A Monster-making Journey With Stan Winston School
by Lara McAllister
I was born in the 90s, but I was really raised in the 80s. Being the youngest child, my older siblings surrounded me with everything 80s, music, books and, of course, movies. My favorites of all were always the creature films. So when our school finally decided to make a monster movie, my brother and I knew it had to be a practical effect monster suit. No questions asked.
Jump To Section
- Our Weird and Wonderful School
- New to Making Monsters
- The First Steps in Building a Monster
- From One of Our Directors/Film Teachers, William McAllister
- A Dream Come True
Our Weird and Wonderful School
Allow me to explain. My brother and I are teachers at a wonderfully unique little charter school located in West Valley, Utah. He's a film teacher and I teach visual arts. Our school is definitely one of the weirdest, to say the least, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. It’s very focused on the cinematic arts, and is even named East Hollywood.
(Creature concept sketches. Art by Shae Naylor.)
We’re primarily a film school, and we have quite a few film and film-related classes, and art classes in general. Every year we host film contests and even awards shows to celebrate the student-made films. We try to give students a chance to be the most expressive version of themselves that they can be.
(Creature color scheme concepts. Art by Shae Naylor.)
Every year we do a big student-made short film. Like a normal high school play, musical or football team, it’s made entirely by the students with the exception of the teacher directors. The students are the cast and crew and make sure the movie is top notch. This year we're producing an 80s throwback film titled “The Worst Prom Ever.” A monster breaks out during prom and eats a whole bunch of people. (That's the basic premise of the movie, but you know, with more of a plot.)
(Concept sketch honoring and glorifying Nolan May (East Hollywood High School’s Vice Principal). Art by Shae Naylor.)
New to Making Monsters
I was super eager to help the students build a monster! Coolest teaching task ever! The only problem was… I'd never built a monster before. So now what? Luckily, I had the honor of meeting writer, producer, and director Kirk R. Thatcher at the Salt Lake Comic Con. I asked him for advice about my predicament and he recommended Stan Winston School of Character Arts.
(Clay maquette concept by Shae Naylor. Photos courtesy of Jonathan Galvan Corona.)
I contacted the school and the first thing that I noticed, that never ceased to exist throughout our whole experience, was the amazing customer service. The Stan Winston School staff not only truly cares about your project, but they give you their very best advice every step of the way. They linked us up with the exact materials that would be the most beneficial to us and our projects. They also gave us the contact information to suppliers that gave us profitable advice on foam, latex, and other mediums. It felt incredible to have so many professionals in the industry helping our little school project succeed.
(Clay Maquette Concept by Andy Montejano. Photos courtesy of Jonathan Galvan Corona.)
The First Steps in Building a Monster
Students had to be interviewed to be a part of our monster fabrication crew. From the interviews, a small crew of about ten students was selected, but the majority of students also got selected for other crew positions that took up most of their time. So we were left with only four students to build a monster in two months!
(Progress shots of an early monster test with creature suit performer Daniel Johnson.)
Everything was originally designed by my students: Brainstorming to concepts, concepts to fabrication, fabrication to painting and detailing. My husband and I gave a fair share of help and long days of hard work, but I wanted the majority of the ownership to belong to the students.
(Various sections of the monster costume.)
We divided up responsibilities. One student was mainly in charge of the head, another the feet, and so on. Students were able to take Stan Winston School course DVDs home to study. They would return back to school the next day with oodles of notes, and we would assist them as they directed us in the techniques they had learned. Most of us had ever done anything like this before, and thanks to Stan Winston School, we gained the knowledge to create a monster!
(Various sections of the monster costume, continued.)
In many ways, I believe this was the most valuable course I have yet to oversee. It was extremely challenging, required constant problem solving and teamwork, and in the end, we achieved impressive results. So many lessons were learned, along with real-life skills.
(Monster supervisor Lara McAllister-McNair and monster performer Daniel Johnson seek approval from co-director Josh Wagner during a costume fitting, while a young visitor meets and falls in love with the Monster (she wasn’t scared, one bit!))
Knowing this was the first time I or any of these teenagers ever took on a project like this inspires me to explore more Stan Winston School courses to see how we can improve and make bigger and better things in the future!
(Costume fittings with performer Daniel Johnson, Shae Naylor, and Lara McAllister-McNair.)
From One of Our Directors/Film Teachers, William McAllister
Stan Winston and his team are my heroes. They have been, since my youth. The work of Stan Winston Studio has inspired me ever since I was a six-year-old whippersnapper.
(Stan Winston with his some of his creature creations.)
When I discovered Monster Squad on VHS I was riveted. It was very soon after that (probably too soon for my young age) that I saw Terminator, Aliens, and Predator. I was hooked on creature films. From that young age, it was a dream of mine to eventually make a movie with a creature. But that creature needed to be a practical effect.
(Monster crew supervisors Lara McAllister-McNair and Randall McNair doing touchups and repairs in between takes, while monster performer Daniel Johnson takes a well-deserved breather.)
Never, since the abundant use of CGI in films, have I ever been able to connect with a creature as well as I have when they are tangible, real. When the all practical effects film Harbinger Down hit Kickstarter, my heart skipped with joy, and I became a proud supporter.
(Lara McAllister-McNair performs emergency touchups on the monster suit between takes, while the monster, Daniel Johnson, takes a break.)
Harbinger Down rekindled my desire to eventually create a creature film of my own. Finally, at the age of 35, I have that chance, and I'm so grateful for my incredible school, East Hollywood High, where I have had the privilege to teach for the last five years.
(The monster is finally complete and the creators celebrate its birth!)
At our school, we take a group of excited young people - teenagers with drive, passion, and talent - and we make films. Since I've been here, we've made four awesome movies, movies of which I am so proud. But none with a creature. Until now!
(Our finished monster, horribly beautiful and ready to terrorize!)
Finally, thanks to the amazing administration for green-lighting it, we are able to work towards fulfilling a dream. Making a creature film with a practical monster! At East Hollywood High School I work with my sister, Lara McAllister, the art teacher. She was put in charge of overseeing the creature. Both of us being fans of the work of Stan Winston, she reached out to Stan Winston School for help.
(Monster and monster fabricator, Shae Naylor, taking a break during an all-night shoot.)
And they've been amazing. They respond to the inquiries of a small school in West Valley City. They give great suggestions and helpful feedback. Their course DVDs and online classes have been enlightening and helpful - to the MAX.
(Polaroid picture of co-director William McAllister and monster fabricator Shae Naylor, posing with the monster. Photo courtesy of Jonathan Galvan Corona.)
We LOVE creature films but have never made one of our own. So we didn't know what we were doing at first. If it wasn't for Stan Winston School, we'd've remained in monster making darkness, lost, sad, and befuddled.
(Costume designer Elektra Thomas and the monster meet for the first time.)
This experience has been amazing for my students - a young generation of humans, kids gaining experience in something that many people don't get to have at such a young age. Making a creature has forced them to creatively solve problems on a daily basis. They are passionate and excited to work on a craft, the craft of practical creature building. It's amazing and wonderful and beautiful and fun, something that hardly any high school student gets to do. They are forging memories that they will carry with them for the rest of their lives.
A Dream Come True
Our monster's done now. We've already shot him eating a couple of people (yes!), and he looks incredible! I am so proud of my sister and her entire monster making class (those students worked tirelessly, spending hours after school working on the creature). And I am deeply grateful (and oh so excited) for the help from Stan Winston School.
(Costume designer Elektra Thomas embraces the monster. Co-director William McAllister admires the costume’s progress. Photos courtesy of Jonathan Galvan Corona.)
(The monster and actor Brett Nielson goof off behind the scenes. Photo courtesy of Jonathan Galvan Corona.)
(Production still of Mr. McDonald’s death (played by Brett Nielson) by monster.)
I have to pinch myself sometimes when I think about how, thanks to my hero, Stan Winston, and his former team members who continue to keep his legacy alive through teaching, I am making a film with a practical creature. Just like the films that inspired me as a child. Dream. Come. True.
(Monster performer Daniel Johnson shows off his new suspenders on the 'cover' of “Vogue magazine”.)
Check out East Hollywood High School's MONSTER DOCUMENTARY:
The premiere of "Worst Prom Ever" is planned for May 29th, 2018 at the Tower Theater in Salt Lake City, Utah. You can find more information on our East Hollywood High School Website.
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