Applied Artists
Tom & Siobhan Hall
Tom and Siobhan Lauten.
Tom and Siobhan Lauten are international special effects artists who have worked on film and television projects across the globe. Siobhan is the co creator of the Special Effects Company 'Nimba Creations', which started in 1999, she was then joined a year later by her partner Tom Lauten. They specialise in prop making, animatronics, prosthetics and creatures. Along with their work in TV and film the two have been responsible for live events, trade shows and exhibitions, including working on the BBC’s ‘Walking with Dinosaurs’. As well as working with Nimba Tom and Siobhan spent five months working in New Zealand at Peter Jackson Weta Workshops on two major of their major films, 'King Kong' and 'The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe'.
In 2007 the couple left Nimba to pursue freelance carers, before Tom was hired by a British Special effect company as a designer and supervisor.
Along with all there other work the couple have been responsible for creating props for advertising campaigns such as the severed arm for one of Sony’s playstation two games. They have also helped to create a full range of special effects make up and prosthetics that are sold on part of their Nimba Creations website under the name ‘Key Special Effects’
Tom has also turned his hand to developing accessories for magic, ‘The Elite TT’, a replica casting of the magician’s own thumb for use during tricks.
Along with these prosthetics the couple have also worked on projects for the illusionist Derren Brown. Last year they created a prosthetic mask for one his shows ‘Trick or Treat', The mask was applied to an actress to in order to fool one of Derren's vistims into believing she was seeing her own dying body in a car accident.
Tom Has said that his biggest influence for getting into the business, was the launch of the original 'Star Wars' films and the massive coverage of their special effects.
Both Tom and Siobhan agree that one of their greatest achievments was the creation of a full size anamatronic T-Rex.