Joe Viskocil
# 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).

## 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. In 1980, he returned to create pyrotechnics for The Empire Strikes Back. For the next three decades, he worked on films from the most famous franchises, including Ghostbusters, Batman and Star Trek.

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. 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.

### 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.

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.’"

## Personal life

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

## Filmography

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

## Awards

| Year | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1996 | Academy Award for Best Visual Effects | Independence Day | Won | |
| 2017 | Visual Effects Society Hall of Fame | — | Won | |
