Makeupaholic

How Do They Do That? An Exploration of Special Effects in Your Favorite Action Films

Action movies have the power to elicit great reactions. They can keep you on the edge of your seat, waiting in anticipation for the next thing to happen. They can, even in their intense moments, cause you to wonder, “How do they do that?”

Yes, there’s no doubt that special effects, explosions, people seamlessly floating through the air and such, add a “wow” element to all action films. But how exactly do film makers actually create these things? Let’s run through the ropes of action film special effects and techniques.

First and foremost, let’s talk about special effects. We can all agree that there are instanced when movies can be overdone with special effects, but they can also make a movie spectacular. One example that comes to mind that is heavily saturated with special effects is Pirates of the Caribbean saga. Special effects are typically used in the movie industry to recreate a real environment without being able to create those same atmospheric effects in real time.

A perfect illustration of creating a virtual atmosphere is when the vortex appears in the ocean from “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest.” Utilizing computer technology and different software, people in the movie industry are able to artistically render stuff like this for our entertainment. Pretty cool, huh?

Another technique that is used and has been made famous from the ever-popular hit movie, “The Matrix,” is a technique known as bullet time. Bullet time is a computer enhanced adjustment of variable speed and time (i.e. slow motion, or time lapse photography). That’s it? Yes, that’s it! People love this effect and it is done over and over again to recreate those same effects.

What about those odd-looking creatures that appear in various films, such as the orcs from “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy? These wonderful creations are called prosthetics. Prosthetics are created to change the appearance of a person’s face, head and sometimes even body. Prosthetics are created from materials such as latex, silicone, cold foam and foam latex. These are very malleable materials, so they are perfect when creating contours on a person’s face, molding to the cheeks, chin and so forth. These materials can also be painted, texturized, and added to previous layers to increase a perception of depth.

There are many other techniques that are utilized to create the feature action films you enjoy that you can explore. Some others include:

• Pyrotechniques
• Squids
• Wire-work
• Parkour
• Blue/Green Screen
• Animatronics

So the next time your friends and family shriek in excitement when you are watching your favorite action flick, you can now admit, “I know how they do that!”

For more information or questions regarding buying or selling used action movie DVDs from Pirates of the Caribbean to The Matrix, visit www.used-actionmovies.com. If you have any questions, please email us at customerservice@secondspin.com.

About the Author

Brad Parmerter has almost 20 years experience in the music and entertainment industry as a writer, programmer, and merchandiser. He has professionally interviewed and photographed such artists as: Rush, Metallica, Celine Dion, Live, Phil Collins, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Live, Van Halen, Queensryche, Anna Nalick, Styx, Def Leppard, and many more.

Please visit SecondSpin.com for all of your entertainment needs.

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