Dennis Muren

Visual Effects

Dennis Muren

Born 1946-11-01 · Glendale, California, USA

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.

Acting credits

Raiders of the Lost Ark poster
7.9

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.

Raiders of the Lost Ark

1981

Spielberg poster
7.5

A documentary on the life and career of one of the most influential film directors of all time, Steven Spielberg.

Spielberg

2017

Masters of Illusion: The Wizards of Special Effects poster
9.0

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.

Masters of Illusion: The Wizards of Special Effects

1994

Return to Jurassic Park poster
6.6

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 into six parts: Dawn of a New Era (25 min), Making Prehistory (20 min), The Next Step in Evolution (15 min), Finding the Lost World (28 min), Something Survived (16 min), and The Third Adventure (25 min).

Return to Jurassic Park

2011

The Making of 'Jurassic Park' poster
7.3

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.

The Making of 'Jurassic Park'

1995

The Pixar Story poster
7.5

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.

The Pixar Story

2007

Side by Side poster
7.3

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.

Side by Side

2012

No Feat But What We Make: 'Terminator 2' and the Rise of Digital Effects poster
7.0

A look at the digital effects in Terminator 2: Judgment Day.

No Feat But What We Make: 'Terminator 2' and the Rise of Digital Effects

2003

No artwork available
NR

Documentary on the cast and crew, stunts, special effects, and score of 'Hulk' (2003).

The Making of 'Hulk'

2003

In Search of Tomorrow poster
6.7

A nostalgic journey through ’80s Sci-Fi-films, exploring their impact and relevance today, told by the artists who made them and by those who were inspired to turn their visions into reality.

In Search of Tomorrow

2022

Industrial Light & Magic: Creating the Impossible poster
6.7

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.

Industrial Light & Magic: Creating the Impossible

2010

Creature Designers: The Frankenstein Complex poster
7.2

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.

Creature Designers: The Frankenstein Complex

2015

Ray Harryhausen: Special Effects Titan poster
7.4

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, James Cameron and Steven Spielberg. The film also features unseen footage of tests and experiments recently uncovered.

Ray Harryhausen: Special Effects Titan

2012

R2-D2: Beneath the Dome poster
6.7

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.

R2-D2: Beneath the Dome

2001

From Morf to Morphing: The Dawn of Digital Filmmaking poster
4.8

Documentary about the invention of MORF, the program for morphing, which was created for the film "Willow" (1988).

From Morf to Morphing: The Dawn of Digital Filmmaking

2001

Ray Harryhausen: The Early Years Collection poster
8.0

For over a half century, Ray Harryhausen has amazed and inspired countless filmmakers and fans around the world with his breathtaking motion picture effects and stop-motion animation. Presented here for the first time ever is the authorized collection of his earliest work, along with hours of supplemental features.

Ray Harryhausen: The Early Years Collection

2005

The Making of 'Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom' poster
7.6

A documentary following the various stages in the production of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984).

The Making of 'Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom'

1984

From Star Wars to Jedi: The Making of a Saga poster
7.4

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).

From Star Wars to Jedi: The Making of a Saga

1983

T2: Reprogramming The Terminator poster
7.4

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.

T2: Reprogramming The Terminator

2017

Crossing the Frontier: Making The Last Starfighter poster
10.0

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 technology at Digital Productions. Also included are comments from leading artists at Industrial Light and Magic who discuss the historical importance of The Last Starfighter in the annals of the visual effects field.

Crossing the Frontier: Making The Last Starfighter

1999

The Making of 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind' poster
7.1

A documentary film on the making of 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind'

The Making of 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind'

2001

No artwork available
7.0

Documentary about the technical achievements of the 1940 film classic The Thief of Bagdad.

Visual Effects: The Thief of Bagdad

2008

The Harryhausen Chronicles poster
7.0

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 Harryhausen Chronicles

1997

Nexus Generation: Fans & Filmmakers poster
NR

Fans of Blade Runner discuss the lasting impact of the film, the way it has influenced many directors in the last 25 years and show of some of their most prized memorabilia.

Nexus Generation: Fans & Filmmakers

2007

Behind the camera

Equinox poster
5.1

Due to their possession of an ancient mystic book, four friends are attacked by a demon while on a picnic and find themselves pitched into a world of evil that overlaps their own. The film was originally made in 1967 by Dennis Muren as The Equinox: Journey into the Supernatural. Jack Woods was hired to shoot additional footage and expand on Muren's work.

Equinox

1970

The Equinox ... A Journey into the Supernatural poster
5.2

Deep within the woods and canyons of California, four teenagers happen upon an ancient book containing the secrets of a strange, malevolent world that coexists with that of mankind. This film was re-editted with additional footage and released as Equinox (1970).

The Equinox ... A Journey into the Supernatural

1967

The Equinox ... A Journey into the Supernatural poster
5.2

Deep within the woods and canyons of California, four teenagers happen upon an ancient book containing the secrets of a strange, malevolent world that coexists with that of mankind. This film was re-editted with additional footage and released as Equinox (1970).

The Equinox ... A Journey into the Supernatural

1967

Raiders of the Stone Ring poster
NR

A WWI zeppelin is attacked by pterodactyls, sending it crashing into a mysterious land populated by vikings and dinosaurs and ruled by violent lizard men.

Raiders of the Stone Ring

1968

Dancing Beer Bottles poster
NR

Circa 1963 - 1975. This is possibly test footage or something for a beer commercial, or something for a variety show of some sort. Dennis Muren animated it with replacement animation. The same technique that was used with George Pal's Puppetoons and the animation of the title character with The Beast From Hollow Mountain (1956). In fact, this technique is used today from Tim Burton to Laika.

Dancing Beer Bottles

1965