Grant McCune (March 27, 1943 – December 27, 2010) was an Americanspecial effects designer whose entry into Hollywood was the uncredited creation of thegreat white shark in the 1975 filmJaws. His efforts there led to work on a series of major films, including his design of the robots in theStar Wars films, winning anOscar in 1977 for his efforts in thefirst film in the series.
McCune was born on March 27, 1943. He attendedCalifornia State University, Northridge where he earned his undergraduate degree in biology and met his future wife.[1][2] McCune was able to use his scientific training when he and Bill Shourt were hired in 1975 to work on creating the iconic shark in the movieJaws, marking his start in Hollywood, though he was uncredited.[1] He was subsequently hired to work on theStar Wars movies as the franchise's chief model maker, responsible for the design details of the robots (such asR2-D2[3]) and alien characters in the films. He and his team earned anAcademy Award for Best Visual Effects at the50th Academy Awards forStar Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.[1] He received a second Oscar nomination for his work on the 1979 filmStar Trek: The Motion Picture. As a partner at Apogee Productions, McCune's work was featured in such films asCaddyshack before founding his own firm, which was hired to work on such movies asSpeed andSpider-Man.[3]
Interviewed byPopular Mechanics magazine in 2009, McCune described how one uses a photographer's eye in designing miniatures, using perspective and surface details to make the objects appear as realistic as possible.[4]
