Template:Realworld Les Bernstien is a visual effects artist who worked as motion control operator on Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and the Star Trek: Enterprise pilot episode "Broken Bow". In addition he worked as visual effects cameraman on the Star Trek: Voyager episode "Life Line".
Bernstien earned two Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Special Visual Effects for a Series for his work on Star Trek. In 1995 for the Deep Space Nine episode "The Jem'Hadar", shared with Glenn Neufeld, David Takemura, Erik Nash, Joshua Cushner, Adam Howard, Patrick Clancey, and Don Lee, and in 2000 for the Voyager episode "Life Line", shared with Dan Curry, Ronald B. Moore, Elizabeth Castro, Bruce Branit, John F. Gross, Fred Pienkos, Jeremy Hunt, and Paul Hill.
In 1999 he directed, wrote, produced, worked as matte artist and additional photographer on the short thriller Night Train. This film earned him the Director's Week Award at the Fantasporto and featured Trek actor Dan Shor. Ten years later he worked as director, writer, producer, and cinematographer on the documentary Tijuana Moods.
As visual effects artist he worked on feature films and television series from the early '80s on. He started as technican animator on the fantasy comedy Ghost Busters (1984), followed by credits as visual effects supervisor on the documentary X: The Unheard Music (1986) and the science fiction comedy The Trouble with Dick (1987). Further credits, mostly as visual effects director of photography, include Tim Burton's fantasy comedy Beetle Juice (1988), the fantasy sequel Ghostbusters II (1989), the comedy Dave (1993), the comic adaptation The Shadow (1994), the comedy The Santa Clause (1994), the horror special Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight (1995, with Rocco Gioffre and Todd Masters), the comic adaptation Batman Forever (1995), the comedy Down Periscope (1996), the science fiction thriller The Arrival (1996), the science fiction sequel Escape from L.A. (1996), the horror comedy Bordello of Blood (1996), the comedy Jungle 2 Jungle (1997), the drama Dante's Peak (1997), the science fiction film Contact (1997), the drama City of Angels (1998), the science fiction blockbuster Armageddon (1998), Joe Dante's action comedy Small Soldiers (1998), the action film Fight Club (1999), and the fantasy fantasy Stuart Little (1999).
In addition he worked for Buena Vista Visual Effects on the fantasy comedy Honey I Blew Up the Kid (1992) and on the short comedy Trail Mix-Up (1993) and for VIFX on the science fiction thriller Ghost in the Machine (1993, with Cheryl Budgett, Peter Crosman, Rhonda C. Gunner, Richard E. Hollander, Gregory L. McMurry, Zeke Morales, and John C. Wash).
More recent credits as visual effects artist and motion control operator include the remake Vanilla Sky (2001), the fantasy sequel Stuart Little 2 (2001), the action comedy Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003), the fantasy film The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003), Mel Gibson's drama The Passion of the Christ (2004), the horror sequel Blade: Trinity (2004), the science fiction film The Island (2005), Wolfgang Petersen's action film Poseidon (2006), the fantasy comedy Click (2006), Mel Gibson's adventure Apocalypto (2006), the fantasy comedy Night at the Museum (2006), the comedy Beverly Hills Chihuahua (2008), the horror thriller The Unborn (2009), and the action film Fast & Furious (2009).
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