He has won every existing visual effects award: The BAFTA Michael Balcon Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Cinema, British Society of Cinematography awards, The BKSTS 1991 Presidents Award and the 1997 Dennis Cantlay Award, and the rare 'Special Achievement in Visual Effects' Academy Award Oscar. He has also photographed the Turner prize winning 'Buster Keaton Recreation' for artist Steve McQueen . Now working at Effects Associates ( The world leaders of physical and mechanical effects located at Pinewood Studios; responsible for all of the flying rigs in the Superman series) he confronts the most timeless special effects challenge.

It is a challenge that began in the silent era and has fascinated effects pioneers before him such as A Arnold Gillespie and L B Abbott. It is also one that technology has ceased to improve. Infact it has proven a challenge so personally enjoyable that he now specialises in the filming of scale model boats in a studio tank. The Superman visual effects supervisor turned miniature maritime specialist has recently lensed scale ships for two series of 'Hornblower', Hallmark films 'Cleopatra' and 'Longitude' as well as Art council funded 'Lighthouse'. The most appealing aspect for him has been the tight budgets and deadlines of these productions, assembling his crew as dedicated repertory craftsmen, equipped with flawless communication between other units. With the visual results however, perfection is never guaranteed. While millions of viewers have gone unaware of the small scaling in 'Hornblower', the problems of scaling did however get the better of 'Cleopatra'.

Roy Field is a gambling man and a versatile, chameleonic cameraman. His awareness of the entire film making process and ability to communicate, improvise and assemble has separated him from the conventional departmentalised effects artists. His awareness of what the camera is capable of enabled him to supervise optical operations in the past, experimental films, awkward schedules and now scaled water. communication, awareness and inventiveness are his keys to success, and not the over reliance of technology. He has remained low profile, believing that the best special effects go uncredited throughout his incredible career.

It was 1952 and Roy Field was still at school. This was a period when capital was small in the British film industry, and special effects artists were unglamorous handymen. They were often called upon to improvise on unusably low budgets and deadlines. Many had given their services to the Second World War, and had returned equipped with skills of a soldier. Young Roy, still in his teens had tracked down leading effects man Les Bowie, who was painting scenery for a play held in Roy's hometown. Bowie is perhaps the foreman of this special effects era, and responsible for the careers of virtually every leading British effects man of today. When Roy asked of the prospects of entering the elite field, Bowie told him to come join him once he left school. Once at the Bowie-Margutti Films, the special effects company co-owned by optical effects specialist Vic Margutti (responsible for the development of travelling matte/blue screen processes), Roy quickly found himself assisting the camera department. Shortly after he left for two years in the army.

When he returned in 1954, Roy worked uncredited through numerous Hammer horror films, and left with Vic Margutti in 1956 to work at Pinewood Studios. It was here that Margutti developed the sodium vapour travelling matte technique (using yellow as opposed to blue screen), and where Field worked exclusively in the camera department. As with his Hammer work, he was an uncredited 'backroom boy'. His close relations with every leader in the circuit, from leading cinematographers to special effects floormen kept him busy for many years at the studio. His association with cameraman Ted Moore for example lead him to work on 'DR NO', the first James Bond film which Ted was also lighting. Field was involved with all of the matte effects filming on all of the Bond films upto 'Diamonds are Forever', and every other film made at the studio and it's matte department, including several 'Carry Ons..', 'Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines', 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang', 'Monte Carlo or Bust', 'Fahrenheit 457', and Ray Harryhausen films. He also worked with Wally Veevers on television commercials. His forte was marrying processes together using cameras.

He went freelance in 1971, as Vic Margutti had retired, leaving the Pinewood team redundant. Roy Field had also been approached through Les Bowie to give a rough estimate of the number of effects shots they would need for a new film. It was during this period that stigma was attached to using opticals in film, as they were well known for diminishing image quality. Director William Friedkin for example only allowed brief opticals in 'The Exorcist' as did Richard Donner for 'The Omen' (for which Field had contributed).

Aware of Field's photographic knowledge, the producers assumed he knew the fundamentals of an optical printer. Doubtful that the film would ever materialise, Field remained on contract regardless. Suddenly his attention was returned to the project. The producers had the biggest names in show business: Gene Hackman and Marlon Brando. Field was introduced to director Richard Donner, and embarked on two years of effects work on 'Superman'. The forth part of the Film's 'Think Tank', the others being Donner, Bowie and Colin Chilvers, Field enjoyed contributing the director's discussions on achieving the impossible.

Roy Field was required on set every day. He took plans of lighting set ups, recorded the film stocks and used field recorders to survey all of the action that was later to be combined with visual effects. He attended all of the location sequences and pre planned all of the matte shots. For example, the famous helicopter crash consisted of live location footage, Pinewood footage, models, mattes and inserts. If more than one of these techniques was used together, Field would be on set following exactly what the director wanted. If Donner and the designer wanted to give the illusion of a low roof building being atop New York's Citibank building, Field would record the lighting and contrast, lenses, atmosphere, know where wires were to be removed etc. So if matte paintings or split screens were required to enhance the action, precise matching could be determined. He also needed to co-ordinate the shots between all of the various effects houses involved. The cinematographer's photographic texture also had to be respected, as anything added to the scene had to gel, so communication with Geoffrey Unsworth was also crucial. Field always made sure things did always fit together. This even extended to off set communication with the director, going out for drinks and establishing a friendship. Communication was the key.

During 'Superman's production, 'Star Wars' had reinvented the special effects film. All of a sudden there were hundreds of scripts pouring into Hollywood requiring top talent to supervise there effects work. When Superman was released, Roy Field became one of the major players of the effects field. He was showered in awards and offers for other films. He was in the production of Richard Donner's 'Superman 2', planning matte paintings and optical shots, providing support for his director. Unfortunately, Richard Donner was fired from the production and this had bad consequences on Field. Scenes were to be reshot, actors and dialogue replaced and a new script was brought in. Effects scenes initiated and already completed for the sequel were deemed unusable.

Optical houses had to improvise shots using existing footage too. Not only was Field forced into discarding many hours of finely perfected work in favour of new material, but Donner, his friend on a personal level had gone. Although this left him uninspired and having to adapt to another director, this didn't get the better of his professionalism, and he continued with a new vision to work from. 'Superman 2' had quick-laced visual effects work that at times lapses in quality, most notably the animation and travelling matte work, most of which had to be completed before the 1980 deadline, giving Field another logistical, gambling headache. The fact also that Britain didn't have the complex optical and computer controlled technology meant that most of the opticals had to be done in the USA. When one considers these improvised technical trials, it seems amazing that Field and the rest of his effects team did so well with the spectacular Manhattan street fight, a sequence where all of their efforts could be focused.

Field wanted to be more prepared for the following 'Superman 3', so set up Optical Film Effects Ltd. Aware that younger talent would be more flexible and easier to adapt to the on coming technology, Field hired younger, British effects technicians such as Martin Body for the optical camera, Peter Chiang for animation, Antony Hunt and Andy Jefferey. Both of his sons Peter and Tim joined him here too. The team produced high quality effects work for 'Supergirl' and 'Santa Claus', regarded by many to contain the strongest effects work in the series. Clint Eastwood, Jim Henson, James Ivory are Richard Attenborough just a few of the directors who have worked with Roy Field. When Optical Film Effects ended, his crew went on to lead the recent digital revolution: Antony Hunt and Andy Jefferey now run MILL FILM the digital house responsible for the CGI of Ridley Scott's 'Gladiator', Peter Chiang founded 'Double Negative', the digital house who have contributed CGI to 'Mission:Impossible2' and Chiang recently supervised the effects work of 'The Borrowers', 'Elizabeth' and 'Pitch Black'.Martin Body is a senior digital artist for Peerless camera, and works on all of Terry Gilliam's films.

Roy Field's influence on the visual effects world has been immense, but what happens now? His son Tim is regarded as one of the world's premiere visual effects production managers, and Peter is the supervising camera operator of the James Bond action unit. Roy himself has the prestigious FBKS title attached to his name, making him a powerful, wise and respected mentor of the visual effects industry. But will we see this displayed across the credits of his films? He has just completed the second series of 'Hornblower', where his credit will be a modest 'Model unit: DoP', hardly the reflection of his Godly-status. This is however, EXACTLY how Roy Field believes it should be. Like Superman, his mentality is simple and unpretentious: "...We are all part of the same team!"