Behind the Mask: Special Effects Director Stefan Drury on District 9

Former VFX artist and 3D animator Neill Blomkamp previously worked on TV sci fi shows (Smallville, Dark Angel) and commercials before directing the Landfall trilogy of shorts which won him the Film Lions Grand Prix award at Cannes for the first instalment, Halo: Combat Evolved. Blomkamp went on to set up The Embassy Visual Effects in Vancouver and then turned to writing his debut feature District 9, an adaptation of his short film Alive in Joburg. The film received rave reviews and was nominated for four Oscars including Best Visual Effects and seven Baftas. An alien invasion movie with a socio-political edge, the film opens with the appearance of a huge spacecraft hovering over the city of Johannesburg. When the State discovers there to be alien outcasts onboard, they are ghettoized on land and the film’s metaphorical themes become clearer. Blomkamp’s newest venture, alien sci fi movie Elysium starring Matt Damon, is out next year. Earth waits with bated breath.

Stefan Drury is one of the UK’s top special effects directors and whose CV includes some of the most respected and impressive VFX work in the industry. Some of the titles Stefan has worked on include: Batman Begins, Alien Vs Predator, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, 28 Days Later and on set with Danny Boyle on Sunshine.