Special Effects National Theatre

The 2009 production of Richard Bean's England People Very Nice mixed animation (created by Pete Bishop) with live action by projecting animated interludes and backdrops to scenes onto the front of the abstract set of East End houses (designed by Mark Thompson).

An inside look at the workings of the Olivier theatre's automated flying system.

The National's rep system (in which one theatre has several plays swapping in and out of the theatre with ‘changeovers' a couple of times a week), means that automated lights - which can be programmed to change direction, colour and focus automatically - are immensely useful.

The National's armoury can be called on to provide firearms of all sizes and periods, from rifles to revolvers and arquebuses to AK-47s. Sometimes these will just be carried by an actor, but on occasions when they need to be fired, a range of techniques can be used to make sure that the effect is both impressive and safe.

The multiple video projectors used in the production of War Horse have to be realigned for each performance: this job is accomplished using a line-up grid and highly complex computer 'keystoning' software. The screen can move considerably even between performances, so this procedure has to be carried out every day (or twice a day on matinees) to ensure the picture remains perfect.

For the National's production of Howard Brenton's play Never So Good in 2008, a massive aircraft explosion was required, which used explosive gases, pyrotechnics and compressed air to create a terrifying but safe impression of the disaster.