Visual and Special Effects Film Milestones

Milestones in Film History:
Greatest Visual and Special Effects and Computer-Generated Imagery (CGI)

Part 15

Introduction: From even its earliest days, films have used visual magic ("smoke and mirrors") to produce illusions and trick effects that have startled audiences. In fact, the phenomenon of persistence of vision is the reason why the human eye sees individual frames of a movie as smooth, flowing action when projected.

Cel animation, scale modeling, claymation, digital compositing, animatronics, use of prosthetic makeup, morphing, and modern computer-generated or computer graphics imagery (CGI) are just some of the more modern techniques that are widely used for creating incredible special or visual effects.

(See this site's film terms glossary for definitions and examples, the History of Film by Decade, and an extensive timeline of other Milestones and Turning Points in Film History.)

Note: The films that are marked with a yellow star

are the films that "The Greatest Films" site has selected as the 100 Greatest Films.

Film Title and Description of Visual-Special Effects

Example

Cliffhanger (1993)

In various dangerous climbing sequences, actor Sylvester Stallone (as Gabe Walker) was held up by wires - that were later digitally erased. In the film's opening scene, climber Sarah (Michelle Joyner) was supported by just a 1/8" wire (later removed), leaving her hanging 8,000 feet above the ground, before she appeared to fall to her death in the abyss below.

In the Line of Fire (1993)

Because it was much cheaper to use footage of an actual 1992 Clinton campaign rally than to pay extras to rally, computers digitally retouched the images and replaced Bill Clinton with the faceless president that Clint Eastwood was protecting. Computers also took an image of Eastwood from his earlier film Dirty Harry (1971), made it look even younger (gave him a digital haircut, shaved off his sideburns, narrowed his tie, and gave his jacket a digital lapel), and then implanted it into newsreel footage from JFK's 1963 Dallas airport arrival, taken with a 16-millimeter camera of JFK and Jackie Kennedy at Glover Field on the day the president was assassinated.

Jurassic Park (1993)

This film from Steven Spielberg, the Academy Award winner for Best Achievement in Visual Effects (defeating The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) and Cliffhanger (1993)), mixed animatronic and computer-generated (CGI), photo-realistic dinosaurs - displayed with textured skin and muscles. The CGI creatures were artificially-generated at Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) and very realistically-rendered and seamlessly integrated within live-action sequences. There were 14 minutes of dinosaur footage in the movie, with only four of those minutes generated by computers. The original plan to use stop-motion versions of dinosaurs was quickly scrapped when CGI became the better option. It was the first major instance of extensively having computer-generated animated characters mixed with live action.

The scenes of the living, eating, and breathing dinosaurs (including the scene of the stampeding herd of Gallimimus) also used mechanical animatronic robots and miniature models in stop-motion, frame-by-frame processing. The scene of the night-time attack of the T. Rex on an individual using the toilet used live action and digitization. The T. Rex was shot using 20- and 40- foot animatronics. The velociraptors were men dressed in rubber suits.

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

Tim Burton's masterpiece used sophisticated computer-controlled cameras to execute state-of-the-art camera movement for this feature film's stop-motion animation. Puppets (built of a foam latex material covering intricate metal armatures) were manipulated frame-by-frame on real miniature sets. The painstaking film took nearly three years to complete (dozens of animators and crew members averaged only 60 seconds of film per week), because each different pose or position equaled a 24th of a second.

The Crow (1994)

Because actor Brandon Lee was unexpectedly and tragically killed on the set just before filming was completed, seven more scenes with him were needed. A body-double stood in for the missing actor - with Lee's face digitally-painted (or composited) on, and other scenes were manipulated. [The actual filmed death of Brandon Lee was never used in the film.]

The Flintstones (1994)

First digital fur - (on "Kitty").

Forrest Gump (1994)

Robert Zemeckis' film was an Academy Award winner for Best Achievement in Visual Effects, defeating rivals The Mask (1994) and True Lies (1994), with its incredible computer-digitized effects:

Forrest Gump's (Tom Hanks) digitally-composited interplay with historic events (Governor Wallace's standoff in Little Rock and his assassination attempt), including his meeting with three past Presidents (Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon) and other celebrities (Elvis Presley, John Lennon)

the removal of Vietnam vet Lt. Dan Taylor's (Gary Sinise) lower legs

Gump's playing of a Ping Pong game (with a digitized ball and crowd watching) in China

crowd scenes (in the football stadium, and in the political rally in DC), using a replication special-effects technique

and the fluttering feather (with the string it was attached to erased) in the film's conclusion

The Lion King (1994)

The remarkable wildebeest stampede scene blended 3-D computer animation with traditional animation techniques.

The Mask (1994)

This film combined live-action with cartoons composited onto the frame - (the Mask itself, a cartoon-style gun, etc.). This marked the first instance of visual effects artists turning a human being into a photo-real cartoon character - they made the lead character Jim Carrey appear like the hyperactive cartoon characters of Tex Avery during the golden age of animation, especially in the scene when he wolf-whistled at a pretty woman and his eyes bugged out - looking like the wolf from MGM's and Avery's Red Hot Riding Hood (1943) cartoon.

Red Hot Riding Hood (1943)

Babe (1995)
Revolutionary computer effects made it the Oscar winner for Best Achievement in Visual Effects, defeating the other nominee Apollo 13 (1995); the lips of animals moved in sync with speech so it looked like they were really talking.

Casper (1995)

The computer-generated, translucent image of the 'friendly spirit' (from the Harvey Comics' character Casper the Friendly Ghost) - was the first fully synthetic speaking character with a natural and distinct personality expressing emotion. This was the first feature film with a digitally-created, CG character that took a leading role (almost 40 minutes of film time).

Film Title and Description of Visual-Special Effects	Example
Cliffhanger (1993) In various dangerous climbing sequences, actor Sylvester Stallone (as Gabe Walker) was held up by wires - that were later digitally erased. In the film's opening scene, climber Sarah (Michelle Joyner) was supported by just a 1/8" wire (later removed), leaving her hanging 8,000 feet above the ground, before she appeared to fall to her death in the abyss below.
*In the Line of Fire (1993)* Because it was much cheaper to use footage of an actual 1992 Clinton campaign rally than to pay extras to rally, computers digitally retouched the images and replaced Bill Clinton with the faceless president that Clint Eastwood was protecting. Computers also took an image of Eastwood from his earlier film Dirty Harry (1971), made it look even younger (gave him a digital haircut, shaved off his sideburns, narrowed his tie, and gave his jacket a digital lapel), and then implanted it into newsreel footage from JFK's 1963 Dallas airport arrival, taken with a 16-millimeter camera of JFK and Jackie Kennedy at Glover Field on the day the president was assassinated.
*Jurassic Park (1993)* This film from Steven Spielberg, the Academy Award winner for Best Achievement in Visual Effects (defeating The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) and Cliffhanger (1993)), mixed animatronic and computer-generated (CGI), photo-realistic dinosaurs - displayed with textured skin and muscles. The CGI creatures were artificially-generated at Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) and very realistically-rendered and seamlessly integrated within live-action sequences. There were 14 minutes of dinosaur footage in the movie, with only four of those minutes generated by computers. The original plan to use stop-motion versions of dinosaurs was quickly scrapped when CGI became the better option. It was the first major instance of extensively having computer-generated animated characters mixed with live action. The scenes of the living, eating, and breathing dinosaurs (including the scene of the stampeding herd of Gallimimus) also used mechanical animatronic robots and miniature models in stop-motion, frame-by-frame processing. The scene of the night-time attack of the T. Rex on an individual using the toilet used live action and digitization. The T. Rex was shot using 20- and 40- foot animatronics. The velociraptors were men dressed in rubber suits.
*The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)* Tim Burton's masterpiece used sophisticated computer-controlled cameras to execute state-of-the-art camera movement for this feature film's stop-motion animation. Puppets (built of a foam latex material covering intricate metal armatures) were manipulated frame-by-frame on real miniature sets. The painstaking film took nearly three years to complete (dozens of animators and crew members averaged only 60 seconds of film per week), because each different pose or position equaled a 24th of a second.
*The Crow (1994)* Because actor Brandon Lee was unexpectedly and tragically killed on the set just before filming was completed, seven more scenes with him were needed. A body-double stood in for the missing actor - with Lee's face digitally-painted (or composited) on, and other scenes were manipulated. [The actual filmed death of Brandon Lee was never used in the film.]
*The Flintstones (1994)* First digital fur - (on "Kitty").
*Forrest Gump (1994)* Robert Zemeckis' film was an Academy Award winner for Best Achievement in Visual Effects, defeating rivals The Mask (1994) and True Lies (1994), with its incredible computer-digitized effects: Forrest Gump's (Tom Hanks) digitally-composited interplay with historic events (Governor Wallace's standoff in Little Rock and his assassination attempt), including his meeting with three past Presidents (Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon) and other celebrities (Elvis Presley, John Lennon) the removal of Vietnam vet Lt. Dan Taylor's (Gary Sinise) lower legs Gump's playing of a Ping Pong game (with a digitized ball and crowd watching) in China crowd scenes (in the football stadium, and in the political rally in DC), using a replication special-effects technique and the fluttering feather (with the string it was attached to erased) in the film's conclusion
*The Lion King (1994)* The remarkable wildebeest stampede scene blended 3-D computer animation with traditional animation techniques.
*The Mask (1994)* This film combined live-action with cartoons composited onto the frame - (the Mask itself, a cartoon-style gun, etc.). This marked the first instance of visual effects artists turning a human being into a photo-real cartoon character - they made the lead character Jim Carrey appear like the hyperactive cartoon characters of Tex Avery during the golden age of animation, especially in the scene when he wolf-whistled at a pretty woman and his eyes bugged out - looking like the wolf from MGM's and Avery's Red Hot Riding Hood (1943) cartoon.	Red Hot Riding Hood (1943)
*Babe (1995)* Revolutionary computer effects made it the Oscar winner for Best Achievement in Visual Effects, defeating the other nominee Apollo 13 (1995); the lips of animals moved in sync with speech so it looked like they were really talking.
*Casper (1995)* The computer-generated, translucent image of the 'friendly spirit' (from the Harvey Comics' character Casper the Friendly Ghost) - was the first fully synthetic speaking character with a natural and distinct personality expressing emotion. This was the first feature film with a digitally-created, CG character that took a leading role (almost 40 minutes of film time).