Young MacGyver | Pilot Episode Visual Effects

Some day in early 2003, Allan McKay asked me if I could help out in creating some of the last VFX bits for the pilot episode of a new Paramount Pictures TV series. My jaw dropped on the floor and I felt very honored!! "Young MacGyver" was supposed to become a sequel to the original MacGyver series with Richard Dean Anderson, who then only was to have guest appearances as "Young MacGyver's" uncle.

By that time Allan already worked on another project in parallel (AFAICR a feature film) which then required his full attention, and so he could not pursue this job for VooDoo EFX any longer. So I jumped in, even though I declared not to have had much professional experience with visual effects by that time. My fear grew even bigger, since there were still _four_ VFX shots left and just about 10 days for me to complete them including rendering.

But VoodooEFX Supervisor Jay Roth has been a very nice and indulgent person to work with, he supported me as much as he could, and so we actually made it! All effects sequences could be done in (for me) record time - through the internet!

One small problem remained, though: the show never actually went on air! Likely because of my lousy effects sequences, but there might also be additional reasons. See the IMDB entry for "Young MacGyver"

What you see in the background is "Young MacGyver" in a Gulfstream 4 jet, trying to land on the USS Stennis flight deck. Other All-CG effects sequences comprised an underwater torpedo shot at the carrier, as well as one live-action bird's eye shot with an actor standing on a rock, that is then breaking-off into a crevace beneath him. The rock, debris and parts of the crevace are CG. I'm still not allowed to show all of this here, though.