Martin JagoAnimatronics · Puppets · SFX

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Warner Bros. Pictures
October 2001 - February 2002

As a trainee, Martin helped build and puppeteer Aragog, the Basilisk and Fawkes the Phoenix for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

Creature FX Supervisor - Nick Dudman

Animatronics Model Designer (trainee) & Puppeteer

Assisting in the construction and puppeteering of Aragog, Basilisk and Fawkes (Phoenix) animatronic characters. Assembly of the numerous arachnids for the Spider Hollow scene.

Videos

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets poster

Behind the scenes

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  • The creature effects crew gathered for a group photo on the Spider Hollow set, giant spider puppets in the foreground

    Creatures Crew Photo

  • Crew working on giant spider puppets among the huge tree roots of the Spider Hollow set

    Assembling Spider Hollow

  • Crew stand and crouch among several giant spider puppets on the rocky Spider Hollow set in a black and white photograph

    B+W Spider Hollow

  • Aragog puppet on the Spider Hollow set with its legs and face in the foreground while crew stand talking and photographing behind it

    Spider Setup

  • Aragog puppet seen from the front on the set floor, with shaggy fur covered legs, glossy black eyes and heavy mouthparts in low light

    Aragog Front

  • Film frame: three people in a dirt hollow beneath the hairy legs of a giant spider puppet, one wearing a white protective suit and mask

    Puppeteering the Rear Legs

  • Spider dolly mechanism with a black steel arm bundled in grey hoses and cables, bolted to a square frame on a timber track in the dirt set

    Spider Dolly

  • Pencil sketch on lined paper showing dimensioned drawings of control arms and a stand with labelled parts for a baby spider puppet

    Baby Spider Controls Sketch

  • Aragog front shell in the workshop with its dark spotted body, exposed wiring and electronics over it, and furry legs spread across a cluttered floor

    Aragog Front Shell

  • Steel skeleton of Aragog on a rail frame in the workshop, with perforated metal legs, pneumatic rams and a rough orange shell, while crew work nearby

    Aragog Half Skeleton

  • A crew in white overalls lift the pale painted basilisk skin, with its head at left, over the puppet frame in a workshop

    Fitting the Skin

  • Basilisk puppet head and long scaly neck raised on a steel base outdoors beside a blue shipping container, with crew standing nearby

    Transporting to Set

  • Basilisk puppet lying along a raised platform in the flooded chamber set with stone walls, a giant statue face at left and crew at right

    Basilisk on Set

  • Basilisk puppet head sprayed with water under bright lights on the stone walled set while a black flag stands on a stand beside it

    Wetting Down for Closeup

  • Film frame: basilisk puppet head in close view in front of a stone wall with a row of crew watching from behind it

    Puppet and CFX Crew

More film work