From Metropolis to Middle-Earth
A Brief History of Special Effects
Ever since George Méliès released A Trip to the Moon in 1902, special effects have been in place to astound and amaze movie-goers. Now, over a century later, movies and special effects have changed beyond all recognition, and with Peter Jackson's remake of King Kong, and the live action Chronicles of Narnia released this December, Cinemas Online will be taking a look back at movies from each decade, from the 1920's to today.
|
The 1920's - Metropolis
(1926 - Dir. Fritz Lang)
|
|
|
Although the 1920's saw the mainstream introduction of Stop Motion Animation with 1925's The Lost World (featuring 49 animated prehistoric animals, leaving astonished critics wondering if the creatures were real), it was Metropolis one year later that astounded cinema-goers, featuring a dazzling array of state-of-the-art special effects techniques, including miniatures, glass shots, mechanical effects, and animation.
Director Fritz Lang declared his intention from the start to be the creator of "the costliest and most ambitious picture ever." This was the film that introduced the world to the first on screen robot, Maria, as well as boasting miniature sets built with eye-watering forced perspectives through which stop-motion vehicles drove or flew from building to building. The studio executives later bragged that over 36,000 extras were used, more than 1,100 of whom were bald.
No optical printing system existed at the time, so, in order to create a matte effect, a large mirror was placed at an angle to reflect a piece of artwork while live footage was projected onto the reverse. To expose the projected footage, the silvering on the back of the mirror had to be scraped off in strategically appropriate places, where one mistake would ruin the whole mirror. This was done for each separate shot that had to be composited in this manner. Special effects couldn't help Brigitte Helm however, the 17 year old playing the robot Maria was forced into the wood and plaster armour and slowly asphyxiated on a daily basis.
|
|
|
|
|
