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"Superman: The Movie" Flying Effects Specialist Bob Harman Dies
Special effects technician Bob Harman who served as the flying effects specialist on "Superman: The Movie" has passed away following a lengthy battle with lymphoma.
In addition to the 1978 blockbuster film, Harman would also supervise the flying effects on "Superman: II", "Superman: III", "Superman: IV - The Quest for Peace", "Supergirl", and the "Superboy" television series.
Beginning with "Superman: The Movie" and continuing throughout his career, Harman would create much of the special rigging equipment which was used for aerial wire effects in such films as "Return of the Jedi", "2010", "The Princess Bride", "The Rocketeer", and "Deep Impact".
"It's all manual, we don't use anything mechanical at all. It's all wires operated by men," stated Harman in the 1985 BBC documentary, 'How to Film the Impossible'. "I don't use motors or anything like that because you can't feel if anything is going wrong. Where as, if you're doing by hand, you can tell if something is jamming on you or something doesn't feel right. With a motor you don't, it just keeps pumping away and can do alot of damage; not necessarily to the set, but to the artist."
Harman's last film projects were serving as the special effects technician for the 2003 blockbuster "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines" and the 2005 "Jumanji" spin-off, "Zathura: A Space Adventure".
The staff of the Superman Super Site would like to extend our thoughts and prayers to the Harman family during this difficult time of mourning.
