▁and ▁career ▁ ▁Nic ot ero ▁claims ▁he ▁began ▁taking ▁an ▁interest ▁in ▁special ▁effects ▁after ▁view ing ▁the ▁film ▁J aws . ▁He ▁explains : ▁" I ▁kept ▁thinking ▁' How ▁the ▁hell ▁did ▁they ▁do ▁that ? ! ▁How ' d ▁they ▁build ▁a ▁big ▁giant ▁sh ark ▁that ▁could ▁eat ▁people ? !' ▁So , ▁between ▁that ▁movie , ▁The ▁Ex or c ist , ▁Planet ▁of ▁the ▁A pes , ▁and ▁of ▁course ▁all ▁of ▁the ▁Universal ▁horror ▁mov ies ▁[...] ▁I ▁think ▁J aws ▁and ▁then ▁later ▁Da wn ▁of ▁the ▁Dead ▁were ▁pretty ▁much ▁the ▁two ▁mov ies ▁that ▁did ▁it ▁for ▁me ." ▁Nic ot ero ▁began ▁his ▁career ▁working ▁in ▁Pitts burgh , ▁Pennsylvania , ▁learning ▁the ▁trade ▁of ▁special ▁make - up ▁effects , ▁also ▁known ▁as ▁prost h etic ▁make up , ▁from ▁Tom ▁Sav ini , ▁an ▁award - win ning ▁special ▁effects ▁and ▁make up ▁artist , ▁and ▁helping ▁on ▁films ▁by ▁director ▁George ▁A . ▁Rom ero . ▁ ▁While ▁working ▁on ▁the ▁ 1 9 8 5 ▁Rom ero ▁film ▁Day ▁of ▁the ▁Dead , ▁he ▁met ▁Howard ▁Ber ger , ▁who ▁would ▁become ▁one ▁of ▁his ▁partners ▁at ▁K NB ▁EF X ▁Group . ▁Nic ot ero ▁re located ▁to ▁Hollywood ▁and ▁moved ▁in ▁with ▁Ber ger ▁and ▁Robert ▁Kurt z man . ▁ ▁He ▁later ▁worked ▁as ▁F X ▁artist ▁on ▁the ▁ 2 0 1 0 ▁film ▁Pred ators ▁and ▁created ▁a ▁classic ▁pred ator ▁figure