Behind The Jurassic World

In 1993, a Hollywood blockbuster featuring prehistoric beasts burst onto the scene. Much like "Avatar," "Star Wars," and "The Lord of the Rings," it was a visual spectacle for audiences of that era, showcasing cutting-edge CG film technology from companies like Industrial Light & Magic and Weta Digital.

Behind these films stood Rick Carter, a film art director who collaborated with world-class directors like James Cameron and Steven Spielberg, contributing to creating vivid cinematic dreams through design.

When Steven Spielberg approached Rick Carter with the script for "Jurassic Park" in 1993, little did they know it marked the beginning of a collaboration lasting over a decade. While Rick Carter had already shown his talents in the latter two installments of the "Back to the Future" series, he hadn't yet had the chance to create the visual aesthetics of an epic blockbuster from scratch.

"Jurassic Park" was ahead of its time regarding movie technology. Despite advancements in special effects makeup and animatronics, dealing with towering dinosaurs was beyond the capabilities of traditional physical props.

Stan Winston, a Hollywood practical effects master. His team not only created the scorched face of Arnold Schwarzenegger in “Terminator” but also crafted numerous lifelike dinosaurs for the "Jurassic Park" series, controlled remotely.

On the artistic side, Rick Carter's team had the challenge of designing an unprecedented setting: a dinosaur-themed resort combining offices, entertainment, and exhibitions. A substantial amount of concrete was used in construction rather than adhering to the theme park model of Universal Studios or Disneyland.

The theme park, built with rough gray concrete, responded to the primal, sculptural appearance of dinosaurs—subjects that were primitive, wild, and mysterious. The buildings featured robust geometric shapes, heavy facilities, sturdy circles, and architectural buttresses. The Visitor Center, with its minimalist decor, set the tone with a conical space and a spiral staircase, laying the foundation for the internal style of the "Jurassic World" series.

The perimeter fence lacked elaborate design but conveyed enormous scale, hinting at the vast size of the creatures it aimed to contain. The control room beneath the Visitor Center resembled a bunker, covered in cables, evoking the feel of an unfinished basement. In contrast to the bright and transparent Visitor Center, the control room lacked natural light, immersing every corner in darkness.

The massive concrete cliffs, large culverts, and drainage channels dominated the scene inside the velociraptor enclosure. The film featured numerous control and defense facilities distributed throughout "Jurassic Park," offering the protagonists specific structures and equipment to evade the monsters in the jungle, even if the electronic systems failed.

Overall, "Jurassic Park" resembled an impregnable fortress or castle, fitting the impression and shape projected by an island full of dinosaurs.

The second and third installments of "Jurassic Park" retained the initial facility's appearance. Art Director Ed Verreaux took over from Rick Carter for the third installment. Ed Verreaux, a long-time atmospheric illustrator for films like "Indiana Jones," "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial," and "Empire of the Sun," previously served as an Art Director on the first "Jurassic Park."

After 2010, with the inception of "Jurassic World," Rick Carter was initially selected as the art director, leading a team of designers through preliminary design work. However, due to an invitation to work on "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," Ed Verreaux stepped in again, taking over Rick Carter's responsibilities.

While "Jurassic World" maintained the sequel status on the surface, it posed a new challenge in terms of design. The primary difficulty was innovating and expanding upon the concepts established in the original series. Ed Verreaux's strength lay in his ability to draw and control concept images, enabling early exploration of different design styles and details. This included detailed drawings of parts that weren't physically constructed on set but were expanded by post-production companies.

The first part of "Jurassic World" focused on the Indominus Rex, with its enclosure constructed on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. Only two walls were built, including the central observation space and gate. The enclosure used an abundance of trees to help the creature hide.

Distinct from previous off-road vehicles that resembled safari cars in the African savannah, "Jurassic World" featured gyroscopic observation vehicles with a more futuristic feel, aligning with the film's emphasis on a near-futuristic world. Reportedly, the design of these gyroscopic vehicles was one of Steven Spielberg's early ideas.

In the first half of "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom," Isla Nublar continued to be the focus. Like the previous installment, the newly established theme park was depicted in an abandoned state, including the iconic tower-shaped Visitor Center from "Jurassic World." However, the extensive long-distance aerial shots of damaged buildings were achieved through post-production, with some interior scenes constructed elsewhere.

The film featured a vast array of dinosaur species and quantities, with the latter part of the movie entering human environments. In addition to the Baryonyx, Tyrannosaurus rex, the spotlight was on the velociraptor, accompanied by various cage designs. To enable 23-foot-long dinosaurs to traverse human dwellings, the heights and proportions of the houses had to be coordinated with the dinosaurs' bodies, facilitating numerous indoor action sequences.

Most of the action scenes took place in the expansive Lockwood Manor. Benjamin Lockwood, the owner of Jurassic Park and a billionaire dinosaur enthusiast, attempted to correct past mistakes and save the dinosaurs from an impending volcanic disaster on the island. While differing in opinions from the founder of Jurassic Park, John Hammond, he shared a passion for dinosaurs and even had an original Jurassic Park model in his bedroom.

The exhibition room was the largest in the manor, featuring a two-story-high roof inspired by the DNA double helix. Spiral staircases connected the display level with the mezzanine. The giant statues and props in the room provided an ideal hiding place for the main characters to evade velociraptors.

Audiences could discover numerous dinosaur elements inside the Victorian-era mansion, including dinosaur-patterned gold foil wallpaper on the bedroom walls of Maisie Lockwood.

One of the film's classic scenes occurred when velociraptors entered Maisie Lockwood's room, a testament to director Juan Antonio Bayona's mastery of suspense. The film vividly portrays the young girl's nightmares through lighting, sound, and editing pace.

For "Jurassic World Dominion," Art Director Kevin Jenkins took over, detaching the environmental design from the theme park and creating a research sanctuary for a biotechnology company. The biotechnology company's headquarters, designed in a circular shape, continued the series' graphic language but bore a striking resemblance to the real-life Apple headquarters, with the antagonist even resembling CEO Tim Cook.

Notable scenes in the third installment included a memorable dinosaur black market, borrowing elements from the Middle East, and a dinosaur fighting arena reminiscent of illustrations from "Dinotopia." Kevin Jenkins, previously primarily responsible for visual effects, excelled in controlling the impact of CG dinosaurs (especially the feathered fire dragon). The most outstanding part was the simulation of a swarm of synthetic locusts flying in the night sky after being set on fire, combining oppression with beauty.

The motorcycle chase scenes were shot in the southern European country of Malta, featuring local landmarks like St. Ursula Street and St. George's Square. This marked the first time the Jurassic series ventured into urban environments.

In retrospect, the Jurassic series transformed its installments, involving multiple art directors. While maintaining the visual characteristics of the old versions, the series underwent iterative innovations based on technological advancements, audience aesthetic preferences, and the difficulty of implementing CG technology, ensuring the ongoing appeal of this film series.