Grant McCune

Grant Lee McCune was a special and visual effects artist who worked as studio model shop supervisor for Apogee, Inc. on . Model builds he was heavily involved with, were the Epsilon IX station models and the various parts of the massive V'Ger model. Apart from these he worked on the D7-class studio model, adding the additional detailing as well as completely modifying the internal lighting rig, for it to become the K't'inga-class studio model, after Magicam's work was deemed insufficient to meet big screen requirements. (Cinefex, issue 2, pp. 59, 63; American Cinematographer, February 1980, p. 174)
For this work on The Motion Picture, he and his team received an Academy Award nomination for Best Visual Effects in , as well as, though not personally nominated, helping others of the visual effects team win the movie's only award, the 1980 Saturn Award for "Best Special Effects".
==Career outside Star Trek==
Grant McCune graduated from California State University in Northridge with a bachelor's in biology. His career in special effects began when he and Bill Shourt were hired to create a giant, realistic shark model for (1975).
McCune and Shourt were subsequently hired in June 1975 onto the miniature and optical effects unit of ' , where they worked under the supervision of Industrial Light & Magic's (ILM) John Dykstra. In addition to his work as chief model maker for this film, he also appeared as a Death Star Gunner. McCune and his team subsequently won an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects in 1978 for his work on this movie, sharing it with, among others, John Dykstra. McCune, along with Shourt, Dykstra, Don Trumbull, and Richard Edlund, were members of ILM's "Original Twelve" founding VFX staff, who sported prior or later Star Trek production affiliation. (The Making of Star Wars, pp. 51-52, )
===Work for Apogee===
In 1978, Dykstra left ILM to form Apogee, Inc., and many others who worked on Star Wars joined him, including McCune and Shourt, who became partners at the fledgling studio. Specializing in models and miniatures, Grant McCune worked on many film productions at Apogee, including several of the sci-fi/fantasy genre. One of his earliest jobs with the company was as chief model maker on the pilot for Battlestar Galactica. The pilot was produced by John Dykstra, directed by Richard Colla, and featured Ed Begley, Jr. and John Colicos.
Later, McCune was chief model maker on (1982, featured Ward Costello and Richard Derr. He was also miniature supervisor on (1982, with star Patrick Stewart in a major supporting role).
McCune's other credits at Apogee included (1979, with David Beasley, John Dykstra, John Erland, Bruce Logan, , Robert Shepherd, and David Sosalla), (1980), and Spaceballs (1987, featuring Tim Russ, Brenda Strong, and Dey Young), (1988, featuring Earl Boen, Tony Jay, and Suzie Plakson), and (1989, featuring Aaron Lustig and Harris Yulin). He also did uncredited work on such films as and (both 1988).
===Grant McCune Design and later career===
In late 1992, when Apogee closed its business, Grant McCune took over some of the equipment and the lease of the location, Van Nuys, California, and restarted the visual effects studio as his own company, Grant McCune Design. (Star Trek: The Next Generation Sketchbook: The Movies, p. 79) Under his company's banner, McCune supervised miniature effects on such films as (1994), (1994, starring John Larroquette), (1995, featuring René Auberjonois), and the Stuart Baird's (1996) and (1998). 
McCune was also special effects supervisor on (2000, featuring Jack Blessing, Len Cariou, Kevin Conway, Steven Culp, Charles Esten, Bruce Greenwood, Tim Kelleher, Boris Krutonog, Ed Lauter, Dakin Matthews, and Bill Smitrovich. More recently, McCune worked on such films as (2002) and (2005). His last known film was (2008), for which he was miniature supervisor.
===Death===
On 27 December 2010, Grant McCune died of pancreatic cancer at his home in Hidden Hills, California. He was 67 years old, and was survived by his wife, Katherine, as well as by a daughter and a son. His wife took over the reins of the company, which eventually closed down in March 2016.
== Academy Award ==
Grant McCune received the following Academy Award nomination in the category "Best Effects, Visual Effects":
* for , shared with Douglas Trumbull, John Dykstra, Richard Yuricich, Robert Swarthe, and David K. Stewart.
== External links ==
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* – former company site
* – former company site
Category:Special and Visual effects staff
Category:Academy Award nominees