martin jago
animatronics puppets SFX
Creation of the exploding geisha heads for practical VFX element replacement shots in the Ghost in the Shell live-action movie.
Fabrication of VFX replacement horse riding rigs for Disney's live-action movie, Mulan.
From a stage show in development
Mechanic build and electronics for the life sized polar bear used to promote the Sky Atlanic tv series "Fortitude"
Animatronics and additional on set puppeteering for Asylum Models on the Tales of The Riverbank movie.
Animatronic 'Mole" head for Ray Grigg's production of "Wind in the Willows" currently in development.
Puppet design & co-construction for the NZ tour of Madagascar the Musical
Part of the animatronics and stilt development crew for the Professor Lupin werewolf transformation in Harry Potter 3.
Design & constructed of the mechanical elements of 'The Bombe' decoding machine with DB Props for the Alan Turing biopic "The Imitation Game".
Rebecca Negan operates animatronic Vogon arm on set of Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.
Mechanical head build and electronics supervision for animatronic black bear used for the BBC tv period drama "Our Zoo"
Collapsing mechanical rig for Westray's decapitation on a London street in Ridley Scott's movie The Counselor.
Latest Update: September 2025
Now based in Melbourne after almost 2 decades in Wellington, NZ working on a number of practical special effects, creature and puppet projects for the teams at Weta Workshop, NZFX and DCFX including: Dune 2, Alien: Earth, The Hobbit - An Unexpected Journey, Ghost in the Shell, Disney's live-action Mulan & Amazon TV’s The Rings of Power.
Since arriving in Australia I have been part of the puppet team creating new characters for the ABC's forthcoming children's series 'Knee-High Spies' with SharpFX, after helping to construct the giant animatronic Dunkleosteus in the Ancient Waters Gallery of the recently opened Singapore Oceanarium for the Creature Technology Company. In between those came a few exciting creations with A Blanc Canvas: early research & development for the Gabby's Dollshouse puppets that embarked on a US tour in September 2025, and the futuristic car that Katie Perry rode, as part of her pre-show performance in the 2024 AFL Grand Final at the MCG. Prior to all of this I helped to create the web- elements on Kiah Roache-Turner’s spider-horror movie Sting, within Clint Ingram’s SFX team in Sydney.
In 2023 I independently co-designed & built puppet characters for the ongoing Australia / NZ tour of Madagascar, The Musical whilst continuing to develop my own writing on the Antipodean inspired puppet television series, Flightless Mammals - a personal project since arriving in the region over 15 years ago. More content, characters and news about that in 2026!
After over a decade as New Zealand permanent resident I finally became a dual NZ /UK citizen in March 2023.
