MOVIE MAGIC

Special effects are the special ingredients that make movies magical. They create scenes that otherwise would be impossible to capture.

- Andrew Matthews

Consider any of the 31 (and counting) Marvel Cinematic Universe movies. The Avengers transform from civilians into superheroes. They leap from and into moving spaceships. They engage in epic battles against alien armies. Thanks to special effects, those fictional scenes look real.

Special effects can be practical or visual. Practical effects are actual objects or elements that filmmakers manipulate or that actors interact with in real time while filming. Many practical effects have been used since the beginning of motion pictures. They include props, models, puppets, makeup, prostheses (artificial features that temporarily change a face or body part), animatronics (lifelike robots), and pyrotechnics (fireworks or explosions).

Practical effects can enhance films in a variety of ways. Early horror films made use of prostheses to bring monsters to life. Puppets have been used to portray aliens and animals. Using stop-motion animation, a director can build a scene by making tiny adjustments to a puppet between shots. Once the film is sped up, the inanimate object looks like it is alive and moving.