Expert Consulting Solutions for
Explosive, Pyrotechnic and Mechanical Effects.
With over three decades of global experience designing and executing large-scale, iconic special effects, I bring proven technical expertise and creative problem-solving to every production. Whether as a consultant or integrated team member, I help realize complex effects safely, efficiently, and to the highest professional standards..
I consult with productions, safety departments, law firms, and FX teams—helping achieve ambitious results while navigating today’s demanding technical and regulatory landscape.
Services
Action sequences require the precise integration of multiple technical disciplines—vehicle dynamics, pyrotechnics and explosives, aircraft operations, and specialized rigging—often in close proximity to stunt performers, camera crews, and production personnel. I provide comprehensive pre-production safety planning and risk assessment to ensure complex sequences are achievable with minimal risk while preserving creative intent.
My services combine technical analysis, operational planning, and on-set implementation to control hazards, verify tolerances, and document safe execution. Deliverables commonly include initial hazard identification, quantitative risk assessments (including vehicle and structural load analysis where applicable), separation and timing matrices for pyrotechnic/pyro-adjacent effects, rigging inspection and certification, rehearsal plans, emergency response procedures, and regulatory-compliant safety documentation.
When your project—whether in development or active production—requires large-scale or technically complex pyrotechnic or mechanical effects, engage Integral-FX to provide a thorough assessment of feasibility, practicality, cost, and, above all, safety.
Drawing on extensive technical expertise and industry experience, I identify core objectives, eliminate inefficiencies, and deliver clear, actionable insights to ensure your creative vision is both achievable and compliant with the highest safety standards.
With a career built on strict adherence to safety and regulatory standards, I ensure every project operates fully within applicable codes and requirements. Staying current with evolving regulations allows me to guide clients efficiently and cost-effectively through any compliance challenge—whether providing foundational guidance, training your team, or helping your organization navigate new regulatory environments.
I maintain working expertise in regulations governing pyrotechnics, explosives, and propellants as established by the BATFE, California State Fire Marshal (SFM), NFPA, DOT, DOE, DOD, and NASA. This comprehensive understanding of safety standards for storage, transportation, handling, and use ensures that all special effects operations meet or exceed the highest levels of compliance and safety.
Through Integral-FX, I deliver comprehensive engineering and technical-drawing services for pyrotechnic and mechanical special effects. Services include concept modeling, detailed manufacturing drawings, tolerance-controlled part designs, and complete assembly documentation produced with industry-standard CAD and FEA tools. I provide structural and thermal calculations, load and motion analyses, and calculation sheets suitable for records and regulatory review. Where required, I also support prototyping, vendor coordination, and design-for-manufacture recommendations to ensure reliable, safe, and cost-effective fabrication and field installation.
Key capabilities:
· CAD 3D modeling and parametric detail drawings
· FEA-based stress/thermal/motion analysis and validation
· Complete fabrication packages (bill of materials, tolerances, assembly instructions)
· Calculation sheets and documentation for compliance and recordkeeping
· Prototype support and vendor/manufacturer liaison
· Design-for-safety and design-for-manufacture recommendations
With decades of hands-on experience in the design and execution of pyrotechnic, explosive, and large-scale mechanical effects, I provide expert witness services for matters involving special effects safety, performance, and regulatory compliance. My background spans all phases of practical effects work, with particular expertise in pyrotechnics, explosive effects, dynamic water systems, and mechanical assemblies.
Drawing on a long career in the field, I am qualified to analyze, interpret, and define Duty of Care and Standard of Care as they apply to special effects operations. Duty of Care refers to the legal obligation to take reasonable measures to prevent harm, while Standard of Care defines the level of diligence a competent professional would exercise in comparable circumstances.
As a licensed pyrotechnic operator and explosives manufacturer at both federal and state levels, I maintain a detailed working knowledge of relevant codes and regulations, including California Health and Safety Code Title 19, Division 11, Explosives Part 2 (Fireworks and Pyrotechnic Devices, Sections 12500–12534), as well as NFPA 495, NFPA 1123, and NFPA 1126, which serve as foundational standards in many jurisdictions.
I am available to provide expert analysis, written reports, consultation, deposition, and courtroom testimony in cases involving pyrotechnic, explosive, or mechanical special effects incidents.
About
Integral-FX, Inc.
As the principal of Integral-FX, Inc., Anthony Simonaitis is a veteran special effects professional specializing in the design and supervision of complex practical effects involving pyrotechnics, explosives, large-scale mechanical systems, and massive water effects. His work has contributed to the creation of many iconic action sequences in major motion pictures throughout a long and distinguished career.
With professional experience spanning aerospace testing, explosives manufacturing, and commercial hard rock blasting, and backed by a strong foundation in science and engineering principles, Anthony brings a rare combination of technical expertise and creative problem-solving to every project. This depth of knowledge allows him to design, evaluate, and execute effects that are both innovative and safe.
He is federally licensed for explosives and pyrotechnics, and holds or has held blaster and explosives licenses in multiple U.S. states and internationally as required. Anthony is a longstanding member of the International Society of Explosives Engineers (ISEE), an active board member of the Alliance of Special Effects and Pyrotechnic Operators, and a member of the International Pyrotechnics Society. He has also served as a guest speaker at numerous ISEE regional chapters..
Memberships and Affiliations
International Alliance of Stage and Theatrical Employees IATSE Local 44,
International Society of Explosives Engineers, ISEE
Alliance of Special Effects and Pyrotechnic Operators, ASEPO
International Pyrotechnics Society IPS