As lighting technology has evolved, so have the possibilities for designers to have greater control over the ever developing range of special effects equipment which is responsive to DMX signal.

In 2006 this bought about an interesting tangent to my career when I became involved in the London production of Spamalot, working solely with Special Effects. The Production, originating from Broadway, came to London with Special Effects Designer, Greg Meeh.

In 2007 my association with Greg continued when he returned to London with The Lord of the Rings.

These projects taught me a lot more about the possibilities available to Designers with effects such as haze, low smoke, cryojet systems, wind, fire, confetti cannons and traditional pyrotechnics. Both systems on Spamalot and Lord of the Rings were fully DMX controllable and were operated by the lighting desk.

Over the past couple of years, I have made contact with many people and suppliers specific to the effects sector of the industry. Working in conjunction with Production Managers I have also tackled most issues which arise when using special effects relating to health and safety, legislation, risk assessments and local authority licensing inspections. Whether you are interested in creating just one effect or effects for an entire show then I would be happy to assist.