Martin JagoAnimatronics · Puppets · SFX

Ghost in the Shell

Paramount Pictures
November 2015 - June 2016

Martin made the exploding geisha heads for the live-action Ghost in the Shell, as a practical effects technician in the pre-production workshop and on set.

Special FX Supervisor - Steve Ingram

Special Effects Technician

Liaising between Weta Workshop and NZFX for the "exploding Geisha faces" elements shoot, designing and constructing practical Special Effects models to be destroyed in the opening fight sequence.

Videos

Behind the scenes

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  • Concept art of the geisha skull from Weta Workshop, a gold filigree mechanical face with black eyes opened inside red hinged shell panels on a design approval sheet

    Geisha Concept Art

  • Concept art of a white jointed geisha mannequin body with its chest opened to a gold mechanical ribcage and red panels, a shattered shoulder and a skull face

    Geisha Full Body Design

  • Design drawing of the geisha skull mechanics, a bronze filigree face with cut-out eye and jaw sections and a note on the brass tab that connects the skin to the skull, NZFX stamp in the corner

    Skull Mechanics Design

  • Concept art design sheet showing six geisha heads with black ridged wigs and white faces with red make up patterns, each labelled with its geisha number

    Geisha Paint & Wig Designs

  • White geisha mannequin bust with a glossy black ridged wig and a pink and red painted face, mouth open on a cluttered workshop bench with reference prints behind

    Jackie Assembled

  • Geisha mannequin head with half the face and wig blown apart, leaving charred metal gears, scorched wig and copper wire exposed, on a bench against a textured grey wall

    Jackie Exploded

  • A man in a dark shirt works on a geisha mannequin bust in a large workshop, with two more white geisha bodies on a table behind him

    Wide Bench Shot

  • Film frame: a robotic geisha with a white face and a large red circle of make up, black winged wig and red patterned kimono, in a dark corridor

    Geisha Closeup

  • A woman in a dark hoodie adjusts clear plastic sheeting over a geisha mannequin with an open mouth and a green shirt, on a green screen set

    Setting up the Elements Shot

  • Geisha mannequin dressed in a black kimono with gold circuit patterns and a yellow green obi, seated on a table in front of a green screen

    Fully Dressed Mannequin

  • Close view of a geisha mannequin head with a black ridged wig and open mouth, a clump of dark curly hair covering one eye, against a green screen

    Hannah After Pyro

  • Geisha mannequin bust with an open mouth and a cracked, split open eye area showing gold mechanics, on a workshop bench against a textured grey wall

    Dressed Exploded Hannah Head

  • Geisha mannequin on a green screen set with a hole where the face was, showing wiring and orange material inside, dressed in a green cropped shirt

    Hannah Second Test

  • Geisha mannequin bust blown open at the crown, leaving charred gears, mesh and copper wire inside a pink painted shell, beside a can of white spray paint

    Tanya Exploded

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