The process of creating a special effects character for film starts with a meeting with the film's director, who presents his vision of what the character should be. Based on that information the creative team will sketch out some basic ideas and then turn those into a small scale clay sculpture called a maquette. Often times several maquettes are created until the director's vision is realized.

Using the approved maquette as a reference, sculptors then create a life size clay sculpture of the character. If the design calls for an actor to wear the character as a costume the life size clay sculpture will be made over a life cast of the actor. From this full size clay sculpture molds are made and the exterior skin is cast in latex rubber, fiberglass or other materials.

While sculptors work on the external appearance of the creature, the mechanical design team sets about the business of building the required internal mechanisms that allow the creature to operate. The mechanical design team might opt for the use of traditional cable operated control or they might choose electronically controlled servo motors or even hydraulics for larger more powerful creatures. They may even combine techniques to meet the needs of more complex designs.

Finally, the internal mechanisms are combined with the external skin. The creature is then painted and taken to the filming location. After the character gets any required last minute touch ups (just like the actors) the puppeteers perform their character's actions on set, interacting with the other actors as directed.