THE SPECIAL EFFECTS WIZARD - Derek Meddings and the Behind the Scenes Art of Explosions

Derek Meddings was the special miniature effects genius behind scores of amazing model-heavy sequences in films like Superman (I and II), Batman, Krull, Cape Fear, and the James Bond franchise. It was on the Supermarionation series of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, however, that he honed his craft. Across Supercar, Fireball XL5, Stingray, Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, Joe 90, and The Secret Service, Derek and his team of artists and technicians perfected the art of the miniature explosion. In this video from 'Filmed in Supermarionation', friends and colleagues describe the impact his work had on the various productions they collaborated on at Century 21 and AP Films.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Find us online!
• Century 21 Films Facebook - / century21films
• Century 21 Films Twitter - / century21films
• Thunderbirds Facebook - / thunderbirds65
• Thunderbirds Twitter - / thunderbirds65
• Instagram - / century21films
• Website - www.century21f...
• Shop - century21films...
--------------------------------------------------------------------
About Us:
About Me:
Century 21 Films Ltd is a multi-faceted production company whose work spans drama to documentary, miniature effects to puppet shows. It was founded by a group of filmmakers who first collaborated on Filmed in Supermarionation, the story of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson's hit puppet shows including Thunderbirds, Stingray and Captain Scarlet.
Since then, we have worked for a multitude of high-profile clients including ITV, BBC, Mammoth Productions, British Film Institute and the Halifax working on projects such Thunderbirds, Endeavour, Doctor Who and The Twilight Zone.
In addition to our regular filmmaking services, we specialise in ‘Supermarionation’ - the puppetry filming technique used to make shows like Thunderbirds and have collaborated with ITV repeatedly to provide specialised services. Our work has been featured on The One Show, This Morning, Good Morning Britain, BBC News, ITV News and Mastermind.
#filmedinsupermarionation #thunderbirds #century21films

[@wyldemusick]

Meddings was a genius and an artist.

[@SteveT-0]

I'll still take Derek Meddings models over CGI any day!!! What a legend!

[@JagoHazzard]

Watching these in the 90s, these special effects absolutely blew me away. Even two and a half decades later, no one was doing anything that impressive in kids' TV. Even now, I love watching these old series for the model work.

[@CaseyJonesNumber1]

I'm sure you remember the one in the derelict London Underground! 😉 I was watching these in the 1960s... then watched them when shown again after a long time... on the BBC!

[@alaingadbois2276]

There’s a chanel called Matteline that shows the Airfix parts used in the models built for the shows.

[@alaingadbois2276]

There’s a cool chanel called Matteline showing all the airfix kit bits that were used in making the filming models.

[@heckmacbuff]

Wonderful childhood memories of oil refinery explosions on a Saturday morning! And the vehicles...

[@richardkeeler2347]

Still love Thunderbirds way way ,before its time

[@williamsiyanko4631]

Thunder Birds was one of my favorite movies ever, I loved the special effects and miniatures that were used to capture the atmosphere of this film.

[@jpofgwynedd3878]

From Stingray onwards, I saw these things first run on ITV... I always loved the lemon squeezer in Thunderbird 1 launch bay, and knew it was a fishtank in front of the underwater scenes (yes, even at 5 years old. TV21 always had lots of behind the scenes articles)... but although I know how they achieved the spurt of air bubbles as Stingray launched into open water, I STILL CAN'T SEE THE 'JOIN' 60 YEARS LATER! The sound design was always spot on, too: and the details of some of it - like in the big explosion where that 'girder' drops nearer the camera and clangs...

[@johnclay7644]

Great documentary clip and great Talent.

[@cooltrades7469]

Even what they think was a flop ) as the lemon squeezer behind Thunderbirds was actually brilliant .

[@nigeldewallens1115]

I never tire of seeing all the magic explained! Folks see it from there point of viewing age! But they, never realise just how specular it was, even on an old Tube type Black & white TV back in the sixties! It really was so futuristic to watch! Thank you to all those folk that are still alive for making the sixties so magical! R.I.P to all those folk involved that are not here 😥

[@robertkeddie]

I recall seeing a programme about Derek Meddings on television about forty years ago. What stuck in my mind was him telling how they filmed the giant alligator in a Thunderbirds episode. Of course it was a normal sized alligator, but when it escaped the handler exited the water tank with one single bound.

[@Nansen1981]

I totally love these videos, they bring back so many memories. Thanks 👏👏👏❤️❤️❤️

[@mickeyfilmer5551]

As a young boy in the 1960's, Thunderbirds was my all time favourite TV programme. I would wait patiently for the tv to warm up about ten minutes before it was on, as our old 9 inch circular screen , with a square wooden facade a round it was one of the earlies tin the UK, but was so cheap to rent- only five bob a week( ie five shillings ie 25p) I watched the moon landing on this box on my mums birthday 21 july at about 5 am as well.

[@WOFFY-qc9te]

Radio rentals tv five bob a week I remember the dot disappearing at shutdown. A modern TV takes longer to start up with all the boxes and detritus needed in the digital world. Moon landing was magnificent for both of us it seems they are having problems repeating the experience. If you are interested in the tech then look at Curios Marcs channel where they go through the actual computers and explain what William Woolard, James Burk and Ramond Baxtor didn't. Best Wishes old chap. Boomers prevail !.

[@antondoesbolton]

Joys of thunderbird.... loved the monorail episode ...and sidewinder... stingray and Fireball XL5 all awesome shows.....

[@simeonyves5940]

Unlike CGI which has aged like milk before it Airs, Derek Medding's (which really should have been SIR Derek Meddings IMO!, Services to "Making things go Kaboom for Brilliant TV!") Special Effects are Still Amazing even now! the Collapse of the Thompson Tower, the Burning of Seascape, the Crash Landing of Thunderbird 2, the Collapse of the Skypark, the Crash Landing of Zero X, the Annihilation of the Missile Base by Skyship One, all 60 odd years ago, all made before I was Born! and still absolutely *Spectacular* ! what a Legend! sorely missed. Still, we also have to give Kudos the Soundman who dubbed in a nice loud *clang* when a Piece of Debris invariably tried to Assassinate the Camera!

[@donwright3427]

That's like my dream job the lucky fellows had so much fun I guess

[@marcse7en]

Absolutely fantastic! ... I much prefer practical effects to modern CGI nonsense! ... And, as well as being a special effects genius, I can't help but notice Derek Meddings was a bit of a "looker!" 👍😍🤣 Regarding the Thunderbird 1 LEMON SQUEEZER; myself and my friend were on Blackpool Pleasure Beach in the 90's, and we noticed a MOP BUCKET stuck on the wall of The Space Invader ride! 🤣 I always noticed that the FLAMES 🔥 in Thunderbirds looked TOO BIG! 🤣

[@KiltedGreen]

Derek was a handsome genius indeed.

[@jackmessent3490]

Derek Meddings was an absolute legend from the beginning of the Gerry Anderson puppet shows, he would later go on to work on several Bond Films.

[@stevenmoran4060]

Derek had a look of Barry Sheene and sounded like him too. I watched Thunderbirds as a child in the 1960’s and it’s not realised these days that most of what went on and the technology shown hadn’t been invented in the 1960’s! Watches you can talk into? Aplenty watches these days but back then most people didn’t even have a BT landline at home. No colour telly, reusable rockets? Think Space ex. High speed monorail wasn’t a thing either, the world still used steam engines mostly on railways. Flying faster than sound! Well Concorde did fly in the 60’s on tests but certainly wasn’t in service. Gerry Anderson had a very fertile mind and you wonder how he thought it all up in the first place. Because, basically most things technology wise, are in common use today but this is 60 years later!

[@BlackArroToons]

The special effects, explosions and fire events in these classic Puppet series are always a highlight to look forward to. The slow motion of the faster frame rate really improved the realism of the effects, even in Anderson's latest puppet series, Terrahawks, which also had some top notch pyrotechnics. Thanks, good details!

[@cyberfrank-bx2nv]

I m just baffled at how fascinating this stuff looks still today... after what, 60 years? it s like the models s charm never wears off to me, it still looks beautiful. I can t help but feel a loss over the fantastic stories and models we missed by stopping this. all it needed was a different kind of characters - puppets. all else was unbeatable! team america had it s flaws, but it was not the look, it s still quite convincing and entertaining good show

[@richardmattocks]

I can honestly say, until now I’d never realised there was a lemon squeezer in TB1’s sequence… but now I can’t take my eyes off it!

[@kennethsleigh3170]

totally amazing for the time real art work

[@minicle426]

It's a shame they don't make more tv shows like this today. What with the popularity of Japanese Tokusatsu, I'm sure there's still an audience in the west for this sort of thing.

[@stephenholmes1036]

Derek simply the best, Their is a colour interview with him. Please could you show it

[@rjds1800]

So, the end of Woolworths could be put down to the increased use of digital effects.

[@scopex2749]

I have the whole set on Thinderbirds on Blu Ray I stil watch them - I am a 64 year old engineer - I became that partly due to the influence of Jerry Anderson and the imensely detailed models of Derek and his team. THE GENIUS who today ALL SFX designers copy.............THERE YA GO Derek Meddings later went on to make the BIGGEST explosion on any movie in a Bond film! The man deserves a Knighthood!

[@Allan_aka_RocKITEman]

Great video...👍

[@KKAkuoku]

All shot on trading estate, that was.

[@trainsplanesmore]

"Wooo, that blow'd up good!" "Yeah, blow'd up REAL good!"

[@ricdale7813]

Century 21 and Toho were the Masters of expansive and realistic miniatures and models. 2 supporting examples are Doppelganger and Battle in Outer Space. I rather enjoy static models as opposed too the impressive CGI technology myself.

[@bored1ca]

I would have loved to seen Derek Meddings working with Eiji Tsuburaya as both men were masters of model effects.

[@stephenmarsh3986]

The visual effects are only half the story. Please do a video about the sound effects and how they were produced; engines, rockets, explosions etc. 🖖

[@lukegreen5341]

3:22 Quite Right Too Chief Engineer Brains From Gerry Anderson's Thunderbirds The Original Series. A Bit Like Chief Engineer Lieutenant Scotty From Star Trek The Original Series And Star Trek Deep Space Nine And Star Trek The Next Generation And Doc Brown From Steven Spielberg's Groundbreaking Masterpiece BACK TO THE FUTURE The Movie. X❤

[@SaturnCanuck]

Derek Meddings WAS a genius, and we are NOT worthy

[@SO_DIGITAL]

3:29 This is a gorgeous shot.

[@jearnott]

A little unfair on Dr Who, which had a fraction of the budget and did the best it could, but Derek was a genius and died far too young, however his legacy lives on!

[@dale3852]

Yay for 🇬🇧

[@user-tj7ek8bs7x]

practical effects are the way to go, yeah maybe a tiny bit of CGI when you have to but most of the audience can tell the difference

[@wyldemusick]

The shot at Doctor Who made me sad. They did a lot with a miniscule budget. Even Anderson had considerably more to work with.

[@minicle426]

Doctor Who was treated quite poorly by the BBC back then. Despite the reputation of the effects, it was actually one of its most expensive shows being made at the time oddly.

[@mikesilva3868]

❤😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊great

[@user-tj7ek8bs7x]

i remember watching voyage to the bottom of the sea thinking how did they do that

[@moonbear1st]

epic even over todays standards..

[@UFO_computers]

SIG!

[@jeffholt9437]

Interviewer: "So Derek, how do the crew get in and out of those fantastic craft you create?" Meddings: "Do you know your pockets are full of pyro?".....

[@badgastein2]

How many James Bond films did he do?

[@StephenCole1916]

Looks like all of Roger Moore's except his last movie and Goldeneye.

[@MiamiMillionaire]

👍