Discussing the relative advantages of physical effects with those who deliver the models and miniatures, the creatures, the gadgets, the pyrotechnics and the prosthetic transmogrifications, one core idea is repeated numerous times: nothing beats getting a rise out of people and physical effects are a reliable means of achieving that formidable goal.

‘There’s nothing like going on set and getting that reaction from people with what you bring,’ says creature and face-maker Paul Jones in an oft-expressed opinion on the current state of physical effects.

Physical effects practitioners also repeat the same challenges, which are shared with other shops of their ilk and with other production and post players. Among those challenges: delivering ever more astonishing visual treats for an increasingly savvy audience, facing tighter budgets and time lines, and staying on top of technological change.

An additional challenge was presented by the rise of computer-generated imagery in the effects-making process, which many feared would usurp the role of physical effects. But while the rise of cg has hogged much of the spotlight it has proved in some ways an advantage for physical effects specialists, allowing them to deliver more spectacular product, with cg enhancement making the unthinkable now possible.

Facing the time and money imperative shared by producers and post shops, physical effects companies share the strategies employed by those elsewhere in the industry: pioneering new production methods, expanding into different areas, and looking at taking a stake in their own projects.

Paul Jones Effects Studio

Toronto-based Paul Jones Effects Studio creates all manner of animatronic creatures and special effects makeup and prosthetics for TV and feature film projects, as well as commercials – the shop brought to life the hard-core intergalactic sports nuts in last year’s ‘Aliens’ spot for ProLine.

Visiting Jones’ shop and looking for a quiet place to talk, one is introduced with a start to the work and the world of physical effects.

Lesson one is readily apparent when confronted by a roomful of human and non-human beings from the recondite reaches of the mind standing – or hanging – there in front of you: it’s real. And that reality can have an impact that can be hard to recreate with computer software.

It’s also cost effective, says Jones, who founded his eponymous shop in 1994. Producers are increasingly looking for ways to bring costs down, and Jones says the use of makeup effects can help producers keep a handle on a budget.

‘I do all my work before I go to set,’ says Jones. ‘The money is spent up-front. With CG you can spend a little or a lot of time adding things afterward.’

CG integration

Jones says the technological advances within his own industry have resulted in more effective end results and have worked in conjunction with the rise of visual effects to make an overall better end product.

He says CG has served to enhance physical effects, pointing large projects like Jurassic Park as examples of the successful combination of both disciplines.

‘It’s not a matter of us becoming obsolete,’ says Jones. ‘Before, there was a fear that CG would be used exclusively and this side would disappear. But now it’s clear that CG can integrate rather than replace. It’s a mixture now, you can get a better performance.’

As an example, Jones cites the ’80s-era challenge of creating animatronic creatures with wires and other devices carefully hidden, an added feat which is now obviated with the capabilities of wire and rig removal in post, all of which focuses effort on making a great character and having that character behave on camera in ways formerly unimaginable.

For instance, on the recent Universal feature Bride of Chucky, for which Jones handled prosthetics and makeup effects, the ornery little doll was shot in some scenes with full dolly rigs which provided increased levels of mobility and which were painted out in post.

From hobby to career

Jones began practicing his craft during his tender teenage years in England – one of his first creations was a burnt face for a willing friend, using a combination of rubber, glue, dough and red ink.

He spent eight years at England’s Pinewood Studios, where he worked on numerous projects including two Hellraiser features, acted as effects designer on Nightbreed, and coordinated animatronics for Highlander II.

Work on an Alliance Communications project called The Mighty Jungle introduced Jones to his future wife, now an independent producer, and brought him to Canada where he began work on Fireworks Entertainment’s FX: The Series. Two seasons later, Jones began work on Atlantis series Gene Roddenberry’s Earth: Final Conflict, and he has also worked on a number of commercials.

He is now moving toward doing more feature work again, with recent jobs including Bride of Chucky and Upstart Pictures’ Top of the Food Chain (see picture, p. VI-1).

`Everybody wants a body’

Tracing the evolution of the industry through the years, Jones says there have been changes in terms of what the big-ticket effects items have been, from the early ’80s clamor for ‘bladders’ (inflatable pockets designed to make skin bulge out) to the mid-’80s rage for full blood and guts to the fantasy creature explosion of the ’90s.

Now, he says, there is an endless demand for ultra-realistic bodies, worthy of the unforgiving scenarios and hard lights of the medical and forensic world.

‘Everybody wants an autopsy body,’ says Jones, citing the high-profile work of some of his colleagues on Saving Private Ryan, which entailed nothing but cranking out bodies.

The advent of new silicon-based translucent materials has represented a significant improvement over existing foam rubber in meeting the rigorous reality demands of production, says Jones.

Despite the advances made and the incredibly sophisticated results, Jones points to a lingering attitude that still sticks to his specialty, the perception that it is ‘old-fashioned.’

‘Sometimes it doesn’t matter how good the work is, it’s still considered `standard prosthetics,” says Jones. ‘It gets pushed aside somewhat, but it’s still an art form. You need the talent to do it.’

In the CG world, as the gear becomes more capable, the talent behind the controls is coming increasingly to the fore, and Jones says the same principle applies to physical effects.

‘Anyone can learn the technical side like mold making, but when it comes to things like sculpting and painting, it’s an art.’

Jones employs about five staff at his studio, which increases depending on the project, and he says more and more of the talent pool comes from artistic backgrounds like fine art.

Foreign shoots `sticking’ here

While Toronto is busier than ever, Jones says the level of activity is a reflection of the increased recognition of the effects talent here; more of the work is ‘sticking’ rather than hitting the road.

There are still instances where projects will shoot in Canada with effects crews in tow, but Jones says it’s more a function of the smaller size of the industry here; working on Top of the Food Chain, Jones had to avail himself of some U.K. talent, since many of the spare local talent is employed on David Cronenberg’s effects-heavy eXistenZ.

Like many other segments of the industry, physical effects practitioners are looking toward expansion or new areas of endeavor, and for some, including Jones, this means applying their filmmaking experience to their own original projects.

Jones says he has plans to move into directing and has a pair of short film projects in the works.

‘I’ve always been part of the filmmaking process, but have realized the extent of my role in it lately,’ says Jones.

Stefaniuk Studio

For self-made effects man Ron Stefaniuk, the future may also hold the development of proprietary projects; he has two TV show ideas and a play in prepitch stages. But the ultimate goal, says Stefaniuk, is to keep life interesting. And between ‘walking down Yonge Street with 20 sheep-people one day and making giant inflatable blowfish that spit stuff the next,’ he seems to be on his mark.

Stefaniuk Studio specializes in animatronics, makeup and prosthetics effects, models and puppets, with a special emphasis on creature design.

The 9,000-square-foot facility features a large showroom packed with the whole and partial creatures the company has created over its nearly 10-year life span.

Character driven

Stefaniuk has a background in theater and puppetry as well as in comedy, and a sense of humor is prevalent in the work his shop turns out, drawing inspiration from the kind of work done out of Jim Henson’s Creature Shop.

‘We don’t focus on creating convincing ripped throats,’ says Stefaniuk. ‘We create characters.’

Stefaniuk built the shop from the ground up from a desire to create characters. He began work on early projects like feature film The Dark as well as series and commercials, ultimately winning the assignment to work on Protocol Entertainment’s monster hit series Goosebumps in 1995.

The shop has also worked on series like Robocop and Sinbad, features like Producers Network Associate’s Deadly Wake and a number of commercials including creating a happy alien for a recent Kodak spot.

Stefaniuk points to the increasing use of CG combined with puppets and animatronics to create an enhanced end product which often defies the audience to tell if it’s real or not.

The shop recently completed a spot for Tiger Toys featuring two Men In Black-inspired characters who whip off their shades to reveal alien eyes. Stefaniuk created the eyes and post twiddling added light-sensitive irises.

The studio handles a grueling pace of creature creation for Goosebumps; Stefaniuk says the shop, which employs from four to eight people, never has more than a week and a half to build the sophisticated characters required in the show.

In addition to turning out a limitless supply of creatures like a huge flying rat/bat/cat creature, the shop has developed a finesse for space-efficient animatronics. This is aptly demonstrated by an oddly lovable green shrunken head with a full range of expressions, including opening and closing eyes, brow articulation, and a compound jaw that opens and shifts side to side, that’s powered by a full array of gear which fits into a space smaller than a softball.

Stefaniuk says while certain processes have been streamlined to allow the high volume of work, passion for the job is key. Repeating the mantra of many in the industry, Stefaniuk says: ‘Nothing is better than walking on set and having people react to what you’ve done.’

Jjamb Productions

Toronto’s Jjamb Productions has carved its own niche out of the broad physical effects market, but one that encompasses a wide range of disciplines. The shop does an array of physical effects including models – it recreated a building and handled an explosion scene together with C.O.R.E. Digital Pictures for TriStar feature The Big Hit – as well as animatronics and soft costumes.

Gadget specialists

But its specialty has been in the creation of gadgets, hero props that are used in the fantasy worlds on screen.

Creating stylized computer monitors, medical devices that light up and beep, virtual-reality headsets and communications mechanisms brings in the collective electronics, model making, sculpting and painting skills of the shop, which employs from five to 20 staff, depending on the projects underway.

Jjamb was founded in 1989 by the husband-and-wife team of Monica Babic and John Jackson with its inaugural project, making props for William Shatner’s TekWar.

Since then, the facility has gained expertise in making high-profile props used by the lead actors in TV series and feature films. Since the shop is not often credited for its work on screen, Babic says word-of-mouth has been an important factor in the company’s success.

Jjamb has worked on a number of series including Earth: Final Conflict, Nikita (Fireworks) and FX: The Series as well as Annex Entertainment feature Mercy and aac’s Total Recall. Jackson has also been working on the effects crew for eXistenZ.

Trend to wireless

Babic says the demand for sci-fi oriented props has been consistent, with an added trend toward wireless devices, a further specialty of the company. Jjamb has created a virtual reality headset for eXistenZ as well as an unusual palm-sized ‘phone’ made of a rubbery substance which becomes lit from within with a squeeze.

The shop also recently built a hand-held computer unit for Earth: Final Conflict, which had such a cool factor rating that the props tended to disappear from set (see picture, below).

For Total Recall, Jjamb recently built the ultimate prop, an electric car, reportedly the first electric vehicle built for on-set use in Canada (see picture, above).

With few available experts in this particular field of the industry to consult, Babic says the car was a huge challenge and a learning experience. Jackson says the company designed and built most of the interface parts of the vehicle to allow its various systems to work together, with the whole process taking about eight weeks and ‘a million hours.’

While CG has assumed a higher profile, Babic says there is somewhat of a trend back toward using physical effects for greater realism and using CG for enhancement.

lairdFX

Laird McMurray, founder of Toronto-based lairdFX, also points to the greater capabilities allowed with the combination of physical effects and CG and to the broad spectrum of talents which are employed in the creation of physical effects.

McMurray launched his company in 1983, drawing on experience in theater and in many aspects of the film industry.

lairdFX is a full-service shop with a large rental component and between 20 and 40 staff servicing feature films, TV series and MOWs as well as commercials.

The shop has worked on series including aac’s Psi Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal, The Famous Jett Jackson and Earth: The Final Conflict as well as non-effects-oriented series like Traders (aac) and Black Harbour (Three Sheets/Fogbound).

The company also does a major portion of its business supplying props, models and physical effects for commercials, recently creating the enormous (actual size) breakfast bowl/satellite dish rising 22 feet above the ground for Cheerios’ ‘Superbowl’ spot and blowing up thousands of gallons of gas for a recent GM commercial.

New avenues opened by CG

McMurray says the rise of CG effects has to some degree cut into the use of physical effects, but that is balanced by the increase in both the number and scope of physical effects that can now be accomplished with computer assistance.

‘In essence we can do bigger and better effects because the constraints are off us,’ says McMurray. ‘In some ways it has opened a lot of avenues for us.’

McMurray points to a well-known spot for GM Jimmy, which features a woman walking to her car while a tornado whirls around her and eventually lifts away her garage. The spot employed a huge trapeze rigging, which was later removed in post, something he says wouldn’t have been feasible previously because of the cost involved in rotoscoping a 30-second spot.

McMurray says with the proliferation of CG, in some cases there has been an over-reliance on that method and the cost effectiveness of capturing an effect in camera can sometimes be overlooked.

Pendulum swings back

towards organic

To some degree, though, he says the pendulum has begun swinging back, with producers re-examining a physical effects approach.

‘I’m hearing agencies ask for things that are `more organic” which means, `We really don’t want it to look like a machine did it,’ ‘ says McMurray. ‘People are becoming really educated on what CG looks like and, in fact, sometimes they want to see some of the good old herky jerky in there; they want to see things that look completely real – it’s almost like they want to sit there and figure out how the magician did it.’

With increased capabilities on all the effects sides of the equation, McMurray says the emphasis becomes the degree of talent behind the controls. In his own shop, McMurray draws on talent from a wide spectrum of disciplines – painters, welders, sculptors, technicians, organizers – and he says it requires that broad skill base to provide complete effects service. ‘There’s no such thing as a fully qualified special effects technician,’ says McMurray.

Shrinking time lines

Another trend cited by McMurray and others in the field is the demand for a higher quality of work without a commensurate increase in budgets, as well as drastically shrinking time lines.

‘Time lines for projects have been halved and quartered,’ says McMurray. ‘But you don’t always save money by doing it faster.’

Brian Cole

Model maker Brian Cole says models and miniatures provide an effects route that is usually more cost effective and provides more in-camera options to a production.

Cole started in the effects industry 37 years ago, working on the Thunderbirds series, and emerged from his apprenticeship at England’s Pinewood Studios as a model/miniature expert. Cole established himself in England running the model units for features like Aliens, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen and Cape Fear before moving to Canada and working initially with John Gajdecki on TV movies and series.

For Cole, the model-making world provides a constant challenge and a constantly changing array of demands, from recreating the White House for TriStar feature Dick to building a full-size biplane for Dead Aviators (Accent Entertainment/ Temple Street Productions) (see picture, below). Cole had just over two weeks to create the plane using the frame from an old plane. The size of the project necessitated the final assembly on set after a number of dry runs, all so the plane could be sunk in a lake in an Ontario park.

Cole says while costs can vary, producers still opt for models as a cost-effective solution and that real models can usually deliver a degree of realism not yet reproducible in the computer. But he also echoes the opinion of others in the industry that the best effects being created now are those which employ model making along with CG

Caligari

Caligari handles makeup and props, mostly for features, and is now starting to move into commercials, creating swollen, throbbing thumbs for a recent Blockbuster Video commercial as well as some festive spots featuring a retiring Santa.

In business in Toronto for around three years, the shop recently completed FX work for Miramax’s feature Resurrection, for which they created silicone body replicas in addition to prosthetics (see pictures, below).

More replica bodies are in demand for the Annex feature Mercy as well as a replica face with the eyelids cut off.

While Caligari gets all kinds of requests – from character makeup and gore to creature effects – shop owner Louise Mackintosh says body replicas are a big seller at the moment.

Although many effects these days are done on computers, Mackintosh says it is not affecting her business in any significant way. When it comes to person-to-person shots, she says, physical effects are always more authentic and effective.

Thomas Special Effects

For Vancouver-based Thomas Special Effects, diversification has been key in a strategy which has included branching out into the bustling studio market and now, for president Betty Thomas, taking on a production role.

The company provides full mechanical effects services to Canadian and international productions, with a specialty in aerial rigging, as well as a full complement of rental equipment and facilities. Thomas says the company employs an experienced talent pool of about 45 aerial riggers, machinists, engineers and other effects technicians as well as effects veteran Stewart Bradley who provides an expert consulting voice for Thomas.

Thomas herself had helped run the business with her husband and company founder John Thomas since 1979, adding a prop making shop and becoming a stunt performer and coordinator. When John died in 1994, Thomas took over the reins of the company and took the shop and herself in new directions.

A year ago, Thomas began looking at ways to expand and diversify, with an eye to anticipating the areas of growth and decline in the industry. That research resulted in the launch of Thomas Studios this summer, a 5,000 square foot green screen studio facility with 1750 square feet of production offices. Thomas had expanded her own skills with a move into second unit directing and recently undertook some proprietary production initiatives. Thomas currently works with a pair of L.A.-based production partners developing two projects, and also has a documentary in the works, set to go into production in the spring. She has also acquired the rights to a book property, which is being adapted into a screenplay.

‘The only way this company has thrived over the past 20 years is diversification,’ says Thomas. ‘In addition, we service not only Vancouver productions, but those all over the world.’

For her efforts in the market, Thomas was recently named as a recipient of a Canadian Woman Entrepeneur of the Year Award for Impact on Local Economy.

With files from Pamela Swedko.