Animatronics Master Scott Oshita Shares His Journey
"...Baker, Bottin & Winston always amazed me with every new project"
By J. Jekyll
April 2009
Goremaster.com
GoreMaster caught up with animatronics and mechanical designer Scott Oshita for an in depth interview about his work in the special effects industry. Over the course of Mr. Oshita’s impressive 20 year career his list of film credits include Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993), Species (1995), Mimic (1997), Godzilla (1998), Stuart Little (1999), Meet the Spartans (2008), Chronicles of Nardia: Prince Caspian (2008) and Bedtime Stories (2008) just to name a few! |
|---|
GM: When did you make your decision to enter the field?
SO: Out of sheer happenstance, my introduction to EFX was in 1987-88. It was during the WGA (Writers Guild of America) strike, when the entertainment industry came to a crashing standstill. The major studios were shut down and the micro independent films were flourishing.
I was in school, taking a cinematography class. Bruce Cook the instructor, was about to start directing Nightwish (ultra low-budget horror flick… I mean “ULTRA”). Bruce was gracious enough to make a few calls in my behalf and hired me as a P.A. & craft service. The conditions were a little too extreme for me. Week 1 was deep in the Angeles Crest Forrest. With morning prep, commute, shooting, post wrap & commute home, it left maybe an hour at most to sleep. By the end of the week I had to quit, in fear of driving off a cliff in the middle of the night.
Before my departure on Nightwish as a paid crew member, I introduced myself to the Efx crew (KNB). Howard Berger and I had a discussion and he invited me to hang around and be an unofficial intern for the duration of the shoot. I got to squeeze a few bulbs and wrangle ultra-slime. What more could an 18 yr old ask for?
Shortly after Nightwish… and 100 phone calls later, KNB offered me an entry level position. That year at KNB was incredible. I think KNB was concurrently working on 10 films in those 12 months. It was a crash course in the world of Efx. Not only was it a smorgasbord of Efx genres, but it exposed me to a plethora of the industry’s best talent.
It was a lot of hard work and long hours. I think we averaged 100+ hours a week. Each day I was learning so much and having such a good time. It was a hellacious work load, but a quick way to build up a resume and portfolio. At this point, I knew I was hooked.
Bob, Howard & Greg were incredibly patient and gracious to me. They allowed me the freedom to explore any aspect I wanted.
GM: What or who inspired you to start? Who was your influence?
SO: Coming from a Japanese American family, there was extreme pressure to excel in school so I may get a “real” job in a “real” industry. The concept of working as an artist was taboo and never talked about publicly. The stigma of working in the industry and always hearing things like, “It’s not what you know, but who you know” was a constant fear and preventative. Like most, I believed working on films or television was reserved for a select few and never was an option for me.
I suppose my childhood wasn’t like other Efx folk. I never touched make-up, clay or latex until my late teens. I didn’t begin to learn who the artists were until after I started working in the industry. When I hear stories of other Efx people, doing Frankenstein or Ape make-ups at the same age I was learning to ride a bike, it’s no wonder they are as incredible as they are. I guess I was more of a Lego & Erector set kid.
Similar to the video game generation of today, movies & TV consumed most of my waking life. My passion wasn’t specific to one craft, but the movie making process in general. Granted, I will admit, the horror & sci-fi movies genres always had a place close to my heart. Again, not so much for the make-up achievements, but these genres introduced me to characters and stories beyond my wildest imagination. In my mind, movie making was a magical experience. Special Efx to me was beyond magic. So far beyond, that I will never attempt it, but rather sit back and enjoy it.
The thought of actually working in the entertainment industry was always a pipe dream. It wasn’t until High School when I began talking to Jean Hooper, my English teacher. The usual teacher/student conversations, what are your dreams and aspirations beyond High School? One day the topic of my fascination with film. Jean gave me that first nudge, encouraging me to strive for anything I wanted and to never give up. Forget all of the obstacles and possibilities of failure, but to follow my passions. The conversation got more specific and I told her of my interests & reservations of special Efx. It just so happens that Jean is the sister of Alec Gillis (Amalgamated Dynamics). She graciously gave me Alec’s home phone number and insisted that I call him (Sorry for the late night annoying phone calls Alec. Jean made me do it). Throughout my senior year, Jean was a constant support mechanism for me, eventually to the point of me enrolling in film school. Jean Hooper helped me open my eyes to believing that the impossible is possible.
Side note: Jean was also an inspiration and friend to another Efx artist. Several years later, in a conversation while working an all-nighter on Bill & Ted, I was shocked to discover that Mike Elizalde (Spectral Motion) went to the same school and also had Jean as a teacher. Jean was also Mike’s mentor, advisor & friend. The world is truly a small place.
Professionally, the big 3; Baker, Bottin & Winston always amazed me with every new project. When first starting out, it became my goal to work for them one day. They’re work is still revolutionary. Not discounting the earlier works from other masters, I feel the time period when the big 3 dominated the industry is when the craft reached a maturity. It was at this point when the line between an effect and reality blurred.
Another illusion or mystique many must overcome is the separation between departments. Does one specialize in the art or mechanical? Typically one starts in the lab working with chemicals & molds. The natural progression is to migrate to painting and sculpting. There is silly but distinct line drawn in the sand that still separates the art & mechanical departments. I was told by many people that it’s impossible to try to migrate to mechanical and shouldn’t even try. The more people that told me I could never do mechanical work, the more it pissed me off.
Side Note: For those of you reading this that is attending a make-up Efx school. Take the information & advice you gain lightly. I too went to one of these schools and it served a function or two, but the teacher made one fatal mistake. When I inquired about animatronics, I was told I wasn’t mentally capable of comprehending such a feat and I should stick to make-up only. To a teenager with zero experience, who was I to argue. Never let anyone discourage you from your passions. If you have the passion and desire, you can do anything!
Nearing the end of my first tour at KNB, we began work on Tales From the Darkside: The Movie. This movie involved several animatronic characters and gags. Mark Rappaport and Mecki Heusen were brought on to lead the mechanical department. Hanging around after hours and constantly pestering the two of them, they spoke with KNB and had me transferred to the mechanical department as their assistant. Mark & Mecki introduced me to the different elements and processes of manufacturing and design. At the close of the project, the two of them gave me a wonderful parting gift. My first set of dial calipers… which I kept and was still functioning until about a year ago. A tradition I’ve preserved til this day. I am grateful to Mark, Mecki & KNB for opening a door to a new world.
Proceeding down the path of animatronic effects, Dave Nelson (Animated Engineering) was my next stop. Dave introduced me to a world of modular design & a higher level of precision. Not designing something specific with a single function, nor the simplest or cheapest way. Dave stressed that taking a few calculated extra steps in the front end greatly benefited in the back end. On set, Dave’s creations performed well, were easily modifiable, flexible & were easily accessible for quick maintenance.
The beauty of working with new people is you are always exposed to new techniques, methodologies & abilities. In the early 90’s I met Larry Odien. Working with Larry was a bit of a shock. Larry was my first exposure to the few Efx artists who cross that imaginary line drawn in the sand. I first knew Larry only as a mechanical designer. One day, I was dumbfounded. Larry and I were machining parts for a character we were building. In a crunch, someone from the art department walked into the machine shop with a sculpture needing assistance. Shockingly, Larry agreed to help, simultaneously operating the Mill with one hand and raking down clay with the other. With further discovery, Larry is equally skilled in all aspects of the creation process. Larry is a true Renaissance Man. He demonstrated to me the benefits of balance.
Dave Kindlon & Evan Brainard probably had the greatest impact to the evolution of my career. These two have led the pack when it comes to pioneering new technologies & workflows. Every impossible task the Efx industry has encountered, you can be assured one or both of them were closely attached. They greatly enhanced my understanding of mechanical design, but more importantly, they introduced me to a world of CAD & virtual design. This introduction greatly changed my life and way of thinking. It wasn’t a tutorial of button clicking. They exposed me to a methodology of problem solving, bringing it into a new light. Absorbing and embracing the technology, I continued to explore and utilize this in other industries. To this day, the three of us still gather to discuss advancements in workflows and methodologies.
From that first initial transition point from art to mechanical, I never really looked back until recently. Although relatively new to the Efx industry, Ali Miki is an impressive creative visionary. Ali has a fresh perspective on art that is always new and exciting. Collaborating with Ali on a few projects has brought me back into a proper balance of both art & mechanical.
The beauty of working in the Efx industry is the incredible variety of artist and designers you encounter. If you keep your eyes and ears open, inspiration will occur on a daily basis.
Page 1 of 5 | Next>>
Copyright © 2009 by GoreMaster.com. All Rights Reserved. GoreMaster.com http://www.goremaster.com is a site dedicated to special effects artists, creature creators, makeup gurus and the films, television shows, and theater productions they enhance and make fun! |
|---|