KNB FX Group, Dune special creature effects

The award-winning KNB FX Group brings to Frank Herbert's Dune a wealth of special-effects experience spanning numerous feature films and television projects.

Among the feature-film projects for which KNB FX has woven wonders are The Green Mile, What Lies Beneath, Pulp Fiction, Men in Black, From Dusk Till Dawn, Mission to Mars, Mars Attacks, End of Days and M. Night Shyamalan's sophomore feature, Unbreakable. The company was awarded the Best Makeup Award from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films for its work on John Carpenter's Vampires.

Projects for which KNB FX has done design and conceptual artwork include The Mummy, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Starship Troopers. The company's television endeavors include The Beach Boys miniseries, the HBO film Noriega, an episode of Chicago Hope and various episodes of the David Kelly series Ally McBeal and The Practice. KNB has been working on episodes of Xena: Warrior Princess since 1994 and episodes of The X-Files since 1995. KNB was nominated for a Cable Ace Award for Best Makeup in 1993 for their work on Body Bags for Showtime, and nominated again in 1994 for their work on State of Emergency, produced by Chestnut Inc.

KNB FX owner Greg Nicotero and Frank Herbert's Dune director-screenwriter John Harrison first teamed up in 1984 on George Romero's Day of the Dead, and joined forces again on the Harrison-directed Tales from the Darkside: The Movie (both produced by Frank Herbert's Dune executive producer Richard P. Rubinstein) and Donor Unknown. Nicotero also worked with Rubinstein on his first industry FX job, assisting Tom Savini on Dawn of the Dead.

For Frank Herbert's Dune, Harrison enlisted KNB FX to create a fully articulated Stunted Sandworm, which was the only effect to be shot practically. Harrison also commissioned from KNB the design and fabrication of the Guild Navigator and full-sized Sandworm Puppets, which were four feet and six feet long, respectively. Most of the elements were shot against a green screen and added later in post-production to achieve the desired look.

The KNB FX team comprises owners Greg Nicotero and Howard Berger; puppeteers Alex Diaz, Luke Khanlian and Shari Nicotero; and a legion of lab technicians and sculptors that includes Joseph Hahn, Scott Patton, Brian Rae and many others.