sabretooth

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Big Bear!

I worked on this movie, I was the creature supervisor at SMG effects where we made the animatonic Sabertooth. The animatronic cat was a fully functional suit that could walk, climb and leap. (In the tradition of American Werewolf In London) When we were contracted to build the cat. We were told that it would be shot with a full second unit crew on location with sets designed and integrgrated to the Cats capabilities. When we got to set in Big Bear they had a few sheets of plywood set aside to be used as a rolling floor over rocky terain with the 1st unit. At that time we were supposed to do 90 shots. Some shots were to be composited with puppeteers wearing green bunny suits so the cat could be seen running in wide shot across open ground. Unknown to us in the interum a fledgling CGI company had offered to do many of the shots at minimal cost so the producers borrowed from Peter to pay Paul using our onset crew money push the bulk of the shots into post. Leaving our crew with mostly close ups and inserts and a few casualty make up shots (the good ones). It was beautiful puppet that was sadly under used to pinch a penny. Some of the creative talent behind the creature included Brian Wade (who cut his teeth in efx on John Carpenters The Thing) John Crawford ( The Arrival, Carnosaur and Rocketeer) Bill Bryan the suit performer ( Species1&2, Ghostbusters "Stay Puff Marshmallow Man", Men In Black) Paul Pistore (Men In Black 2, Alien Resurection) Gregory Ramoundos (Angel Wings for Dogma) and Screaming Mad George ( a luminarie in creative special efx) These guys are steller performers the idea that the production failed to allow them to create what could have been memorable movie monster is most tragic indeed.

Mike McGee