Behind The Scenes

Behind the Scenes of Jurassic Park III's Pteranodon with Mark Viniello

Stan Winston Studio artist Mark Viniello shares secrets of the practical adult Pteranodon suit he wore for Jurassic Park III.

June 16, 2023

Behind the Scenes of Jurassic Park III's Pteranodon with Mark Viniello

Featuring Pteranodons in Jurassic Park III

One of the new dinosaurs introduced in Jurassic Park III was the flying Pteranodon. Pteranodons had been included in the original script for The Lost World, in an attack on a helicopter that was meant to have been that film's climax. But when Steven Spielberg conceived a new ending with the T-rex terrorizing the streets of San Diego, the Pteranodons were dropped. Both adult and baby Pteranodons would be featured in Jurassic Park III in a sequence within an expansive aviary.

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Resurrecting InGen's Flying Dinosaur
Chasing Jurassic Dreams
Performing Inside the Pteranodon Suit

(Original Pteranodon concept artwork by Mark 'Crash' McCreery for The Lost World: Jurassic Park.)

Resurrecting InGen's Flying Dinosaur

Jason B. Matthews, the key artist on the Pteranodon, sculpted a maquette based on Mark 'Crash' McCreery's concept art. From that maquette, the crew built an adult Pteranodon suit with a thirty-five-foot wingspan and articulated cloth wings. The team also constructed two fiberglass heads, one that was rod controlled and another that was radio-controlled.

(Work-in-progress image of the Pteranodon armature on Mark Viniello's body cast.)

Stan Winston crewmember Mark Viniello performed in the Pteranodon suit, standing on stilts, his head fitted into the neck of the creature. "That was a tough suit to wear," said John Rosengrant. "It was big, awkward, and heavy. For shots of the Pteranodon walking toward the characters on a catwalk, Mark was suspended twenty-five feet in the air, trying to walk on these leg extensions. It was a crazy idea."

(Mark Viniello rehearses outside Stan Winston Studio, wearing elements of the Pteranodon suit understructure and fiberglass head core while SWS fabricator Billy Bryan stands by.)

Chasing Jurassic Dreams

by Mark Viniello

On June 11, 1993, several friends and I went to the opening night show of Jurassic Park in the Poughkeepsie Galleria. I was already in the process of packing up and getting ready to drive across the country from New York to seek my fame and fortune, making monsters for movies. I was 22 years old and had zero Hollywood connections. At the conclusion of the film, after the credits, I stood up and declared to all of my friends that I would work on the sequel.

Another test with Mark Viniello inside the Pteranodon armature at the Stan Winston Studio. (Another Pteranodon suit test with Mark Viniello at Stan Winston Studio with foam latex skin added to the forelimbs.)

At that time, I had better odds of being abducted by space aliens than working on any Hollywood movie, let alone the unannounced sequel to the biggest film that year. Yet six years later, I was working at Stan Winston Studio when I saw giant molds getting dropped off from the storage unit. When I inquired, I was told Jurassic Park III was greenlit, and we had a year to make all the practical dinosaurs!

(WIP photo of the Pteranodon suit at Stan Winston Studio.)

(L to R: Christopher Swift, Dawn Dininger, Roderick Khatchatoorian, Bill Bryan, J. Alan Scott, Jon Dawe, and George Bernota assess the build progress as Mark Viniello performs in the WIP Pteranodon suit.)

Performing Inside the Pteranodon Suit

What materials were used to create the Pteranodon? Fiberglass, carbon fiber, foam latex, spandex.

Dilating pupils could have been done practically (like the iconic shot of T-Rex's eye looking through the window in Jurassic Park), but it wasn't necessary as the script didn't call for a close-up of that kind.

Watch Stan Winston Studio members Jason B. Matthews, Jon Dawe, George Bernota, Christopher Swift, and Bill Bryan help Mark Viniello suit up to test the Pteranodon costume:

Pteranodon suit tests for Jurassic Park III
"The hardest thing I’d ever done!" - Mark Viniello

We posted some Jurassic Park III Pteranodon suit tests before, but now you can see one of our teachers, Mark Viniello, as he suits up by the members of Stan Winston Studio (Jason B Matthews, Jon Dawe, George Bernota, Christopher Swift & William Bryan). Director Joe Johnston also joined and helped. Excerpted from The Winston Effect: The Art and History of Stan Winston Studio by Jody Duncan: Jason B Matthews, who was the key artist on the Pteranodon, sculpted a maquette based on Crash McCreery's concept art. From that maquette, the crew built an adult Pteranodon suit that had a thirty-five-foot wingspan and articulated cloth wings. The crew also constructed two fiberglass heads, one that was rod controlled and another that was radio-controlled. Winston crewmember Mark Viniello performed in the Pteranodon suit, standing on stilts, his head fitted into the neck of the creature. "That was a tough suit to wear," said John Rosengrant. "It was big, awkward, and heavy. For shots of the Pteranodon walking toward the characters on a catwalk, Mark was suspended twenty-five feet in the air, trying to walk on these leg extensions. It was a crazy idea." #pteranodon #jurassicpark #jurassicjune #stanwinstonstudio #practicaleffects
Posted by Stan Winston School of Character Arts on Sunday, February 12, 2023

Performing inside the suit was physically taxing. The costume was heavy (100+ pounds) and uncomfortable.

(The finished Pteranodon suit with a thirty-five-foot wingspan and articulated cloth wings.)

Stan Winston hired a personal trainer for me and John Rosengrant (who was in the raptor costume) months before shooting was scheduled to begin.

(Dawn Dininger as the damsel in distress and Mark Viniello in the Pteranodon costume rehearse for the "Bridge Attack" scene while Bill Bryan's hand stabilizes the wings.)

We trained 2-3 times a week to get ready to be in the suits. Stan ensured we were well prepared for the grueling experience of being in a suit for 8+ hours. As a result, I finished the gig with zero injuries.

Watch the SWS live-action dinosaur effects crew, including Dawn Dininger as the victim and Mark Viniello in the suit, rehearsing the Pteranodon attack sequence:

My neck was fine. I was in a custom back brace that extended to my neck and head. My head is at the base of the Pteranodon's neck; you can just make out the human form inside the costume. My lower back took a beating. But it was a dream come true! I was very excited to wear this suit.

(Another image from the Pteranodon "Bridge Attack" test. Tests like this served three purposes: to work out mechanical and artistic issues before the shoot day, to share progress with the filmmakers, and to capture the creative process for future generations to refer back to and derive inspiration from.)

Servo motors operated the mouth by an off-camera puppeteer. If memory serves, it took 2 or 3 crew members and me inside the costume to puppeteer the Pteranodon.

For more, WATCH Jurassic Party Part 3: Jurassic Park III Dinosaur Crew Reunion here:

Matt Winston, Erich Grey Litoff, and the rest of the team at the Stan Winston School of Character Arts have given aspiring FX artists the most unique and valuable resource ever. Lessons and videos taught by working experts in Practical Makeup and Special FX and behind-the-scenes treasures like these videos were scarce back in the day. Stand on the shoulders of giants and follow your dreams. Life is too short to settle.

- Mark Viniello

Introduction excerpted from The Winston Effect: The Art and History of Stan Winston Studio by Jody Duncan.

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