Mortal Engines (2018)

Mortal Engines (2018)

Mortal Engines is a post-apocalyptic adventure that blends industrial brutality with intricate steampunk design. The film leans heavily on physical, on-set fabrication — Human Dynamo Workshop was brought in to deliver several of its most tactile and mechanically demanding elements.

Shrike's automaton

One of the film's most affecting characters, Shrike, is a resurrected man transformed into a fearsome automaton — both terrifying and tragic. Human Dynamo fabricated Shrike's automaton components using mechanical fabrication, moulding, casting and detailed finishing. The result is a physically grounded, unsettlingly human-like form, built to perform on set and hold up to close-up cinematography.

Functional hero controller props

In Mortal Engines, land and airships are central to the narrative. Our team fabricated fully functional hero controller props that the actors could physically operate during filming.

Delivered pieces included:

• 'Jenny Haniver' airship control systems

• 'Jasmin' airship controller props

• 'Idiot Wind' airship control assemblies

• Custom panels, dials and interface components

Each was built to balance mechanical authenticity with the film's layered steampunk aesthetic — practical for filming, in keeping with the world's industrial character, and able to take the wear of repeated shooting days.

A Peter Jackson production for Universal Pictures.