Greg Jein | |
|---|---|
| Born | Gregory Jein (1945-10-31)31 October 1945 |
| Died | 22 May 2022(2022-05-22) (aged 76) |
| Known for | Close Encounters of the Third Kind,Star Trek[1] |
Greg Jein (born October 31, 1945, inLos Angeles, US;[2] died May 22, 2022, in Los Angeles[3]) was aChinese American[4] model designer who createdminiatures for use in thespecial effects portions of many films and television series, beginning in the 1970s. Jein was nominated for anAcademy Award for Best Visual Effects for his work on the filmsClose Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) and1941 (1979),[5] and also nominated for anOutstanding Special Visual Effects Emmy for his work onAngels in America.[6]
Jein was a graduate ofDorsey High School in theCrenshaw district ofLos Angeles, and ofCalifornia State University, Los Angeles.[7]
One of Jein's first jobs was building models for the sex comedy spoofFlesh Gordon; this was followed by work on a number of television series, commercials and movies includingWonder Woman andThe UFO Incident.[8] In 1975 he was contacted byDouglas Trumbull's office and asked to do some work onSteven Spielberg'sClose Encounters of the Third Kind.[8] For that film Jein contributed a number of models including miniature landscapes for UFOs to fly over, but most significantly he and his crew built the detailed mothership model that features heavily in the final sequence of the film after Spielberg decided he wanted "a more flamboyant design".[8] For their work Jein, Trumbull,Roy Arbogast,Matthew Yuricich, andRichard Yuricich were nominated for anAcademy Award for Best Visual Effects at the50th Academy Awards, but lost to the team who produced the effects forStar Wars.[8] Jein then went on to work on Spielberg's next film,1941, where he and his team constructed a number of models including a twelve-foot model of theFerris wheel that's dislodged from its mount and rolls down the pier and into the water.[8] For their work on1941 Jein,William A. Fraker andA. D. Flowers were nominated for an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects at the52nd Academy Awards but lost this time to the team who provided the effects forRidley Scott'sAlien.[9]
After working on1941, Jein was invited by Douglas Trumbull to work onStar Trek: The Motion Picture building planetary models forSpock's spacewalk scene and the interior of the V'Ger craft.[8][10] Jein continued his association withStar Trek through a number of the movies, building alien weapons forStar Trek V: The Final Frontier, and Starfleet helmets for the assassination scene inStar Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.[11] In 1986 he and a team atIndustrial Light & Magic built the original six-foot model of theUSS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) designed byAndrew Probert for the pilot ofStar Trek: The Next Generation.[12] He would go on to build a number of models forThe Next Generation including theFerengi Marauder starship (also designed by Andrew Probert) during the first season of the show,[13] and theKlingonVor'cha (designed byRick Sternbach) for the fourth season.[14]
The LA native spent most of his life in the Crenshaw district, maintaining lifelong friendships with fellow students from Audubon Junior High and Dorsey High School. He was an alumnus of Cal State Los Angeles.