I was lucky enough to get to work on Batman: The Dark Knight Rises when it was in Pittsburgh shooting in 2011. The most awesome part of the show was working with the binational special effects crew, led by British special effects wizard Chris Corbould and LA based effects master Scott Fisher. Working on the show as a virgin IATSE Local 489 member, I began my work on Batman special effects crew like most of the Pittsburgh locals- as a utility laborer. But that didn’t last for long. Soon, the American effects guys were welcoming me as part of the team and the Brits were ready to let me show what I could do. That led to me working primarily with Chris “Flimsy” Howes as a part of her crew working on The Bat- Batman’s flying vehicle. I ended up spending the majority of my experience on that show helping Flimsy put two of the vehicles together and repairing them as they got banged up while shooting. I also worked with a team of other special effects to cast dozens of the giant fiberglass body pieces that each of the vehicles required. I painted an animatronic Cat Woman head that we installed into the bat as well. I will never forget what an amazing experience it was to be a part of such an incredible filmmaking environment.
