Moving Images, Understanding Media

312 Moving Images: Making Movies, Understanding Media

In contemporary production, the stunt coordinator is in charge of

safely preparing and executing any stunts. Th e work of stunt personnel can

involve collaboration with many departments of a production, including the

visual eff ects team, and they oft en work in tandem with the special eff ects

department.

Since the integration of digital methods in motion picture production,

special eff ects credits are defi ned as those that involve physical eff ects created

by mechanical, pyrotechnic, or artifi cial means. Th e special eff ects coordinator

supervises the creation of fire, snow, explosions, and all other effects

necessary during production. Although computer-generated images have

greatly infl uenced the creation of special eff ects in the production process,

fi lmmakers continue to craft live eff ects for their projects. As special eff ects

coordinator Chris Corbould has observed, “At one stage, we thought CGI

would take over our roles and leave us obsolete... [yet] on Die Another Day

we were running at about 120 technicians, partly due to Bond [production]

policy of trying to retain as much reality as possible.”

Actors Becoming Characters

Th e settings of the fi lm have all been prepared and the complex arrangements

of personnel are in place to bring the story to the screen. Th e actors have been

cast in their roles and now they have to appear in the motion picture. What

will they look like? How does the director imagine them? What will they

wear? Th ese questions will be answered by the makeup artists, hairdressers,

costume designers, and wardrobe supervisors on the production team.

Figure 8-30

Cinematographer Greig

Fraser and Camera Operator

Sebastian Dickens (holding

camera) line up a shot on

director, actor, and stunt

coordinator Nash Edgerton

atop a runaway car for the

short fi lm Lucky. (Photo by

Spencer Susser, Courtesy Blue-

Tongue Films)

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