blogportfolio

2012-01-27T07:19:00.000-08:00

33 years experience

A long career in engineering, design and creative model making, animatronics, and physical effects rig building.

I started my career training as a pattern maker, I have extensive experience working with all natural and wood based materials, and also I have extensive experience of all plastics and such chemical block and other "plastic wood" pattern making materials.

I am also very experienced with most Fibreglass, Epoxy and cold pour plastics as well as the health and safety requirements that go with their use.

I have good understanding of and long experience of vacuum forming, both pattern making for, and forming of various types of plastics, as well as the finishing and assembly of vacuum formed components.

I am highly computer literate, with over 10 years experience of Photoshop and similar imaging programs, as well as being very well versed with all digital imaging techniques.

As for the online CV I have a lot more to add, but as yet I have not digitised hardly any of the images, (and there are loads of slides and prints to go through), also there are some things that perhaps I should not display publically due to contractual obligations.. however I hope you enjoy looking at this lot as much as I enjoyed working on it all!

Bringing everything to date

March 2011

I have recently been working with Mistral Models making carbon fibre lifeboat cases and pattern work for the auto trade.

Mid 2011 onwards

I have been involved with 2 movies, a small amount of intermittent work on the science fiction movie "Gravity" and 4 months work at Mattes and Miniatures doing a Cadburys commercil as well as the 1/3rd scale Mansion house for Tim Burton's "Dark Shadows"

Spacecraft and vehicles

2008-03-15T14:16:00.000-07:00

One of many "Thunderbirds" style vehicles done for "Agent Crush", a kids film, also made lots of miniature sets of buildings and street furniture, satellites, missiles and a car crushing plant.

The science fiction Move "Sunshine" a small team of us made the model space station and also some full sized dressing props for the sets.

Possibly some of the best fun I've had (whilst still dressed) and some of the worst stress too was the Channel 4 UFO hoax documentary, "A very Bristish UFO hoax" Robbie Scott, Rob Jones and I, along with a couple of others, built a 25feet diameter flying saucer and flew it over the Wiltshire countryside at Avebury.

Some full size models of 1st world war aircraft for "Flyboys"

Another Bond and more big aircraft models, also part of the team that built space stations, hovercraft, more helicopters and buildings.

AGENT CRUSH, Crush productions January 2007-May 2007, construction of models of vehicles etc.

2006 an assortment of various self generated projects mainly photographic including wild birds on feeder images for the RSPB products catalogue, plus an intensive course on Photoshop and digital image processing.

SUNSHINE, Sunshine DNA Ltd, Three island studios, July 2005-December 2005
Model unit, building models and using digital stills to construct 3D diorama.

FLYBOYS, Elstree studios, April-June 2005, building flying models and full size mock-ups of 1st world war aircraft.

INTIMIDATION GAME (Batman returns) June 2004-November 2004
Overseeing and building various models and miniature sets.

BROTHERS GRIMM, Cutting edge effects, March 2004- June 2004
Supervising and working on the build of armatures for, and external sculpting of, animated trees.

THE GREAT BRITISH UFO HOAX, Cutting edge effects, May 2003- August 2003
Building and flying 25ft diameter flying saucer, and appearing in as one of the principle characters for Channel 4 documentary.

ELLA ENCHANTED, Cutting edge effects
Building a number of village houses and a thatched pub for a large scale model village.

DIE ANOTHER DAY, EON productions, October 2001- July 2002
Supervising senior technician, model workshop, building 1/4 scale Russian aircraft and satellite models.

Brothers in arms

2008-03-15T14:04:00.000-07:00

One of the Big Dakota models for Band of Brothers, they were filmed as several different aircraft for the Arnem parachute drop sequence in the first episode.

One of several Squirrel helicopters I made for "The world is not enough" I carved the wooden plug to make the moulds from as well, they were seen in the film with big saws hanging underneath, and like so much of my work... they got blown to bits!

HARRY POTTER and the Philosophers stone, Oct 2000-July 2001
Supervising senior technician, model workshop, building Hogwarts Castle and other models

'March 2000-July 2000
BAND OF BROTHERS, Cutting edge effects
Supervising modeller, building 1/2 size model of C-47 Dakota, with "breakaway" sections in fuselage and engines

Sept 99-Nov 99
JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS, Hallmark films
Making foreground miniatures of ruined temple, as well as action props and models.

Nov 98-June99
THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH, E.O.N. Productions.
Carved pattern for, and built, seven 1/4 scale "Squirrel" Helicopters (radio controlled flying models)
Built three 1/4 scale speed boats, and worked on 52ft long model of a soviet submarine

Pop-up books and space ships

2008-03-15T13:47:00.000-07:00

Hallmark films "Alice in Wonderland" a great fun job, I designed and built a giant working pop-up book, the artwork was applied by myself and a brilliant artist (and really nice bloke) Bob Walker, who sadly died soon after we finished the job. Also I made plastic cakes and food that would not perish under the studio lights, several other props including an antique puppet theatre, this was a fun job getting that old look to a newly built object.

"The Avengers", also a huge project with over 100 model makers involved at one point

"Lost is Space" was a huge project, the models were miniature sets with many working mechanisms linked to motion control computers.

July 98-Oct 98
ALICE IN WONDERLAND, Hatter productions/Hallmark films
Model workshop supervisor, building 16ft x 10ft x 6ft pop-up book of the white rabbits house,
Antique style dolls house, antique style toy theatre, numerous large and small sized props: -
Door handles, cakes and cookies, fireside tools and furniture.

June 97-Nov 97
AVENGERS, Magic model co
Workshop supervisor, overseeing and building, 1/10 scale St Martins in the field, Admiralty arch, London buses and taxis for Trafalgar square model.
Building geodesic dome model.

Oct 96-May 97
LOST IN SPACE, Magic model co.
Workshop supervisor, overseeing and building, 1/100, 1/200, 1/1000-scale models of launch dome complex, and 1/100, 1/200 scale models of Jupiter 1 spacecraft.

Aug 96-Sept 96
EVENT HORIZON
Working on the model of the Daylight space station.

June 96-July 96
APOCOLYPSE WATCH, Model effects.
1/20 scale model of Big-Ben

April 96-June 96,
20,000 LEAGUES, Magic model co.
20 ft long model of H.M.S. WARRIOR.

Oct 95- May 96
EAGLE MODELS
Assorted commercials, building models, large scale props and assorted rigs including: - “I can't believe it's not butter” an advert that required a full body mould of the principle character and a break-away sculpt of the statue the guy emerged from....

... and several sanitary towel and nappy (daiper) commercials such as “Always ultra plus”, this required animating a panty-liner so its 'wings' folded and another so it rolled into uncomfortable shapes, plus lots of dripping rigs to show the absorbancy of them.

June 95-sept 95
ARTEM.
Building models, large scale props and assorted rigs for various commercials.

Bonding with James, Goldeneye

2008-03-15T13:33:00.000-07:00

A fabulous job on "Goldeneye" Pierce Brosnan's first outing as James Bond, all day every day building model Planes, Mig 29s at that, and Helicopters...... and being paid for it too.

A couple of the enormous amount of props seen in "Space Precinct"

I worked on several projects for Eagle models, the most enjoyable being the huge Guiness comercial with Rutger Huer as the scarecrow in a corn circle, this is the draughts board I made that was seen in the end sequence in "Davy Jones locker"

Sept 94- June 95
GOLDENEYE, EON Productions
One of the team building the Flying model MIG 29's, 1/4 scale EUROCOPTER for ejection sequence. 1/4 scale Cessna’s and SQUIRREL helicopters.

March 94- Sept 94
SPACE PRECINCT, Space productions/Mentorn films
Building action props, models, rigs and animatronics armatures.

Feb 93-Feb 94
EAGLE MODELS
Building models, large scale props and assorted rigs for various commercials.

"Memphis Belle" and petro-chem.

2008-03-15T13:19:00.001-07:00

Nov 89- Jan 93
STONE & WEBSTER ENGINEERING
Senior design model tecnician, model department.
Wind tunnel and 3D design proving models of B.P. Graingemouth Ethylene refinery and Kobe steel reprocessing plant.

March 89-Sept 89
MEMPHIS BELLE, Model effects.
Building two Boeing B17 radio control flying models, plus location filming at RAF Binbrook in Lincolnshire.

1988 - 1989

2008-03-15T13:15:00.000-07:00

Nov 88- Jan89
BATMAN. Model effects.
Building 40ft high model of Gotham city cathedral, and other models and props.

Aug 88-Nov 88
LICENSE TO KILL, EON productions.
1/4 scale model pick-up trucks and Piper cub aircraft.

March 88- Nov 88
SLIPSTREAM.
Building large scale flying models of OPTICA and SHADOW aircraft, location in Turkey.

Early days working in the movies, 1979-1987

2008-03-15T12:15:00.001-07:00

I built the pattern for the "Dropship" and made several other models that featured in "Aliens"

One of the aircraft that featured in "Gunbus" the engine cowl spun like the bullet magazine of a revolver.

A team of us built six Mustangs, six Zeros and a Boeing B29 Superfortress for Steven Speilberg's "Empire of the Sun"

The Belltower at Gotham cathedral where "The Joker" (Jack Nicholson) met his end. The staircase was all built to be fragile as the bell crashed down through it all in the films climax.

Big Ben as seen in "The young Sherlock" a big model that measured 9 feet across the clock face.

Me adding some of the details to the clock face.

A Barclays bank advert directed by Ridley Scott, I was involved in building the model cityscape and the robot bank tellers.

The mothership from "Morons from outer space" had about two miles of fibre optic lighting in it.

Nov 79- Dec 87
Model Effects, Watford.
Working for Peter Aston,
Building large scale flying models for EMPIRE OF THE SUN, worked on location filming, flying and repairing the model aircraft.

Also worked on "MORONS FROM OUTER SPACE"
"ALIENS" "RETURN TO OZ" "OUTLAND" "GUNBUS"
"THE YOUNG SHERLOCK" "BRAZIL" "SPIE’S LIKE US" "SUPERMAN 2" "SUPERMAN 3" "FLASH GORDON"

I built props for many BBC progarammes including "The Young Ones" and "Doctor Who" and also did very varied visual and physical effects for numerous TV & cinema commercials.