Aside from filmwork, modelmaking and effects are invaluable in the advertising world. Apart from stills photography for magazine publication and billboard there are television commercials and work for exhibition, promotion and product design prototypes.

All this requires a wide variety of skills and ability to use an increasing panorama of materials, chemicals and tools. Sometimes this is the first difficult choice. " what should it be made of ?" Wood, plastic, metal, foam, rubber, gelatine ? Does it have to burn, fly, bend, melt, vanish, explode ? Then increasingly these days " Which part should be done digitally and which physically ?"

Not so many years ago a model or effect had to be relatively perfect in colour form and effect to be shot in one go with little or no 'retouche' Nowadays of course a great deal is possible in post production and finding the balance here is another art. Sometimes a great deal of time and money goes into a digital effect when a more realistic shot can be created live with a few tricks. Usually a careful mix of the two create the best results. A few pictures here demonstrating some variety, a spaceship that remotely swallows another to get the peanuts, a dinosaur that collapses at a sneeze to demonstrate the security of insurance cover, the puppet birds, one of which failed to but his house from the respectable estate agents..the original 'sexy robots' for Philips, Action Mans costumes and weaponry.. and some more..