Psi Factor Special Effects
The episodes of Psi Factor wouldn't have the same impact on viewers each week without their awesome special effect gurus. Below is an interview with Jim McGillivray and Derek Grime on their works with Psi Factor. Also below, a photo collection of various special effects from Psi Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal.
Psi Factor Press Release - 1997
FROM EXPLODING DOORS TO RAGING ALIEN FLEAS: BEHIND THE SCENES WITH THE SPECIAL EFFECTS MASTERS OF "PSI FACTOR: CHRONICLES OF THE PARANORMAL"
One of viewers' most favorite elements of Psi Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal has been its use of special effects. With the series' new format, beginning this season, it has the opportunity to expand and enhance those on-screen moments that have scared, surprised, perplexed, inspired and, always, entertained its audience. Psi Factor features two different types of effects. Laird FX, whose feature credits include To Die For and Trial by Jury, handles "on camera" physical effects, which range from pyrotechnics (the art of making or displaying fireworks) to props such as breakaway glass, prosthetics, safe weapons and architectural and over-size scale modeling. Handling digital animation in post-production - including all effects created by computer-generated software - is C.O.R.E. Digital Pictures, known for its work in the films Johnny Mnemonic, Fly Away Home and Darkman II and III. While these companies usually let their on-screen work speak on their behalf, they shared some insight into what it takes to make the impossible possible.
FA: What does your work on "Psi Factor" require?
Jim McGillivray - Special Effects Coordinator, Special Effects Technician, Key Special Effects and Pyrotechnics Technician, Laird FX: "Before I do anything, I must first act as a liaison with the producers, directors and writers to find out as much as possible about their vision of the effect. I then design and coordinate all on-camera effects for every Psi Factor episode. We don't handle any post-production effects; our work is filmed live."
Derek Grime, Animation Director, C.O.R.E. Digital Pictures: "In my position, I supervise the work of the animators to ensure the effects are properly incorporated into each episode. My responsibilities include working with the design team, producers and directors to ensure the objective of each effect has been fully achieved. But the role I find the most fun is as animator."
FA: What new effects were created specifically for this series?
McGillivray: "In one episode, we had to create the effect of alien fleas moving across the ground in a forest. We placed an air mover on a camera dolly, which sucked in leaves at one end and blew them out the other over a distance of 75 feet. In the episode sequence, viewers see a shot indicating the flea's point of view, followed by a shot of the leaves being blown at the camera giving the illusion of the fleas moving forward. It was difficult to create, but rewarding to complete."
Grime: "Every effect is unique and not like any other. We developed an effect called time machine, for which we shot real dancers in green costumes, creating the effect of shooting against a 'green screen,' which were then digitally transformed into phantoms. The creativity lies in integrating the digital effect into each episode so the result is credible, or incredible as the case may be."
FA: What are some of the other particularly interesting effects you've produced for the series?
Grime:"Our creations have included a wide variety of paranormal effects, including a dark mass that swallows everything it encounters, eggs from outer space and an evil force moving from one human to another. We have also produced some time distortion and fire effects for Psi Factor unlike any I've ever seen. Each script throws us a different curve."
McGillivray: "We blew the doors off a house displaying paranormal activity. Even with the technological advancements made in the industry, it's still very difficult any time explosives are involved. In this particular case, the effect was spectacular."
FA: What's been the most challenging assignment to date?
McGillivray: "Although the alien fleas effect was the most complex to date, the Psi Factor stories just seem to get stranger and more demanding with each script."
FA What makes Psi Factor unique among other similar series?
Grime: "Since the Psi Factor dramas are inspired by the case files and work of a real-life paranormal research organization, every effect must believably portray physical reality. In the episode about the alien fleas, we had to recreate an absolutely authentic-looking cluster of nests filled with eggs. Recreating reality is the most demanding work because it needs to accommodate all of the subtleties of the animated motion, characteristics of light and numerous other factors. Everything needs to be perfect for the effect and, hence, for the scene to work."
