Ep 145 | Alec Gillis — Creature FX Artist (Aliens, Predator, Tremors)

In this episode of The Filmumentaries Podcast, I’m joined by creature effects designer Alec Gillis, founder of Studio Gillis and co-founder of Amalgamated Dynamics Inc. (ADI) alongside Tom Woodruff Jr.Alec has spent more than four decades helping bring some of cinema’s most memorable creatures to life.

After beginning his career working under the legendary Stan Winston, he went on to contribute to films including Aliens, Predator, Alien³, Tremors, Death Becomes Her, Starship Troopers and many more.In this conversation we talk about how a childhood encounter with Ray Harryhausen’s Jason and the Argonauts set him on this path, the early days building stop-motion creatures in his parents’ garage, working for Roger Corman alongside a young James Cameron, and what it was like joining Stan Winston Studio during one of the most exciting periods in creature effects history.

We also talk about the eight-week scramble to build the Predator, working with David Fincher on Alien³, forming ADI with Tom Woodruff Jr., and how practical creature effects continue to evolve in an industry now dominated by digital tools.

This interview was recorded remotely, but I recently had the chance to visit Alec in Los Angeles while filming interviews for our upcoming Joe Alves documentary, where we spoke in person about his work on Jaws 3-D.

Topics discussed

• Discovering movie magic through Ray Harryhausen

• Building stop-motion creatures as a kid

• Learning the craft during the Roger Corman years

• Meeting and working alongside James Cameron

• Life inside Stan Winston Studio

• Creating the Predator in just eight weeks

• The production of Alien³ and working with David Fincher