James conned! Amazing special effects behind the explosions, locations and death defying stunts in Bond films show

From a seven-story building collapsing, to a mouse scurrying across a floor -  the camera sometimes has to lie

Man who made the impossible imaginable for countless Bond aficionados reveals the trickery behind the shots

Visual effects maestro Steve Begg helped to blow up MI6 headquarters in London, caused outrage when he sunk a Venetian palazzo into the Grand Canal and drew criticism for destroying Bond’s beloved Aston Martin DB5

Unlike other artists, however, the greatest compliment anyone can pay is that they didn’t notice his work

They are some of the most dramatic and memorable scenes in the history of James Bond movies.

But in the increasingly complex world of cinematography, not everything is quite what it seems.

From the spectacular image of a seven-storey building collapsing under 007’s feet, to the simple cameo of a mouse scurrying across a floor, the camera sometimes has to lie.

Now – for your eyes only, as the secret agent might put it – the man who made the impossible imaginable for countless Bond aficionados reveals the trickery behind some of those shots.

Visual effects maestro Steve Begg, who helped to blow up MI6 headquarters in London, caused outrage when he sunk a Venetian palazzo into the Grand Canal and drew criticism for destroying Bond’s beloved Aston Martin DB5, recently won a prestigious industry award that recognised his ‘exceptional artistry’.

 Unlike other artists, however, the greatest compliment anyone can pay is that they didn’t notice his work. Now these before-and-after pictures of scenes that feature explosions, aircraft crashes (not forgetting the little mouse) reveal the truth behind the deceptions.

I’m entertaining people by misleading them,’ he told the Daily Mail. ‘The more successfully I mislead them, the better I’ve done my job.’

Mr Begg, 56, grew up watching children’s TV programmes such as Thunderbirds and Terrahawks. He later fulfilled a dream to work with their celebrated creator Gerry Anderson.

Begg describes that apprenticeship as ‘a masterclass in blowing things up in miniature’ – perfect grounding for his graduation to Bond films.

Some of his most convincing effects rely heavily on good old-fashioned models. So when the DB5 goes up in flames, fear not. It’s only a mock-up the size of a pedal-car.

Increasingly, however, his cinematic deception has come to involve the use of computer generated images (CGI). The evil Blofeld’s desert headquarters in Spectre, for example, is actually just a barren swathe of Moroccan wilderness. The buildings are simply images created nowhere more exotic than Pinewood.

And the mouse? ‘Most people assume when they see a building collapsing that it must be CGI , he said. ‘But not a little mouse running around. I’m very proud of that mouse.’