SFX TRENDS
SIGNATURE SPECIAL EFFECTS ON THE SMALL SCREEN By IAN FAILES
If you thought that the state of play in special effects in television and streaming had ramped up in recent years, you’re not imagining things. More shows, bigger scenes, and what might be described as a resurgence in the audience taste for practical effects has seen SFX, makeup effects and other on-set effects in high demand. Here, several practical effects supervisors look back at what they’ve been working on in the TV and streaming space, as they highlight the specific gags and effects sequences in Gangs of London, Lovecraft Country, 9-1-1: Lone Star and His Dark Materials. THE ART AND SCIENCE OF EFFECTS: GANGS OF LONDON
TOP: A careful mix of fuels, mortars and debris made up the explosions for Gangs of London. (Image courtesy of Alexander Gunn)
In the Sky Atlantic series Gangs of London, several shocking moments portraying the brutality of international gangs tearing at the seams of the British capital were brought to life with practical effects. Overseeing that work was Special Effects Supervisor Alexander Gunn of Arcadia SFX. “Gangs of London actually
68 • VFXVOICE.COM SUMMER 2021
PG 68-72 SFX TV.indd 68
5/3/21 5:05 PM
