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CINEFEX
... The Journal Of Cinematic Illusions
Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Technical Bimonthly Magazine from Riverside ,United States
Ceased publication

- First and last issue: 1980-2021
Special effects
From 1980, it explains the way special effects are made.
Only covers 2-3 films in every issue with many details and behind the scenes photos.
Publisher: Don Shay Editor: Jody Duncan
A quarterly publication. 112 colour A5 pages.
- Published by Cinefex
- Website: www.cinefex.com (dead link)

Last updated:
6 October 2021
(see recent updates)

Special thanks for this page goes to:
Scott Matheson
Garry Malvern

COVERS FOUND & MISSING

Info from the Database

Highslide JS Listing is complete and all covers have been found.

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CONTENTS: 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 All

GALLERIES: 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 All

Issue 24
1985

Creating the Wonder of 'Cocoon': Without benefit of unbridled violence, gross-out humor or food fights - apparent prerequisites for contemporary boxoffice success - Cocoon seemed a decidedly tame entry into the summer filmgoing sweepstakes. Not to mention the fact that in these times of youth-oriented fare, its principal cast consisted largely of veteran performers well into their Social Security years. But in director Ron Howards' hands, the Zanuck/Brown production - with its predominant emphasis on character and heart - finished a strong third among the season's boxoffice attractions. Helping to create the magic behind what Howard jokingly dubbed 'Close Encounters on Golden Pond' were the diversely-talented cinemagicians of Industrial Light & Magic, Cannom Creature Effects and Robert Short Productions who - separately and collectively - produced everything from lifelike mechanical dolphins to glowing extraterrestrials to flying saucers from distant worlds. Article by Jody Duncan Shay
Backyard Adventures - Spielberg Style: When Steven Spielberg's Amblin Productions first approached Industrial Light & Magic with a request to purvey the few, minimal effects shots needed for The Goonies and Back to the Future, the proposal seemed innocent enough. The premier facility was well-accustomed to orchestrating visual effects by the hundreds for Lucasfilm's intergalactic space epics. But the fast-paced, tandem production scheduling of Amblin's earthbound adventures called for some decidedly different approaches - and compelled the already well-occupied ILM staff into a whirlwind of productivity. And although neither Goonies nor Back to the Future is considered a 'major effects film', each features several well-placed 'major effects'. Seasoned veterans of illusion Micheal McAlister, Ken Ralston and other members of Industrial Light & Magic - along with the films' special makeup experts - discuss life in the special effects fast lane and the ensuing challenges thereof. Article by Janine Pourroy

Issue 23
1985

Explorers: The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of: Every kid has dreams of adventure by way of a backyard fort or makeshift treehouse. In Joe Dante's summertime jaunt, Explorers, the dream comes true. Only this time the journey begins when a homemade spaceship devised by three young boys really does take off for parts unknown and brings the trio face-to-face with some hilariously offbeat Rob Bottin-designed aliens. With the effects expertise of Industrial Light & Magic and the computer-generated animation of Omnibus Computer Graphics, Dante and company launched a $23 million expedition into the cinematic firmament. Article by Adam Eisenberg
Lifeforce: Baring the Soul of 'Lifeforce': Bizarre makeup and unusual opticals are prime elements of the modern horror or science fiction film, and director Tobe Hooper's Lifeforce - an incredible combination of the two genres - is replete with both. Keeping up with an effects-a-minute pace was no easy task for the international crew, and John Dykstra and key members of his Apogee organizaion discuss challenges faced on the visual effects front. From conventional model photography to innovative laser applications, the production team concocted an assortment of illusions to help bring Colin Wilson's tale of soul-snatching vampires to life. Article by Glenn Campbell
Shooting for an 'A' on 'My Science Project': Screenwriter Jonathan Betuel was certain of two things while shopping his My Science Project script around Hollywood - he wanted to direct the film, and it had to feature a terrifying tyrannosaurus rex sequence. Walt Disney Productions agreed and gave Betuel the directorial reins for his fantasy-adventure yarn about a high school science experiment gone awry. Along with effects supervisor John Scheele, dinosaur-builder Doug Beswick and other members of the effects ensemble, first-time director Betuel reflects upon the unlikely logistics of getting a prehistoric carnivore into the school gymnasium. Article by Stephen Rebello

Issue 22
1985

Return to Oz: It all started eighty-five years ago when L. Frank Baum first captured the hearts and imaginations of children with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The book's literary success spawned dozens of stage and screen excursions to the Land of Oz, marked most notably by MGM's immortal classic. Repudiating the popular conception of singing and dancing munchkins and vaudevillian backdrops, Walt Disney Productions and director Walter Murch have reexplored Baum's familiar and beloved fantasy world in a dedicated new adaptation - Return to Oz. Producers Gary Kurtz and Paul Maslansky, opticals expert Zoran Perisic, creature designer Lyle Conway and Claymation innovator Will Vinton - together with other members of the Oz team - discuss in detail the special brand of wizardry involved in bringing Dorothy Gale's time-honored adventures once again to life. Article by Brad Munson
Baby: Bringing up Baby: In the animal-adventure genre there is nothing new under the sun - or is there? For Touchstone Films, the novel twist of casting a most unusual fauna in the title role of Baby was inspiration for the telling of an old tale in a decidedly new way. The Isidoro Raponi-designed infant brontosaurus star was born cinematically in the rain forests of Africa's Ivory Coast following an arduous three-year gestation period. For director B.W.L. Norton and producer Jonathan Taplin, the trials and tribulations of bringing the $14 million production to life involved an exhausting - often harrowing - labor. And the challenge of creating high-tech special effects in a low-tech Third World country furnished all involved with more than their share of real-life thrills and chills. Article by Howard E. Green

Issue 21
1985

The Terminator: When writer-director James Cameron first conceived of The Terminator, it was little more than a visceral image of a human cyborg emerging from a fire in its basic skeletal form. What it became was a modestly-budgeted blockbuster. To bring his image to life, Cameron engaged the services of Stan Winston - whose seasoned team of makeup and mechanical effects experts created the full-size robotic skeleton, as well as several lifelike representations of actor Arnold Schwarzenegger. For futuristic post-holocaust views of Los Angeles, plus contemporary pyrotechnics and stop-motion effects, the expertise and talents of Fantasy II were brought to bear. With minimal funds, but a wealth of creativity and enthusiasm, The Terminator's effects units helped transform Cameron's searing image into both a thrill-a-minute adventure and a major boxoffice event. Article by Jennifer Benidt
The Shape of 'Dune': Despite enormous popularity as a novel, twenty years would elapse before Frank Herbert's Dune would make the quantum leap from printed page to cinematic reality. The imposing challenge of adapting the widely-read cult classic - a saga rivaling the novel itself in epic proportion - would ultimately be met by writer-director David Lynch. In consort with cinematographer Freddie Francis, production designer Tony Masters, and a battery of high-powered effects supervisors including Carlo Rambaldi, Albert Whitlock, Barry Nolan, Kit West and Brian Smithies, Lynch would labor diligently for three-and-a-half years to bring his vision of Herbert's exotic work to life. From the worm-infested deserts of Arrakis to the murky decadence of Giedi Prime, Lynch and his production unit combineda wealth of experience with fresh innovation to weave the richly-textured tapestry of Dune. Edited by Janine Pourroy and Don Shay

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