Image
People
Created by Sortiris Nikias
Staring Sophie Turner, Jacob Fortune-Lloyd and Archie Madekwe
Client
Amazon
Type of Production
television
IMDB Link
+44 (0)7968 613040 or +44 (0)7968 613030 info@elementsfx.co.uk
Steal
The Elements Special Effects team was brought in toward the final stretch of production to execute a large‑scale office shootout sequence. Our first step was a deep round of pyrotechnic testing, running a variety of explosive effects on everyday office supplies to understand what delivered the strongest visual impact. Throughout the process, we stayed in constant collaboration with the director, DoP, and art department, refining each idea with their feedback to ensure the sequence felt cohesive, cinematic, and true to the world of the story.
One of the biggest challenges we faced was the office architecture itself; the space featured an extensive amount of glass. Under normal circumstances, we would replace these panels with shatter glass, a safe alternative designed to break cleanly and reduce the risk of injury on set. However, one section of the build included enormous 4‑by‑8‑foot sheets of crystal-clear glass. Swapping out glass of that size on the shooting day wasn’t practical; the risk of the panels breaking during installation was high, and the time required simply didn’t fit the production schedule. After testing a range of materials, we opted to supply the art department with toughened glass, allowing a certified installer to fit the panels during the set build. They remained safely in place until the day of filming, when our SFX pyrotechnic team could break them under controlled conditions.
Another major element of the job involved creating matching “structural” panels that could be safely shot on the day. These were 12‑foot hollow columns built from plasterboard, an ideal breakaway material because it fractures cleanly and predictably when paired with explosives and shoots out a natural dust effect. Working from the art department’s drawings, our team fabricated, painted, and finished the columns in our Sunbury workshop before transporting them to Sky Studios on a dedicated get‑in day when the shooting crew wasn’t in the building. On the day of filming, the SFX team pre‑rigged each column with pyro and walked them into position; the match was so precise that you’d never know the originals had been swapped out. Once everything was in place, our team operatedwith total composure; cool, calm, and completely in sync. Delivering an action‑packed, high‑energy shootout. The sequence involved ten separate office sections; each rigged with at least three individual bullet hits. Because of firing‑box limitations, we coordinated multiple operators to trigger effects on cue, all timed precisely to create the illusion of a single, seamless firing line. Communication on set is everything! Although the first take landed beautifully, we reset and ran it again at record speed to give production options.
After the main action was captured, our SFX crew continued working alongside the VFX team to gather additional elements for post‑production, as is standard on any effects‑heavy sequence. A smaller floor crew also supported the production across several extra shoot days, completing final bullet‑hit gags and a dramatic knife‑pull practical blood effect, where blood slowly oozes from a fresh wound the moment the blade is removed right in front of the camera. The response on set was overwhelmingly positive; department heads were thrilled with the results, and the cast remained calm and confident throughout, having been fully briefed on safety and pre‑warned about every effect before cameras rolled. It was a fantastic collaboration from start to finish, the kind of project that reminds us why we love doing what we do.
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