For those who haven't heard, Stan Winston, creator of the Terminator, the Predator, the xenomorphs of Aliens, the dinosaurs of Jurassic Park and so many other visions of fantasy, died last Sunday.

His visuals are the vital foundation for an entire generation of filmmakers.  Trust me.  I'm one of them.

Aside from the 50's war movies I used to watch with my mother, the one through-line in my early cinematic education is the effects portfolio of Stan Winston.  If you were somehow able to pull the wiring around the aliens and monsters he created out of my brain, my entire imagination would go with it.  Only Robert Mitchum would remain!  No Restoration, no Shardfall, no SkyChasers, no Eclipse or Receiver or Jasper and Jim...  no worlds of fancy.  Stan Winston taught me how to imagine.

What follows are some of Stan's notions, as remembered by Stan Winston Creature Shop alum Alec Gillis:

• "You keep taking chances, pushing the envelope. You can only fail."
• "Everybody wants to do their best. You just gotta give them the chance."
• On no longer being hands on: "I used to work with clay to get results. Now people are my clay."
• On the competition: "I love my competitors! They make me do my best. Thank God for Rick Baker!"
• On being the best: "Nobody's ever really on top. There's always another movie about to come out to bump you back down, keep you humble!"
• "Other people may do better work than me, but nobody has more fun!"
• On Oscars: "You can't do it for the awards. They're just bowling trophies."
• Written inside every employee Christmas card: "Don't tell the others, but you're my favorite!"
• On Tom and I: "The things that make you valuable to me are the same things that will pull you away from me." (I didn't know what he meant at the time.)
• "You have to fight for everything in this business."

For a beautiful series of remembrances from some of our industry's leading filmmakers and craftspeople, as well as Stan's family, check out what's been posted on Ain't it Cool News.

Showing someone what they've never seen before is a profound responsibility, and the rewards depend on how badly you want it to be real.  Love and honor that commitment.  Make it real.

Thank you, Stan Winston.