What's your favourite effects achievement?
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I found micro looking through my Archives book and she'd spotted the Z8 from TWINE ("nice shiny silver car daddy, beep beep!" she informed me) and after a careful hostage negotiation of trading a toy for daddy's rather expensive Bond book back it got me thinking;
What do people consider the greatest achievement for the SFX guys?*
I'm not talking about stunts, I'm on about the stuff that's been made for a bond film that's left us either cunningly fooled or awestruck or amazed.
Maybe a gadget watch from TWINE? The volcano set from YOLT? The vulcan bomber set from TB?
So thinking caps on, what's your favourite technical achievement of the real life Q's?
* This question came about due to the Z8 micro pointed out is not actually a BMW at all, it's a replica made in just 8 weeks specially for the film as at the time of filming BMW hadn't even built a usable Z8 themselves....
What do people consider the greatest achievement for the SFX guys?*
I'm not talking about stunts, I'm on about the stuff that's been made for a bond film that's left us either cunningly fooled or awestruck or amazed.
Maybe a gadget watch from TWINE? The volcano set from YOLT? The vulcan bomber set from TB?
So thinking caps on, what's your favourite technical achievement of the real life Q's?
* This question came about due to the Z8 micro pointed out is not actually a BMW at all, it's a replica made in just 8 weeks specially for the film as at the time of filming BMW hadn't even built a usable Z8 themselves....
'Force feeding AJB humour and banter since 2009'
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Comments
The Lotus Esprit from TSWLM - some of the underwater scenes really made me believe, back in 77, that it was a real Esprit which could become sub-mersible (if that's even a word). The way the wheels withdrew, the hull expanded, and the fins and tail rotors extended looked (and still looks) totally convincing. I'm not sure who dreamed it up, designed and built it, but it's genius. -{
However, the single most awe inspiring gadget for me was the pocket sized re-breather that fit in a Romeo Y Julietta cigar tube. I have several different versions in my collection because of it. A great piece that was merely a prop, but looked like it really worked!
DG
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I still remember how impressed I was when I've first seen it in the cinema back in 1981.
I remember driving down 80 kms to a Lotus dealer to see it in the flesh - still have the pics.
And I am getting goosebumbs still when I see it.
The Yolt volcano set impresses me immensely still though this has not been the case on first viewing.
It took some time and reading to realize how amazing it was.
And the closeup Rolex shots from GF, LALD and TMWTGG, I've watched them over and over before I could afford my first Rolex
Dalton - the weak and weepy Bond!
As for effects, I'd say Stromberg's lair is impressive considering we see stuff like the wet bike and the speedboat against it.
for me, Goldeneye has always been a favourite film, I think the task of turning an old airfield into a studios just to make the film is an achievement in it's own right, but for the stuff seen on screen I think this film has got it all.
Favourite scenes?
John Steers, Derek Meddings, Burt Luxford, Ken Adams, Peter Lamont, Nick Finlayson, Andy Smith, Chris Corbould, inspiring geniuses all of them.
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I've always been impress with foreground minitures ( when I found out what they were)
as used in TLD for the horses running over the bridge from the Russians, the microjet Hanger
sequence at the start of OP.
All the practical effects on the DB5 and Lotus, even little things like How the screens work
in MR, the mirror dropping to reveal the tv screen and later with the oil painting that switches
to show "the chemical formula of a plant".
The Tanker in TSWLM, a model
are just off the top of my head.
The Bond films have been lucky to have found such great talent to work on them, all helping
to make them the success the are.
One prop having seen it in the flesh which this Donkey loves is Patrice's practical folding rifle from Skyfall. It is not clearly seen on screen but this is one very clever piece of kit and like the Tankbuster in Die Another Day it actually discharges blank cartridges from its heavily cut down Accuracy International snipers rifle inside the steel folding frame/casing & although not commonly known, the only contribution a certain luggage manufacturer made was to wrap the aluminium side panels and the tube of the carry handle/sight in black leather
Finally the 3D printed PPKS from Skyfall because like everyone else & his dog I was convinced it was a real firearm even when I saw it in the flesh in its Bulldog case behind the scenes at Designing 007 for the first time -{
Great thread BTW - I'm also going with the lotus as it was magic when I was a kid!!!
sink.
Fixed that for you
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Cool little fact! Yes, the model that explodes after Bond goes through it in his jet. I love it that they glued every single panel on there by hand. It makes for such a great effect seeing all those panels fly off.
indeed, bit similar to the "time to leave" barn in TLD
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(Although I am glad about every thread here that's not about ties, shirts or shoes!)
For me it's the MR PTS with the 747 shuttle carrier aircraft. When I saw it for the first time I thought that this was footage from the real 747 SCA and the Enterprise - only after it exploded I realized that they couldn't really blow up a real 747, could they?!
After seeing it again later and looking more closely, maybe the interior lighting could be a bit less uniform but I still think that the 747 model and the shuttle start look very realistic. Of course the modelwork involving the shuttles and space station is also great but like Star Wars it was clear that those could not be real - the 747 was different.
yeah i did think that, but there again many of the opinions mentioned so far are available as merchandise in some form, be it models or props from various sources.
like your thoughts about MR, personally I think it's a great film, up until it goes all pew pew lasers.
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That was a brilliant piece of work! Unrealistic in reality, but completely believable in the film.
Where do I start? Most of the Bond films have great effect moments, I have to agree with the Space Station and Shuttle fleet in Moonraker. Every time I watch the film I'm wowed at the detail, esp since Mr Meddings was only allowed the budget to build the entire station in one scale. It doesn't show on screen.
Second place belongs to the use of the SIS Building miniature in TWINE. The way the model is integrated in the live action and set pieces works well, and for me, was much better than the somewhat washed out CGI of both SF and SP. Mind you, I love the Thames Boat chase, its my favorite chase sequence of the lot.
Others I love...
Use of Miniatures - TMWTGG The "Mushroom" TSWLM - , Atlantis, The Liparus and the Boatus are all beautifully realised and look convincing. AVTAK - "Portacabin blimp launch" TWINE - BMW drive past the oil fields. DAD - The Ice palace. CR-06 The Skyfleet airliner and its hanger. I thought Airbus played ball till I saw a pic of the models and the real AE380 in flight!
Honourable mentions TLD - Bridge collapse, Hercules explosion.
The cars are real! - GF, TLD, DAD, QoS, - Aston use, TSWLM, FYEO both Lotus's.
Where can I buy one of those?! - Little Nellie, The Acrostar, The Q Boat, Moon's Hovercraft.
Nice view, I'll take it! Any set piece by Sir Ken Adam, or Peter Lamont. The big and bold things like the GF Fort Knox, YOLT Volcano etc speak for themselves, but even subtler elements such as M's office in the Brosnan era, & CR-06, Q's lab in GF, FYEO and TWINE have lovely touches to them.
My favorite I didn't know it was a real effect moment has to be the police car that gets thrown into the air by the jet engines of a taking off plane at Miami airport in CR-06. I thought a miniature or CGI had been used. The fact real cars were crane winched into the air to get that one shot speaks volumes.
CGI definitely has its uses, but it feels better when you know its a real moment.