{"id":248,"date":"2015-05-18T08:32:55","date_gmt":"2015-05-18T07:32:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.video2dvdtransfers.co.uk\/blog\/?p=248"},"modified":"2015-08-14T11:49:00","modified_gmt":"2015-08-14T10:49:00","slug":"film-school-101-practical-effects","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.video2dvdtransfers.co.uk\/blog\/2015\/05\/18\/film-school-101-practical-effects\/","title":{"rendered":"Film School 101: Practical Effects"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Do you think you&#8217;ve mastered the basics of keeping the camera steady and framing your shots? Maybe you\u2019re looking for something a little more ambitious to try out in your next home movie? If that\u2019s the case, then welcome to the world of practical special effects \u2013 effects that are actually created physically on-set (or at home), and not added digitally after the event.<\/p>\n<p><!--more-->Although they\u2019re not as high-tech as their computer-generated counterparts, when done right they can inspire just as much awe and excitement. Often used by filmmakers trying to capture a retro vibe, practical effects are cheap and effective \u2013 so we\u2019re going to help you learn how to use them for yourself. First on the list: Forced Perspective.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019ve ever seen a holiday snap of somebody propping up the Leaning Tower of Pisa or holding the Eiffel Tower between their fingertips then you already know a little about forced perspective. This technique involves using the size of objects, their relative positions and the angle of the camera to make something look bigger, smaller, closer or further away. Although getting it right takes precision and commitment, the results can be stunning.<\/p>\n<p><strong>So how do they do it in the movies?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/QWMFpxkGO_s\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Perhaps the most famous use of forced perspective in recent cinema history comes from <em>The<\/em> <em>Lord of the Rings<\/em>, where it was used to effect the viewers\u2019 perception of characters such as the hobbits and the dwarves. Although this wasn\u2019t the only technique they used for manipulating the size of the hobbits, it was employed to great effect in sequences such as an early scene that shows Frodo and Gandalf riding together in a cart. With Frodo\u2019s section of the wagon set back to make him appear smaller, the filmmakers were able to position the camera so that the difference was unnoticeable to the viewer.<\/p>\n<p>Another way to harness the power of forced perspective is to use models, filming them so that they appear real &#8211; generally by placing figures or objects in the background t create a false sense of scale. In Steven Spielberg\u2019s <em>Close Encounters of the Third Kind<\/em>, a 20 foot model of a ship was used to create the impression of a real boat beached in the desert \u2013 with actors placed \u00bc of a mile in the distance to complete the effect.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/7zE19l1e02A\" width=\"560\" height=\"420\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>How can you do it at home?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>We\u2019ve already said that it can be fiddly, but don\u2019t let that put you off \u2013 if you have the time to get to grips with this technique then it really can add a little extra magic to your movies.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re completely new to the idea of forced perspective then it might be a good idea to try out some still photography first, and give yourself a chance to experiment with manipulating the depth, getting the eye-line right, and making the shots seamless enough to sell that they\u2019re real. Don\u2019t worry about making mistakes &#8211; just take some time to discover firsthand what it\u2019s like to set up a forced perspective shot before trying the more complicated act of committing one to film. Then, when you think you\u2019re ready&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s time to set up the shot! Professional filmmakers will use a precise ratio to ensure that the size of their models, figures or actors, and the distance that they are set apart are just right. At the simplest level this means that, for instance, if you wanted to film a hobbit at \u00be the height of a human then you would need to place the actor playing the human character \u00be closer to the camera.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, if you\u2019re only playing around with forced perspective for your own personal enjoyment then you can often get away with being a little less precise and simply letting your eyes do the work \u2013 if you\u2019ve framed the shot, and it looks right from behind the camera, then it will probably work for a simple project such as a home movie.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/YG7gpkwh2ao\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>What other factors should be considered?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re aiming for complete professionalism then there are just a couple of other things to bear in mind. The first is lighting, as unwanted shadows can quickly give the game away! If you have access to spotlights then these can be used to great effect to clear the shadows \u2013 otherwise just try to make sure that the lighting you use makes the scene look smooth.<\/p>\n<p>The other thing to keep an eye on is the movement of the camera. Whether you\u2019re moving forwards or panning to the side the movement needs to be mirrored \u2013 which is to say, the same but opposite \u2013 by whatever you\u2019re using in the background.<\/p>\n<p>And that\u2019s it! Now you\u2019re ready to go forth and film the forced perspective shots that will make your films stand out from the crowd. When you\u2019re ready to convert your fabulous home movies from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.video2dvdtransfers.co.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\">VHS to DVD<\/a> we can help. Simply <a href=\"https:\/\/www.video2dvdtransfers.co.uk\/contact.php\" target=\"_blank\">contact us<\/a> today on 0800 592 433 and we\u2019ll be more than happy to get the job done.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Do you think you&#8217;ve mastered the basics of keeping the camera steady and framing your shots? Maybe you\u2019re looking for something a little more ambitious to try out in your next home movie? If that\u2019s the case, then welcome to the world of practical special effects \u2013 effects that are actually created physically on-set (or [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.video2dvdtransfers.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/248"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.video2dvdtransfers.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.video2dvdtransfers.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.video2dvdtransfers.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.video2dvdtransfers.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=248"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.video2dvdtransfers.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/248\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":367,"href":"https:\/\/www.video2dvdtransfers.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/248\/revisions\/367"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.video2dvdtransfers.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=248"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.video2dvdtransfers.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=248"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.video2dvdtransfers.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=248"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}