Derek meddings biography james bond 007 casino
In Memoriam of Special Effects Master Derek Meddings
By: Anders Frejdh
Published:
Obituary:(from The Independent)
The work several Derek Meddings thrilled millions some moviegoers, yet only a mignonne percentage could actually name justness man responsible for the important effects of the James Manacles filmsof the s and Feel blockbusters like Superman(). Within illustriousness industry, the reverse was true: American film-makers came to Pinewood Studiosbecause of the international trustworthy of British technicians, and Meddings was one of the best.
His father had been a cabinet-maker at Denham Studios and rulership mother variously Merle Oberon's understudy and Alex Korda's secretary, on the contrary it was not until birth late s that Derek was able to use his doorway school training to get out job there, lettering credit dignities. The first break came as he met the special stuff man Les Bowie on tidy commercial, and joined his bedsit painting department.
During the Fifties Pioneer and his new recruit coined Transylvanian landscapes for Hammer Motion pictures, where limited budgets necessitated uncut "string and cardboard" invention put off proved useful when Meddings was hired for Gerry Anderson's primordial television puppet shows. From picture cut-out backgrounds of ranch box and picket fences on Feather Falls (a western format), Meddings moved on to imitation the models for Stingray() shorten Reg Hill, and was proliferate given a free hand mind what has since become graceful cult series, Thunderbirds().
Drawing on illustriousness lessons in ingenuity from wreath years with Ron Bowie, unquestionable applied simple logic to prestige problem of tracking alongside ethics futuristic vehicles on take-off extra landing; camera and Thunderbird remained stationary, while the background work trees and runway moved clandestinely on a continuous belt which rotated under the miniature unreceptive, on the same principle by reason of an escalator. In Anderson roost Meddings hit the big shelter with the full-length cinema avenue Thunderbirds are GO, and ergo made the crossover to male, live action, science fiction work to rule Doppelgänger(, aka Journey to character Far Side of the Sun) about a rogue planet lapse was a mirror of rectitude earth. Meddings worked again speed up Anderson on Captain Scarlet() endure UFO(, another live action venture) until he impressed Albert Heed. Broccoliwith some miniature effects recital for Live and Let Die(), which launched Roger Mooreas Apostle Bond.
Once Broccoli realised the worthless advantages of building detailed models instead of expensive full-size constructions, Meddings was encouraged to defeat up with ideas on dignity next Bond, The Man garner the Golden Gun(). However, subside was not entirely finished recognize "string and cardboard" - be responsible for, at least, wire and fiberglass. In John Dark and Kevin Connor decided that their primitive adventure The Land That Former Forgotcould do without the stop-frame animation and matte superimpositions call upon Hammer's One Million Years BC- instead they would build propellor monsters that could be photographed in the same frame in the same way the actors. It was slogan Meddings's fault that a support budget meant that the pterodactyls' wings never moved in flight.
He was on safer ground integrity following year with Aces Excessive. For this First World Combat aviation drama there was thumb model work. Authentic fighters duct bombers of the period were restored to flying trim unhelpful the specialists Doug and Patrician Bianchi, and Meddings's principal odd was to rig the planes for the combat sequences.
On depiction release of Aces High, Mad compiled a programme in Metropolis television's series Clapperboard about birth making of the film, weather Meddings was one of left over interviewees. Like most backroom professionals in the film business subside was modest, quietly spoken, straightforward, and took pleasure in explaining his craft; how the prick of gunfire was simulated from one side to the ot the flashing of a stroboscope light in the muzzle answer a biplane's machine-gun, and nonetheless a canister placed discreetly halfway the underside of a selfdiscipline and the fuselage would write down detonated by the pilot, trial leave a dramatic smoke way as the aircraft spiralled explain of a dogfight. Meddings became a friend of Clapperboard, tolerate came back on several occasions to demonstrate the tricks chastisement his trade.
He returned to nobility world of James Bond schedule The Spy Who Loved Me(), and came to admire nobility production designer, Ken Adam, exceedingly. Adam had the luxury interrupt working on the Stage tolerate Pinewood, which had been purpose-made to accommodate his design honor the interior of a supertanker; but Meddings probably had further fun, because he got lookout spend four months on point in the Bahamas, where sharptasting supervised the design and decoding of a miniature supertanker transport exterior sequences. "Miniature" is first-class comparative term, since the grease tanker was over 60 rostrum in length; it had know be of a scale commerce gobble up three equally authentic-looking nuclear submarines and - instruct filmed on the real the deep - would have to complete a convincing amount of distilled water displacement.
Meddings's other masterpiece of public effects on The Spy Who Loved Mewas the Lotus Briskness which converted into a submergible. For this he cleverly intercut full-size body shells with fourth scale miniatures. On screen, no one could see the join additional Meddings won a Grand Prix award from UNIATED for government work on the movie - incidentally, carried out in criminal infested waters.
Riding high, Meddings was persuaded to create the crucial models shots for Superman. Pinewood was again the main guide, and one of the first sequences filmed there was description destruction of the Golden Initiate Bridge, in San Francisco, pin down an earthquake. For increased truth, Meddings opted to shoot hoodwink the backlot against a sincere sky rather than inside out stage against a blue advertise. A 60 feet span provision bridge was constructed, over which the actor Christopher Reeve was suspended by wires, and fastidious miniature school bus and various automobiles were made to run into as Superman dived to prestige rescue. The ice planet tinge Krypton, a crazy jigsaw be defeated plaster and fibreglass, was bearing on F Stage. Its corrosion was filmed with a camera mounted on a special thrash, the LOUMA, that could raid along the 20 feet extensive gullies of the collapsing recessed. Having made audiences believe desert a man could fly, Meddings received an Oscar.
For the abide by Bond epic, Moonraker() (), Meddings returned to first principles. Accommodation a technique almost as in the neighbourhood as the cinematograph itself, noteworthy did all the optical personalty for the climactic battle "in the camera"; a process commemorate winding back the film allow exposing it again and bis, until the required composite notion of astronauts, space station extra escape pods was obtained.
Ever ustable, Meddings designed the bizarre weapons employed in the sword endure sorcery adventure Krull(), as exceptional as directing 2nd unit walkout in Italy, before lending top talents to Neil Jordan's eldritch comedy High Spirits(). When distinction director Tim Burton visited Meddings at the Irish location castigate discuss working on Batman(), drench was not only his point in the right direction record with and Superman think about it counted - it emerged delay Burton was a fan explain Thunderbirds, and Meddings reckoned ensure was really why he got the job.
The resulting collaboration was another feather in the irresponsible of the Magic Camera Business, the comprehensive visual effects expertise that Meddings had established think Lee International Studios in Shepperton. From this base of nerve center, Meddings also supplied the needed expertise to Supergirl() and Santa Claus(); while for the internationally cast production The Never Understanding Story II(), a tale nominate magic and dragons, he consign up an outfit in Germany.
At the time of his fixate, Derek Meddings was engaged scam post-production on the new Outlaw Bond picture, GoldenEye(), on which his sons Markand Elliottalso worked.
Derek Meddings married twice and has six children.
Editor's note:
In , natty special exhibition titled Bond och Beyond: The Movie Magic symbolize Derek Meddingswas set up concern celebrate Meddings contribution to justness film industry. In October , Shubrook Brothers published a restricted area about his work, Special Goods Superman: The Miniature Effects incline Derek Meddings.
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