Creating Special Effects in Movies

Types of Special Effects

You've probably seen enough major films to know that special effects can easily run the gamut from lame and hokey to lavish and over-the-top. Even the most unbelievable actions become realistic when put into effect with the right tricks of the trade.

There are many types of special effects, ranging from computer-generated to manual. A list of detailed effects would easily span pages worth of information. However, the professionals rely on select tricks when creating special effects in movies. They're what make motion pictures so much more enticing, what makes a summer blockbuster the big earner that it is and what draws people to the box office in the first place.

Computer-generated effects include:

• Animation
• Blue Screen
• Compositing

Manual effects include:

• Advanced makeup
• Bloody scenes
• Massive explosions
• Weather

Creating Special Effects in Movies: What the Pros Do

Think of all the films you've seen that rely primarily on special effects to tell their stories properly. From Titanic to Star Wars, these films are memorable for a number of reasons, including their special effects. Of course, modern films have plenty of resources to rely on.

In the early days, filmmakers made liberal use of small camera tricks and professional magician's stage tricks in order to create their own so-called "effects." It's worth noting that cinema has made astounding progress over the years.

This is due in great part to computers, which play an important role in creating special effects. A great many effects can be achieved with a computer expert's savvy touch, including these popular ones that are frequently used in films.

Animation

Animation is just what you're imagining: cartoon objects brought to life on the big screen. Film animation can encompass a number of creative methods, including the traditional frame by frame artistic process we are all familiar with, as well as a more complicated method that involves positioning models (such as the chickens in the film Chicken Run), shooting one frame, repositioning the models, shooting another frame and continuing on until the project is complete.

Blue Screen

Remember when the bicycles started flying in ET and the DeLorean took flight at the end of Back to the Future? None of this obviously happened in real life, but the magic of blue screen technology brought it all to life on the big screen. Essentially, two scenes--a foreground and background shot, respectively--are shot separately and then edited together to create the new, finished scene. The foreground shot is done over a blue screen, which is later erased in the editing room and transformed into the background shot. It's one of the most popular, widely-used effects in film today.

Compositing

Compositing involves superimposing one shot over another. This is a common effect that's used daily during televised weather reports when the meteorologist stands in front of a computerized shot depicting maps and other animated weather sequences.

Other Effects

Of course, it's not all about computers. Manual effects involve a lot of handiwork from skilled crew members. They're responsible for making Ralph Fiennes look like Voldemort in the Harry Potter films, they make gunshot wounds look authentic and they cause some serious explosions, too!

• Advanced makeup is a great tool for filmmakers because it truly can render an actor unrecognizable. That's important to seal the audience's belief in the character, as in Voldemort's case.
• Bloody shots are easily achieved with some help from a rigged "blood pack," which is secured beneath the actor's top and activated by a control box. When the pack bursts through the shirt, the "blood" flows out, resulting in a very realistic sequence.
• Pyrotechnic machines are often used to create everything from minor fireworks scenes to major explosions. These types of effects are always conducted by a professional pyrotechnic artist.
• Rain, snow and fire machines, as well as oversize fans, are responsible for the majority of major weather sequences seen in films. Torrential downpours, heavy snowstorms and fierce winds are hard to capture in real time, but they're easy to simulate on the big screen. Likewise, a blaze can be simply created with the touch of a button.

The Expert's Touch

Clearly, a lot of effort and diligence goes into making each shot memorable. The next time you watch a major film at the theater, you'll do so with a greater understanding of what went into making it the exciting piece of work that it is.