1982: Is the BRITISH SFX Industry in CRISIS? | Newsnight | Making Of... | BBC Archive

"If we are complacently British in our attitude towards special effects then we will go downhill."

Generally speaking, the British Film Industry is in poor health, but there is one area where British crews can still reasonably claim to be among the best in the world - special effects. The success of effect-heavy blockbusters like Star Wars, Superman and Alien meant that, until recently, British special effects technicians were very much in demand by the big Hollywood studios. Investment in the US effects industry, however, is growing rapidly - are the British effects crews in danger of being left behind?

Bernard Falk visits Arkadon - a new UK effects studio, helmed by Oscar-winner Brian Johnson (and seemingly surrounded by a minefield) - to investigate. Falk speaks to special effects designer Jon Sorensen - who worked on Alien and Flash Gordon - about whether he sees a future for himself and other young British special effects designers in the UK. Finally, Bernard visits Elstree Studios, where the third movie in the Star Wars series - Revenge of the Jedi - is in production, alongside The Dark Crystal, a new fantasy film directed by Jim Henson and Frank Oz. The producer of The Dark Crystal is Gary Kurtz, who produced the first two Star Wars movies, and who feels that the special effects industry is particularly susceptible to changes in moviegoing taste.

This clip is from Newsnight, originally broadcast 8 December, 1982.

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