On location In Saudi Arabia - 2026
Just got back from 8 months on the road. Portugal - action director/DP and VFX on 'Dangeroous Games". Then to Thailand - action director/DP and VFX on "Perfect Girl" directed /DP 2nd unit and VFX then to Saudi Arabla - Directed a feature "The Watchful Eye" a police thriller. What I love about the film business is all the crazy things we get to do while trying to mimic real life on the screen. From surviving hurricanes on the Arctic Ocean, staging battles on the steppes of Kazakstan, filming in class five rapids on the Orange River in South Africa, helicopters dropping us on snow blasted mountains, recreating the history of Nazi or Serbian genocide, making giant bridges (seem to) collapse in Pittsburgh, making pirate movies in seas and jungles of Thailand, or having a beer with Harrison Ford in a remote village in Mexico and the people looking at him like "no way - couldn't be"....and working in the hallowed film studios of Hollywood where all the classics like Wizard of Oz were filmed. It's fantastic what we get to do and where we get to go. And meeting amazing people all over the world.
BELOW ARE A FEW CLIPS OF THINGS I'VE GOTTEN TO DO.
Check out this great video
"SALT" starring Angelina Jolie. VES nominated for best visual effects. We did about 900 VFX shots for this film. I also co-directed 2nd unit.
"The Giver" starring Jeff Bridges, Meryl Streep, Brenton Thwaites, Odeya Rush, Taylor Swift, Katie Holmes, Alexander Skarsgård - We created the future world. I also directed all the 2nd unit action. We did about 900 VFX shots - here are a few breakaparts.
I love these two sequences in the very spooky "MOTHMAN PROPHECIES". Starring Richard Gere and Laura Linney. I think it's the best bridge collapse ever done. I directed the 2nd unit action and supervised the VFX .
This is is an old reel of 2nd Unit action sequences I directed.
"FLYING MONKEYS"
PS - Ironically i did not have anything to do with the VFX and they are SO BAD it's almost....funny. Well you get what you pay for SYFY. However....The film is one of the most popular SYFY movies ever. Lot's of people really like it. I had a great time directing it in any case. Tried to give it some humour and a bit of a message.
I made this as a teaser for a feature project - A comedy action thriller about an accountant who's life is so dull he decides he needs to "get a life"... Soon he's wanted by the cops, the mafia, and his girlfriend and somehow becomes an action hero. Let me know what you think.
Capetown, South Africa on "The Giver"
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This summer I was on a trip to Greenland and the Ilulissat icefjord. It is an amazing place. It's a Unesco World Heritage Site and the most productive iceberg producing glacier in the world. An Arctic Cyclone was headed our way and we had to run for it to get to safety. The storm caught up to us so we had to ride it out for 38 hours. I did get a few good shots but believe me there was bigger and higher waves that we just held on for.
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CLAIRE BEST
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