Entertainment
Behind the Scenes: How Special Effects in Movies Have Transformed Over the Decades
It is undeniable that movie sequences which use special effects deeply engross audiences. Whether it is the plot twists, the magnificent visuals, or even real-life monsters. The explosive effects in a classic dramatic arc however do not just occur instantaneously. They are rather created through a lengthy timeline of technological advancement, artistic talents, and imagination.
This is what the special effects history of movies is telling us. Be it the days of old with their crude theatre props or today’s advanced CGI capabilities. The development of special effects film techniques added value and creativity to the motion picture industry. That too in such a way it changed the nature of the industry and movies.
Let us take a trip down history lane and see how these amazing special effects film techniques began from basic practical effects to what they are now.
A Brief History of Special Effects in Movies
In the early 20th century special effects in films were produced through innovative and unique techniques. A French illusionist and director Georges Méliès was a trailblazer in the special effects film history.
For the first time in history, with the use of stop-motion, double exposure and painted backdrops. Georges Méliès in his A Trip to the Moon (1902) delighted audiences with the images of the moon’s surface. These simple tricks would serve as the foundation for an entire world of special effects that no one could have imagined.
By the 1940s and 30s, the history of special effects in Hollywood experienced an important turning point. The film King Kong (1933) was among the first movies to present stop-motion animation and the combination of miniature set pieces towards outstanding filmmaking.
Some directors experimented with rear projection creating the illusion of difficult scenes. Since a little bit of ingenious imagination was enough to create movie magic, special effects were used in every movie.
Over the years, there have been major improvements in special effects and their influence in media has only increased. Anyone could properly achieve a desired special effect as they look so real.
Modern tools and technology have progressed from the silent movies of the 1920s, effectively giving filmmakers exactly what they need to see in their visions in reality.
Primarily the most important progress took place in the previous fifty years when CGI became established as it did in 1980 which gave birth to such creations as Star Wars.
With its release in 1977, Star Wars gave special effects that were way above the ones available at the time, and it put forward a new way of imagination in making sci-fi as well as other genre creations. With miniature shots combined with paintings and motion control cameras, a new era for visual effects was born.
Blockbusters Movies That Used Special Effects
Undoubtedly, the CGI graphics have improved from the 1990s to the present day, with a wide array of creatures, including goblins, dragons, and the three-headed dog from Harry Potter. Motion caption technology is one of the 21st century’s most prized techniques, as seen in the creation of alien species in the film Avatar.
Avatar
While filming the movie, the creators of Avatar used 3 types of cameras for the highest quality; namely, CGI performance capture, live action, and hybrid shooting.
Motion capture employs a computerised technique wherein people wear specially designed suits with markers that reflect infrared light to the cameras, allowing them to animate characters with the data points captured, thanks to real movement – making the characters more realistic than ever.
Director James Cameron advanced the technology of motion capture by placing cameras on the heads of actors that recorded facial movements, thus providing realistic facial expressions to the avatars that had previously been impossible to achieve with CGI. That introduced yet another level of emotional performances as actors could easily relocate their moving performances to the field of computer graphics.
All the scenes that Cameron had to shoot were performed by him with the help of a virtual action camera, as it were, placed in any position and shot the desired scene at once. This is how Cameron directed virtual computer-generated stories while the performers were acting: he panicked with a swing camera to capture the best angles during the performance.
There were also jets made in CGI, which were just ordinary jets but had been turned into 3D versions with the help of motion capture. Once again, this brought out another dimension of creativity apart from creating the images purely from CGI.
It’s hard to believe, but Avatar was released more than 10 years ago, and despite the emergence of new technologies, these techniques have not sunk into oblivion but rather inspired the developments of the last century to experiment even more with VFX.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)
To give credit where credit is due, let us start this homage with Iron Man (2008) which is considered one of the best among Marvel movies and would launch the renaissance for the MCU and VFX in general.
The first task was how to construct a believable looking and more importantly, a moving Iron Man suit which is consistent with the portrayal of the character by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber and artist Don Heck in 1963.
Jon Favreau as it was well known did not have a great appreciation for CGI and wanted the Iron Man armor to possess its own life as if Tony Stark was actually inside of it. In addition to that, he mentioned that he would use some shots of Robert Downey Jr. in the suit to make it more believable. It soon became clear that CGI, even with motion capture technology, simply wouldn’t be sufficient.
Now this was where things got fascinating. An Iron Man suit was made up and this time with a smooth shiny covering that now looked familiar. Most of the time, Downey used to put on parts of the suit, which we made sooner or later on the set, and the other parts were created in post-production. The difficult stage was the tracking where they started to integrate fully camera-captured parts into CGI such as parts of the suit that were not visibly on the count of a sitting on Downey.
At other points, it was necessary to show Downey in the whole suit and make him move as realistically as possible in motion. Another struggle they had to deal with was creating CG metal for the suit, especially the one that started to frost on the outer layer of the atmosphere. In the totality of the movie around 800 effects were applied but the most vivid effect of them all was that for the first time was convinced about the effectiveness of CGI!
Inception
It was Christopher Nolan’s in-house philosophy that was as endearing as ever, explained most effectively through the character’s journey into the depths of the human mind in 2010’s Inception, which has become synonymous with the most lucid representation of the master’s mission, the zenith of the film industry. As one could expect, there are some mediums or backing that would prove effective for producing powerful imagery or animation, however, one could never utilize it unless what had been completed in the shot already required embellishing.
In the realm of visual effects for film, fantasy becomes a reality. Such is the everyday work of Paul Franklin, who served as a visual effects supervisor for three major films, Trilogy, and, most recently, Inception. This is where he assists directors such as Nolan in animating particular images into the frame that appear to be more fantasy or sci-fi-like.
However, despite Inception’s lush, physics-bending effects, the blockbuster’s work on the British intelligent science fiction heist thriller film was considerably more conservative than one would have expected. Nolan’s film, which was released approximately a decade ago, explores somewhat dystopian and psychological themes and stands apart from traditional heist stories.
“Some of the more spectacular imagery of the film – the street folding over in Paris, characters creating architecture out of thin air – are VFX shots that we created from a combination of live action and copious amounts of digital animation,” Franklin told Wired.com in an interview.
Conclusion
In the long history of cinema, one could say that the evolution of visual effects in films is nothing short of remarkable. These incredible special effects highlights are not only milestones in motion picture capabilities but have also set the standard for the industry. They underscore the creativity, technical skill, and innovation that define the world of visual effects, shaping the imaginations of future filmmakers and VFX artists.
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This week’s top new streaming movies include some of the most popular films today, the newest originals from leading streaming networks, as well as other less hyped-up films that many noticed came out in cinemas. There’s a variety of films spanning many genres up in Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Max, Peacock, and Paramount+, many of which are just off their cinematic run. Some recently featured titles are also getting some recognition in the award season buzz.
This week still showcases some Christmas cheer to those impatient viewers who just cannot wait for the festive season. There are several Netflix productions such as Emilia Pérez that are starting to generate some anticipation due to the awards season. This is however the best week of the year for several people as it’s the release week for some of the most smashing blockbusters of the year: Transformers One, Twisters, and Deadpool & Wolverine.
#10 The Last Breath (2024)
Ever since Jaws showed us how interesting a shark movie can be, there has not really been a ‘good’ shark-related film after it which is universally appreciated and leaves a gap or potential like we saw in Under Paris’s recent effort. The Last Breath is an entertaining movie that makes viewers think thrice before entering the water but includes an interesting twist in how it tells its shark attack story. The Last Breath follows a group of college friends on a scuba diving trip in the Caribbean. All goes well until the group decides to investigate a WWII wrecked ship and unbeknownst to them, they are trapped and being stalked by sharks.
It is interesting to note that in The Last Breath, the ocean becomes as much a villain as the sharks in this narrative. The main characters have to make the horrible decision of either drowning in the sunken maze of the ship or getting eaten by the sharks in the confrontation. However, it does make for a suspenseful underwater thriller though still not able to match the Jaws.
#9 Hot Frosty (2024)
When it comes to the Christmas period, Netflix’s catalogue has several good and cozy options that I feel will find their way to people as the familiar annual collection of Christmas rom-coms has already begun in the year 2024. But no other film will probably ever beating the outrageous concept of Hot Frosty. One of the stars Lacey Chabert portrays a widow called Cathy who is not so much of a fan of Christmas and her problems are consistently solved by turning a magic snowman into a hot nice guy.
The movie goes headfirst in this merry premise with Dustin Milligan portraying Jack Snowman providing both humor and charm in the role. Some other comedic actors who feature in the film are also very notable; for example, Craig Robinson plays the sheriff who is trying to get to the root of Jack’s mysterious activities. This creates a wonderful and amusing approach to the festivities.
#8 Return Of The King: The Fall And Rise Of Elvis Presley (2024)
There are many amazing music documentaries in the world today, but there is something special about Elvis Presley that has lasted for several decades and therefore any film of him is worth watching. Return of the King: The Fall and Rise of Elvis Presley is an account of an interesting and unique phase in Elvis’ career which transformed him into one of the biggest icons of world music.
The music-focused documentary looks at the era when Elvis’ music stopped resonating with the masses and he was slowly becoming well known as a family entertainer. But Elvis made an unforgettable comeback with an equally memorable television show which earned him the title ‘The King’. The interviews are interspersed with great footage of other legendary artists speaking about their love for Elvis, including Bruce Springsteen, and fans like Conan O’Brien.
#7 Close To You (2024)
After six years of absence from the big screen, Elliott Page comes back with a film called Close to You. Additionally, he made this film after transitioning into the character that he is today. Page returns home to celebrate his father’s birthday in Close to You. During the celebration, he encounters both his relatives and friends and learns how they feel about his decision to become a trans person.
The style of the film is intimate and very loose as if the viewer simply happens to be around the characters as they engage in highly spontaneous and unscripted chats. The page clearly portrays the private side of the ordeal in the film, answering many questions, criticisms or supportive comments which inevitably come in circumstances such as these.
#6 An Almost Christmas Story (2024)
For those still not prepared to settle down with the hour-and-a-half-long Christmas special can check out the shorter festive Christmas film which comes in the shape of An Almost Christmas Story. The animated movie depicts a young owl called Moon who is accidentally caught up in a tree chosen as the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree for the year. While finding his way around the big city, Moon meets and starts talking to a girl named Luna.
Although it is only a short film available on Disney+, there are some big names in the cast of An Almost Christmas Story. An and Two have co-written and directed the short film, David Lowery (The Green Knight) directed the film which was written in part by Alfonso Cuarón. It also features an incredible voice cast that includes Natasha Lyonne, John C. Reilly and Jim Gaffigan. It serves as a nice warm family Christmas collectible for viewers of all ages.
#5 Thelma (2024)
Thelma might be the most underappreciated film of the year; however, with it now streaming at home, new audiences should enjoy this delightful surprise. Oscar nominee June Squibb portrays Thelma, a widow who is swindled out of some money because of her goodness. Determined to show that she can function independently, she sets out to reclaim what was lost.
Although the movie may precisely be described as a revenge flick, it’s really about a woman who cherishes her life and aims to do all it takes to prove that she is not a liability. Squibb is wonderful in the lead role, and she manages to be funny, charming, and sweet all at the same time. Another great performance is given by the late Richard Roundtree as Thelma’s friend who is coerced into participating in the mission.
#4 Emilia Pérez (2024)
Every year, Netflix tries its level best to market one of its original films as an award-winning film during the award season. The film which seems to catch attention this time, and chances to sweep many nominations with it is the hyped musical titled Emilia Pérez. The main cast of the film Zoe Saldaña plays an unappreciated attorney bored of being at a dead-end and is approached by a powerful and dangerous drug kingpin named Emilia. The drug lord wants assistance in staging her death so that she can escape and fulfil her dreams.
The Emilia Pérez movie received a lot of positive reactions after its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival where it also took home the Jury Prize award and Best Actress award which was awarded to the four main actors of the film; Saldana, Karla Sofía Gascón, Selena Gomez, and Adriana Paz. Mixing music with crimes has never been done before and Emilia Pérez will undoubtedly not only be one of the most talked-about films of the Fall season but will also grab a lot of attention.
#3 Transformers One (2024)
Transformers has had its fair share of highs and lows over the decades as a franchise, but one thing that stood out about Transformers One was the fact that it catered to older fans and was animated. It is a prequel depicting the events behind Optimus Prime and Megatron in their prime friendship, on a planet named Cybertron, yet again, something goes haywire and the friends get all angry at each other and split up because they have got a ‘calling’.
Transformers movie fans have waited a long time for the action to be set in Cybertron and for the Transformers characters rather than the humans taking centre stage. Transformers One feels like accomplishing both and, oddly enough, seems like a good tale about two close friends growing apart. The voice cast includes Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry and Scarlett Johansson.
#2 Twisters (2024)
Fresh in the theatres across America, once a blockbuster this summer season is ‘Twisters.’ This movie comes after a long gap of 1996 and this movie was stuck because of the constant change of directors. This movie has a new generation of cast which features Daisy Edgar Jones, and Glen Powell amongst others which definitely excites the audience.
The film is interesting as it nicely ties in with the previous one but brings new levels of destruction as well. Nevertheless, the cast earns the highest praise – actors Edgar-Jones and Powell are among the brightest rising stars of Hollywood including Meryl Streep. They easily make Twisters exceed the expectations of the audience when it comes to storm disasters, which is the whole point of the franchise.
#1 Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)
After an explosive performance at the box office which followed up with great audience reception, Deadpool & Wolverine is one of the most desirable streaming releases this year. This is the third movie in the Deadpool trilogy, but the first that puts the Merc with the Mouth voiced by Ryan Reynolds in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As expected, Deadpool did not come to Disney of his own accord, as the film is a multiverse tale with the perfect narrator, Deadpool, and his co-star Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine pursuing their dual motivations to not get wiped out.
It is amazing to watch Reynolds and Jackman bring their characters to life in such blood-filled and laughter-packed light. There are a lot of great action sequences where Deadpool and Wolverine exchange some truly funny lines. Along with Reynolds and Jackman, the movie features plenty of Wolverine and Deadpool & Wolverine cameos which are always guaranteed to be the best moments in the MCU.
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