Beyond The Frame: Jurassic Park
Behind the scenes with Dean Cundey, ASC while shooting one of Steven Spielberg's biggest hits and most innovative productions.
Flanking the Panavision camera, Dean Cundey, ASC and director Steven Spielberg work out a scene with actors Sam Neill and Laura Dern and a stricken triceratops while filming Jurassic Park (1993) on location in Hawaii.
To the left of Cundey is creature effects specialist Stan Winston, who oversaw the creation of film’s ingenious animatronic dinosaurs, which comprise the vast majority of the animals’ screen time in the picture. He shared an Oscar for Best Visual Effects with Phil Tippett, Michael Lantieri and Dennis Muren, ASC.
“Nothing ruffled Dean, even when I was pushing him,” Spielberg told American Cinematographer. “And I push a lot to get as many shots a day as I possibly can. Dean relieves the pressure of production just with his dry, wry sense of humor and his cool, collected demeanor. He brings a calming influence to the entire company, including the actors.”
Cundey was honored with the ASC’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015.
