A frightful prospect for an effects house
- Share via
Not much scares Todd Masters, who has built a career on creating body parts, slimy creatures and ghoulish effects for scores of films and TV shows, including “Snakes on a Plane” and the Showtime series “Dexter.”
But he certainly fears what a writers strike might do to his business. His special effects company, which employs 20 people, depends on work commissioned by TV shows that include the new NBC series “Bionic Woman.”
A writers strike “basically would take the floor out from underneath us,” he said. “So we’ll have to start pushing for more foreign production.”
In anticipation of a sudden falloff in TV work, the Arleta company is turning to a strategy employed during the 1988 strike: developing a line of scary toys.
--
Richard Verrier
More to Read
Inside the business of entertainment
The Wide Shot brings you news, analysis and insights on everything from streaming wars to production — and what it all means for the future.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.