Joe Viskocil

Joseph Viskocil (December 21, 1952 – August 11, 2014) was an American special effects artist who had over 80 film credits from 1974 to 2014. He created special effects for some of the most famous movie franchises and was awarded an Academy Award for his work on Independence Day (1996).

Joe Viskocil
Born	(1952-12-21)December 21, 1952
Died	August 11, 2014(2014-08-11) (aged 61) Los Angeles, California
Occupation	Visual effects artist
Years active	1974–2014

Career

In 1977, Viskocil assisted John Dykstra and George Lucas in creating the pyrotechnics for Star Wars, including the explosion of the Death Star at the film's climax.^[1] In 1980, he returned to create pyrotechnics for The Empire Strikes Back.^[1] For the next three decades, he worked on films from the most famous franchises, including Ghostbusters, Batman and Star Trek.^[1]

After serving as pyrotechnics supervisor for the 1996 film Independence Day, Viskocil was awarded the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects alongside Volker Engel, Douglas Smith and Clay Pinney at the 69th Academy Awards.^[1] Viskocil and miniature supervisor Mike Joyce were responsible for the creation of a 15-foot-wide, 5-foot-high (4.57 metres by 1.52 metres) miniature of the White House, built for destruction during the film.^[2]

Style

In the 1990s, Viskocil opposed using computer-generated imagery in the creation of some special effects:

When it comes to pyro techniques, what was done 50 years ago is still good today. There are a billion chemicals out there now that one can add, subtract or manipulate to create a desired effect.^[3]

Following the September 11 attacks, Viskocil expressed guilt over making the explosions in Independence Day appear lifelike, saying "I started thinking maybe I did my job too well, and it might have been the nucleus of an idea for someone to say: ‘Hey, let’s crash a plane into the White House.’"^[4]

Personal life

Viskocil died on August 11, 2014, in Los Angeles from complications of liver and heart failure.^[1]

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.
1977	Star Wars			[1]
1980	The Empire Strikes Back			[1]
1984	Ghostbusters			[1]
1984	The Terminator			[1]
1985	The Return of the Living Dead			[1]
1987	Masters of the Universe			[1]
1988	Killer Klowns From Outer Space			[1]
1989	The Abyss			[1]
1991	Barton Fink			[1]
1991	Terminator 2: Judgment Day			[5]
1992	Batman Returns			[1]
1994	True Lies			[1]
1995	Apollo 13			[3]
1995	Johnny Mnemonic			[1]
1996	Independence Day	Pyrotechnics supervisor		[6]
1997	Alien Resurrection			[1]
1997	Volcano			[3]
2000	Battlefield Earth			[1]
2002	Panic Room			[1]
2002	Star Trek: Nemesis			[1]
2004	Team America: World Police	Pyrotechnics supervisor		[5]
2011	Source Code			[1]
2022	The Prey: Legend of the Karnoctus		Posthumous release	[1]

Awards

Year	Category	Nominated work	Result	Ref.
1996	Academy Award for Best Visual Effects	Independence Day	Won	[1]
2017	Visual Effects Society Hall of Fame	—	Won	[7]