Having worked on all three Terminator films, there's nothing Stan Winston doesn't know about the cyborg assassins. Credited with creating the original Terminator chassis and the morphing T-1000 of "Terminator 2", he's the man to ask about what "T3" will bring us...
How happy are you with your work on "Terminator 3"?
I'm extremely proud of the film. It's going to blow your socks off! I can't wait for everyone to see it. It's a real spectacle - this futuristic world is like going to the circus - but it's also grounded in reality since the film has an important story to tell about the machines taking over. It's a thought-provoking scenario.
Everyone says "The Matrix Reloaded" has set the SFX benchmark for the next five years...
Well "T3" is going to kick the butt of everything you've ever seen! It's so good. It's not just about visual effects, there's a serious story in there too. But having said that, there are also some of the most astounding visuals effects in this movie including what, I promise you, is probably going to be the most amazing car chase scene you'll ever see. Arnold is back and he's back strong. We've created new robots, including the T-X [the female 'Terminatrix']. We had to make her capable of kicking Arnold's butt and, believe me, she does.
How do you make the female Terminator convincing enough to battle Arnie and yet also look as sexy as Kristanna Loken?
The way we did it was by realising that the T-X had to be a far more advanced robot than Arnold's Terminator. She had to be more powerful, yet at the same time fit into the skin of Kristanna Loken. We were able to design a technically superior robot because our design tools were much more advanced than they were when we doing the original Terminator movie. Back then, James Cameron designed the original Terminator using pencil and paper, then we used clay to sculpt a model, then my special effects team put together the full-size chassis by hand. For the new T-X we used the same design skills, but with computers instead of pencil and paper. As a result, we could design the perfect machine.
What other design challenges did the film pose?
We had to build real robots for "T3". We created these new robots called the T1s that are the first robots, the ones that are the precursor to Arnold's cyborg in the original film. They were what came before the bipeds and they run on tank-like treads. In order to make it look authentic, we actually filmed real robots. Believe me, there's a lot to look forward to!
"Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines" is released in UK cinemas on Friday 1st August 2003.
