On May 22, special effects legend Dennis Muren came to Gary DeTore’s Film Appreciation class to speak about his experience in the film industry that lead him to win eight Oscars.

“You couldn’t learn it [visual effects] in those days,” Muren said, “There were no schools, there were no books, no magazines. Not many people were doing it,  so I couldn’t talk to anyone. I’m completely self-taught.”

Muren shared his journey into the film industry, starting from his inspiration as a kid to joining the film company Industrial Light and Magic with George Lucas. “When I was really young, like 6-8 years old, I saw movies that had effects in them in the movie theaters, and what war of the worlds and the beast of 20,000 pounds,” Muren said, “When I was little kid I loved them, I just wanted to see them again and do it myself and I just haven’t stopped.”

He shared some of the illusions he used in his earlier years, such as when he was a teenager. Muren showed how he had a friend lying down, with a miniature friend standing on him. He was often motivated by the effects he saw in theaters that he wanted to do better.

Over his time in the special-effects industry, Muren has been the backbone of many breakthrough effects in films including Star Wars: Episode V, Judgement Day, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Lost Doom, Jurassic Park, and even some more recent films like Paranormal Activity 4.

Muren is currently a part of the production of the next installment of the Jurassic Park series.