Crew
Brian Johnson
Born 1939-06-29 · Surrey, England, UK
Brian Johncock (born 29 June 1939) is a British designer and director of film and television special effects. He changed his surname to Johnson during the 1960s. Joining the team of special effects artist Les Bowie, Johnson started his career behind the scenes for Bowie Films on productions such as On the Buses, and for Hammer Films. He is known for his special effects work on TV series including Thunderbirds (1965–66) and films including Alien (1979), for which he received the 1980 Academy Award for Best Visual Effects (shared with H. R. Giger, Carlo Rambaldi, Dennis Ayling and Nick Allder). Previously, he had built miniature spacecraft models for Stanley Kubrick's 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey. Johnson's work on Space: 1999 influenced the effects of the Star Wars films of the 1970s and 1980s. Impressed by his work, George Lucas visited Johnson during the production of the TV series to offer him the role of effects supervisor for the 1977 film. Having already been commissioned for the second series of Space: 1999, Johnson was unable to accept at the time. He worked on the sequel, The Empire Strikes Back (1980), whose special effects were recognised in the form of a 1981 Special Achievement Academy Award (which Johnson shared with Richard Edlund, Dennis Muren and Bruce Nicholson).
Acting credits
6.9A behind the scenes look at the making of 'Alien'
The Alien Legacy
1999
6.6The making of Stanley Kubrick's classic space epic, presented by James Cameron, including unseen footage.
2001: The Making of a Myth
2001
8.2Hosted by Mark Hamill, this revealing documentary offers behind-the-scenes glimpses into the amazing special effects that transformed George Lucas’ vision for Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back into reality!
SP FX: The Empire Strikes Back
1980
8.2A behind-the-scenes look at the making of “Alien,” the terrifying classic about a spaceship crew trapped with a hideous monster that's hunting them one by one.
The Beast Within: Making Alien
2003
6.0A visually stunning documentary that follows science-fiction creator Jeffrey Morris as he explores missions to the Moon—both real and imagined—and why they are a key stepping stone to the future of humankind.
The Eagle Obsession
2025
4.9A happy family returns from a vacation to find their home invaded by a criminal family and must fight for survival.
Family Vanished
2018
7.3The definitive documentary about the iconic television series developed by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and their production companies (AP Films and Century 21 Pictures). Supermarionation was a revolutionary technique used in all their programmes throughout the 1960s including Stingray, Captain Scarlet and, most famously, Thunderbirds.
Filmed in Supermarionation
2014
NR2001: CREATING KUBRICK’S SPACE ODYSSEY chronicles the creation of one of the most influential films in the history of cinema. This new documentary examines the work of legendary director Stanley Kubrick and iconic novelist Arthur C. Clarke in creating what they called “the proverbial good science fiction movie.”
2001: Creating Kubrick’s Space Odyssey
2024
NROn the eve of the demolition of the site of Gerry Anderson's AP Films and Century 21 studios in Slough, original crew wander around and reminisce their time there. Includes archive footage and new sequences made with the original Thunderbirds puppets.
Century 21 Slough
2018
