor and film director, Ben Burtt is the winner of four Academy Awards and is best known for his work on the Star Wars and Indiana Jones movies, as well as Wall-E, Lincoln and many others. He is a frequent collaborator with Craig Barron on special-effects presentations at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, on Turner Classic Movies and at the Rafael.
DENNIS MUREN
Dennis Muren is a veteran filmmaker and visual effects artist who worked at Industrial Light & Magic (Lucasfilm) from 1976 to 2018, beginning with the original Star Wars. Recipient of eight Academy Awards for Best Achievement in Visual Effects (as well as a Technical Achievement Oscar), Muren is still involved as a consultant designing new cinematic imagery. He was the first visual effects artist to be honored with a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
PHIL TIPPETT
Phil Tippett is a film director and leader in the visual effects industry, specializing in creature design and character animation. He founded his namesake company, Tippett Studio, after making his name in animation and character design for the Star Wars films. The recipient of two Academy Awards, he has also made substantial contributions to the success of the Jurassic Park, Starship Troopers and RoboCop films.
$12