Dennis Muren
Birthday: Born in 1946-11-01 in Glendale, California, USA
Deathday: Alive
Dennis Muren, A.S.C. (born November 1, 1946) is an American film visual effects artist and supervisor. He has worked on the films of George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and James Cameron, among others, and has won nine Oscars in total: eight for Best Visual Effects and a Technical Achievement Academy Award. The Visual Effects Society has called him "a perpetual student, teacher, innovator, and mentor." He has been identified as "a pioneer in bringing a new wave of visual effects films to the public, opening the doors for screenwriters and directors to tell stories never before possible with a new realism through the use of his skills in cinematic arts and advanced technologies." According to Spielberg, Muren "set the example at Industrial Light & Magic for visual effects excellence with effects that add strong, appropriate emotion to a shot and fit seamlessly into a movie." Description above from the Wikipedia article Dennis Muren, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
TV Credits
Light & Magic
Character: Self - Camera Department
Granted unparalleled access, Academy Award®-nominated filmmaker Lawrence Kasdan takes viewers on an adventure behind the curtains of Industrial Light & Magic, the special visual effects, animation and virtual production division of Lucasfilm. Learn what inspired some of the most legendary filmmakers in Hollywood history, and follow their stories from their earliest personal films to bringing George Lucas’ vision to life....
Movie Credits
The Making of 'E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'
Character: Self
A behind-the-scenes documentary about the making of Steven Spielberg's 1982 film "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial."...
Star Wars: The Magic & the Mystery
Character: Self
Host Howie Long takes viewers on a tour of the "Star Wars" universe, as Fox TV celebrates the re-release of the original three legendary films in this one hour special....
The Sci-Fi Boys
Character: Self
Legendary all-stars of cinema bring to life the evolution of science-fiction and special effects films from the wild and funny days of B-movies to blockbusters that have captured the world's imagination. This is the story of the Sci-Fi Boys, who started out as kids making amateur movies inspired by Forrest J Ackerman's FAMOUS MONSTERS magazine and grew up to take Hollywood by storm, inventing the art and technology for filming anything the mind can dream....
Side by Side
Character: Self
Since the invention of cinema, the standard format for recording moving images has been film. Over the past two decades, a new form of digital filmmaking has emerged, creating a groundbreaking evolution in the medium. Keanu Reeves explores the development of cinema and the impact of digital filmmaking via in-depth interviews with Hollywood masters, such as James Cameron, David Fincher, David Lynch, Christopher Nolan, Martin Scorsese, George Lucas, Steven Soderbergh, and many more....
George Lucas: Creating an Empire
Character: Self
A Biography of George Lucas....
The Pixar Story
Character: Self
A look at the first years of Pixar Animation Studios - from the success of "Toy Story" and Pixar's promotion of talented people, to the building of its East Bay campus, the company's relationship with Disney, and its remarkable initial string of eight hits. The contributions of John Lasseter, Ed Catmull and Steve Jobs are profiled. The decline of two-dimensional animation is chronicled as three-dimensional animation rises. Hard work and creativity seem to share the screen in equal proportions....
Ray Harryhausen: Working with Dinosaurs
Character: Self
A tribute to stopmotion supremo and special effects genius extraordinaire Ray Harryhausen, the man behind some of cinema's greatest fantasy films - The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms, The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad, Jason & The Argonauts and One Million Years BC. Featuring exclusive footage of Harryhausen at work on his first stopmotion for over 20 years, and contributions from many of Hollywood's top special effects directors and creators....
Creature Designers: The Frankenstein Complex
Character: Self
The Frankenstein Complex takes a historical as well as a creative perspective, with a mix of fascinating scenes behind the camera, film clips, and dozens of interviews with all the big names in the industry. In addition to the many wonderful anecdotes, the film also offers a wealth of beautiful test material, while along the way showing how the art of filmmaking has changed over the years. An affectionate ode to monster makers throughout history....
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Character: Nazi Spy on the Airplane (uncredited)
When Dr. Indiana Jones – the tweed-suited professor who just happens to be a celebrated archaeologist – is hired by the government to locate the legendary Ark of the Covenant, he finds himself up against the entire Nazi regime....
Lost in Time: Unearthing the Primevals
Character: Self
Documentary about the 30-year long process of David Allen's The Primevals....
The Harryhausen Chronicles
Character: Self
As an actor, director and producer, Ray Harryhausen has been a vibrant figure in Hollywood, working on everything from family films to mind-bending sci-fi. But his true genius lay in the creation of special effects for movies such as Mighty Joe Young and It Came from Outer Space. Narrated by Leonard Nimoy and featuring appearances by George Lucas and Ray Bradbury, this film documents Harryhausen's remarkable life's work....
The Making of 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind'
Character: Self
A documentary film on the making of 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind'...
Spielberg
Character: Self
A documentary on the life and career of one of the most influential film directors of all time, Steven Spielberg....
Industrial Light & Magic: Creating the Impossible
Character: Self
Leslie Iwerks' documentary takes audiences behind the scenes at ILM with in depth interviews with some of the company's top talent and showcases never before seen footage highlighting many of their pioneering milestones. From creating the first ever computer generated character in a feature film to the latest advancements in visual effects for film franchises like Transformers and Iron Man, ILM has created some of the most memorable movie moments in recent history....
The Making of 'Jurassic Park'
Character: Self
This documentary treats film fans to a behind-the-scenes look at the making of "Jurassic Park," one of the 90's biggest hits and a milestone in special effects development. Narrated by James Earl Jones, it includes footage of the filming process, as well as interviews with director Steven Spielberg, and other members of the cast and crew, who give their insights into what it was like working together on this project and the efforts it took to bring the film to completion....
Vision of a Future Passed: The Prophecy of 2001
Character: Self
This documentary about "2001: A Space Odyssey" looks at some of the things that seemed fanciful in 1968, which don't seem quite as much anymore....
Classic Creatures: Return of the Jedi
Character: Self
Go behind the scenes — and into the costumes — as production footage from Return of the Jedi is interspersed with vintage monster movie clips in this in-depth exploration of the painstaking techniques utilized by George Lucas to create the classic creatures and characters seen in the film....
Phil Tippett: Mad Dreams and Monsters
Character: Self
An in-depth, sad, and beautiful documentary about the stop motion and VFX artist Phil Tippett, a man who changed the landscape of visual effects in film....
Ray Harryhausen: Special Effects Titan
Character: Self
There’s only one person who so accurately personifies movie magic in the history of film, and that man is special effects maestro Ray Harryhausen. Focusing on the man behind the landmark effects on films like Clash Of The Titans, One Million Years B.C., Jason And The Argonauts and many more, this in-depth film features interviews with the great man himself, and with an array of animators and directors influenced by his work including Guillermo del Toro, Peter Jackson, Nick Park, Terry Gilliam, J...
Return to Jurassic Park
Character: Self
A multi-part documentary about the making of the Jurassic Park trilogy. Each part walks through the making of part of one of the films, including the hurricane during the shooting of the first film, and how advances in CGI for Jurassic Park helped change the world of special effects forever. All interviews for these retrospective documentaries come with comments from Spielberg, Johnston, Neill, Dern, Goldblum, the effects crews, the child actors, and Peter Stormare. This documentary is broken in...
From Star Wars to Star Wars: The Story of Industrial Light & Magic
Character: Self
The incredible evolution of George Lucas' special effects dream factory, including an inside look at "Star Wars: Episode One - The Phantom Menace."...
The Making of 'The Lost World'
Character: Self
Behind-the-scenes documentary about the making of director Steven Spielberg's 1997 film "The Lost World."...
Willow: The Making of an Adventure
Character: Self - Visual Effects
A behind-the-scenes documentary on the making of the film Willow (1988). Included are interviews with cast and crew and scenes of the actual filming of the production itself....
From Morf to Morphing: The Dawn of Digital Filmmaking
Character: Self - Senior Visual Effects Supervisor
Documentary about the invention of MORF, the program for morphing, which was created for the film Willow (1988)....
In Search of Tomorrow
Character: Self - Interviewee
A nostalgic journey through ’80s Sci-Fi-films, exploring their impact and relevance today, told by the artist who made them and by those who were inspired to turn their visions into reality....
Empire at 40
Character: Self
A special livestream conversation with effects legends Dennis Muren, Joe Johnston, Phil Tippett, and Lorne Peterson in celebration of the 40th Anniversary of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. ILM's VFX Supervisor Bill George will moderate the discussion....
R2-D2: Beneath the Dome
Character: Self
Mockumentary telling the never before told life story of the fictional robot R2-D2 from the Star Wars film series. The movie was made as a fun project by the cast and crew of Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones. Using interviews, fake archive photos, film clips, and behind the scenes footage the "true" story was told of Artoo's life....
Amazing! Exploring the Far Reaches of Forbidden Planet
Character: Self
A documentary about the making of, and legacy of, the Forbidden Planet movie....
The Making of 'Terminator 2: Judgment Day'
Character: Self
Documentary of the making of the sequel to the popular Schwarzenegger film, The Terminator....
T2: Reprogramming The Terminator
Character: Self
This retrospective documentary focuses on the cast and crew reminiscing about the making of the film and its legacy. It features new interviews James Cameron, William Wisher, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Robert Patrick, Joe Morton, Edward Furlong, Brad Fiedel, Mario Kassar, Stephanie Austin, Adam Greenberg and Dennis Muren....
No Feat But What We Make: 'Terminator 2' and the Rise of Digital Effects
Character:
A look at the digital effects in Terminator 2: Judgment Day....
The Making of 'Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom'
Character: Self
A documentary following the various stages in the production of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)....
Masters of Illusion: The Wizards of Special Effects
Character: Self
Documentary focused on the creation of movie and television special effects, hosted by Roy Scheider and Jonathan Brandis, featuring behind the scenes look at how the visual effects were created for popular films of the era....
Crossing the Frontier: Making The Last Starfighter
Character: Self
Crossing the Frontier: Making 'The Last Starfighter', an original documentary with a fascinating look at the creation of the film and its groundbreaking computer-generated visual effects. Hosted by star Lance Guest (Alex Rogan) and featuring behind-the-scenes footage and all new interviews with director Nick Castle, production designer Ron Cobb, art director James Bissell, producer Gary Adelson, composer Craig Safan and some of the computer artists who blazed the trail for a new era of effects t...
From Star Wars to Jedi: The Making of a Saga
Character: Self
From Star Wars to Jedi: The Making of a Saga is a 1983 television documentary special that originally aired on PBS. It is a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the original Star Wars trilogy, with particular emphasis on the final film, Return of the Jedi. Narrated by actor Mark Hamill, the documentary was written by Richard Schickel who had written the previous television documentaries The Making of Star Wars (1977) and SP FX: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)....