Special Effects

Inception Mirror Shot

How Filmmakers Make Cameras Disappear in Mirror Shots

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Mirror, mirror on the wall … why don’t you reflect the movie camera that is obviously pointed at you?

Avatar The Way Of Water mocap

The Way of Motion Capture: The Innovations of “Avatar”

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Sorry, JC, /performance/ capture.

Sh The Octopus Transformation

How They Shot That Transformation Scene in ‘Sh! The Octopus’

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From a harmless old woman to a gnarled, blotchy sea hag in the blink of an eye!

Speed Movie Explosions

The Art of Movie Explosions (And Why They Don’t Look Like Real Ones)

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Fire in the hole! Or…multiple holes, safety padded with foam, and directed towards the camera.

Dead Ringers

To Split-Screens and Beyond: The Art of Creating Doubles

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A look at one of the most common visual effects in all of cinema: duplicating a human being and having the two interact.

Cats

It Is Time to Release The Butthole Cut of ‘Cats’

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The #ButtholeCut is a good place to start, but we have many more ideas of what untold horrors other ‘Cats’ cuts could have in store.

Phantom Reveal

Unmasking the Death’s Head Reveal of ‘The Phantom of the Opera’

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Actor and makeup artist Lon Chaney Sr. crafted one of the most famous moments of the silent era. Here’s how he did it.

Blade Runner

The Secrets Behind The Eyes of ‘Blade Runner’

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The eyes have it. And by “it” we mean well-placed mirrors.