A new book by Irish special effects artist Gerry Johnston, entitled ‘Lights, Camera, Dynamite: The Adventures of a Special Effects Director’ launched on Wednesday night in the IFI, Dublin in the presence of Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, Martin Cullen. IFTN caught up with the man who has spent over 40 years creating on-screen illusion to talk explosions, fireworks and saving 007.
Gerry Johnston’s friends don’t call him ‘Boom-boom’ for nothing. As Director of Special Effects Ireland, Johnston has spent 43 years earning his keep from blowing up planes, setting fire to buildings and killing hostile aliens, while working alongside the industry’s top directors, producers and stars. His varied career has seen him work on films from classics like ‘The First Great Train Robbery’ to Spielberg’s blockbuster ‘Saving Private Ryan’. He has worked with Julie Andrews, Ursula Andress, Neil Jordan, Helen Mirren, a young Colin Farrell and three James Bonds – Sean Connory, Pierce Brosnan and Roger Moore. He has worked in Africa, Israel and all over Europe, but is happy to remain based at Wicklow’s Ardmore Studios.
From trawling Ireland’s beaches with David Lean on ‘Ryan’s Daughter’ to advising Mel Gibson on the Oscar-winning ‘Braveheart’, Gerry’s career has seen him gather a host of stories, anecdotes and behind-the-scenes secrets which he finally put to paper in ‘Lights, Camera, Dynamite’.
IFTN caught up with Johnston at the launch of his book, which was also attended by Irish Film Board chair James Morris, who contributed a foreword to the book, and director of Armore Studios, Kevin Moriarity.
Had you wanted to write a book about your experiences in the industry for some time?
I had been thinking about it for a long time, my colleagues and friends were always saying to me ‘When are you going to write a book?’ The 50 year anniversary of Ardmore Studios coming up so I tried to get it finished in time for that. It took over two years to write.
How did you begin your career in the industry?
I was working for an engineering company in the 1960’s and one day my father met an old friend in Dublin who he hadn’t seen for many years. He was in the airline business in America and was looking for people with an electrical background to train into special effects for a film. I landed an interview and a few days later my doorbell rang and there was a chauffer standing outside with a big black limo waiting take me to Ardmore Studios! After about four or five days working on the film, I just thought to myself “This is for me”, and forty- three years later, I’m still in the business.
Did the high-risk element of the job attract you to it?
Very much so, you’re on the edge all of the time. I went into cinema because I love adventure, I like the challenges and I love creating things. But of course at our end the health and safety for crews and actors comes first.
You worked on the epic film ‘Braveheart’ with Mel Gibson. How was that experience?
That was a great experience, I ran the floor when we were shooting it. There was quite a lot of special effects there - fire, arrow launching, spears, mechanical horses and at one point some boiling oil was meant to pour down on a crowd of people. Mel Gibson was great fun to work with. The Irish Army were brought in for battle scenes in the Curragh and I remember at one point the soldiers kept running over to look at the monitors to comment on the shots! It was like there were 50 or 60 directors instead of one. But Mel enjoyed it, he would listen to their ideas and then say ‘Get away from my monitor!’ He was a very funny guy and very talented.
What was the most challenging project you’ve worked on in terms of special effects?
There were a few - ‘Saving Private Ryan’, ‘Braveheart’, ‘Excalibur’ and ‘Manions of America’. My first big pyrotechnic job was in the TV series ‘Manions of America’, which starred Pierce Brosnan. Pierce was supposed to set off an explosion and jump out of a factory window before running back into the building as the whole thing blows up. The building was under preservation and eight or nine stories high so the producers were saying to me ‘If you damage this building it will cost us a million bucks to fix!’ There was no damage done and there was no one hurt but according to the producers it was one of the biggest explosions on TV at that time.
How much preparation would go into a special effect like that?
It could take weeks - you have to rig roots and walls, and make sure all your electric cables, firing boxes and explosive materials are in order. We would also have special steel units at the side of the building that would throw part of the building out and several stunt people would be involved.
Have you ever had any special effects go wrong on set?
Yes occasionally. On the World War 1 film ‘The Blue Max’, my first big film back in ‘65 or ‘66 when I was only a rookie, there was a scene where planes were supposed to be dropping bombs on the ground and some of the explosions we had set up didn’t go off. I was asked to go out to check the setup and when I reached the second one I was blown off my feet.
Another time was on the film ‘Excalibur’, there’s a scene where a sword comes up out of a lake. I got tangled in the rig we had on the sword and was pulled under the water, only for I’m an established under water diver and I cut the rope in time I could have drowned.
Have you ever been injured?
A couple of times. When I was doing ‘The First Great Rain Robbery’ with Sean Connery, I had to create a small fireworks display. Myself and Sean were standing on a podium with cables attached to it, but someone caught on one of the cables and the fireworks went off too early. I saw one coming towards Sean’s face and I put my hand out to stop it and burned my hand. He just threw me into his limousine and took me to St Vincent’s hospital in Dublin. All the doctors and nurses came running when they heard James Bond was in the building! Thanks be to God though, I still have all my fingers!
Do you feel the role carries a huge amount of responsibility?
It does because it can be very dangerous and you have to keep in mind the safety of the cast and crew, health and safety is priority. Sometimes directors try to talk me into doing something over the top, but I just won’t do it if it’s too dangerous. Sometimes it’s very stressful, when you doing something on set with a huge danger factor - the adrenaline is running and you only get one take. I feel a bit like a surgeon cutting an artery and thinking ‘Am I cutting the right one?’
What are the more popular special effects you use?
Atmospheric special effects would be very popular - low lying mist, snow, lightning effects. And pyrotechnics, which could be anything from a spark to a building blowing up.
Which director did you find the most creative?
There were many, John Boorman was very creative and Mel Gibson, but I suppose the best one at all for understanding special effects was Steven Spielberg. He was very creative, he knew his job and he could relate to the special effects department. He was great with the actors also.
Do you feel a great sense of satisfaction when you finally see your effects on screen in the finished film?
Yes, I really do. When you’re on a set it can be a bit disjointed – it’s like putting together a jigsaw puzzle, so there’s a great sense of excitement seeing the final piece on screen.
Do you think filmmakers today rely more on CGI technology to create special effects rather than creating them on set?
No, I actually think directors are going back to creating the action on the set, like in the new ‘Indiana Jones’ movie. More directors are going back to creating the effects and stunts during the shoot, as it can look more realistic. I think there is a place for both, CGI can complement the physical effects, which is my end of it.
What qualities do you think you need to be a successful special effects artist?
You need to have creativity, be flexible, ever ready and willing to work long hours. A background in chemistry or electronics helps. You also have to be resourceful if you’re working on a small film – if you haven’t got the budget you try and do the best with what you’ve got.
What advice would you give people who want to work in special effects?
I get calls from people every few weeks asking me where they should go to get training, but the only way I can train people is to have them on set with me, its very hands on and you can teach people fairly quickly.
What kind of audience is your book aimed at?
It’s for people who work in film and TV and also people who don’t know anything about the industry. I have included explanations of terms like Best Boy or AD for people who may not be familiar with them. I wanted to put lots of photos in the book and there are about 40 or 50 in there. It’s a relaxing and entertaining read.
‘Lights, Camera, Dynamite: The Secrets of a Special Effects Director’, published by Liberties Press, is now on sale in bookshops nationwide and from www.libertiespress.com, priced €14.99. IFTN has four copies to give away to our readers. The closing date for entries is 5.30 Friday 6th June. To enter the draw, mail IFTN with the answer to the following question:
What is Gerry Johnston's nickname?
Email to: competitions@iftn.ie
