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RichardTaylor

  • Special effects
  • Design
Richard-Taylor-key-image.jpg

Special effects man and designer Richard Taylor got his break making puppets for 1980s comedy series Public Eye. He has gone on to become a key part of the Wētā effects empire, supervising the creation of orcs, zombie mishaps and miniature cities for movies and TV shows. A passionate advocate for Kiwi talent, Taylor and his team have scored five New Zealand screen awards, four BAFTAS and five Academy Awards.

Screenography

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim
2024 Special Effects Supervisor Film
The Tank
2023 Special Effects Film
Pearl
2022 Wētā Workshop Lead Film
X
2022 Prosthetics Film
I Am Mother
2019 Special Effects Film

Biography

The name of Richard Taylor is often mentioned in the same breath as Wellington special effects and design empire Wētā — which Taylor helps command — and director Peter Jackson. The blockbuster success of The Lord of the Rings and King Kong has allowed Taylor to apply his imagination, lateral thinking and leadership skills across a range of areas, from monster-making and costume design, to children's TV programming.

Awards

2018 Huawei Mate20 New Zealand Television Awards
Best Children's Programme (shared with Estelle Hughes, Sharon Lark, Stuart McAra and Giles Ridge): for Thunderbirds Are Go

2017 New Zealand Television Awards
Nominated for Best Makeup Design (with Kath Brown and Fiona Sole): for Cleverman

“Although Tania [Rodger] and I tend to run the company, at the end of the day it’s a celebration of the group.”

Richard Taylor

Related images

Braindead_Gallery_Jed_Brophy_and_Richard_Taylor.jpg
Actor Jed Brophy  (guts hanging out) and special effects maestro Richard Taylor prepare for a shot for BrainDead: Avalon Studios, late 1991.
Photographer: Ross Giblin. Kindly provided by The Dominion Post.
Braindead_Gallery_Richard_Taylor.jpg
Richard Taylor with one of his prosthetic creations.
Photographer: Ross Giblin. Kindly provided by The Dominion Post.