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Georges Melies
Father of Special Effects -
Birth of Cinema
The Birth of the Cinema was created by the Lumiere brothers in Paris, 1895. It was called Cinematographe. -
The Execution of Mary, Queen of Scots Film
The world's first known special effect shot was by Alfred Clarke in 1895. -
Cinderella Film
Georges Melies uses stop-action turns pumpkin into stage coach and rags into a gown. -
A Trip to the Moon Film
Georges Melies: Based on Verne and Wells--21 minute epic, trompe l'oeil, perspective shifts and other tricks to tell the story of Victorian explorers visiting the moon. -
Indian Rubber Head Film
Georges Melies uses split-screen by masking areas of film and exposing again "exploding" his own head. -
The Great Train Robbery Film
Edwin S. Porter used tricks to further plot rather than for spectacle. This film had double exposure for train in window and passing landscape. It also has three frames tinted red to simulate gun being fired, later used in 1945 by Hitchcock for Spellbound film. -
David Wark Griffith
David Wark Griffith joined Biograph in 1907 and began to revolutionize film grammar with editing, camera movement, shot
composition, and lighting. -
What Price Glory? Film
“Special Effect” received first screen credit in 1926 Fox picture What Price Glory? -
King Kong Film
Merian C. Cooper and animator Willis O’Brien made the film King Kong in 1933) which included stopmotion, miniatures, rear-projection, and optical compositing using live actors, puppets, and miniatures. It took 55 weeks for stop-motion. -
First Academy Award in Special Effects
The First Academy Award in Special Effects was given to "The Rains Came" film featuring a tremendous flood, besting Gone with the Wind and Wizard of Oz films in 1939. -
Gone With the Wind Film
Gone With the Wind made in 1939 was the first Technicolor matte painting. -
The Thief of Baghdad Film
Colour traveling mattes was first used in the film The Thief of Bagdad in 1940. -
The Ten Commandments Film
Cecil B. DeMille’s film The Ten Commandments used blue screen, miniatures, pyrotechnics, 600 extras, matte paintings, and 32-foot high dam. -
Paramount
Paramount invents 'repeater', early mechanical motion control. -
Effects departments shut down
Effects departments shut down, except for Disney -- The Nutty Professor and Mary Poppins. -
Advancements
Extravagant budgets, sets, use of extras, costume, etc. in large and more violent productions to lure more audience after thousands of theater-closures. -
Lucas's technicians
Lucas’s technicians built first computer-controlled camera (motion-control) invented by FX supervisor John Dykstra and used through space battles. Also optical effects, included matte paintings, models, make-up,animation, and pyrotechnics. -
Return of Jedi Film
Return of Jedi made in 1983 has optical compositing with over 300 separate film elements for space battle shot. -
Young Sherlock Holmes Film
Young Sherlock Holmes made in 1985 had the first computer-generated (CG) character which was a medieval knight from stained glass. -
Advancements
Film scanning and recording becomes fast and reliable. Computers have more power. -
Terminator 2 Film
5 1/2 min for 100 computer-generated imagery (CGI) elements. After 60+ years of optical printing,all effects are digitally composited. -
Jurassic Park Film
Jurassic Park made in 1993 had the first computer-generated (CG) characters rather than stop or go motion. -
Toy Story Film
Toy Story made in 1995 had the first entirely computer-generated (CG) feature. 1000 GB of data with 800,000 machine
hours of rendering was used. -
Titanic Film
Titanic made in 1997 had over 450 effects shots by Digital Domain and 16 other companies. -
Star Wars: The Phantom Menace Film
Star Wars: The Phantom Menace made in 1999 heralds computer-generated (CG) characters, location, mixed sets,
HD, and digital projection.
