'ILM' Model Shop - Visual Effects

A group of four extraterrestrials come to earth to retrieve some magical objects from the 
Gulf of Mexico. During their visit to Florida's west coast, they encounter a young charter-boat 
skipper who begins to fall in love with one of the visitors, and a group of senior citizens 
who begin to feel and act half their age.
Together they embark on a great adventure in which they all learn more about love, life and 
friendship than they ever dreamed possible.
Responsible for the magic arts behind this adventure are Cannom Creature Effects, 
Robert Short Productions and especially the miracle-working guys of Industrial Light and Magic.
The special Alien (Antarean) makeups were handled by Greg Cannom, while the Cocoons and Dolphin 
effects were created by Donald Pennington and his crew (Robert Short Productions). 
The optical and miniature effects were under the supervision of Ken Ralston (ILM).
The supervising modelmaker was Steve Gawley (ILM), who worked on all the models for the show.
Come fly with the 'Antarean Flying Saucer' and enjoy the wonderful view into the wizardry of 
the 'ILM' Model Shop. With a few stopovers here and there.
Ken Ralston, Ralph McQuarrie, Scott Farrar and David Berry won the Visual Effects 'Oscar' 
for 'Cocoon', 1986. 
They come from another planet and bring eternal life.

The cast and filmakers of 'Cocoon': (bottom, left to right) Herta Ware, Hume Cronyn, 
Jessica Tandy, Director Ron Howard, Gwen Verdon, Producers Lili Fini Zanuck and Richard Zanuck; 
(top, left to right) Wilford Brimley, Tahnee Welch, Maureen Stapleton, Brian Dennehy, 
Steve Guttenberg, Jack Gilford, Tyrone Power,Jr., Don Ameche and Mike Nomad.

Conceptual painting by Ralph McQuarrie.
An Antarean flying saucer seeks a landing spot, hovering over the coastline of Florida.
Randy Johnson (ILM Assistant cameraman) positions a black backdrop behind a simple 
miniature of a sunken city built by the ILM Model Shop. 
The 'Atlantis' miniature, about 8 by 16 feet, with a balsa wood Temple ruin in the background.
A motion control dry for wet shot with the miniature on a smoke-filled stage. 
'Atlantis' was an outpost of the Antarean visitors thousands of years ago, 
and several Antareans are still there ('Cocoons').
The Atlantis miniature in a movie scene.
Atlantis on stage at ILM.
Principal photography on 'Cocoon' took place from August 20 through late October, 1984, in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Production Designer Jack Collis and his Art department. built a wonderful pool house around an existing pool.
Ron Howard directing a pool scene.
The Antareans stored the recovered cocoons in the swimming pool and when a group of seniors 
swim in the pool, they experience something great, some kind of prejuvenating cure.
Underwater cameraman Jordan Klein in the pool with the cocoons.
Creature effects expert Greg Cannom was responsible for the 'Antarean' design.
His 'inner' Aliens, when the Antareans stripping off their human 'husks', are played by well-trained dancers in a white spandex body suit. 
Cannom designed a special prosthetic makeup and together with finger extensions and large contact lenses the little dancing Queen Wendy Cooke was transformed into an Antarean Visitor.
The photo shows Wendy on the bluescreen stage at ILM.
Walter (Brian Dennehy) is stripping of his human husk (Latex Skinflex) to revitalize the 
pool with the cocoons.
Kevin Yagher (Cannom Creature Effects Crew) applies the hand and arm husk of Walter to 
Wendy Cooke. Wendy was small enough to hide behind Brian Dennehy. 
Brian will carefully pull the husk away from her not even half as big hand.
A great effect with some rotoscoping and optical glows.
Director of Visual Effects Ken Ralston and Visual Effects Cameraman Scott Farrar are waiting 
outside of the pool to shoot the scene.
The seniors are a little confused about what's happening right now?
The old bathers, energized with youthful vigour, were discovered. 
Optical Supervisor David Berry was responsible for generating the Alien glow effects.
Director Ron Howard and Visual Effects Supervisor Ken Ralston talk about the scene with 
the dying Alien, built by Tom Hester (Cannom).
The ILM Visual Effects crew is preparing a shot with a cable operated Alien.
In a visual highlight of the film, the Antarean Saucer pulls the Manta III from the water, 
taking on board the fortunate elder earthlings, who have decided to leave Earth with their new found friends. 
The ILM Model Shop Crew of Supervisor Steve Gawley built 'Manta III' models in different scales.
For the scenes at sea a real boat was used. 
Skipper Jack Bonner (Steve Guttenberg) is living on this run-down boat.
They built a dock on the estate of the pool house intending to dock the real boat there, 
but the water had only a depth of 15 Inches around the dock. Far too flat.
A full scale flat bottomed mock-up of the boat was built and floated on empty oil barrels.
The thrilling special effects sequences with the Antarean Spaceship, 
filmed with the full scale flatbottomed Manta III duplicate in front of a large bluescreen.
The Manta III mock-up on a rocker assembly on stage in a Coast Guard Hangar at the Clearwater 
Airport in Florida.
The rocker effects were under supervision of the head of the floor effects, Joe Unsinn.
The bluescreen was backlit using fluorescent light. 
Hand-painted cycloramas (overcast seascape) can be rolled into position when needed.
A colossal light is hanging from a crane to simulate the powerful landing light of the Spaceship.
And at the end the complete hangar was shrouded in smoke.
Filming the scene with Actors and some local retirement-age extras.
ILM modelmaker Ira Keeler is airbrushing the hull of the six-foot Manta III miniature, 
a very accurate duplicate of the real boat.
For the long distance shots of the Manta III being lifted into the spaceship, 
Ira Keeler built a smaller, less detailed miniature.
Model Shop Supervisor Steve Gawley is checking the antennas of the detailed six-foot Manta III miniature.
Highly detailled 6 to 7 inch stop-motion puppets were built to represent the seniors on 
the boat. The Walter puppet is a fully articulated stop-motion figure while the rest were fitted just with wires. 
The puppets were screwed down to an aluminium deck and wrapped in plastic bags.
Look at these detailed puppets. 
The Model Shop crew in final preparations for the stop-motion work.
The figure of Walter (Brian Dennehy) is prominently displayed in front.
The stop-motion animation on Walter was done by Visual Effects Supervisor Ken Ralston.
Ira Keeler, chiefly responsible for the six-foot model, is checking again all details of the Manta III miniature.
Stop Motion Supervisor David Sosalla and his crew moulded more than 20 in-scale puppets from photos of the actors.
The costumes of the puppets have to represent the originals pretty exactly.
Ira Keeler and Steve Gawley are preparing the model for a first bluescreen adventure.
Everything looks great!
Ken Ralston did the time-consuming stop-motion animation.
Another day, a new scene, the puppets should look upward.
Even the smallest changes and movements of the miniature actors are associated with a lot of work.
This is a premium model with a great puppet crew.
Look how they play ... - On stage at ILM.
The model in action. The Antarean Spaceship pulls the Manta III from the water.
Highly detailled puppets of Brian Dennehy, Mike Nomad and Tyrone Power,Jr. are standing 
right at the front on the ship.
A movie scene for comparison.
Visual Effects Supervisor Ken Ralston and Optical Supervisor David Berry prepare a new shot.
The ship is slowly lifted into the air, some seniors look down to the ocean.
A little funtime for the Stop Motion technicians, Ken Ralston and the boys.
That's Bernie hanging there crying 'take me with you'!
And we have an unusual guest on board from another movie. With a keen eye you recognize him!
It is the former head of the 'Gamorrean Guards' of Jabba the Hut. 
Now retired, he wants to enjoy a cruise with the Manta III to the Planet Antarea.
What happened to this model and the puppets after the shooting?
Dusty and forgotten in a 'Planet Hollywood'?
The Antarean Spaceship was built under the supervision of Steve Gawley (ILM).
A tremendous, heavyweight and big model miniature.
On a heavenward flight in a boat!
The one-foot Manta III model being drawn into the Antarean Saucer.
The flying saucer was equipped with a skillful internal lighting system.
The Spacehip has triggered a storm all around this area. The cloud effects are tank-produced.
The cloud effects are produced in the ILM cloud tank.
The Camera is in position in front of the tank (ILM).
Visual Effects Supervisor Ken Ralston is injecting paint into the cloud tank.
Conceptual painting of the cloud scene by Ralph McQuarrie.
Ken Ralston generating realistic clouds in the ILM tank.
Director Ron Howard explains the flight schedule of the Antarean spacehip to the travel group.
One prefers to stay in local waters, Skipper Jack Bonner (Steve Guttenberg).
The scene was filmed in small tank. Is that really Steve?
Steve (?) is sitting in a rubber dinghy in a small tank in front of a bluescreen.
With a couple of thin boards waves are generated. I guess the guys have become quite wet.
The guys over there hold the rubber dinghy in position.
They have to be careful and not raise their heads.
The Matte department of Supervisor Chris Evans was heavily involved in the scenes when the 
Antarean Spaceship starts its flight home.
The entire sequence is of outstanding quality with a special brilliance of color.
Matte Artist Caroleen Green created a cloud of galatic dust on a large sixteen-foot panel 
that zooms in towards the camera.
Caroleen Green airbrushing a large-size matte painting planet for the opening scenes in 'Cocoon'.
Matte Photography by Paul Huston.
Matte Painting Supervisor Chris Evans in front of a plate, painted with translucent acrylic 
paint which was airbrushed on altogether four different large squares of glass and backlit 
for the scene with the starting Spacehip.
The different matte painted glass plates were positioned parallel, one behind the other for an 
atmospheric motion control shot in which the camera came very close to the first plate.
Gorgeous fresh and bright colors!
Model Shop Supervisor Steve Gawley was chiefly responsible for the construction of the Spaceship. 
Steve Gawley built a small mock-up of the Antarean Spaceship. 
This was made for Director Ron Howard for changes or approval.
The Antarean Spaceship miniature.
The big model was constructed from vacuformed acrylic shells.
ILM model shop at work. Fine work on a Spaceship shell.
Steve Gawley with the 2 finished shells.
Lots of cables in the left shell for the internal lightning system and the 12 opening doors. 
When the 12 opening doors of the entrance portal didn't work as desired, the model was too 
small to house the mechanics, Steve Gawley built an oversized section of the entrance portal.
The finished shot of the portal was then matted into the smaller-scale Spaceship, optically reduced.
Steve Gawley is giving the Spaceship some final finishing shortly before the motion control shots.
A great model with a simple but shapely and elegant design.
The Antarean Saucer is ready for a first shot. The heavy Spaceship had to be securely fixed.
Visual Effects Cameraman Scott Farrar monitors the motion control shots.
The Producers Richard Zanuck and Lili Fini Zanuck are talking with Tahnee Welch.
Richard Zanuck: 'Cocoon is a very uplifting, positive picture with heart and emotion, 
as well as action and special effects.'
I recommend Cinefex# 24 for additional information (Dolphins, Aliens).

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