M5 Industries
Encyclopedia
M5 Industries is a special effects company located in San Francisco, California
that once produced special effect
s props for commercials and film
, stop motion
animation
, and animatronic
puppet
s, such as those seen in James and the Giant Peach
and The Nightmare Before Christmas
. They also extend into prototype development and various display projects.
M5 Industries has produced special effects for many commercials, such as a motorized 7 Up
soft drink vending machine that shoots soda cans at people and a remote-controlled shoe for Nike
. The company's previous works date back to The Right Stuff (1983).
A statement on the M5 Industries Web site says the company no longer does special effects for movies and television. Their facilities are now mostly used for the production of the television show MythBusters
. The company now performs research and development (R&D) work for various other companies, for example "pet" projects, developing electric vehicles, various lifesaving devices, and consulting on work that falls outside the normal categories or would be considered problematic.
The company was founded by Jamie Hyneman
, co-host with Adam Savage
of MythBusters
on the Discovery Channel
. Many of the people who appear on MythBusters were originally employees of M5, notably Kari Byron
. When the series began, its primary shooting location was the M5 Industries workshop, now known itself as "M5". During the second season, when a second team of MythBusters was introduced, a second space, dubbed "M6" was leased for them. However, the show caused significant disruption to neighbouring tenants, resulting in a loss of the lease on M6. M6 was followed by M7, a separate annex of M5 located just 800 yards (730 m) away..
The company's name was suggested by Adam Savage. He intended to suggest the name of either the the branch of the British secret service which built gadgets in James Bond
fiction (Q Branch) or British secret service itself (MI6), but was mistaken as to the correct name, and suggested M5. Savage alleges that Hyneman never paid him the promised $50 prize for having his suggestion selected.
Grant Imahara
also explained that he asked Jamie Hyneman what the "M" stood for in M5 to which he replied "Movies, Monsters, Mechanics, Machining..." and Grant was thinking that the final M comically stood for Mustache.
The shop does not offer tours or allow visits from the public.
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
that once produced special effect
Special effect
The illusions used in the film, television, theatre, or entertainment industries to simulate the imagined events in a story are traditionally called special effects ....
s props for commercials and film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, stop motion
Stop motion
Stop motion is an animation technique to make a physically manipulated object appear to move on its own. The object is moved in small increments between individually photographed frames, creating the illusion of movement when the series of frames is played as a continuous sequence...
animation
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
, and animatronic
Audio-Animatronics
Audio-Animatronics is the registered trademark for a form of robotics created by Walt Disney Imagineering for shows and attractions at Disney theme parks, and subsequently expanded on and used by other companies. The robots move and make noise, generally in speech or song...
puppet
Puppet
A puppet is an inanimate object or representational figure animated or manipulated by an entertainer, who is called a puppeteer. It is used in puppetry, a play or a presentation that is a very ancient form of theatre....
s, such as those seen in James and the Giant Peach
James and the Giant Peach (film)
James and the Giant Peach is a 1996 musical fantasy film directed by Henry Selick, based on the 1961 novel of the same name by Roald Dahl. It was produced by Tim Burton and Denise Di Novi. The film is a combination of live action and stop-motion animation....
and The Nightmare Before Christmas
The Nightmare Before Christmas
The Nightmare Before Christmas, often promoted as Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas, is a 1993 stop motion musical fantasy film directed by Henry Selick and produced/co-written by Tim Burton. It tells the story of Jack Skellington, a being from "Halloween Town" who opens a portal to...
. They also extend into prototype development and various display projects.
M5 Industries has produced special effects for many commercials, such as a motorized 7 Up
7 Up
7 Up is a brand of a lemon-lime flavored non-caffeinated soft drink. The rights to the brand are held by Dr Pepper Snapple Group in the United States, and PepsiCo in the rest of the world, including Puerto Rico, where the concentrate is manufactured at the Pepsi facility in Cidra...
soft drink vending machine that shoots soda cans at people and a remote-controlled shoe for Nike
Nike, Inc.
Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
. The company's previous works date back to The Right Stuff (1983).
A statement on the M5 Industries Web site says the company no longer does special effects for movies and television. Their facilities are now mostly used for the production of the television show MythBusters
MythBusters
MythBusters is a science entertainment TV program created and produced by Beyond Television Productions for the Discovery Channel. The series is screened by numerous international broadcasters, including Discovery Channel Australia, Discovery Channel Latin America, Discovery Channel Canada, Quest...
. The company now performs research and development (R&D) work for various other companies, for example "pet" projects, developing electric vehicles, various lifesaving devices, and consulting on work that falls outside the normal categories or would be considered problematic.
The company was founded by Jamie Hyneman
Jamie Hyneman
James Franklin "Jamie" Hyneman is an American special effects expert, best known for being the co-host of the television series MythBusters. He is also the owner of M5 Industries, the special effects workshop where MythBusters is filmed...
, co-host with Adam Savage
Adam Savage
Adam Whitney Savage is an American industrial design and special effects designer/fabricator, actor, educator, and co-host of the Discovery Channel television series MythBusters. His model work has appeared in major films, including Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones and The Matrix...
of MythBusters
MythBusters
MythBusters is a science entertainment TV program created and produced by Beyond Television Productions for the Discovery Channel. The series is screened by numerous international broadcasters, including Discovery Channel Australia, Discovery Channel Latin America, Discovery Channel Canada, Quest...
on the Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
. Many of the people who appear on MythBusters were originally employees of M5, notably Kari Byron
Kari Byron
Kari Elizabeth Byron is a San Francisco-based television host and artist, best known for her featured role on the Discovery Channel show MythBusters.-MythBusters:...
. When the series began, its primary shooting location was the M5 Industries workshop, now known itself as "M5". During the second season, when a second team of MythBusters was introduced, a second space, dubbed "M6" was leased for them. However, the show caused significant disruption to neighbouring tenants, resulting in a loss of the lease on M6. M6 was followed by M7, a separate annex of M5 located just 800 yards (730 m) away..
The company's name was suggested by Adam Savage. He intended to suggest the name of either the the branch of the British secret service which built gadgets in James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
fiction (Q Branch) or British secret service itself (MI6), but was mistaken as to the correct name, and suggested M5. Savage alleges that Hyneman never paid him the promised $50 prize for having his suggestion selected.
Grant Imahara
Grant Imahara
Grant Masaru Imahara is a Japanese American electronics and radio control expert, best known for his work on the American television show MythBusters.-Education and early work:...
also explained that he asked Jamie Hyneman what the "M" stood for in M5 to which he replied "Movies, Monsters, Mechanics, Machining..." and Grant was thinking that the final M comically stood for Mustache.
The shop does not offer tours or allow visits from the public.