An Interview with John Coppinger

 

1. What brought you to the Return to Oz project?

 

I was approached by Bruce Sharman, who was Associate Producer of 'The Dark Crystal', and he offered me the job of running the Creatures Department for pre-production of the film.  So I started work in the Art Department with Norman Reynolds, the Production Designer, making maquettes for all the major characters.

Norman's designs were turned into scale models and R & D began on the various costumes and animatronic puppets that would be needed; alongside auditioning and body-moulding the performers who would wear and/or operate them.

2. What was your role in the film?

 

I was Senior Animatronics Model Designer.  I set up the department, as above, and assembled an animatronics crew from technicians and artists who'd worked on 'The Dark Crystal', 'Return of the Jedi' and then 'Greystoke'.

The first to join, also making maquettes, was Richard Padbury who'd worked on Jabba the Hutt (he later sculpted and developed the Gump head).  Then John Stephenson began building wheeled arm extensions and boots for the Wheelers and the first test rigs for Tik Tok and the Cowardly Lion were built and developed with guidance from Art Director, Fred Hole.

3. Do you have or do you know of any surviving production / movie props?

Somewhere I have a broken dental acrylic cast of the Cowardly Lion's teeth and palate, but I'm afraid that's it!  I moved on to 'Santa Claus', at Pinewood Studios, before filming began on 'Oz' at Elstree so I missed the usual chances to pick up bits and pieces.

4. Do you remember any interesting stories that happened during your help with development to Return to Oz ?

 

Well, the Wheelers were fun - I dented the floorboards of the workshop several times while testing/playing on the early arm and boot wheels!  I'm amazed by what the performers eventually achieved during filming.

My memory of Walter Murch, the Director, is of a man wholly immersed in his project - My impression was that he would turn around and walk into Oz, whenever he was asked a question, and then come back and tell us what he'd seen.

Michael Sundin, who played Tik Tok, was bent double inside the spherical body; looking back between his knees through a porthole - He discovered that walking backwards was actually the best option, particularly when walking up stairs, and I believe this is what he did during filming; even when his point of view was changed to a small TV monitor.  We puzzled over hiding Michael's legs inside Tik Tok's springs.  Fred Hole suggested using tubes of mirror plastic and the illusion worked very well - This was pre-CGI so 'losing' his legs wasn't an option!

5. Can you elaborate what the Development of Return to Oz entailed.

 

Animatronics was still in the ascendancy for the creation of major characters.  What began on 'The Dark Crystal' was still being refined and advanced, with the challenge of R&D a major part of any project.  CGI was in it's infancy; more an interesting possibility than a threat.  I remember saying to Bruce Sharman that we would soon be able to create maquettes of characters on a computer screen - He said 'buy a computer then'.  But in 1983 a Vax-11/750 ran at maybe $150,000 and still wouldn't have done what any home PC can achieve today.

So pretty much everything you see in the film was happening in real time, with the exception of some 'Claymation' (for the Nome King??).

6. Have you seen the film?  Were you satisfied with the final cut of the film?

 

Yes, but quite some time ago!  And, yes again, I think it was a good and entertaining film; not the greatest but deserving of a second look.  It might even gain a renewed cult status as seems to have happened with 'The Dark Crystal'.

 

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