How do they create special effects in movies?

Answer 1

Special effects come in a huge variety of forms. The term covers almost everything that is created to enhance a shot. Many of them are created on a set - fake explosions using compressed air for example or specific camera movements and angles to create a sense of movement and size.

Increasingly, effects are added electronically in the post production phase: Film directors often film the whole movie then add special effects later on a computer.

An example is the technique called chroma keying, also known as green screen or blue screen. Filming a subject in front of a blue or green background allows the subject to be superimposed onto backgrounds at a later time. This kind of technique allows an actor to appear in a place that would otherwise be impossible. If the director wants the actor to be in outer space, chroma keying lets it happen. Underwater or in the middle of a raging fire are just as easy. As computing power increases, so the complexity of the effects grow and become more lifelike.

Despite the growing use of computers, there are still a vast number of effects that are created on a set using very simple techniques by craftsmen who spend their working life making us believe that it's happening for real.

Answer 2

There are numerous software applications used to handle special effects in movies. Some of the applications are Adobe After Effects, Autodesk Combustion, Eyeon's Digital Fusion, Apple's Shake or Digital Domain's Nuke. All of them are complicated and take a lot of time to learn. People interested in this field take special training in colleges like the DAVE school to become proficient at this.

Answer 3

Using a) computer generated graphics, b) if needed, a blue/green screen or mattes to create certain effects, or c) the old fashioned way (drawing, cutting, pasting, etc.).

Answer 4

You will need access to image editing software such as Adobe Photoshop. Other programs offer special effects for photographs, but the industry standard is Photoshop.