Chapter 1: The History of Special Effects

1. Chapter 1: The History of Special Effects Pre-1940: Prehistoric Special Effects 1925 - The Lost World 1926 - Metropolis • 1925 - The Lost World • Wood and wire skeletons covered with foam rubber • Split screens for combining live action and animation 1933 - King Kong • 1936 - Things To Come • Matte paintings, miniatures, split screens, • Rear projection, optical printing 1936 - Things To Come • 1926 - Metropolis • Miniature model city with animated aircraft • Matte paintings for aerial views of city • Multiple-exposure shots to denote confusion • 1933 - King Kong • Stop-motion animation for Kong and dinosaurs • Split screens, rear projections, and traveling mattes to insert characters into scenes

2. Chapter 1: The History of Special Effects • 1949 - Mighty Joe Young • Stop-motion with subtle emotions displayed • Live-action cowboy lasso and fire rescue scenes, mixing stop-motion, matte painting, models, and rear projection • 1950 - Destination Moon • Forced-perspective landscaping (i.e., using foreground miniatures to make the overall scene look more grand) • Stop-motion rocket ship launch and EVA • Wires used to hang actors for simulated spacewalk • Lever-operated rubber membranes used to stretch actors’ faces to simulate g-forces during blastoff 1940-1950: Ancient Special Effects 1940 - The Thief Of Bagdad 1941 - Citizen Kane • 1940 - The Thief Of Bagdad • First film to use Technicolor blue screens (for a flying horse, a flying carpet, and a giant genie) • Matte paintings, model ships, mechanical props (e.g., the genie’s giant foot) 1949 - Mighty Joe Young • 1941 - Citizen Kane • Matte paintings for interiors and exteriors • Optical printing to enlarge appearance of crowds • Miniatures, models, stop-motion, aging makeup 1950 - Destination Moon

3. Chapter 1: The History of Special Effects • 1954 - 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea • Two-ton 40-foot mechanical squid, combining electronics, pneumatics, hydraulics, and puppeteering • 200-foot submarine model, as well as several miniatures • Glass shots for elaborate scenery • 1953 - The War Of The Worlds • 42-inch models of Martian ships, suspended from wires and lit internally • Animated disintegration effects • Miniature model cities for destruction scenes • Plaster and rubber Martians 1951-1959: Medieval Special Effects • 1956 - Forbidden Planet • Model spaceships flown on wires and filmed at high speed • Split screens to produce disintegration effects • Robot costume with flashing lights and moving parts, controlled remotely 1953 - The War Of The Worlds 1954 - 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea • 1959 - Darby O’Gill And The Little People • Interaction between humans and leprechauns created via travelling mattes, deep-focus photography, and split-screen scenes between normal-sized sets and oversized replicas. • Matte paintings for Irish locations • Animated mouth on a real horse 1956 - Forbidden Planet 1959 - Darby O’Gill And The Little People

4. Chapter 1: The History of Special Effects • 1966 - Fantastic Voyage • Huge sets representing the brain, the heart, etc. • 4-ton, 42-foot submarine model • Simulated blood flow via Vaseline and projected light effects • Simulated swimming via wire suspension and high-speed filming • 1968 - 2001: A Space Odyssey • 38-foot rotating barrel to simulate spaceship centrifuge • Multiple-pass exposures • Sophisticated wiring to simulate weightlessness • Elaborate models of spaceship externals 1960-1969: Renaissance Special Effects 1963 - Jason And The Argonauts 1963 - The Birds 1966 - Fantastic Voyage 1968 - 2001: A Space Odyssey • 1963 - Jason And The Argonauts • Stop-motion scenes with battling skeletons, a seven-headed hydra, half-human/half-bird harpies, and a giant attacking bronze statue • 1963 - The Birds • Blue screen and travelling mattes to mix studio-filmed birds with location shots • Mechanical birds also used • Matte paintings to enhance location shots

5. Chapter 1: The History of Special Effects 1970-1978: Revolutionary Special Effects 1973 - The Exorcist 1974 - Earthquake 1977 - Close Encounters Of The Third Kind 1977 - Star Wars: A New Hope • 1974 - Earthquake • Matte paintings and miniatures of crumbling landmark buildings, as well as the real destruction of pre-weakened full-scale sets • Oscar-wining camera shaking device • Sensurrround-equipped theatres • 1973 - The Exorcist • Backwards filming of chemical reaction to form letters on fake stomach • Bladder beneath false skin to produce swelling effect • Hidden pipes and nozzle to produce vomiting effect • 1977 - Close Encounters Of The Third Kind • Forced-perspective models • Front-projection lighting from spaceships • Truck and driver shot upside-down to give effect of objects being pulled towards ceiling • 1977 - Star Wars: A New Hope • Computerized motion control of spaceship models • Blue-screen, matte paintings, animated laser and light saber effects, stop-motion animation of holographic chess set • Makeup effects for aliens • Advanced sound design

6. Chapter 1: The History of Special Effects • 1981 - Raiders Of The Lost Ark • Matte paintings, model vehicles, stop-motion animation • Cloud tanks to chemically create rolling cloud effect • Layered wax and slow camera rates to create melting head effect 1979-1981: Antebellum Special Effects 1979 - 1941 • 1980 - Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back • Stop-motion for Imperial walkers and taun-tauns • Travelling mattes for snow battle scenes • Fully articulated Yoda puppet • Matte paintings for Cloud City • Elaborate optical compositing for asteroid chase scene 1980 - Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back 1981 - Raiders Of The Lost Ark 1981 - An American Werewolf In London • 1979 - 1941 • Miniature forced-perspective models of Los Angeles • Radio-controlled flying aircraft models • 1981 - An American Werewolf In London • Life masks deformed via inflatable bladders, extended to entire body of actor • Hair pulled into latex skin and filmed backwards, creating fur-sprouting effect

7. Chapter 1: The History of Special Effects • 1982 - Tron • Actors filmed in black and white, with neon colors and backgrounds added optically • Computer animation scenes could not be blended with live action, so they were intercut instead 1982-1984: Reconstruction Special Effects 1982 - Blade Runner 1982 - Tron 1983 - Star Wars: Return Of The Jedi 1984 - The Last Starfighter • 1984 - The Last Starfighter • All spaceships created digitally • CGI took 30 months on a $15M Cray supercomputer • 1983 - Star Wars: Return Of The Jedi • Creatures created via animatronics, puppetry, rubber suits, furry costumes, and stop-motion models • Optical compositing to create space battles and forest speeder chases • 1982 - Blade Runner • Forced-perspective models • Matte paintings • Small-scale and large-scale flying ship models • Rear and front projection

8. Chapter 1: The History of Special Effects • 1988 - Who Framed Roger Rabbit? • Wire-operated physical props were filmed, with hand-drawn animated characters added later • Shading and shadowing of characters were drawn to match lighting in live action scenes 1985-1988: Depression Era Special Effects 1985 - Young Sherlock Holmes 1986 - Aliens 1988 - Willow 1988 - Who Framed Roger Rabbit? • 1988 - Willow • First use of 2D digital morphing • Travelling mattes, stop-motion, animatronics, matte paintings • 1986 - Aliens • In-camera compositing of live action, models, matte paintings, and digital effects • Wire-controlled scuttling face-hugger • 1985 - Young Sherlock Holmes • First CGI character: stained glass knight • Matte paintings of Victorian London

9. Chapter 1: The History of Special Effects • 1994 - Forrest Gump • Digital manipulation of stock footage to permit interaction with historical figures • Digital matte painting of Vietnam scenes • Digital removal of character’s leg • 1991 - Terminator 2: Judgment Day • 3D morphing combined with environment and texture mapping to its surface to make the T-1000 realistic • Digital effects were digitally composited for the first time • 1989 - The Abyss • CGI alien character made of water, with full reflective and refractive effects • Traditional compositing and split-screen 1989-1994: Atomic Age Special Effects 1989 - The Abyss 1991 - Terminator 2: Judgment Day 1993 - Jurassic Park 1994 - Forrest Gump • 1993 - Jurassic Park • CGI dinosaurs interacting seamlessly with live actors • Improved sound design

10. Chapter 1: The History of Special Effects • 1999 - Star Wars: The Phantom Menace • CGI characters, including Jar JarBinks, Watto, Boss Nass, and Sebulba • Actors shot on stark sets, with CGI backgrounds added in post-production 1995-1999: Flower Power Special Effects • 1997 - Titanic • CGI for water, smoke, and crowds • Morphing between young and old versions of characters • Digital face replacement onto stunt persons • 44-foot model of ship for exteriors, miniatures for interiors 1995 - Toy Story 1997 - Titanic • 1995 - Toy Story • First computer-generated feature film 1999 - Star Wars: The Phantom Menace 1999 - The Matrix • 1999 - The Matrix • Digital doubles for actors and buildings • “Bullet time” sequence producing all-around still shots

11. Chapter 1: The History of Special Effects 2000-2003: Disco Fever Special Effects • 2002 - The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers • CGI Gollum character, using Andy Serkis in a motion capture suit • Treebeard character required 48 hours per frame to render 2001 - The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring 2002 - Star Wars: Attack Of The Clones 2002 - The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers 2003 - The Matrix Reloaded • 2001 - The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring • Hobbit and dwarf characters were made to look smaller via forced perspective and duplicate sets at different scales • Employed a software system called MASSIVE (Multiple Agent Simulation System in Virtual Environment) to automate the behavior of animated crowds in battle scenes • 2002 - Star Wars: Attack Of The Clones • Filmed entirely in digital • Storyboards replaced with digital animatics, i.e., computer-generated versions of actors and backgrounds, used to experiment with pacing, camera angles, etc. • Completely CGI version of Yoda • Christopher Lee’s face was digitally superimposed onto a stunt double during Count Dooku’s fight scenes • 2003 - The Matrix Reloaded • 1.5-mile freeway constructed for chase scene • Hundreds of Smith digital doubles used in fight scene

12. Chapter 1: The History of Special Effects 2003-2005: Me Generation Special Effects 2003 - The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King 2003 - The Matrix Revolutions 2005 - Star Wars: Revenge Of The Sith 2005 - King Kong • 2003 - The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King • MASSIVE system extended to include horses • 200,000 CGI characters, numerous completely digital locations • Extensive morphs between actors and digital doubles • 2005 - Star Wars: Revenge Of The Sith • New CGI characters: General Grievous and Wookiees • Dozens of CGI settings • Particle-based lava system used in climactic fight scene • 2003 - The Matrix Revolutions • Digital weather effects, accompanied by simulating wet clothing, hair, and skinParticle systems used for invading sentinels and fired tracer rounds • 2005 - King Kong • Depression-era New York created digitally • CGI creatures, including dinosaurs and insects • Fur modeling refined to include details when wind-blown or mud-splattered

13. Chapter 2: OPTICAL EFFECTS Color The thin layer of nerve cells at the back of the eye is called the retina. The light sensor cells on the retina that detect illumination are called rods. The section of the retina that reacts to color is called the fovea. Located within the fovea are highly sensitive light sensor cells called cones. The Tristimulus Theory of Color hypothesizes that each cone is sensitive to red, green, or blue light, and that all colors are essentially combinations of R,G, and B. High Red + High Blue = Magenta High Blue + High Green = Cyan High Green + High Red = Yellow High Red + High Green + High Blue = White ??? Red + ??? Green + ??? Blue = Brown

14. Chapter 2: OPTICAL EFFECTS Color-Blindness Over 2% of people (mostly male) suffer from some form of color-blindness Protanopes Violets and magentas are perceived as blues. Greens are perceived as yellows. Reds and oranges are perceived as grays. Deuteranopes Blues and magentas are perceived as violets. Greens and oranges are perceived as yellows. Cyans and reds are perceived as white. Tritanopes Oranges and magentas are perceived as reds. Greens and blues are perceived as cyans. Yellows and violets are perceived as white.

15. Chapter 2: OPTICAL EFFECTS Travelling Mattes Mattes are background images in front of which foreground actors are placed in order to indicate that the action is taking place in the setting represented by the background. When the background itself is composed of moving images, it is known as a travelling matte. The “Fraggle Rock” character, Travelling Matt, was given his name as an inside joke, since the show frequently inserted its characters in front of prerecorded images of underground caves.

16. Chapter 2: OPTICAL EFFECTS Rotoscoping Filmed images of real objects are traced and replaced with artificial objects or other filmed objects that are placed into the removed silhouette. Glowing light saber replacing simple rod in “Star Wars: The Phantom Menace” Actor replaced with stylized rendering in “A Scanner Darkly”

17. Chapter 2: OPTICAL EFFECTS Chroma Key Masking This technique blends images by removing one color (usually a specific shade of blue or green) from one image and inserting what’s left into the other (background) image. Green-screening in “Sin City” Rotoscoping JFK and blue-screening Tom Hanks in “Forrest Gump”

18. Chapter 2: OPTICAL EFFECTS Optical Printing Multiple film projectors are mechanically linked to a movie camera to combine several film elements into a single scene. Deep focus in “Citizen Kane” Inserting riders onto computer-generated cycles in “Tron” Identical twins in “Dead Ringers”

19. Chapter 2: OPTICAL EFFECTS Rear & Front Projection With rear projection, actors perform in front of a screen while a projector positioned behind the screen casts a reversed image of the background. Rear projection in “North By Northwest” With front projection, the background image is projected onto the actors and a screen covered in highly reflective Scotchlite. The image is faint enough to be virtually invisible on the actors but is reflected back 1000 times stronger from the reflective screen. Front projection in “2001: A Space Odyssey”

20. Chapter 2: OPTICAL EFFECTS Morphing Smoothly transitioning between the vertices of one object into the vertices of another object produces a dramatic visual effect. Mystique morphing in “X-Men” Wrong grail scene in “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade”