Beetlejuice (1988)In LETHAL WEAPON 4 with Mel Gibson, Danny Glover and Chris Rock, Short created and supervised an animatronic shark attack sequence for Joel Silver and producer/director Richard Donner. The film topped the charts for Warner Bros. in theatrical and video release.
In the interactive arena, Short is the first Hollywood creature designer to create original monsters for a Japanese gaming studio. Sega and Climax Graphics, in search of a "Hollywood Style" experience, asked Short to design and create a legion of hideous mutant creatures for "Blue Stinger," the first real time movie action/adventure game created for the premiere launch of the Dreamcast system. Debuting at the MTV Music Awards, the Dreamcast game console has broken all industry records and redefined the standards of 3D Animation gaming. Short has also written the medieval battle strategy CD-ROM game "BESIEGED" for Hypergolic Studios. Additionally, Short created the digitized hybrid characters and villains for "Tattoo Assassins," a video arcade game created by Bob Gale ("Back to the Future") and released by Sega Pinball Inc.
Short designed the animatronic Dolphin f/x sequences for the Jim Carrey hit ACE VENTURA: PET DETECTIVE, (Tom Shadyac, director; Warner Bros.) and the wacky "Uncle Fester" Make-up f/x sequences for ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES (Barry Sonnenfeld, director; Paramount Pictures).
Other examples of Short's visual f/x work include creature f/x for iconoclastic director David Lynch. Short created the notorious pine weasel that appeared in Lynch's cult TV series "Twin Peaks" and an animatronic dog for Lynch's bizarre comedy "On The Air." For ABC TV's "MacGyver" series, Short built a full scale, animatronic Black Rhino used in an award winning episode focusing on endangered species. And Short's animatronic dolphins and hammerhead shark were featured in JOE VERSUS THE VOLCANO, starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan (John Patrick Shanley, director; Warner Bros.)
Short, who began his showbiz career as an actor, was first captivated by visual f/x due to an avid enthusiasm for adventure movies. "What really inspired me to get into the film business was seeing the early James Bond movies and getting hooked on 'The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'," he says. While attending Santa Monica College with a major in theater arts, Short supplemented his acting roles with visual f/x work on McDonaldÕs commercials and on a variety of film projects, including COMA and ORCA. Short portrayed "Robby the Robot" ("Forbidden Planet") and as the robot character, guest-starred on such TV series as "Mork and Mindy" and "Wonder Woman." One of Short's most unusual freelance positions came when he was hired by Lucasfilm to portray the robot "C3PO" for appearances in several commercials. Short also designed a "Yoda" hand puppet that became one of Lucasfilm's most successful merchandise items.
When this self-taught designer began his career as a freelance visual f/x and make-up specialist, he landed effects work on Joe DanteÕs films HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD and PIRANHA, and then moved on to the challenge of wrangling giant gator creature f/x for ALLIGATOR. Following this, he joined with Oscar-nominated visual f/x designer Greg Jein on such acclaimed effects spectaculars as CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND "The Special Edition," FIREFOX, 1941 and STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE.
In 1982, having founded Robert Short Productions Inc., Short was offered the chance of a professional lifetime -- could he make a "heart-light" for Steven Spielberg's "E.T."? Obviously, Short's successful design became a memorable part of the alien's charm, and he was later asked by Ron Howard if he could bring a "mermaid" to life. Short's exquisite costume and make-up for Darryl Hannah in SPLASH brought him critical acclaim from both the industry and the public. Short's "dolphins" for another Ron Howard film, COCOON, were so life-like that Short found himself in the midst of a controversy when the news was officially leaked that the creatures were not just well-trained mammals.
ShortÕs many other credits include creatures, costumes and visual effects for a wide array of productions, including "Sabrina the Teenage Witch," the Arnold Schwarzenegger starrer KINDERGARTEN COP, CLIFFORD, MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE, PREDATOR, "Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future," as well as NBC-TV's "Amazing Stories," and "Saturday Night Live."
Short is also an established director/writer whose credits include the screenplays for RAGE OF HONOR, a ninja film starring Sho Kosugi and PROGRAMMED TO KILL, starring Robert Ginty and Sandahl Bergman. He directed the American segments of PROGRAMMED TO KILL and also served as the second unit director on Roger Corman's fantasy feature MUNCHIES. In addition he spent two years directing the syndicated action adventure series "Super Force."
Short recently combined his writing, directing and visual f/x talents in the creation of two spine tingling, live-action horror themed attractions: the "Terrordome" in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and "Chateau Greystoke" in Montreal, Canada. Each location-based, themed attraction was a live-action production featuring twenty five different staged acts; combining digital effects, laser effects, animatronics and performed by a cast of sixty actors. ShortÕs unique background also brought him to the attention of the Universal Studio's Florida theme park where he and his work are featured daily at the "The Gory Gruesome & Grotesque Horror Make-up Show." Short is a frequent guest lecturer on film making and visual f/x at University and College film schools and a return lecturer to the Tokyo International Film Festival in Japan, the BKSTS in England and several international film festivals. He lives in Malibu, California with his business partner Barbara Slifka, and their dogs, Bart and Leo.
As Hollywood acknowledges the growing importance of quality visual effects, industry veteran Robert Short says "The combination of my experience in digital and traditional visual effects with my background as a writer and a director gives me a versatility and range of talents that embraces all entertainment venues."
Best Achievement in Makeup 1988: BEETLEJUICE (w. Ve Neill & Steve LaPorte)
1 nomination, 1 Award