Superman flies...
with a little help from
Original Stormtrooper!
Producing the original Stormtroopers for the first Star Wars film was just the start of five great years of propmaking for Andrew Ainsworth. Read more below
Wind machine for Superman flying sequences
Andrew designed and built the thermo plastic front projection screen that the Superman flying sequences were filmed on. This was in conjunction with Wally Vivas, the highly respected camera specialist.
The screen was built from interlocking thermoplastic sheets, covered with 3M microballoons for reflection. The sheets were connected to each other using 'fishplate' designed fixings that allowed continual expansion and contraction of the screen without distortion.
The studios at that time only had wind machines made from aero engines on a dolly, strapped down to the floor and so noisy that sound couldn't be shot with the film. Andrew designed and built quiet wind machines from ABS vacuum formed skins, backfilled with PU foam over internal metal space frames. The machines were run by electric motors, large ones on the ground and small ones in front of Superman's face to blow his cloak during the flying sequences.
