Image
People
Created by Steven Knight
Staring Stephen Graham, Erin Doherty and Malachi Kirby
Client
Disney+
Type of Production
television
IMDB Link
+44 (0)7968 613040 or +44 (0)7968 613030 info@elementsfx.co.uk
A Thousand Blows
Season 2 of A Thousand Blows sees the boxers of the East End return bigger, badder, and more relentless than ever. This season ramps up both action and spectacle, pushing storyline and visuals right to the forefront. We revisited the much-loved settings of the Blue Coat Boy and the Green Dolphin, supported by a standby crew whose sole focus was creating atmosphere through practical effect; from ambient smoke to roaring fireplaces. To further sell the grime and discomfort of the town, wet-downs and smoke were used whenever scenes moved outdoors, as well as practical effects for the background cast to interact with, the blacksmiths building with a constant raw of flame and smoke, braziers dotted around to keep actors and crew warm between takes, and the much loved hot potato trolley, all helping to ground the world in a bleak, gritty realism.
With the environment humming, Elements prepared for two of the season’s biggest challenges, we took on two major builds for Season 2, the first being an almighty oil tanker explosion. The workshop crafted a full-scale cardboard replica of an old oil-lamp tanker, complete with an engineered weak-knee to make the whole tanker buckle under the explosion. A dedicated weekend test-day saw that the blast was punchy enough for director Katrin Gebbe and DOP Matthew Lewis, and that safety precautions were establishedand in place for the big day. On the big day, the team delivered a flawless execution, an eruption of fire, smoke, and collapsing structure that set a dark and dangerous tone for the aftermath. The hard work continued throughout the day with the use of black smoke grenades and flames surrounding the backlot.
But the undisputed giant of the season was the reconstruction, and destruction, of two full storeys of Saul Woolfe’s tailor shop. Over three intense weeks, the workshop transformed sheets of fibreboard into an intricate soft-set building, complete with hand-cut balsa wood details, period-correct mouldings, and carefully aged paintwork to match the existing streets. Moving the structure into place was a logistical dance involving scissor lifts, riggers, and a weather forecast that refused to cooperate. Once erected, the team painted and dressed the set in the open air, hoping the winter rain wouldn’t warp or weaken the materials before the big moment. This build sat outside for three days as other scenes filmed at the Blue Coat Boy and luckily withstood against the winter weather. On the day of destruction, the SFX team executed a meticulously timed sequence involving air mortars, smoke machines, det cord, and several Harvey’s positioned to blow out floors and peel open the building’s façade. Radios buzzed, countdowns echoed through the alley, and after a final safety check, the charges fired sending debris, dust, and smoke bursting outward in a stunning controlled collapse. It was the kind of behind-the-scenes moment that defines a season: weeks of work culminating in seconds of spectacular onscreen chaos as the actors battle their way through the dust.
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