Chapter 1
Where the magic began
Chapter 2
The physical world of practical magic
Chapter 3
The digital revolution and CGI
Chapter 4
The modern hybrid era
Ch 1 · Where the magic began
disney Georges Méliès used the substitution splice and double exposure to layer multiple images in his 1902 masterpiece A Trip to the Moon.
Quiz
Which pioneering 1902 French silent film used double exposure to show a rocket landing in the Moon's eye?
Quiz
What accidental event in 1896 led Georges Méliès to discover the substitution splice technique?
disney Ray Harryhausen perfected Dynamation in 1963 to pit miniature skeletons against live actors.
Quiz
Which animator created the groundbreaking stop-motion effects for the original 1933 film King Kong?
Quiz
What is the name of the stop-motion process Ray Harryhausen invented to merge miniature monsters with live-action footage?
Fun Fact
Early green screen: Before green screens, filmmakers used a 'Dunning process' in the 1930s, which combined yellow sodium lights and blue-dyed film to separate actors from backgrounds.
Quiz
In the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, how was the iconic Emerald City background created?
Glossary
special effect (noun)
An illusion created for a motion picture, television show, or theatrical production. In 1896, French filmmaker Georges Méliès pioneered these techniques after his camera jammed while filming in Paris.
An illusion created for a motion picture, television show, or theatrical production. In 1896, French filmmaker Georges Méliès pioneered these techniques after his camera jammed while filming in Paris.
Quiz
Which optical illusion technique makes actors of similar height look like giant wizards and tiny hobbits?
Quiz
How did Peter Jackson keep forced perspective working in The Lord of the Rings when the camera moved?