Science Fiction Filme) ALIEN (1979), THE NEVERENDING STORY (1984) or LEGEND (1985). Just three of the many films you’ve worked on. A lot of movie lovers know the films you are involved. Could you please tell us something what you did before you come into film business? Why have you chosen the way of being into special effects?
Dennis Lowe ) I originally wanted to become a nuclear scientist at the newly built Dounreay reactor on the weat coast of UK and when my art teacher saw my completed form to become a 'scientific assistant' he told me to throw it away and enroll at the local art school in my town of Barnsley. Jack Jones who was my teacher at school was also a teacher at the art school so he got me in and I have always wanted to thank him for pointing me in the right direction.
Eventually I went on to Falmouth College of Art in 1968 thinking I was the next Rodin and realised that after the first tern that I didn't want to be a butch sculptor but rather a more esoteric artist, I wanted to paint in the style of the Italian Renaissance (especially as everyone was into modernist avant-garde subjects) I had always been an aetheist from a young age but really enjoyed painting religious imagery because of the irony of why it has lasted through the centuries.
A big changed happened to me while at art college, on one of the trips to London I saw the film 2001 (1969) in Cinerama and was completely floored by it, I thought I must get into this way of creating so on my retirn I convinsed the college to give me some money to make my version of 2001 in 16mm film. I made a film called 'Cathedral'
(https://dennisvideo1138-1a506.kxcdn.com/Experimental%20Films.html)
which got me into the newly formed National Film School in Beaconsfield (1971). After 3 years at film school I realised that my love for experimental film making would not hold up in this world and so I thought that special effects could be justr as exciting. Unfortunately when I left the film school there was a huge rercession and so I managed to work as a scenic artist for a company that produced rides and ghost trains for amusement parks around the country. After a few years I finally got my first job as a SFX Assistant for the supervisor Brian Johnson at Bray Studios whilst working on SPACE 1999 (1975 – 77). I felt I was lucky to be working with a crew that allowed people to come up with jdeas and solutions headed by the Supervisor Nick Allder (who co-worked with Brian on quite a few movies). The crew had a great range of characters and we all pretty much got on well enough to last for years to come.
SFF.) Do you have any personal idols or favorite movies in your business?
D.L) In the 70s my hero was Douglas Trumbull who came up with the idea of slit scan for the film 2001 that transported us all through the 'infinite and behond' as I thought it was a completely new idea for creating a vista that was truly mind blowing (in 65mm as well...)
Later when I formed Arkadon Motion Control with Nick Pollock (software writer) we worked on a travelogue around the Solar System I used and buily a slit scan rig to film flying across Saturn's rings.
SFF.) What was your first film you were working on and how did you get the job?
D.L) Towards the end of my 3 years at film school I sent the experimental film 'Temptae' I made to John Boorman who I rated quite high in the rankings and he replied saying he would employ me on the film EXORCIST II (1977) at Bray Studios, County Wicklow in Ireland. He asked me to experiment and try to find a way of visualising the spirit in the film called the 'Pazuzu'. I must have spent about 6 weeks working on the film but with limited equipment it was too difficult to create the spirit but the highlight of my stay in Ireland was meeting and shaking hands with Fred Astaire walking in the car park on his way to the canteen. He was working on the filmTHE YELLOW TAXI (1977) and I think it was his last.
SFF) What is your opinion about education to become an expert in sfx?
D.L) I think it's really important to have a free mind so that you can come up with ideas that are a bit 'edgy' so that it doesn't necessarily follow the logical way of doing things for example: on the film FIRST KNIGHT (1995) Richard Gere found it difficult to wield the heavy sword in a duel so I suggested that if we cut off the blade and just leave the handle then we can replace it with a CGI one, the secret to success though was that he had to be accurate where he positioned the sword as it clashed with his opponent's real sword, he got it right though.
One thing I always find it necessary when working on a production is to always tell the truth after all I am being paid to be truthful and there are people who don't because they want to agree with the director to curry favour. I found that people will always respect you even if they don't agree with you.
SFF) You've worked on films by many well-known directors. Is it a great difficulty to realize the visions of each director?
D.L) I haven't found it a problem to realise the directors visions because the script usually says eveything and so long as you do a good job then that's all that they want.
SFF) Is it easier to work with a director who thinks in big, fantastic images or can that be rather counterproductive for your work?
D.L.) I am reminded that on the film ALIENS (1986) James Cameron was discribing what he wanted for the very first scene in the title sequence, he wanted the Narcissus craft to start very small in the distance while the camera very slowly follows it as it nears the planet. I asked him how long he wants the shot to run for so he went away to Pinewood Studios where they were shooting the live action and he produced a small video of the scene. He placed a hand sized piece of polystyrene on a light stand and with a Sony video 8 camcorder he moved very slowly towords the polystyrene and ended up panning as it past the camera, I think it was around 45 seconds in total but it was the best thing we have had to give us all of the information we needed including size and camera movement for the motion control rig. Jim Cameron used to be a cameraman so he was used to being good at visualising a shot, he knew what a 50mm lens would give and therefore really practical and not being over complicated. There are directors that don't understand the practicalities of film making but again it is not a problem because they usually like the results we come up with.
SFF) It can be observed that in today's movies and TV series there is a kind of renaissance of the "good old" special effects. What do you think people associate with these grandiose visual effects? Why are people turning back to them? Is it an overkill of visual impressions?
D.L) I feel very fortunate to have witnessed to transition from analoque to digital and I confess that I like both and feel there can be a marriage between the two, we just have to get over the transition period when both techniques become very common.
Over use of CGI can really kill the movie experience and people are fine tuned to seeing through the throw away effects that some films plaster across the screen but when mixed with in-camera effects they can enhance the vibe because it makes you look in a different place than just full blown digital solutions. I remember Bill Pearson (model co-Supervisor on ALIEN) tell me when he had his model workshop at Shepperton Studios that on the movie MOON (2009) the director wanted to do most of the effects with CGI but the budget was getting very thin and Bill convinced them to do most of the work using old fashioned models but using CGI as a final embellishment. They did it and the film looks really good, plus they saved a lot of money as well.
SFF.) You have worked for decades in the film industry in various positions. Which ones did you particularly enjoy and/or were there films where you were under a lot of pressure?
D.L)) Honestly I have enjoyed almost eveything I've been involved with in the industry, sometimes I used to feel guilty getting paid. I have always been grateful and I've been lucky to be able to work on productions that can be challenging (in a good way).
There were the odd few projects that were stressful like the commercial for a bottle of wine which I never got paid (I naively gave the Producer the hegative before payment) then there was someone who worked on a Arkadon project that stole the showreel and used it for his own to get work either way you have to move on from the intial shock and inevitably you learn the lesson.
SFF.) You founded the company Arkadon together with Nick Pollock. Why did you do this, and what was your specialism in relation to the film?
D.L.) When I was working for Nick Allder most of the ctew went off to Spain to do the special effects for CONAN THE BARBARIAN (1982) and I was left in the workshop and Nick gave me permission to use the facilities. There was a project that Nick was going to do called SPACEWORKS and he asked me to draw the storyboards which I did and the American company Trans Lux really liked especially the directoe at the head of the show called Joe Strick. Trans Lux were going to go into the entertaiment business by producing a hydrolic platform that 20 people were strapped to and it would weave and dip according to the projected movie that was a travelogue around the Solar System.
By this time I thought it would be good to use the workshop to turn and mill the necessary bits to construct a very basic motion control pan and tilt head that would hold a 35mm Newell cine camera. One day, I think Nick and his crew had been away in Spain for at least a few weeks when in walks Joe Strick who asked where Nick was, I said he was in Spain on a production and he asked what I was doing (as he already knew me from the storybords I did) I told him that just myself and Nick Pollock were building a motion control rig and he just asked me outright whether I would do the film 'Spaceworks' if Trans Lux would forward me the money to build a more comprehensive tracking system with pan, tilt, jib arm etc. What could I say? from that moment on we went into factory mode and within a few months we had a up and running rig where we spent a good part of 9-10 months shooting in an old factory shed.
SFF.) The NOSTROMO from ALIEN is a masterpiece with many details to discover even today. How did you build it with your team? Were there any basic forms or do you improvise a lot?
D.L) I was working at Shepperton Studios on the film ALIEN when the model makers were working on the Nostromo at Bray Studios near Windsor. I was helping to build the instrument panels for the Hostromo bridge and the corridors with Gut Hudson which took a good few months in pre production. When that finished I was sent to Bray to help with the models and set up the shooting stage ready for the initial model shooting.
When I arrived I found out that the Nostromo was in the very early stages of construction and that the art department were so busy with building the sets etc. at Shepperton that they completely forgot about the model makers at Bray so Ron Hone (who was the oldest and more experienced with getting stuff done) was getting so irate that the art department had not provided any drawings of the ship that he took the decision to get the carpenter Brian Eke to start to put together a basic shape for Nostromo. When I arrived the shape was almost finished in wood before the model makers could clad it in plastic aeroplane kits and panels. News that the model makers were building Nostromo soon found it's way to the art department at Shepperton Studios so a contingency from the art department visited Bray to see the model, when they saw how good it was starting to look they took photos and a few days later proper drawings were delivered that mirrored exatcly what the model makers did. So it was a great confirmation that everyone was reading from the same page.
SFF) In ALIEN you were working with Brian Johnson. Where did you two first met and would you be so kind and tell us about your relationship.
D.L) Brian gave me my first proper job in the film industry on SPACE 1999 when they were shooting at Bray Studios and I was on that production for the last 3 months of the series. My job was to replace the guy (who retired) who sprayed the galaxies and star fields on shiney black plastic sheeting (which gives the best blacks) and also I could do engineering as well so was quite useful.
Brian was always a touch seperated from the crew as he was 'the supervisor' but as we got to know each other we had a respectful relationship so when the company Arkadon was formed and as we finished the project SPACEWORKS Nick Pollock and I had a chat about inviting Brian into the company as he was very good at bringing the work in, he was always good with Producers while we were quite happy about being the 'backroom boys' that got the work done. We made a point of saying that if either one of us wanted to leave the company and move on then we should let them be free.
SFF) You also worked on ALIEN with such great people as Simon Deering, Martin Bower and Bill Pearson. Looking back, how would you view that period?
D.L.) I have very fond memories on ALIEN because all the departments got on really well with each other and helped in more ways than one. It felt like I was at art school again but with more money to spend on those big toys. This was helped by Nick Allder who had the view that if you came up with an idea then if he thought it was good he would let you experiment but he would always have a 'back up' in case things didn't turn out as expected. He was a great boss. Also Ridley Scott came from art school and you could tell he loved to try things out but limit his ideas to be practical at the end of the day. It was a great family feel, at the end of the day most of the crew would walk down to the bar in the admin building and spend a few hours together again in the same company. Looking back we were lucky to be working on such an iconic creation.
SFF) Why did they actually change the colour of the Nostromo from yellow to grey?
D.L) The yellow colour of the Nostromo came from Ridley who was influenced by Ron Cobb's concept paintings that were done in pre production. It was decided that while Ridley was shooting with the main unit at Shepperton then we would film the model shots at Bray. The rushes were seen by the model unit at Bray as well as being seen at Shepperton with Ridley's rushes of the live action. It took about 4 months to shoot all the Nostromo's scenes and when we heard that Ridley had changed his mind on tthe colour we couldn't work it out. Then we realised that it was nearing the end of the live action shooting at Shepperton so Ridley wanted to direct the model shoot himself which he did and of course the look of the shots were so much more gritty with tons of smoke everywhere. There was a great feel of camaraderie on the stage as he built up the shot bit by bit and some nights we didn't finish until 2am in the morning and knowing full well that we would be back again for 8am. We never minded about the hours we were putting in as we knew Ridley was doing it for the right reasons.
SFF) As far as I know, Jon Sorensen spent two months working on the Narcissus, just for a few seconds of film. How should I picture the work on such a model? How do you go about the planning?
D.L) Sometimes it is best not to know how long it took to make something because it can influence your creative ideas and it might end up taking too much space than it needs. I can understand some things you put all of your energy only for it to be deleted. I spent a few months working on the landing lights when the Nostromo enters the planet, it was packed full of neons specially running on sequencial timers, Ridley came along one evening while we raised the contraption 20 feet in the air and filled the area with Ridley smoke. He looked through the eyepiece and ran a few seconds of film and then said he would not use it. Shit happens.
SFF) How did you actually go about creating the planetary surface?
D.L.) This is a classic example of Nick Allder leaving you alone to produce your idea, I told Nick that way back when I was at art school I experimented for a few day by pouring aluminium paint in a tray of white spirit. What happens is that the liquid heats up by the spot lights you are using and it produces a moving cellular structure that looks weird. I still had some black and white photos I took at art school that I showed to Nick so he let me play around in the corner of the stage with a hired Hasselblad and I took a few rolls of 120 colour transparencies of which there were two that really stood out as looking like a planet surface. This we used by projecting the transparency onto a white dome (similar technique that was used in SPACE 1999 with the Earth tranny that you could buy from NASA in those days). This technique was learned by Brian Johnson when he worked as a clapper boy on 2001.
SFF) Dennis Ayling brought a wealth of experience from his time in the commercial film industry to the project, particularly in terms of lighting. What was your experience of working with him, and what was his secret to lighting?
D.L) Denny was always cool and calm when faced with demanding producers and would always have a cigarette hanging off his lips. I liked him a lot as he had no ego or pretenctions. He would draw his lighting rig in a little sketch book for every setup so he couls quickly reinvent it if we needed to reshoot the scene again, a true professional. Sometimes the camera crew would play tricks on him, the focus puller would black over the eyepiece and ask Denny to check something so as he took his glasses off to look through he would end up looking like a panda bear and when he put his glasses back on it was very hard not to giggle.
SFF) How big was the team involved in building the Nostromo and the other models? How were you ‘recruited’, and how long did it take from the initial planning stage to the finished model (taking the Nostromo as an example)?
D.L) There was about 8 people in the model making crew and when it started to get 'hot' at the end of the production when the money was starting to run out there would be a few more helpers recruted as some of us from the shooting stage would help out as it was across the way.
The Nostromo took and good part of 3 months to build and detail and an extra few days when the colour changed.
SFF) You were the special effects assitant for this movie. To what extent did you have to work with the main cameraman (or did Vanlint and Ridley Scott give you relatively free rein)?
D.L.) I think Denny Ayling met up now and then with the live action cameraman Derek VanLint but I don't think I ever saw Derek at Bray Studios as I'm sure he had his hands full with Ridley behind him.
SFF) How much does lighting and fog hinder or help when filming a model?
D.L) Smoke helps a lot and gives a model that extra depth and texture. It is always better to try and film the highlights in a clean smoke free atmosphere and then backwind and superimpose the smoke pass later as this gives the image a certain clarity with an atmosphere.
SFF) Did you and the team do a lot of kitbashing for the design of the models?
D.L.) There were enough people doing the detailing and my job when asked to help out was more to do with the engineering side.
SFF) I could ask you tons of questions for ALIEN. I´ve got a huge collection of merchandise and other stuff for this film in the cellar. But let me ask you just this: did you think during the production, that this movie would become such a huge milestone? And for the case you say “no”; why?
D.L.) I always remember reading the first draft of the script of ALIEN (when I was on PINK PANTHER) and it read like a 'B' movie and I remember telling Guy Hudson that it's not going to look good on our CV's. Then as we entered the production originally Dan O'Bannon was going to direct and we would notice him walking aimlessly around the studio looking up at the sky and I thought 'this doesn't look too promising'. Then we heard rumors that Ridley would be taking over and anybody who worked in the industry knew of Ridley Scott as his company RSA made at least 2000 commercials. So things started to look up for the production but the icing on the cake was when we heard that HR Giger would be involved. We then knew this was going to look GREAT on our CV's.
SFF.) Supposedly there were rumors that working on ALIEN was not that easy. Could you please explain that if it´s true?
D.L.) I haven't heard that rumor as I have only good memories working on it. It's true that it was a difficult and complex production but that is what you would expect of a sci fi film I guess. I loved ever minute.
SFF) When you compare the working conditions of earlier films and those of today, what are the biggest differences in terms of creativity? Has it become easier today, even in the context of CGI, or has the pressure increased? Maybe it's all in balance?
D.L.) I had to take early retirement because I developed Macular Degeneration in my right eye and so after my last film PERFUME (2005/6). I have been out of the film loop. I do hear from other people that say it is more frustrating working on movies as everyone just gets a few pages of the script and some people don't even know the storyline of the film they work on. I guess this is a lot to do with it being on the internet.
SFF) You worked on the film THE FIRST KNIGHT and once described this film as a ‘giant leap from the dark ages’ in terms of digital effects. Why?
D.L.) Wow, I cannot remember saying that (it doesn't sound like me) but I know this was the first film when I became a supervisor and at that time I went to the Kodak company in London called Cinesite, they had just built a digital optical printer and were producing 2K and 4K scans from 35mm negative. They made most of their money doing commercials and this was the first feature film they scanned and worked on, I got them to do some compositing too. The quality was excellent and they even wrote their own software.
SFF.) You paint, create sculptures and make experimental films. You yourself say that Kubrick’s 2001 was the turning point in your artistic career, as far as I am aware. Can you explain that to us? What does art mean to you in all its facets?
D.L) When I was in my early teens I was given a set of Children's Encyclopedias by Arthur Mee and they instilled a feeling of 'anything is possible'. They were old fashioned and I think they were published around 1930's but they gave me the knowlwdge I was greedy for. When I discovered the Renaissance and the idea of the Renaissance man it felt that it's possible to be good at anything (given the fact that you should want to do it) so this last century has been obsessed with specialisation and it was only possible to have just one job in your life. This sounds completely crazy and so I feel a bit more calm about it as over the past few decades jobs can now be changed every couple of years.
When I first experienced 2001 I really liked the fact that there was hardly a story as I was still into the experimental phase in my life and I thought it was brilliant that MGM had nearly gone bust making a very beautiful experimental underground movie.
SFF) Imagine you meet an extraterrestrial one day. He wants to know why you were stuck into movies with just one movie to explain, which will it be and why?
D.L.) To me movies are about manipulation and how good you can makeit, one of those movies that impressed me was CITIZEN KANE, how the hell does someone in his early 29's direct something like that with full control?
Orson Welles is another of my heros but it was a shame that he couldn't fully develop after Kane and even had MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS modified when he was away shooting a documentary in Brazil plus all those failures due to lack of funds. Imagine what he could have done given the right producers.
SFF) Do you have some advice for young sfx-artists?
D.L) I think it's good to aim high in life but not worry because sometimes if you fail then you end up being 'just good enough' which I think is Ok. We seem to want 100% of everything we do as opposed to say 90% but most of all - don't give up.
SFF) You've worked on films by many well-known directors. Is it a great difficulty to realize the visions of each director?
D.L) I have never had that problem with visualising what directors want. Most directors are able to put over what they require and sometimes storyboards help a lot.
SFF) For many decades, handmade, practical special effects in films were an integral part of the fantastic field. Then, at some point, CGI took over. Do you think there's a film that represents a kind of end of the line in classic modelling? If so, which one and why?
D.L) I think MOON directed by Duncan Jones gives a good finishing line taking analogue solutions to it's last conclusion but I would argue there can be a marriage between these two styles and when AI really comes into it's own then we will have something to think about.
SFF) Do you have any favorite work of yours?
D.L) One of my favorite films I worked on was my last - PERFUME as it gave me quite a few problems to find solutions, I quite liked Tom Tykwer who was always open to new ways of doing things and when I suggested that we 'throw away the effects' meaning that they are pushed away into the bnackground as opposed to having then in your face.
SFF.) Like many very good works for little screentime in other films. Doesn't that annoy you when you only ever see the fruits of your labor so briefly?
D.L) I don't get too bothered if my work gets a few seconds on the screen and I'm Ok with the editors judgement because it is so much more pleasurable making the effects than just watching the effects.
SFF.) Do you have a project you always wanted to do or are there something in progress we can enjoy in the future?
D.L.) I know I will never make this but I would have liked to have a go at making a film about 'lost genius'. This came to me a few years ago when I had the idea that at some point around the world there will be a genius (whatever subject) that refuses to put out his work to the world because of the rubbish that will ne laid on him whether it be social media or whatever people scan on he/she. So they decide not to share it with thw world, I have a feeling in my bones that there are as lot of people that have refused in the past not to play the game.
SFF) What is more difficult to design: real existing objects like submarines or those that are imagined?
D.L) I think it is more difficult to design something imagined and make it look real as what is needed is how reality works whereas at least you can copy something that is already exsisting.
SFF) I held up with the most important question at the end: What was the most difficult effect you were working on and why?
D.L) The most difficult shots I remember were from LEGEND when the devil comes out of the mirror. I shot the set up with two VistaVision cameras and both were positioned about a few feet from each other. The line of the mirror was a laser beam that scanned up and down to make the line of where the surface of the mirror was. So, the front camera was filming the front of the figure and the rear camera was filming the mirror image (so you can see the back of the figure when he emerges in the reflection)
After filming we rotoscoped by hand every frane to get rid of the parts of the figure that is behind the mirror and if you lined up the cameras properly both laser lines on front and back should match together perfectly in the composite. It took ages to get a good composite because we shot both setups against two blue screens so we had that to contend with...
SFF.) Dear Mr. Lowe. I thank you immensely for taking time doing this interview and wish you all the best for your future movie making.