Beetlejuice, which has been delighting audiences from Broadway to the West End and all across America, is a showcase not just for its talented cast and creatives but for the zany tricks and special effects that make life in the Netherworld so engaging for audiences. Special effects designer has worked on more than fifty Broadway productions and on theatre, opera, dance and immersive experiences.
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Live Design talked to SFX designer Jeremy Chernick and his associate Katia Carmichael about getting into the business, designing special effects for Beetlejuice on Broadway and the West End, and being asked to handle the weird things no one else wanted to do.
Live Design: How did you get started in special effects for live entertainment?
Jeremy Chernick: I started by working with a few of my lifelong friends to make our own theater with no budget. Because of the nature of that style of theater, we had to learn based on our imagination. Our shows were full of comedy, violence, and puppetry that we created using free or found materials. A lot of what I have done since then stems from those early days of figuring out how to accomplish big ideas with my friends. As my career really began to expand I found myself in the somewhat unique position to help support difficult or unproven theatrical ideas in areas that did not land squarely in other design disciplines. That work ultimately led me into the world of special effects.
Early on, I worked behind the scenes on any job I could find. As I gained more experience, I leaned into the role of problem solver. One of my first large-scale special effects projects included the creation of a 2,000 gallon pool of blood on stage at the Lincoln Center for a production of Orphan of Zhao. From there, I started getting calls to handle the weird things no one else wanted to do. It was around 2007 that Greg Meeh, the founder of J&M and a legendary Broadway Special Effects designer, decided to hire the guy who was clearly beginning to “steal his jobs.” After years working with Greg as his associate, I took over as head special effects designer at J&M Special Effects and have worked to make a place for myself as one of the go-to SPFX designers on Broadway today.
Katia Carmichael: Like most people in special effects, I fell into this a bit by accident. While job searching for a career in entertainment on Playbill, I interviewed for this position with Jeremy. He brought me from our final round interview directly to a meeting with Suttirat Larlarb, the costume designer of Macbeth (2022). Four years later, I’ve been his associate on every project since.
In my time working in the industry, I’ve noticed that many people are working alongside this field without realizing it. When one makes the “weird” thing no one else knows how to do or wants to be responsible for, you find yourself in the unique world of special effects.
LD: What do you like about working in special effects?
JC: I’ve always loved creating something out of nothing, and finding the one solution that will make the story work. Special effects perfectly combines my passions for storytelling and problem solving.
LD: What kind of background helps in special effects?
JC: My background as a generalist in props, design and technical entertainment required off-the-cuff problem solving skills from every discipline imaginable. As I delved further into the world of special effects, I learned from experts and skilled tradespeople in every area required for the job. This included plumbing for water effects, safety rules and fluid dynamics for atmospheric effects, getting city and state pyro licenses, researching both old and new technologies in flame and pyrotechnics, and allowing myself the freedom to fail until the successful solution is revealed. I’m always curious, and I pride myself on cultivating a team of creatives that together make up a diverse SPFX team that can approach problems from many directions. Everything I do is based on teamwork and I am lucky to have wonderful collaborators.
KC: As a kid, I wanted to be a firefighter until I realized I would have to deadlift 100 pounds. When I got older, I was attracted to film and theater because of the focus on community and catharsis. Special effects combines these two interests in ways I never expected. Many people in the industry teach you via “trial by fire,” which is mostly telling you what’s needed and encouraging you to figure it out. I’m lucky that Jeremy is nice enough to answer my questions when I get stuck. I’ve learned a lot from the other SPFX designers and technicians at our company, and I've trained and tested for my pyro licenses.
LD: What other certifications are critical?
JC: In NYC, you need to be certified either by the state of NY or the Explosives Unit of the FDNY, with a specific license for the kind of effects you operate. The rules and regulations vary from city to city but often stem from the NFPA (National Fire Protection Association), and different countries have their own safety standards. NYC has strict regulations, which gives you a good baseline for other places. Using what we know in this city, we approach other cities and countries from that mindset and ask what else is needed.
LD: In Beetlejuice, what is the biggest misconception audiences have about special effects?
JC: Beetlejuice is so full of complex cued moments, that in many ways, it is the cueing that is complex. We program the show and are linked to the lighting cues. All departments are in sync so we are all timed to impact on specific beats and moments. The tough thing about cueing fog and smoke is that so much of it is triggered a few seconds earlier than the audience sees the effect on stage. Smoke has to travel from offstage to onstage which takes time, and sometimes the machines don't react instantly, so again, you have to cue an effect two tenths of a second early to see it happen at the right time. So the fact that all the effects appear to happen on cue is a complex programming event.
The “Smoking Trachea” effect in the show is actually quite complex because it involves coordinating with the costume department and the performer. We use a tiny fogger that needs to comfortably live inside the performer's costume and at the same time, the fogger needs access to air so it doesn't overheat, while simultaneously needing to be enclosed so that any residual heat is kept away from the performer. Additionally, ducting for the fog has to be run up their neckline and a control button is run down their sleeve so that they can operate the machine. In terms of operation, the performer has to cue the fog about one second before we see the smoke so they have to train in front of a mirror to figure out when to push the button and for how long.
LD: Are there effects in Beetlejuice that audiences think are digital or video-based but are actually happening live in front of them?
JC: One of the big successes in my current work is how we collaborate with our projection designers to blur the lines between the real and the projected. I think the success of the effects in the show is that seamless blend. A great example of this is how our many fog effects are supported by projected fog.
LD: What does the conversation look like when you sit down with a director and they say “and this is the part where you blow up XXX” or some other crazy effect.
JC: I’ve trained myself over time to start with “yes, and” so I try to start by taking in the information and then finding a solution or an alternative idea. So the answer depends on the show, the director, the production team, and the venue. The effect has to make sense for the world of the show, the budget, and the intended impact. There are times we need to manage expectations, and times we can go above and beyond, but it is not a one-to-one solution. It’s always a unique conversation. In general the process starts with in-person or video demonstrations of R&D. This means the whole creative team can come and look at effects and then begin to consider how to blend them into the infrastructure of the show.
LD: Have you proposed an effect that was not specified in the script just to keep things fun?
JC: Yes—there’s a smoke ring that rises from behind the house at one point as a punch line. It’s a fun effect we rarely get to use, and the world of Beetlejuice was a perfect place to add it in.
LD: The flipside of that—are there scripted moments you have had to say no to?
JC: In the original script, there was a boy band in the Netherworld that had died in a plane crash. The dream was that they were smouldering and in some cases actively on fire while singing. That didn't make it past the demo phase.
LD: Has bringing Beetlejuice to the West End required redesigning or rethinking certain effects?
JC: Yes, nearly every venue requires some form of redesign on a show, though some are very minor. For example, any time a show transitions from Broadway or the West End to a touring production, the effects have to not only work on the Broadway/West End scale, but they also need to be capable of being packaged neatly into trucks with the rest of the show for transportation. The design needs to completely transform to work in all situations. Careful planning is key and often dictates technical options.
The main element in Beetlejuice that needs to be reconsidered is low fog. This varies for several reasons, including technological advances, the cost and access to Liquid CO2, and each venue’s air handling systems. On Broadway, we used LCO2 based effects and high pressure tanks with Look Solutions Cryo-Fog units. On tour we tried to use the refrigerated fog machines, and in the West End we are using Cloud 9 units from Chauvet, which uses water vapor.
Another big change is the use of pyrotechnics. Regulations vary from municipalities and regions, so we adjust to make the shows work. On the tour in the US we chose to eliminate pyro altogether for both budget reasons and to mitigate having to manage different regulations for different cities. Instead, we swapped the pyro for different debris drops and glitter bursts. I am happy to say that, in the West End, we are back to using pyro.
LD: When working on any show, including Beetlejuice, what do rehearsals look like before your effect is in place?
JC: Before effects are in place, we work with the director or choreographer to figure out what general sort of movement is required, or about how long an effect could take. It’s a collaborative process from beginning to end, so we are in constant conversation about what is happening in the rehearsal room and how the development of the effect is going. For pyro, we keep in close contact with management so that every aspect is understood in terms of safety and proximity to the chosen effects. When we train actors to work with effects, we give them a run of the effect, either off stage or in rehearsals, where they have no need to perform and can get used to the circumstances. Once they are comfortable, we can start working the effect on stage with the rest of the team. Safety planning is the baseline for all effects. Once that part is clarified, we can move on to designing what the effect will look like and building it more fully.
LD: Beetlejuice is a comedy where timing is everything. Do you manually trigger effects so that the performers can pace themselves depending on the audience, or use time code?
JC: In Beetlejuice, timing is everything. To get that timing right we are meticulously cued in a SPFX cue list that is triggered by lighting or via midi or via timecode. We program on a designated pyro console for all the pyro cues that are run via an operator backstage. And there are a good many cues entirely performer operated. It’s this blend that really makes the show work.
LD: You have said that effects should be part of the storytelling, not just a spectacle. How does this impact your approach to the script and the design?
JC: This is a tough question because scale and spectacle are both important in Beetlejuice. I start with the script and break it down by written stage direction or implied action. I will also see a reading or attend a workshop so I can be involved in the creation of moments that might include effects.
The story determines the scale of the effect and its abstraction. By understanding the script and director’s intentions, we can pair our desired emotional response with the most compatible effect. In Beetlejuice, for example, we deploy what we call the “sad smoke bomb.” This works because it is so pathetic. The joke is about the failure of the smoke bomb.
Another example of this is the sequence where "Handbook for the Recently Deceased" falls out of the sky and lands next to Beetlejuice. He then picks up the book, magically starts a fire in the fireplace, and throws the book into the fire. So there are lots of effects to figure out here. On Broadway, the fire in the fireplace was a propane based flame effect that ignited on Beetlejuice's gesture. We had to design the flame system, create an easy and safe way for the performer to appear to toss the book into the fire, and engineer a burst of flame that made it look like the book had been consumed. At the same time, both the book and the fireplace had to be completely noncombustible. The entire goal of this early sequence beyond plot progression was to show Beetlejuice's power and fluidity in his irreverent scheming and hijinks.
LD: How do you coordinate with the rest of the design team, particularly lighting and projections?
JC: We program most of the show on an ETC ION XE lighting console as a separate user and with a separate cue list. We program in solo mode and then get linked to the lighting cue list when we begin to run scenes or acts. We adjust timings in real time in those runs, so there is a lot of fine-tuning during dress rehearsals and previews. This process is very complex in the first few productions and gets more streamlined if a production is replicated multiple times like Beetlejuice.
LD: What effect best captures the personality of the show for you?
JC: Smoke bomb effects are rarely used as a punchline, and this show, with all of its high energy and comedic spirit, allows this effect to work. The “Smoking Trachea” effect is another great effect that captures the personality of the show. The ingenuity of the costume department combined with our team’s expertise, let this goofy effect sell the personality of the character. It’s a subtle moment.
LD: Which effect in Beetlejuice was technically the most challenging to execute reliably eight shows a week?
JC: The “palm on fire” effect. It is actor-controlled and we are asking a performer to hold an actively burning effect in their hand while acting and hiding the trick from the audience. It often takes time and care to train the performers to be that comfortable.
LD: Is there an effect you designed for Beetlejuice but had to discard because it was just not safe/reliable enough to do consistently?
JC: We tend to eliminate any idea that could be unsafe well before it’s near the stage. Some effects involve complex systems and are more difficult to maintain over eight shows a week. This is where experience and the ability to adjust and simplify on the fly helps. As Beetlejuice has lived many lives on different stages worldwide, the show has been generally sorted and we have options for most situations.
LD: The Netherworld doors and Beetlejuice's smoke illusions have been discussed in the media and on fan sites. What makes these moments work so well?
JC: These moments work because the fog is integrated into the set, and lighting really makes that illusion complete. It doesn't hurt that the direction and performers really sell it. We create a “portal” with smoke, and the language of the fog/smoke is tied to the Netherworld. Each time you see fog on stage, it represents a connection to the Netherworld. By keeping that consistent in the show, you don’t think about how it happens - it just works.
LD: What aspects of the movie have influenced expectations for the live show, so that you could not design it without them?
JC: The movie has a specific aesthetic and comedic spirit that has to remain consistent in the musical. Our set designer, David Korins, and costume designer, William Ivey Longs, were the root of that, so my job was to have the effects maintain that spirit. Our director, Alex Timbers, also brought a request for tight timing to every department and pushed us to stay coordinated.
LD: Do you think theater audiences are so used to CGI and other movie magic technologies that it is becoming more difficult to create those “wow” moments onstage?
JC: Have movies affected everyone's perception of visual entertainment? Of course. But in my opinion, visceral and real effects can cut through. I see the way forward as collaborating with a full creative team to make things feel as real as possible. My current approach is to design with others in a way that the boundaries of what is physical and what is projection or lighting is not discernible.
LD: What is a recent technical advancement in special effects you are taking advantage of?
JC: We are always interested in new technologies that may change how we use effects. I find that for large-scale productions, I tend to take new tech and transform it into an unexpected use. Most off-the-shelf FX gear used in theater is built for clubs, events, or stadium touring; and there is a whole different market of equipment designed for film and TV. My favorite thing to do is to come up with creative solutions and ideas to use these machines in ways outside of their intended purpose to create the effects we desire. For example, putting a bounce plate in front of a fog jet makes the fog behave in a new and unexpected way. Installing a new nozzle on the front of a flame machine might make the flame look far more organic than a machine that burps fire balls behind your favorite band. I’ve been doing this a while so I have good relationships with many of the manufacturers and, thankfully, they often work with me on my ideas.
In terms of AI, there hasn’t been a lot of opportunity for it to tie into our design work. Practical special effects are so specific and require so much safety, that AI has not quite caught up to our needs yet, but it may be a useful tool in the future.
FX Associates
- Ben Hagen
- Megan Lang
- Maxx Serpica
- Katia Carmichael
Gear List
● Our installer and supplier in the US was J&M Special Effects and in the UK was Luminous Show Tech.
● LeMaitre Special Effects provided the pyro products in the US and Wells Fireworks provided pyro in the UK.
● Look Solutions provided the fog machines in all shapes and sizes from the Tiny S to Cobras and everything in between.
● We used an Ultratec Eclipse in the US for low fog and on the West End are using the Chauvet Cloud 9.
● Artistry in Motion provided streamers in the US, and Magic FX provided streamers in the UK.
● We used various magic stores across the world for handheld effects and our amazing prop departments help us manage most of the hand held effects.