During BuddyTV’s recent exclusive Supernatural set visit, there was quite a bit of down time when Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki were filming, leaving us with our guide to tour some of the other talented people involved in making Supernatural what it is. One of those people is Ivan Hayden, the special effects guru of Supernatural who helps make the Winchesters look so cool when they kill demons.
While Ivan was busy putting together some effects for the upcoming episodes, he was also already hard at work compiling special features for the Supernatural season 3 DVD set. In fact, he offered us a sneak peek at some of those features, so if you want to wait until probably August or September to see what special extras the DVD set will have, read no further.
This is our video of Ivan Hayden explaining the step-by-step process for one memorable special effects moment from season 3: the decapitation of Gordon Walker. Fans of course remember the episode “Fresh Blood,” when bad guy Gordon Walker turned truly evil and became a vampire, only to wind up head at the hands of a disturbingly vicious Sam.
In this video, Ivan explains that even the smallest details and shortest scenes could use a little help. Unhappy with the unmoving decapitated head, Ivan and his team re-animated it and made “a virtual head of Gordon” to add some sizzle to the final product. As you can see from watching this video, the detail going into such a tiny act is immense.
Perhaps the most impressive thing about the special effects is that they’re done on site, in two trailers beside the Supernatural sound stages. This allows a quicker turnaround for the effects, and Ivan explained that they could literally be adding in special effects to footage shot the previous day. Sometimes, lifting up the curtain and seeing how a show is really made might be a bit disillusioning (for an example, come back Friday to see our look at the Impala). But in the case of Ivan Hayden and his team’s Supernatural special effects, the detail and hard work that goes into crafting every episode only made my affection for the series grow.
There’s plenty more coverage from our Supernatural set visit still to come, including the second part of our exclusive video interview with Jensen Ackles on Wednesday, a behind-the-scenes look at the 1967 Chevy Impala on Friday, and next week, we’ll have a sneak peek at the new episode “Ghostfacers,” courtesy of Jared Padalecki.
Coverage of BuddyTV’s Exclusive Supernatural Set Visit:
First Impressions
Video Interview: Jensen Answers Fan Questions (Transcript)
Video Interview: Jared Padalecki Answers Fan Questions (Transcript)
Video Interview: Jensen Ackles Discusses Dean’s Fate
Video: The 1967 Chevy Impala
Video Interview: Jared Padalecki Discusses “Ghostfacers”
Video: Behind-the-Scenes of “Long-Distance Call”
-John Kubicek, BuddyTV Senior Writer
(Image courtesy of the CW)
Senior Writer, BuddyTV
John watches nearly every show on TV, but he specializes in sci-fi/fantasy like The Vampire Diaries, Supernatural and True Blood. However, he can also be found writing about everything from Survivor and Glee to One Tree Hill and Smallville.
