Questions tagged [effects]

Artificial visual or mechanical effects introduced into a movie or television show.

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What's the meaning of this effect?

In The Departed (2006), before meeting Dignam and Queenan in the Special Investigation Unit building, Sullivan is framed in a small circle as he stands near a traffic signal, which enlarges to full ...
Max Power's user avatar
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14 votes
2 answers
3k views

How was the Burandan Airlines plane made?

This is a "Burandan Airlines" flight shown on Minister Jim Hacker's TV on Yes, Minister (season 1, episode 2), from the fictional African country of Buranda. The joke is that many "tin ...
Rebecca J. Stones's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
1k views

Which scenes of Top Gun: Maverick included actual aerial footage and which are VFX?

Questions I am looking to learn which scenes (starting from when through when) included footage of airplane physics that were not actually shot, but done in VFX including CGI. Even more so, I am ...
Stellaris's user avatar
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11 votes
3 answers
8k views

What is this video effect where there's a square on the left side of the frame?

I see this effect all the time used in music videos, and I always ask myself: What is this effect? What is the square on the left? Is it the same effect? I know it is a vintage camera effect but I ...
s3b4s's user avatar
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17 votes
1 answer
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How are Star Trek medical devices attached to the neck?

In Star Trek Voyager, it happens a few times that a medical device is attached to the neck. For example, in S03E02 "Flashback" at 8:28, the doctor attaches a device to Tuvok's neck. ...
boot4life's user avatar
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-2 votes
1 answer
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Machine Gun Use in Rambo IV

Rambo IV (2008) (titled Rambo in the US) has a scene towards the end of the film in which Rambo uses a powerful 0.50 caliber machine gun (it is the turret of a car). My question is: How do the ...
Hannah Sanders's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
467 views

Is it actually Mickey Rourke typing in Iron Man 2?

In Iron Man 2, Mickey Rourke plays the villain, Ivan Vanko. In several scenes, Vanko is seen to be a consummate hacker, typing away at the keyboard in a blizzard of keystrokes. Rourke's fingers look ...
Tyler Durden's user avatar
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3 votes
1 answer
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What is the name of a dry plant in circular shape which bounces off the ground from side to side to symbolize abandoned city (i.e. in Wild West)?

It's pretty much all in the title: What is the name of a dry plant in circular shape which bounces off the ground from side to side of the screen to symbolize abandoned city/place (i.e. in Wild West)?
Michał Łodyga's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
849 views

How do they film scenes with storms?

In some movies, such as Equalizer 2, for example, there are scenes that take place in storms or hurricanes. How do they create such scenes? It would seem to be difficult to fake whole streets being ...
Tyler Durden's user avatar
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2 votes
2 answers
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How are Star Trek ship explosions produced?

I always wondered how older ship explosions in Star Trek were created. In Star Trek Generations, there's a Bird of Prey exploding (YouTube). It does not look like CGI but more like they blew up an ...
boot4life's user avatar
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Was aged Ryan a CGI or it was different actor? [closed]

In the opening scene of Saving Private Ryan, when an old Ryan is at the cemetery, was this Matt Damon with makeup, CGI etc, or was it some other actor altogether?
Dalibor's user avatar
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2 votes
0 answers
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How is this style of cartoon animation produced?

Back in the early 1990s, America's Funniest Home Videos briefly featured an animated sidekick called Stretchy McGillicuddy: As you can see from the clip, the human ...
Psychonaut's user avatar
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5 votes
1 answer
1k views

What's the significance of "Shallow Depth of Field" effect?

I have marked the blurry portions in below images: click for larger This effect is used in lot of scenes. What's the significance of "Shallow Depth of Field" effect in Army of the Dead (...
J Mac Brown's user avatar
3 votes
0 answers
194 views

How realistic are the bending effects in The Last Airbender? [closed]

One of the most common criticism of M.Night Shaymalan’s The Last Airbender is the bending visuals, both SFX and VFX. In his extremely critical review of the movie, the great Robert Ebert had this to ...
Jackson's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
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How do they get blowing steam (like a steam vent) in a movie?

When someone shoots a pipe, often there'll be steam coming out of it. I'm sure they could do it with CGI, but was this ever done with practical effects as well? If so, how?
personjerry's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
228 views

How do movies like The Poseidon Adventure (1972) do floods and rogue waves?

In The Poseidon Adventure (1972) when the gigantic rogue wave hits the ship, the interior of the ship is violently flooded. How do they do that effect?
HowardK32588's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
210 views

How was the antimatter effect achieved?

In Angels & Demons, there are small canisters holding antimatter. It appears very realistic, including when it's shown in closeup at some point: How was this effect achieved? Doesn't look like ...
Shadow Wizard Is Sad And Angry's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
130 views

How do movies make small places fog up

When somebody is burned and gets put out, you will usually see smoke in small places where you can't get a fog machine in. Or in a Airplane! With the smoking ticket, how do they do that effect?
HowardK32588's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
126 views

What powder is used for explosions in movies? [closed]

When there are explosions in movies they use a powder, but what is the name of the powder that is used for the explosions? What is the chemical name?
HowardK32588's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
340 views

How did Charlie Chaplin accomplish the gear stunts in Modern Times?

How was the famous scene in which Chaplin goes into the machine accomplished? Did they actually build gears for Chaplin to rotate around?
COOKIE's user avatar
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9 votes
1 answer
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Why were two people — a body double and a stunt double — used for a character who barely appears in “The Mandalorian?”

Season 2, episode 8 of The Mandalorian features a brief — but significant — cameo from a character well known in the Star Wars universe. While CGI technology was used to change the face of this ...
Giacomo1968's user avatar
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6 votes
1 answer
150 views

Showing old TV programs in modern films, is this a special effect?

I am watching The Crown, and in the newer seasons, the royal family is shown watching TV in several episodes. Especially Season 3, Episode 7 is about the first moon landing, and there are multiple ...
rumtscho's user avatar
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6 votes
2 answers
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What would you call this specific war scene effect?

Sorry I am not native so it's difficult to find information about it and I can't put a name on that special effect. In movies sometimes you have an explosion and the soldier is lost in his own ...
vdegenne's user avatar
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1 vote
0 answers
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How is this powerful vomit effect scene achieved?

At the beginning of the movie Hubie Halloween (2020), the character "Hubie", played by Adam Sandler, has an extremely powerful throw up. How is this effect achieved?
TheGreatestMovies's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
178 views

Do films "buy" special effects parts to avoid all the budget to film those? [closed]

I was watching the making-of of a movie and one of the actors mentioned that they had a very low budget. Then the movie contained a situation where a car was falling down a cliff, exploded and all ...
fedorqui's user avatar
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5 votes
1 answer
932 views

Why is number 9 modified on digital clocks in some movies? [closed]

I just found out that in some movies, for some reason the bottom part of number 9 on digital clocks is cut out. An example from Back to the Future (6 gets the same treatment): I'd just dismiss it as ...
Noctiphobia's user avatar
5 votes
0 answers
223 views

Why the Pillarbox effect used in this scene?

In the scene of The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), where Real Jordan Belfort welcomes reel actor Jordan Belfort onto the stage. Pillarbox effect is used. It comes to normal aspect ratio when he asks ...
Favonian Musketeer's user avatar
33 votes
1 answer
6k views

What kind of special effect did Alfred Hitchcock use in this scene for "The Lady Vanishes"?

The shot from The Lady Vanishes I am talking about is when Iris looks back to say goodbye to her friends after getting clonk on the head. She was feeling dizzy when she got on the train. Can you let ...
TF4D 150's user avatar
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2 votes
0 answers
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What do all of the "god-rays" in Umbrella Academy Season 2 symbolize?

I don't think it's an overstatement to say that in season 2 of the Umbrella Academy, there are about 50 scenes in which there are prominent "god-rays" in the background. For reference, "...
jheindel's user avatar
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13 votes
1 answer
627 views

How were the video screens in Chaplin's Modern Times filmed?

The factory scenes in Modern Times feature huge futuristic screens used to make video calls. They obviously didn't use real television screens, as technology was not advanced enough to do it. The ...
vsz's user avatar
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55 votes
1 answer
22k views

Did they torture and kill a monkey during the filming of Andromeda Strain?

I was quite young when I saw the 1971 film Andromeda Strain in the theatre, and the image of the monkey dying when exposed to the organism still bothers me. It certainly looked traumatic and the ...
uhoh's user avatar
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7 votes
1 answer
968 views

How Was The Superimposed Billboard Effect Achieved In Michael Jackson's Billie Jean Music Video?

In the music video for Billie Jean by Michael Jackson one interesting effect I noticed is on a billboard which show three different pictures of two women. It looks like the pictures were added in post ...
The Movie Man's user avatar
8 votes
2 answers
516 views

Would Hollywood have been able to fake the moon landing of Apollo 11 in 1969?

So could Hollywood, with a 100 million dollar budget, have had the ability to produce the film of the Apollo 11 moon landing that was seen on TV in 1969 without it being debunked with our current ...
blankip's user avatar
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2 votes
0 answers
117 views

Real-world elements used to portray the fictional computer in Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970) [closed]

The opening sequence of "Colossus: The Forbin Project" (1970) starts with close-ups of electronics, progressing up to a console of an IBM 1620, and eventually to a giant hall where "...
Anthony X's user avatar
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4 votes
1 answer
595 views

Does the 3D sculpting machine in Mission Impossible III exist?

In Mission Impossible III at 48 minutes in there is a scene in which they make one of the signature Mission Impossible latex face masks using a portable sculpting machine to create the pattern. Does ...
Tyler Durden's user avatar
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8 votes
1 answer
606 views

Do actors get paid if their digital image is used in a movie?

These day we more often see actors in their younger ages. Do they get paid for that or can companies just model whatever they want with no need to pay to the model's prototype?
R S's user avatar
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4 votes
1 answer
530 views

How do production crews film people running down corridors in Star Trek?

In Star Trek, especially the newer series, the camera follows Captain Kirk, Spock, Michael Burnham, etc. running down corridors, turning left or right, and flying by people. It would be convenient if ...
Sovereign Inquiry's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
168 views

What is the name of this technique?

I saw this in two japanese movies (as I remember), and they were not from the same directors. First was Kagemusha, and the other one was Kwaidan. And they both used the same background style. It's ...
Apprentice's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
175 views

Why is the dog in The Call of the Wild done with CGI?

In the new The Call of the Wild film, the dog is done with CGI which makes him look very cartoonish. I noticed throughout the film that other animals are also CGI, such as a rabbit and a dog team. It ...
sanpaco's user avatar
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5 votes
1 answer
174 views

Wounded Men in War Films

In a war film, sometimes a soldier will be thrown up into the air by an explosion, or a grenade will go off, and when it is over, they will be missing arms or legs. How do they make the soldiers with ...
Jeremy Toman's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
292 views

How do movies make explosions?

In just about every war film, there is always an explosion of some sort. What do film makers use to make an explosion that looks real and is completely harmless?
Jeremy Toman's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
357 views

Psycho (1960) Sandwich Scene [closed]

When most people think of Psycho they think of the shower scene. Admittedly it is one of the all scariest scenes in the history of movies. Today I recently re-watched Psycho and I'm convinced there is ...
cshizzle's user avatar
-6 votes
1 answer
567 views

How did they get the entrapped testicles shot in Something About Mary?

In the 1998 comedy "There's Something About Mary" there is a scene in which the prom date gets his testicles entrapped in his zipper and this mess is briefly shown as an inserted still frame. How did ...
Tyler Durden's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
174 views

Was the location of the big showdown real or CG?

Was the location shown here in the finale of Sherlock Holmes, especially at 0:10 - 0:25, actually a real location? Or was it created with CG in post production? I don't know if it's just because of ...
GendoIkari's user avatar
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45 votes
5 answers
13k views

How was 1917 filmed as a continuous shot?

I just saw the new Sam Mendes film 1917 and was really impressed with the continuous shot approach, especially given the setting in the trenches of WW1. I've seen this effect done before and know ...
sanpaco's user avatar
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5 votes
2 answers
624 views

Are Top Gun 2 dogfights & airplane maneuvers real?

In the 2nd trailer of Top Gun 2, a plethora of swift airplane maneuvers and at least one dogfight take place. Are those scenes real, captured by a chase airplane? Or they're just simulation (Computer ...
gsamaras's user avatar
  • 1,063
6 votes
2 answers
3k views

How was the three-breast effect done for the prostitute?

In the first Total Recall movie, the main cast visits a bar, and one of the patrons was a woman that had three breasts (instead of the usual two for non-injured adult human women). Did the actress (...
CTMacUser's user avatar
  • 163
50 votes
4 answers
11k views

Is lens flare shot organically, or added in post-production?

The Star Trek series and movies really love their lens flare. Does the organic picture actually taken by the camera have this lens flare in it? Or is it added to the image in post-production? Are ...
Harper - Reinstate Monica's user avatar
20 votes
3 answers
16k views

Is Yoda made using CGI in the original Star Wars or is it practical effects?

In the original Star Wars trilogy, was Yoda made using CGI available at that time or was he made using practical effects (like a puppet)?
Ankit Kante's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
216 views

How do special effects experts reproduce hidden objects that are covered up by green screen suits?

I was watching the SFX clips from Hollow Man (2000) and I noticed that in the scene where the invisible soldier washes his hands the faucet handle turns. In the green suit scene, the actor comes to ...
Tyler Durden's user avatar
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