Here is the biography of Ernest Farino:
Ernest Farino is a two-time Emmy Award-winning filmmaker with a career spanning over 25 years. He began his career as a designer and animator of visual effects, working on projects such as the Pillsbury Doughboy, The Terminator, and Children of Dune. He later transitioned to directing feature films, television, and stage productions.
Farino's early work included directing industrial films and local TV commercials in Texas. He was elected president of the Drama Club and performed leading roles in various productions, including Inherit the Wind and The Importance of Being Earnest.
In 1976, Farino became head of the animation department at Century Studios in Dallas, Texas. He designed and directed elaborate visual effects commercials and later moved to Los Angeles, California, where he worked as an animator and visual effects supervisor on various projects, including The Howling, Caveman, and The Thing.
Farino formed his own production company, Kinetic Image Productions, and provided animation for the Emmy Award-winning visual effects for ABC's The Winds of War. He also designed the main title sequence for Tag: The Assassination Game, which won the Silver Medal at the 25th International Film & TV Festival of New York.
Farino's work on The Terminator (1984) earned him a call-back from James Cameron, who hired him as Visual Effects Coordinator and designed/supervised all animation, rotoscope, and lightning effects for the film.
In addition to his visual effects work, Farino has written screenplays, including his own Hitchcock-style mystery/thriller "Blood White" and assignments such as the comedy Beverly Hills Vamp. His action/thriller script "First Strike" placed 11th out of over 1,000 entries in the annual Writer's Digest magazine national screenwriting competition.
Farino has directed numerous projects, including the feature film Steel and Lace, the TV series Monsters, and the stage play Dub. He has also worked on various visual effects projects, including the Main Title sequence and opticals for Terminator 2: Judgment Day, the visual effects for HBO's feature Cast a Deadly Spell, and the Main Titles for HBO's Citizen Cohn, Raising Cain, and Truman.
Farino has received numerous awards and nominations for his work, including two consecutive Emmy awards for his work on the miniseries Dune and Children of Dune. He has also published a comprehensive career biography of stop motion animation master Ray Harryhausen, titled "Ray Harryhausen - Master of the Majicks."
