If you like what follows, don’t praise me. I’m just the messenger here.
This piece is to celebrate a great post by Studio Binder about practical effects in film that I felt I had to share. The videos are from a variety of authors, so they deserve praise too.
Check the original Studio Binder‘s post here.
In a time when not all CGI looks convincing and sometimes gets even tiresome, it’s good to remind ourselves of the power of practical effects.
Here, I’m reproducing only 3 videos, but in the original post you’ll find 10 of them.
Below, video number one, an excellent 10-minute work from Cinefix portraying the Top 10 Practical Movie Effects of All Time. Great stuff.
The Dark Knight Rises
Have a look at the amazing use of models in one scene of Christopher Nolan’s 2012 flick.
An American Werewolf in London
Last but not least, the complete werewolf transformation scene from the 1981 John Landis’ classic horror comedy. Still a landmark.
More on SFX in our posts Visual SFX at their Very Best!, CGI that Makes a Difference, More Amazing Unnoticed SFX that Really Help and The Wizardry of Cutting-Edge VFX.
More about Making Movies? Check The 5 Best Books on Making Movies, by Darren Aronofsky, Film Blocking, What is it?, Best “Making Of” Books: The Making of CITIZEN KANE, Best “Making Of” Books: THE JAWS LOG, First Assistant Directors: Who Are They? and Best Screenwriting Books: ADVENTURES IN THE SCREEN TRADE, amongst many others!
More on Fantasy Films? Check SHOCK VALUE, the Essential Book about America’s 70s New Horror Films, King Vs Kubrick: From THE SHINING to DOCTOR SLEEP, All About STAR TREK and All DUNES before DUNE (TV and Movies, from Jodorowky’s to Villeneuve’s), amongst many others!