Show notes
Alec Gillis grew up in Orange County, California within sight of the Disneyland fireworks show. As a kid he roamed the mean streets of Main Street Disneyland, It was here he gained a lifelong appreciation of animatronics, but it was in the local movie theatres that he fell in love with genre films. At age 20 Gillis began working for Roger Corman on a film called BATTLE BEYOND THE STARS, along with James Cameron and Gale Anne Hurd. After working for various Makeup Effects luminaries such as Tom Savini and Greg Cannom, Gillis was recommended by James Cameron to Stan Winston, where Gillis worked on effects for classic films such as ALIENS and PREDATOR. In 1988 he co-founded Amalgamated Dynamics, Inc. (ADI) with Tom Woodruff, Jr. TREMORS was the company’s first feature, and the film’s giant subterranean worms gained Gillis notoriety.
The duo’s work garnered Oscar nominations for STARSHIP TROOPERS, ALIEN 3 and won for DEATH BECOMES HER. Gillis has won numerous other awards such as BAFTAs and SATURNs. His work has been seen in BRIGHT, IT 1 and 2, and currently the Disney/Fox Predator feature PREY, directed by Dan Trachtenberg. During his 3 decades with ADI, Gillis has also written numerous screenplays, written 3 books and produced/directed a feature film, HARBINGER DOWN.
His new solo company, Studio Gillis, will continue the tradition Gillis is known for of high-quality Creature, Make Up and Practical Effects.
In this episode we discuss:
- Alec's unique way of ending up entering in the industry
- How his passion for scary movies and monsters as a child became a dream job
- Coming up with James Cameron and a fun full circle moment
- The ins and outs of how they make monsters and creatures from start to finish
- How technology has contributed and changed his job throughout the years
- He talks about his foray into directing and acting
- His favorite monster and experience
- Alec discusses how his whole family has become an industry family (despite his best efforts :))
Make sure to watch out on Tipsy Casting's instagram for a behind the scenes video look into Alec's shop and some of the amazing creatures he's created!
Resources:
Alec's Instagram
Alec's IMBD
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