The Making of The Lost World: Jurassic Park’s Compsognathus Dinosaurs
The Lost World: Jurassic Park introduces the Compsognathus (Compy), a chicken-sized dinosaur and the first dino to be seen in the movie in a chilling encounter with a young girl on the beach.
The Compys return for more mayhem in a later scene in which a pack of them attacks hunter Dieter Stark (Peter Stormare).
Jump To Section
- Using Practical Effects to Keep the Compy Attack “Real”
- Building Different Puppets for Different Performances
- Making the Compy Dinosaurs Move
- Bringing Jurassic Park 2’s Hero Compys to Life
- A Chilling Effect and Scene
Using Practical Effects to Keep the Compy Attack “Real”
Although the Compys that are first seen running in the forest and jumping onto Stormare were computer-animated, the actual attack on the hunter was accomplished almost entirely with practical puppets.
(Dieter Stark puts up a fight against a pack of hungry Compys.)
Building Different Puppets for Different Performances
Stan Winston Studio built a dozen Compy puppets of four different types to create the range of behaviors required in the scene.
(The Compys were made out of foam latex over a wire frame.)
“Very often, producers will say, ‘Just make a general puppet,’” said Shane Mahan, long-time SWS Supervisor and co-founder of Legacy Effects. “It costs them less to have us build one puppet that can do a handful of general things, but making a general puppet is never as good as making different puppets that can perform specific functions really well.”
(SWS mechanics Chris Colquhoun & Jon Dawe developed a tiny blink mechanism for the Compys.)
Making the Compy Dinosaurs Move
One type of Compy puppet was attached to the actor by velcro and rigged with a fishing line that ran to a controller. By tugging on that controller, the puppeteer created a pecking motion.
(Some of the Compys were attached to the vest worn beneath the actor's clothes.)
Another type of Compy puppet featured high-powered magnets on its feet to adhere the puppet to the actor’s clothes, which had attracting magnets sewn into them, allowing for shots of the character grabbing Compys and pulling them off. The mechanical crew inserted springs into the magnet Compy to give it a bit of neck movement.
(A stuntman rehearses the attack sequence for a final test.)
Bringing Jurassic Park 2’s Hero Compys to Life
The "Hero" Compys were mechanized with servos to create full head movement, with pneumatic eye blinks and tail movement. The featured hero Compy had all the same functions, plus fully articulated arms that could grab at the actor while attacking.
(The featured hero Compy bites Dieter's lip - the effect made people on set cringe.)
A Chilling Effect and Scene
Stan Winston himself was impressed with the final effect in the movie. “Some of these puppets were very simple,” Winston said, “strings and springs, basically. But they worked beautifully. Between those simple puppets and the more mechanized ones, we were able to create this violent cacophony of Compy performance.
The scene is so chilling; it actually was listed as the 2nd most horrific death in the Jurassic Park Trilogy by Next Movie.
-Jody Duncan
Excerpted from THE WINSTON EFFECT: THE ART & HISTORY OF STAN WINSTON STUDIO
To Create Your Own Dinosaurs, Check Out These Courses
- How To Sculpt A Dinosaur Part 1 - Armature Building & Sculpting Primary Forms with Chris Darga
- How To Sculpt A Dinosaur Part 2 - Secondary Forms & Finishing Techniques with Chris Darga
- How To Make A Dinosaur - Part One: Design, Foam Carving & Fabrication with Ted Haines
- How To Make A Dinosaur – Part Two: Carving Teeth, Adding Detail & Texture with Ted Haines
- How To Make A Dinosaur - Part Three: Painting & Finishing with Ted Haines
- Oversized Eyes Part 1: Digital Sculpting & 3D Printing with Sam Polin
- Oversized Eyes Part 2: Molding & Casting with Rob Hinderstein
- Oversized Eyes Part 3: Paint Layering & Finishing with Rob Hinderstein