Martin JagoAnimatronics · Puppets · SFX

The Imitation Game

Black Bear/Miramax Pictures
August - October 2013

Martin designed and built the mechanics of the Bombe machine "Christopher" for The Imitation Game, with DB Props, from August to October 2013.

Prop Manufacture - DB Props

Mechanical Engineer (Props)

Mechanical design and construction for the Bombe machine "Christopher", emulating the WWII code-breaker in the Alan Turing biopic.

Videos

The Imitation Game poster

Behind the scenes

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  • Rear side of the original Bombe machine showing racks of red wiring looms, green resistors, relays and brass gearing inside a bright museum space

    Bletchley Park Original - Side

  • Close view of the original Bombe patch matrix with bundles of twisted red wire running down black panels of lettered contacts

    Bletchley Park Original - Patch Matrix

  • Original Bombe seen from behind with rows of relays, green resistors, coloured capacitors and red wire laid out on brown boards

    Bletchley Park Original - Electronics

  • Reverse detail of the original Bombe showing brass worm gears, a drive shaft and slotted metal strips over a red backing

    Bletchley Park Original - Reverse Detail

  • Man in a white shirt holding a red Bombe drum whose spiralling rows of fine wire brush contacts face the camera

    Bletchley Park Original - Rotor Contacts

  • Dozens of red wires hung over the black perforated steel frame of the Bombe prop in the art department workshop, with a yellow ladder behind

    Art Dept Make a Start

  • Internal gearing of the Bombe prop with a toothed drum, steel shaft and clamp, and laser cut clear acrylic plates behind

    Internal Gearing

  • Seen through a narrow gap inside the Bombe prop, a man in a shirt and tie and a man in a peaked cap stand in a shaft of light on the dark set

    View From Inside

  • Film frame: a man in a striped shirt, braces and spotted tie holds papers beside the red wired Bombe in a brick workshop

    Benedict Cumberbatch Bombe Machine

  • Wide view of the finished Bombe prop in position on the brick set, with desk lamps, drawings and overhead lights in the foreground

    Christopher in Position

  • Two Bombe prop units on set, one showing its patch matrix and the other its rows of red, yellow and orange dials, in a brick workshop

    Dials and Patch Matrix

  • Rear of the Bombe prop showing a brass rod and gear frame over a red backing beside racks of coloured components, with dials at the bottom

    Internal Electronics Detailing

  • Out of focus close view of rows of resistors, red and blue components and wiring on the angled steel racks inside the Bombe prop

    Electronics Up Close

  • Video monitor on the film set labelled Oscar's displaying a close shot of the Bombe dials, with shelves of tins behind

    Filming the Dials

  • Out of focus close view of rows of red, yellow, orange and purple dials on the front of the Bombe prop beside a bundle of red wire

    Dials Up Close

  • Two of the crew stand in front of the finished Bombe prop under a large white bounce light on the brick set

    The Bombe Crew

  • Wide view of the film set workshop with the Bombe prop against a brick wall, lit by overhead lamps, with benches and drawing tables around it

    Set Wide

  • The Bombe prop seen in three quarter profile, with its rows of dials, side panel of meters and speaker grilles, on the brick set

    Christopher in Profile

  • Back of the Bombe prop showing brass rods and gears on a red backing, bundles of red leads and a rack of components beside it

    Back shot of Leads

More film work