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Primetime Emmy goes to ... Gorrell
By Robin Delaney/MVM News Network
DONNELLSON - The winner is (or was) ...
Yes, that's right, rural Donnellson resident Ken Gorrell has won the 2008 Primetime Emmy for outstanding special effects.
The award ceremony for special effects and other technical film-making categories was held Sept. 13. The award ceremony for acting, directing, writing and other categories will be televised live Sunday, Sept. 21.
With Gorrell's schedule, it's surprising that those presenting the award were able to corral him onto one stage for even a few minutes last Saturday. He returned with his wife, Susie, and three children to Lee County Tuesday, but was heading back to Michigan Wednesday afternoon to finish his work on a new Drew Barrymore film.
Gorrell - a veteran special effects film technician - has been nominated for a Primetime Emmy in the outstanding special visual effects category for his work on the seven-part 2008 HBO original miniseries “John Adams.”
Other nominees in the outstanding special visual effects for a miniseries, movie or a special category are “ Comanche Moon, Part 1,” “The Company, Part 2,” “Life After People” and “Tin Man, Part 1.” Gorrell is listed as special effects coordinator of the John Adams miniseries.
The specific episode or sample entered for Emmy consideration was a snowy winter scene in the John Adams miniseries. The John Adams miniseries captured a leading number of Emmy nominations this year, with a total of 23 nominations.
‘We kind of thought we had something special to work with when looking over the script for John Adams,” Gorrell said. “It wasn't just the snow, but it was the cannon fire, the rain, a lot of different sets.”
But for those snowy scenes, Gorrell and his team used paper rather than manufactured snow, which pleased the producers and directors because it cost less and allowed for a different setting to be brought in immediately after filming the final take.
“It was 60 to 70 (degrees) then so obviously it wasn't going to snow and the scene had to be turned around to a new set, different season right away,” Gorrell explained.
While Gorrell says he has great respect for all his fellow nominees, he felt his strongest competition were those responsible for the special effects in ‘Tin Man, Part 1.”
And what movie does Gorrell wish he had worked on, but didn't?
“‘Private Ryan' was quite good. I think I was working on ‘The Patriot' then, but I thought ‘Private Ryan' had some good work in it.”
Of course, the 2000 film, “The Patriot,” on one's resume is more than enough to impress most film-goers, but it too is easily surpassed by Gorrell's 40- plus other film credits.
Among those projects on Gorrell's résumé for the last decade are the 2000 films “The Patriot” and “Proof of Life”; the 2002 films ‘‘Eight Legged Freaks” and ‘‘All About the Benjamins”; the 2003 action films “2 Fast 2 Furious,” “Bad Boys II” and “The Missing”; the 2006 films “Deja Vu,” “Altered” and “Southland Tales”; the 2007 film “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End,” “Transformers,” “The Final Season” and “The Death and Life of Bobby Z”; 2008 films “Solstice,” ‘The Argentine.” “The Road” and “John Adams” and a 2004 segment of the television series “CSI: Miami.”
His film credits during the 1990s include “Forrest Gump” (1994), “Cop and 1/2” (1993), ‘‘The Specialist” (1994), “G.I. Jane” (1997), “Speed 2: Cruise Control” (1997), “Mortal Kombat: Conquest” (1998), “The Gingerbread Man” (1998) and “The Waterboy” (1998).
And even now, as he wraps up his work on Drew Barrymore's film, he has two-three scripts in hand that he considering for his next project.
“I'm breaking them down, developing ideas and putting together budgets for one or two of them,” Gorrell said. “Then we get together with the direct and I give him my ideas, listen to his ideas and go from there.”
So how does his family handle his traveling from film to film, state to state? Many times they are with him, Gorrell said, or he tries to get back home for visit, even if it's just for a few days. But in general, it works because it's kind of like a “family occupation.”
“My son Brandon goes with me, sometimes works as an extra on films, and Susie and my son Skyler go, too,” Gorrell said. “Sometimes it's hard to arrange to get home, but we make it work.”
Yes, that's right, rural Donnellson resident Ken Gorrell has won the 2008 Primetime Emmy for outstanding special effects.
The award ceremony for special effects and other technical film-making categories was held Sept. 13. The award ceremony for acting, directing, writing and other categories will be televised live Sunday, Sept. 21.
With Gorrell's schedule, it's surprising that those presenting the award were able to corral him onto one stage for even a few minutes last Saturday. He returned with his wife, Susie, and three children to Lee County Tuesday, but was heading back to Michigan Wednesday afternoon to finish his work on a new Drew Barrymore film.
Gorrell - a veteran special effects film technician - has been nominated for a Primetime Emmy in the outstanding special visual effects category for his work on the seven-part 2008 HBO original miniseries “John Adams.”
Other nominees in the outstanding special visual effects for a miniseries, movie or a special category are “ Comanche Moon, Part 1,” “The Company, Part 2,” “Life After People” and “Tin Man, Part 1.” Gorrell is listed as special effects coordinator of the John Adams miniseries.
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‘We kind of thought we had something special to work with when looking over the script for John Adams,” Gorrell said. “It wasn't just the snow, but it was the cannon fire, the rain, a lot of different sets.”
But for those snowy scenes, Gorrell and his team used paper rather than manufactured snow, which pleased the producers and directors because it cost less and allowed for a different setting to be brought in immediately after filming the final take.
“It was 60 to 70 (degrees) then so obviously it wasn't going to snow and the scene had to be turned around to a new set, different season right away,” Gorrell explained.
While Gorrell says he has great respect for all his fellow nominees, he felt his strongest competition were those responsible for the special effects in ‘Tin Man, Part 1.”
And what movie does Gorrell wish he had worked on, but didn't?
“‘Private Ryan' was quite good. I think I was working on ‘The Patriot' then, but I thought ‘Private Ryan' had some good work in it.”
Of course, the 2000 film, “The Patriot,” on one's resume is more than enough to impress most film-goers, but it too is easily surpassed by Gorrell's 40- plus other film credits.
Among those projects on Gorrell's résumé for the last decade are the 2000 films “The Patriot” and “Proof of Life”; the 2002 films ‘‘Eight Legged Freaks” and ‘‘All About the Benjamins”; the 2003 action films “2 Fast 2 Furious,” “Bad Boys II” and “The Missing”; the 2006 films “Deja Vu,” “Altered” and “Southland Tales”; the 2007 film “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End,” “Transformers,” “The Final Season” and “The Death and Life of Bobby Z”; 2008 films “Solstice,” ‘The Argentine.” “The Road” and “John Adams” and a 2004 segment of the television series “CSI: Miami.”
His film credits during the 1990s include “Forrest Gump” (1994), “Cop and 1/2” (1993), ‘‘The Specialist” (1994), “G.I. Jane” (1997), “Speed 2: Cruise Control” (1997), “Mortal Kombat: Conquest” (1998), “The Gingerbread Man” (1998) and “The Waterboy” (1998).
And even now, as he wraps up his work on Drew Barrymore's film, he has two-three scripts in hand that he considering for his next project.
“I'm breaking them down, developing ideas and putting together budgets for one or two of them,” Gorrell said. “Then we get together with the direct and I give him my ideas, listen to his ideas and go from there.”
So how does his family handle his traveling from film to film, state to state? Many times they are with him, Gorrell said, or he tries to get back home for visit, even if it's just for a few days. But in general, it works because it's kind of like a “family occupation.”
“My son Brandon goes with me, sometimes works as an extra on films, and Susie and my son Skyler go, too,” Gorrell said. “Sometimes it's hard to arrange to get home, but we make it work.”
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