Jurassic Park (Universal, 1993), Studio-Built Velociraptor Maquette Presented to Dinosaur Supervisor an...

Description

Presentation maquette commissioned by Steven Spielberg and gifted to Dinosaur Supervisor Phil Tippett following production of Jurassic Park.

Jurassic Park (Universal, 1993), Studio-Built Velociraptor Maquette Presented to Dinosaur Supervisor and Practical FX Legend Phil Tippett by Steven Spielberg Following Production. Original studio-built Velociraptor presented to the film's Dinosaur Supervisor, Phil Tippett, by Steven Spielberg following production of Jurassic Park (Universal, 1993). Constructed of hyper-realistic textured rigid cast resin over a static metal armature and finely studio-painted by practical effects specialist Chris Swift. Phil Tippett was initially hired to design and construct armatures for the stop-motion puppetry that would be used to depict the film's dinosaurs using the Go Motion blur technique he had perfected at Industrial Light & Magic. When the decision was made to switch to computer-generated animation, Tippett remained an essential part of the technical process as the Dinosaur Supervisor, where he oversaw the fabrication of highly detailed maquettes utilized by animation technicians for character-pose and paint-study to fine tune their digital renderings. Great lengths were taken to create hyper-realistic depictions of the prehistoric creatures. Following production, Steven Spielberg commissioned a small number of dinosaur maquettes using the same scale and design approved for the film to be offered as gifts for select key members of the creative team including Phil Tippett, Dennis Muren, and Kathleen Kennedy. Among these special presentation pieces, only one Velociraptor maquette was made - this one. The static Velociraptor maquette measures 33" x 16" x 6" and is finely painted with life-like green, brown, gray, and yellow over its textured resin skin. Fierce gray-black claws and piercing amber eyes made of cast resin complete the menacing look of the terrifying predator. Its large resin talons are immediately recognizable to anyone who is familiar with the blockbuster film that broke boundaries, grossing over $1 billion at the box office and garnering three Academy Awards including Best Visual Effects for the team that included Stan Winston, Dennis Muren, Michael Lantieri, and Phil Tippett. Maquette exhibits mild signs of age and wear including some minor areas of paint loss and scuffs to the extremities. Mounted to a custom display case constructed of a wooden base and acrylic cover measuring 36" x 17" x 10.5" overall with a plaque printed "Presented to: Phil Tippett / Thanks, Steven". Signature is facsimile. Provenance: Obtained directly from the collection of Dinosaur Supervisor and VFX Specialist, Phil Tippett. Comes with a COA from Heritage Auctions.

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