Launched in 1980 as a ‘bimonthly journal‘ which covered the ins and outs of special effects, with articles and interviews from the biggest artists and technicians in the movie industry; Cinefex allowed its readers the chance to deep-dive into the reality of the visual and technological wizardry taking place behind the scenes – though to many Terminator Fans, the publication became synonymous with Terminator creator, James Cameron.
James Cameron’s movies were featured in, and on, Cinifex’s legendary front cover a total of nine times, beginning with…
The Terminator (Issue #21 April 1985):
When writer-director James Cameron first conceived of The Terminator, it was little more than a visceral image of a human cyborg emerging from a fire in its basic skeletal form. What it became was a modestly-budgeted blockbuster. To bring his image to life, Cameron engaged the services of Stan Winston — whose seasoned team of makeup and mechanical effects experts created the full-size robotic skeleton, as well as several lifelike representations of actor Arnold Schwarzenegger. For futuristic post-holocaust views of Los Angeles, plus contemporary pyrotechnics and stop-motion effects, the expertise and talents of Fantasy II were brought to bear. With minimal funds, but a wealth of creativity and enthusiasm, The Terminator‘s effects units helped transform Cameron’s searing image into both a thrill-a-minute adventure and a major boxoffice event.
Article by Jennifer Benidt
Aliens (Issue #27 August 1986):
In the seven years since its release, Ridley Scott’s Alien has endured as the quintessential science fiction horror film — a stylish thriller and box-office favorite that spawned a rash of forgettable clones but somehow defied legitimate efforts to generate a worthy sequel. A fresh approach was clearly in order, but that approach proved evasive until writer-director James Cameron was afforded the opportunity to develop his own scenaro — an action-packed roller coaster ride that succeeded admirably in retaining the essential elements of the original without being fettered by them. Despite a studio analyst’s estimate that Cameron’s Aliens script would cost $35 million, producer Gale Anne Hurd mounted the ambitious sequel in England — bringing it in for a remarkably frugal $18 million. Of crucial importance to the cost curtailment effort was the need to keep the film’s extensive special effects from spiraling out of control. Striving for high-quality work with low-level technology, Cameron and Hurd assembled a team of professionals that included conceptual designers Syd Mead and Ron Cobb, production designer Peter Lamont, visual effects supervisors Robert Skotak and Dennis Skotak, postproduction supervisor Brian Johnson, alien effects creator Stan Winston and physical effects supervisor John Richardson. These and other effects artisans discuss in detail their work on the film and the time-pressured campaign to bring Aliens into being.
Article by Don Shay
The Abyss (Issue #39 August 1989):
Writer-director James Cameron and producer Gale Anne Hurd have carved a distinct niche for themselves in the world of high-tech science fiction filmmaking. After traveling across time in The Terminator and to the outer reaches of deep space in Aliens, they have now journeyed into the Cayman Trough — one of the deepest and most impenetrable chasms on earth — for The Abyss, Set in an underwater oil drilling habitat located seventeen hundred feet beneath the ocean surface, the film begins with the search for a downed nuclear submarine and evolves into an aquatic odyssey of cosmic consequence. Forty percent of the production was shot in the largest fresh water filming tank in the world — a specially converted reactor containment building located at an uncommissioned nuclear power plant. Nine visual effects units were engaged to produce literally hundreds of shots covering the gamut of cinematic illusions from computer generated imagery and motion control to animatronic puppets and radio control vehicles to matte paintings and underwater miniatures to rear projection and bluescreen traveling mattes. Virtually no effects technique was left untapped. A trio of distinguished effects supervisors — John Bruno and Hoyt Yeatman and Dennis Muren — oversaw the activities of in-house units and teams from Dream Quest Images and Industrial Light & Magic. Ancillary units were headed by Cameron veterans Robert and Dennis Skotak and Gene Warren of Fantasy II. Though photographed thousands of miles apart — in situations both wet and dry and by artists of diverse talents and experience — the effects blended together seamlessly with the main unit photography and with one another. The end result is an unprecedented and uncompromising accomplishment — an epic film of wonder and imagination propelled by the singular vision and relentless drive of a master filmmaker just hitting his stride.
Article by Don Shay
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (Issue #47 August 1991):
Seven years ago, writer-director James Cameron was an unknown entity with only an ultra-low-budget horror picture to his credit, Arnold Schwarzenegger was a world-class bodybuilder with a few less-than-world-class movies under his belt and Linda Hamilton was a young actress with a number of nondescript teen roles on her brief resume. The Terminator changed all that. A landmark science fiction film whose nonstop techno-action was punctuated with rare humor and an affecting love story, The Terminator was the impetus for major career breaks across the board. In the next half-dozen years, Cameron would become one of the hottest directors in Hollywood, Schwarzenegger would become the world’s biggest boxoffice star and Hamilton would become the celebrated beauty of a cult television series. Though a sequel seemed inevitable, prospects for launching one were snarled in a spider’s web of proprietary interests and legal entanglements until early 1990 when Carolco Pictures stepped in and cleared the way. Eighteen months later, after a grueling six-month shoot and an intense postproduction schedule, one of the biggest films in history was ready for release. Bringing magic to Terminator 2: Judgment Day was an army of effects people — most of them veterans of earlier Cameron productions. Stan Winston and company were responsible for Terminator makeups and animatronic puppetry. Dennis Muren supervised the creation of an advanced shape-shifting terminator at Industrial Light & Magic. Gene Warren of Fantasy II provided a major truck crash and a future war in miniature while Robert and Dennis Skotak of 4-Ward Productions wreaked nuclear havoc on Los Angeles. Video Image supplied ‘Termovision’ point-of-view material and Pacific Data Images performed some digital rescue work. The result was an epic foray into science fiction filmmaking.
Article by Jody Duncan
True Lies (Issue #59 September 1994):
In his latest cinematic extravaganza, True Lies, writer-director James Cameron spiced his trademark action with comedy in depicting a few days in the harried life of Harry Tasker — a secret agent whose super-secretiveness extends even to his wife and family. Assigned to deliver the lion’s share of visual effects for the film was Digital Domain — a startup company formed by Cameron and associates — which produced more than a hundred traditional and digital effects shots. Providing major and minor support were a number of other companies including Pacific Data Images and Boss Film Studios.
Article by Don Shay
Titanic (Issue #72 December 1997):
Titanic is an apt title for the latest film from director James Cameron, denoting not only the subject matter of the picture, but the scope of the endeavor, as well. On his odyssey to bring the story of the 1912 maritime disaster to the screen, Cameron went to the bottom of the North Atlantic to photograph the actual Titanic wreck, then reconstructed the celebrated ship, almost full-size — and sank it! — at a studio built expressly to house the massive production.
Article by Don Shay
Convinced that total verisimilitude was essential for Titanic, Cameron challenged Digital Domain and visual effects supervisor Robert Legato to blur the line between full-size photography and miniature work by constructing an enormous model of the ship, then placing it in a digital ocean environment and populating it with computer generated people to capture, in intimate detail, the expansive elegance of the liner at sea and the horror of its untimely demise.
Article by Don Shay
During principal photography and into postproduction, as the visual effects workload for Titanic increased from 150 shots to more than 500, a production-level effects department was established to assign and monitor the overflow workload, which was farmed out to seventeen separate facilities collectively contributing everything from complex compositing and miniature photography to matte paintings and computer animation.
Article by Jody Duncan
Avatar (Issue #120 January 2010).
Twelve years after his blockbuster film Titanic broke all boxoffice records, filmmaker James Cameron returned to the big screen with Avatar, a science fiction fantasy set on another world, and shot entirely in stereo 3D. Working with a dedicated technical team, Cameron spent four years developing new filmmaking paradigms designed to push the boundaries of performance capture and virtual character creation to unprecedented levels of artistry and sophistication. Weta Digital led the groundbreaking visual effects effort, with support from Industrial Light & Magic, Framestore, Frantic Films, Hybride, Weta Workshop and Stan Winston Studio.
Article by Jody Duncan
Alita: Battle Angel (Issue #163 February 2019):
After decades in development, 20th Century Fox and producers James Cameron and Jon Landau present their adaptation of Yukito Kishiro’s manga classic about a 26th century scientist (Christoph Waltz) who salvages a damaged female cyborg (Rosa Salazar) whom he nurses back to consciousness as a deadly warrior. Director Robert Rodriguez brings cybernetic worlds to life with visual effects supervisor Richard Hollander, makeup effects supervisors Greg Nicotero and Carey Jones, and artisans at Lightstorm Entertainment, Weta Digital, KNB EFX Group, DNEG, Framestore and The Third Floor.
Article by Joe Fordham
The Terminator franchise has graced the cover of Cinefex magazine three times over the years, the last movie in the franchise to do so was the James Cameron co-written and produced, Terminator: Dark Fate.
Terminator: Dark Fate (Issue #168 December 2019):
The band is back together for Paramount Pictures’ reboot of the ‘Terminator’ franchise, with originator James Cameron co-writing and producing, and Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton leading the battle against a lethal Rev-9 cyborg from the future. Tim Miller directs, and Industrial Light & Magic takes the visual effects lead, with additional contributions by Digital Domain, Method Studios, Scanline VFX, Blur Studio, Rebellion VFX, UPP, Unit Image, Cantina Creative, Weta Digital and The Third Floor — all working with production visual effects supervisor Eric Barba. Neil Corbould orchestrates high octane on-set special effects.
Article by Graham Edwards
But now, due to the economic and social constraints being felt across the world as a direct result of the pandemic, Cinefex have had to make a very difficult decision…
On February 23rd, Cinefex posted the following to its website and social media:
CINEFEX 1980-2021
Cinefex
A year ago this month, Cinefex celebrated its 40th anniversary.Historically, it was a publishing landmark few magazines achieve, and we were immensely proud of our accomplishment and grateful to those whose support and dedication helped us to achieve it. Then the world upended.Within weeks, the coronavirus pandemic swept across the planet, deadly and implacable; and to this date, its inexorable march through countries, communities and families remains largely unchecked.The human toll has been devastating, but so, too, the toll upon businesses, countless numbers of which shut down due to economic necessity or government mandate.More than 100,000 of those businesses, in the U.S. alone, will never reopen.We are deeply sad to announce that Cinefex will be among them.The pandemic deprived us of subject matter, retail outlets, and, most critically, advertisers, many of whom, like us, struggled to remain afloat in a climate of intense turmoil and uncertainty.We did our best to weather the storm, but ultimately the storm prevailed.We have just shipped the final issue of a magazine that has documented and celebrated one of the most vibrant and exciting art forms in entertainment history. It has been our great honor and privilege to do so.We bid you a fond farewell.
We at TheTerminatorFans.com are saddened by the news that one of the movie industry’s most insightful special effects publications has had to close business in these difficult times. We wish everyone involved the best of luck in their future endeavors.
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