Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald was my second outing in J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World, once again working with director David Yates and an exceptional cast led by Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Jude Law and Johnny Depp.

Following the first Fantastic Beasts, we already had a good understanding of the world we were creating and, importantly, how much of that magic could be achieved practically in camera. For the Special Effects department it was another substantial job, combining large mechanical effects, atmospheric work, rigs, wind, rain, smoke, fire and all the physical interaction required to give the actors something real to work with on set.

One of the things I always enjoyed about these films was finding the practical element inside something that was ultimately going to become a much larger visual effect. Whether it was moving scenery, reacting environments, flying debris or effects interacting directly with the cast, our job was to give the sequence weight, movement and reality on the day, providing VFX with a strong practical foundation to build from.

The scale of the sets and the amount of detail involved made it a demanding production, but by this stage we had a very experienced crew who understood exactly what was required. It was a huge team effort from the workshop through to the floor, with a constant stream of bespoke rigs and effects being designed, built and operated throughout the shoot.

Another enormous production, and one I’m particularly proud of — the work ultimately earned me my third BAFTA nomination for Special Visual Effects.