Amazing Effects in Classic Films - How Did They Pull It Off?

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  • Опубліковано 24 гру 2024

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  • @Shindai
    @Shindai Рік тому +670

    The witch transformation makeup trick is probably my favourite practical effect in cinema, so effective

    • @cjc363636
      @cjc363636 Рік тому +31

      Yeah that witch transformation is still scary a.f. in 2023! I'm wondering if it's in any way possible to do that with color.

    • @jakeEDITsyt
      @jakeEDITsyt Рік тому

      @@cjc363636 maybe you could recolorise some black and white footage with some software

    • @petergivenbless900
      @petergivenbless900 Рік тому +16

      The give-away with that shot is that the actresses eyes change colour; at the start the red make-up is transparent through a red filter, also making her blue eyes appear black, but when the filter is removed, exposing the red make-up, her eyes also lighten.

    • @scottr3299
      @scottr3299 Рік тому +12

      The most famous example of this is probably Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde with Frederick March, maybe?

    • @shonuff4323
      @shonuff4323 Рік тому +16

      That was insanely good. Good by today's standards. In fact almost better.

  • @caittails
    @caittails Рік тому +134

    I’m not trying to take anything away from digital artists or modern set designers, but the genius that went into this time period is so much cooler and more enjoyable to watch than the stuff shot on blue screens today.

    • @acreguy3156
      @acreguy3156 Місяць тому +7

      Agreed. These special effects just seem more "real" and believable.

    • @sweiland75
      @sweiland75 Місяць тому +10

      Exactly why practical effects are superior.

    • @whiterabbit1632
      @whiterabbit1632 27 днів тому +3

      digital art is not art. it has ruined the movie industry and has a legacy of looking terrible from every generation when viewed a generation later.

    • @fireaza
      @fireaza 23 дні тому +1

      While it's neat that how they did it was really clever, do they have any tangible benefits that improve the final the film over doing it digitally? You only have to watch a handful of films from the pre-CGI era to know that films from this era also had bad SFX.

    • @phexus
      @phexus 19 днів тому +1

      I agree. Though it's harder to appreciate the problem solving and cleverness that goes into digital special effects because it can just all be chalked up to "it's made on a computer"

  • @johnball8758
    @johnball8758 Рік тому +568

    As a child, the tornado scene was terrifying in Oz. It's hard to believe that was just fabric and dirt.

    • @unlimitedrabbit
      @unlimitedrabbit Рік тому +27

      I'm pretty sure that it was responsible for my early paralyzing fear of extremely large things like (twisters,) tidal waves and mushroom clouds - all of which appear in my nightmares to this day. I also see enormous UFOs in my nightmares.

    • @scouseofhorror104
      @scouseofhorror104 Рік тому +5

      ​@@unlimitedrabbit This 1000%. I've never had to experience anything so apocalyptic in my life, but my dreams can sure invent it 🥶😫

    • @Carlito150
      @Carlito150 Рік тому +8

      Me too! I remember I was 5 when I saw the wizard of Oz and that scene wowed me and terrified me at the same time

    • @chereecargill355
      @chereecargill355 Рік тому +4

      When I was a kid, I would hide in the bathroom until the tornado scene in Oz was over. It scared me to death because it was so real. It still is although I don't hide anymore. But I always wondered how it was done.

    • @charlie-obrien
      @charlie-obrien Рік тому +6

      It scared the crap out me when I was a little kid and still makes me nervous for Dorothy today.

  • @straydawg2035
    @straydawg2035 Рік тому +18

    It really is something that needs to come back to movies. The practical effects in these movies look so good and real. Nowadays, everything is over the top CGI with characters/creatures moving in such unrealistic ways, it really pulls me out of the movie.

    • @fireaza
      @fireaza 23 дні тому +1

      You know what else looks unrealistic and pulls you out of a movie? Obvious rear-projection use in driving scenes. Miniatures that move like miniatures and lack the weight and momentum of the full-size thing they're supposed to be. Juddery and weightless stop-motion puppets. Flying objects that are simply suspended by a string. Actors in creature makeup that can barely move their face. Animatronic puppets that move stiffly and robotically. Puppet characters that can only flap their mouths and can't form the phoneme shapes to actually speak the words that are supposed to be coming out of their mouths. Flat backgrounds painted onto the set that have no depth.
      You need to watch more movies from the pre-CGI era my friend. There was plenty of movies back then that also had terrible special-effects.

    • @roseserena4423
      @roseserena4423 19 днів тому

      @@fireazabut, we’re talking about the good ones… there were plenty of GREAT old physical effects too.

    • @victoriadavislg
      @victoriadavislg 18 днів тому

      I’d say it depends on the director the cinematographer along with other members who the crew. There are movies with cgi like terminator 2 that still look amazing today

  • @bygsyxx4271
    @bygsyxx4271 Рік тому +15

    War Of The Worlds(1954)...the alien attack of Los Angeles...the special effects and miniature work is astounding.

    • @hebneh
      @hebneh Місяць тому

      The unfortunate downside is - particularly when you see this on a big screen - the multiple wires holding up the Martian levitating warcraft are very visible.

    • @trevorbrown6654
      @trevorbrown6654 Місяць тому

      Speaking of the same era (mid 50s) some of the visual effects shots in Forbidden Planet are astonishingly good, especially the Krell city and the scene where the invisible id monster attacks the spaceship.

  • @rustygazes256
    @rustygazes256 Рік тому +15

    So far I've watched 1 -4 on how they pulled it off. I love it. Please continue to make more . Thanks.👍

  • @02ujtb00626
    @02ujtb00626 Рік тому +219

    To this day I have yet to see a tornado done in CGI (in movies or otherwise) that holds up the the 1939 Wizard of Oz. That was absolute genius.

    • @robertforster8984
      @robertforster8984 Рік тому +11

      I can’t even find a tornado done in CGI before that movie Twister.

    • @02ujtb00626
      @02ujtb00626 Рік тому +2

      @@robertforster8984 night of the twisters was one around that time. It was a TV movie with Devon Sawa.

    • @LarryMyster
      @LarryMyster Рік тому +1

      Sharkbado perhaps used cgi

    • @filanfyretracker
      @filanfyretracker Рік тому +9

      I would say Twister does hold up. its science is fast and lose but the effects are top notch.

    • @recoswell
      @recoswell Рік тому +3

      an object that has actual physicality will always look better

  • @esra_erimez
    @esra_erimez Рік тому +11

    Wow, I'm glad this came up in my recommended list. Truly interesting.

  • @new.asteroid.tracker
    @new.asteroid.tracker Рік тому +162

    That Wizard of OZ tornado scene terrified my younger sister so bad that when we had a tornado warning she would go into a panic.

    • @mauller
      @mauller Рік тому +2

      So did I. I would shut my eyes everytime that scene came on. I was also terrified of the scene when Dorothys in the Witches castle and Aunty Em turns into her in the hourglass

    • @shopsshire9282
      @shopsshire9282 Рік тому +9

      I always considered the funnel cloud in The wizard of Oz to be more realistic looking on screen than any of those twisters that were CGI created in the 1996 movie twister or any other films since then.

    • @joshcrates
      @joshcrates Рік тому +2

      Had literal nightmares about it.

    • @MrSeb81
      @MrSeb81 Рік тому +1

      Pretty much the only time i watched the movie was Probably a couple months ago on VHS

    • @leebeeskee
      @leebeeskee Рік тому +1

      Isn’t panicking at a tornado warning quite a normal response?

  • @andreasrensen6465
    @andreasrensen6465 Рік тому +9

    This is the first time I’ve ever watched your channel, but it won’t be the last! I’ve always loved old films, and it’s nice to be among people who still appreciate them!

  • @STLS
    @STLS Рік тому +55

    As an astronomer, visual effects business owner, and colleague, I worked with Douglas Trumbull for a number of years and was honored to learn from him how the Effects for Blade Runner, Close Encounters, and 2001 A Space Odyssey were done among other of his massive list of works .. He had these wonderful presentations he did for me on many occasions to show his ingenuity. I counted him as a good friend until his passing just over a year ago. Interestingly you showed Wizard of Oz. It was his father that did the effects for Oz. Wonderful family. Doug is missed terribly.

    • @susieusmaximus5330
      @susieusmaximus5330 Рік тому +6

      I'm so sorry for your loss. I first became aware of Trumbull from the movie "Silent Running", which is brilliant, and deserved a much wider audience than it got. He was a genius, and I hope it's a consolation to you to know, as I'm sure you do, how his work has continued to influence and inspire filmmakers for generations, and will continue to do so.

    • @DannyStrickland-g9k
      @DannyStrickland-g9k 3 місяці тому +1

      My first experience with Douglas Trumbull was also Silent Running. Being only 4 years old when 2001 was released I wasn't aware of his work until I saw Silent Running when it came on TV a few years after it was released to theatres. Then in rapid succession I saw Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Star Trek: TMP and Blade Runner. It was only in college in 1984 with the advent of VHS tape and the rentable VHS player that I saw 2001 right before seeing 2010. My SFX heroes have been and will always be Douglas Trumbull, first of all, followed by John Dykstra who worked with Douglas on Silent Running only to go on to do SFX and modeling work on the original Star Wars and later Battlestar Galactica and finally Brian Johnson who did the SFX and model work on Space:1999 but before that worked with Douglas Trumbull on 2001: A Space Odyssey. Brian Johnson would later go on to do Alien, The Empire Strikes Back and Aliens. Those three giants of SFX are, to me, the "Holy Trinity" of special effects at least of the film era of the 1960's, 70's and 80's. But none can touch Trumbull when it comes to the shear beauty of the lighting effects he pulled off in 2001, Close Encounters, Star Trek: TMP, Blade Runner, Brainstorm and the absolute gobsmacking organic effects he and his team created for Tree of Life. The Birth of the Cosmos or Lacrimosa section of Tree of Life never fails to move me to tears.

    • @llovebleach6530
      @llovebleach6530 Місяць тому +1

      ​@@susieusmaximus5330My sixth grade teacher made us watch it in school....must have been 1981? Still feel that movie in my heart, even more with the way our food supply has been handled . Definitely a masterful movie.... brought me to tears.

    • @roseserena4423
      @roseserena4423 19 днів тому

      @@llovebleach6530Wow, just reading the synopsis of Silent Running brought me to tears. The ending is absolutely heartbreaking.

  • @waynegoin5534
    @waynegoin5534 Рік тому +84

    The Tornado in Wizard of Oz has always been the scariest most realistic to me, even over movies like Twister.

    • @montyrayza7220
      @montyrayza7220 Рік тому +6

      Exactly - horrifying !!!

    • @jerichobeach2967
      @jerichobeach2967 Рік тому +2

      Partly cuz twister had a cow flying thru the nado and mooing 😅 and partly cuz i was 16 and smoked weed right before i saw it in the theatre which made the cow scene even funnier

    • @classicgunstoday1972
      @classicgunstoday1972 Рік тому +1

      Twister was a CGi joke

    • @michlo3393
      @michlo3393 3 місяці тому

      @@classicgunstoday1972 You mean to say the 80,000 lb tanker truck magically _floating_ in the air like a balloon didn't do it for ya?

    • @classicgunstoday1972
      @classicgunstoday1972 3 місяці тому +1

      @@michlo3393 LOL! Yeah about as much as the cow flying around right-side up while going “MOO”

  • @lastguyminn2324
    @lastguyminn2324 Рік тому +22

    My favorite Wizard of Oz shot is the transition from sepia to Technicolor as Dorothy steps out of the house into Munchkinland. The whole sequence is shot in color, but the interior set of the house and Judy Garland's double are painted, made up, and dressed in the sepia browns. The model ducks out of the frame and Garland ducks in wearing her iconic blue dress and steps into the gloriously colored Munchkinland set in one seamless shot. Simple but amazing.

    • @llovebleach6530
      @llovebleach6530 Місяць тому +4

      I know. I can still remember the awe I had the first time watching it!

  • @brianschiff35
    @brianschiff35 Рік тому +27

    The effects shots in "Forbidden Planet" are still some of my favorites, Spaceship approach and landing sequence still holds up today.

    • @trevorbrown6654
      @trevorbrown6654 Рік тому +1

      The scenes of the Krell monster caught up in the force field were actually done by Walt Disney animation for MGM.

    • @echodelta9
      @echodelta9 2 місяці тому

      Not just the effects but that sound of the Krell monster. The Barrons acid tripin' synth hacking soundtrack throughout the whole film, no strings.

  • @OneDullMan
    @OneDullMan Рік тому +174

    Buster Keaton was a mad genius. Absolutely positively the G.O.A.T. His work is so underappreciated by today's film viewer.

    • @Lily-wp8ol
      @Lily-wp8ol Рік тому +10

      Buster Keaton has always been my favorite. The man was a genius. I have DVDs of every short, movie, appearance he made. Called "The Great Stoneface" his eyes, and physicality did the acting.

    • @robertdragoff6909
      @robertdragoff6909 Рік тому +7

      Another gag Buster would do would be grabbing the handle on the side of a train as it was stopping at station, as if he was stopping it himself.

    • @Lily-wp8ol
      @Lily-wp8ol Рік тому +5

      @@robertdragoff6909 The General was meticulously planned, beautifully executed. I have read the railroad car is still decaying where it landed. Wish i could see that.

    • @Kermit_T_Frog
      @Kermit_T_Frog Рік тому +12

      I cannot understand how he is not rated higher than Charlie Chaplain. His stuff holds up SO much better.

    • @jeovanneramos5066
      @jeovanneramos5066 Рік тому +1

      Even now people copy some of his bits !

  • @artoferica
    @artoferica Рік тому +4

    The space odyssey one blew my mind LOL

  • @ajm7210
    @ajm7210 Рік тому +102

    This was an absolutely fantastic episode! I especially enjoyed the 3D breakdowns of some of the effects. Please make this a recurring series!!

  • @anna_in_aotearoa3166
    @anna_in_aotearoa3166 Рік тому +10

    Seeing tech breakdowns of how pre-CGI effects were achieved is one of my fave parts of the Corridor Crew reaction episodes with SFX artists, stunties etc too. The amount of sheer CREATIVITY and crazy engineering that the old-time filmmakers applied to problem-solving is just so mindblowing and inspirational. It's 100% one of those instances where having greater constraints really did seem to lead to greater creativity....? And honestly, a lot of it looks more real than today's CGI blockbusters! 😳

  • @josephemmons8496
    @josephemmons8496 Рік тому +23

    Every time I tune in I'm blown away with how this team has just been delivering this kind of gold for 10+ years. Such a cool episode. Thanks for all you've brought to this community through the years.

  • @DaleBaker-nz9fh
    @DaleBaker-nz9fh Рік тому +3

    This old stuff is unbelievably brilliantly made considering the age of the films. Awesome video.

  • @chilecayenne
    @chilecayenne Рік тому +127

    Very cool!
    Another interesting effect from Wizard of Oz, when they transition from Sepia to Color. As I understand it, the set itself where the camera starts was fully painted in B&W/Sepia, and they used a stand in for Judy Garland, dressed as her BUT the outfit was also B&W/Sepia. The opened the door, which reveals the color set outside. B&W "Dorothey" steps out and goes off camera for a second, and then Judy Garland dressed in color outfit comes back into the scene.
    At least, that's how I heard it was done...?

    • @paulvansommeren
      @paulvansommeren Рік тому +5

      Yeah that's what I read too. I thought they were gonna show that when Oz started.

    • @jeff__w
      @jeff__w Рік тому +12

      Yes. It's crazily simple _and_ complex and ingenious all at the same time.

    • @georgemckenna462
      @georgemckenna462 Рік тому +21

      Although uncredited, director King Vidor shot the awakening scene on B&W/ Sepia tone film. Note the editing transition when Judy Garland's double facing away from the camera opens the door... The cut to the three-step technicolor film takes place right here!
      Remember it's 1939; the cinema and the world changed forever and you see it.

    • @SeanMcGuire92
      @SeanMcGuire92 Рік тому +6

      Yes! Judy Garland's double (who was always on set because she stood in for Judy when lights and cameras were being set up for each shot, and it's also her feet in most of the close-ups of the Ruby Slippers when they're worn by Dorothy) wore the Kansas sepia tone dress, and backs up from the opening of the door to the left of the camera. She then passes Toto off to Judy behind the cameraman's back, and Judy enters Munchkinland in the Technicolor version of the dress from the right of the camera!

    • @r0bw00d
      @r0bw00d Рік тому

      You're unsure if that's how you heard it was done? Wow.

  • @mlyon21146
    @mlyon21146 Рік тому +1

    One of my favorite shots of all time was in Alfred Hitchcock‘s The Young and Innocent. The single take screenshot that reveals the murderer is probably one of my favorite shots of all time.

  • @erikgreenip3191
    @erikgreenip3191 Рік тому +4

    The pan shot that travels over and through the town into Trillby's room in the 1931 film Svengali has always been one of my favorites.

  • @bryanhernandez2045
    @bryanhernandez2045 Рік тому +10

    The Wizard of Oz tornado still might be the best on screen tornado ever.

  • @nektu5435
    @nektu5435 Рік тому +16

    It's so easy to overlook these type of things when you're not having them pointed out to you. I guess that's beauty or magic of cinema. If you're just accepting what you see on screen at face value then they've done their job. It's pretty much like finding out how a magic trick is done and that's pretty cool to me. ❤

  • @Yora21
    @Yora21 Рік тому +6

    The Citizen Kane shot is also done in The Empire Strike Back, when you have a pilot's perspective as he flies between the legs of the huge walker. Since the whole shot was done as stop motion, taking away the model once the legs were out of frame was really easy, as you can take as long as you want while the camera is paused.

  • @JR-bj3uf
    @JR-bj3uf Рік тому +4

    I have spent my life in Texas and I have been through three tornadoes (they were all different) and the Wizard of Oz twister scares the heck out of me.

  • @garykuovideos
    @garykuovideos Рік тому +7

    I love how timeless and effective basic techniques are when applied in film, magic, or my field of music.

  • @WTDoorley
    @WTDoorley Рік тому +14

    I wore out my copy of "Techniques of Special Effects Cinematography" by Raymond Fielding. I bought it in the early 1980s, and I still browse through it for ideas. If you want to know how classic effects are done, everything from foreground miniatures to Disney's sodium matte process, this is the "bible." I'm so glad more of today's filmmakers are using these techniques in addition to CGI. Thanks for bringing this great work to everyone's attention, Ryan!

    • @truthandreality8465
      @truthandreality8465 Рік тому +3

      That's a very good book to have. Keep hold of your copy as it's not always possible to find a copy today, even the newer editions. They should use and consult that book on this show as verbatim, because they sadly don't.

    • @Ddrhl
      @Ddrhl Рік тому

      @@truthandreality8465 "as verbatim"? Do you mean "ad verbatim"? Or maybe just "canon"?

    • @truthandreality8465
      @truthandreality8465 Рік тому +2

      @@Ddrhl Yes, troll, "as verbatim". So people who aren't Roman time travellers can understand what it says, just like YOU! "Canon" is "verbatim" that counts.

    • @Ddrhl
      @Ddrhl Рік тому

      @@truthandreality8465 Not a troll. Genuinely asked. Had never heard "as verbatim." Calm down.

    • @truthandreality8465
      @truthandreality8465 Рік тому +3

      ​@@Ddrhl And, I'm Dr. Heywood Floyd!!

  • @GuitarLessonsBobbyCrispy
    @GuitarLessonsBobbyCrispy Рік тому +1

    When I was ten years old, my friend and I made a cartoon version of 'The Empire Strikes Back' using an 8mm camera. We created the laser gun shots by using a box with a diagonal piece of glass right in front of the camera. We then had a light with a sheet of red plastic shine down through a hole at the top of the box ( in the shape of laser shot ), and lined it up with whatever gun was shooting in the background. We learned how to do this in some camera magazine back in the early 1980's.

  • @hapyvenom9067
    @hapyvenom9067 Рік тому +19

    One of my favourite practical effects from classic movies is the transition from sepia to colour in the wizard of Oz. They had actually painted the set, the clothes and had the actors wear sepia colour make up. And it was actually the stunt double that we see for Dorothy in the first half of the screen and when she goes through the door the real dorphy was waiting on the otherside

  • @tonyortegaband
    @tonyortegaband 8 місяців тому

    8/10. I didn't know the Wizard of Oz tornado effect and straight up I was fooled by the Thirty Seconds To Tokyo one. It looks so good I thought it was real footage of military tests or something. Very nice work!

  • @hardwire666too
    @hardwire666too Рік тому +6

    The give away for the pen in 2001 being on a piece of glass for me was that the pen only rotates on one axis. It was cool to have this confirmed as I grew older. Fantastic shot though. then again the whole movie is just a series of fantastic shots.

  • @betsyduane3461
    @betsyduane3461 Рік тому +4

    A bomb? The Wizard of Oz (1939) was the 3rd highest grossing film of the 1930's and 2nd highest of 1939, beaten only by Gone With The Wind (1939).

  • @jamessheridan4306
    @jamessheridan4306 Рік тому +11

    Not making profit and "box office bomb" are two different things. The Wizard of Oz was NOT a box office bomb.

    • @SadDetonator
      @SadDetonator 2 місяці тому

      Its initial returns did not cover the combined expenses for production and distribution. That is obviously what was meant. Splitting hairs is another kind of impressive effect 😉

    • @mgconlan
      @mgconlan Місяць тому

      @@SadDetonator "The Wizard of Oz" didn't make back its production costs, despite a reasonably successful reissue in 1949, until it was first sold to CBS Television in 1956 for what became the first of 39 annual TV screenings. Then it became a cash cow for MGM (and eventually Warner Bros. when it merged with Turner Broadcasting, which had bought the MGM catalog).

  • @WilliamRWarrenJr
    @WilliamRWarrenJr Рік тому +1

    Glad I found you! What a neat channel!
    Hey, about that thumbnail shot of David Bowman (cut from "2001") walking down the impossible corridor toward the pod bay with the camera trucking right along behind him...
    Lol 🤣 look at the deck.
    *Kubrick didn't even disguise the camera dolly track, he had the talent step over it!*
    How many times over the years have you seen this shot? 🤔🤨🙄😁 Alas: he cut it from the release, so this was an outtake. (And who knows what Peter Hyams was thinking? I'm ignoring "2010" deliberately.)

    • @filmriot
      @filmriot  Рік тому

      That's a great point! And thank you!

  • @babayaga1767
    @babayaga1767 Рік тому +4

    i used to be a boom operator. once did a film with a dining room scene and we had trouble getting around me in the shot. i had the director hang me from the ceiling and i was able to get the audio from above. it worked great

  • @seanlepley1474
    @seanlepley1474 3 місяці тому +3

    This is what's lost on film today. The ingenuity to pull off some of the most incredible shots in cinematic history. All practical

  • @AmielMatthews
    @AmielMatthews Рік тому +11

    Loved this episode. One of my scene transitions is in Terry Gilliam's Baron Munchausen, and it's as simple as great set design. The 'theatre Sultan' walks from the back of the stage to the front. But as the camera pans its revealed that where the front of the stage should be, is the actual palace. Such a great way to transition from the telling of the story and go into the story.

    • @wirelesmike73
      @wirelesmike73 Рік тому

      That movie had some great scenes, as did many of his movies. Gilliam was truly an artist, and he took such joy in showcasing other artists' amazing talents.

    • @charlie-obrien
      @charlie-obrien Рік тому +1

      @@wirelesmike73
      Others can knock Baron Munchhausen, but it is one of my favorite films.
      What an amazing imagination on that guy, Gilliam!

  • @D71219ONE
    @D71219ONE Рік тому +38

    6:14 WHAT?!? This looks better than the effects of probably any film that comes out today. That is freaking insane. There is no uncanny valley at all.

  • @AlexLeggo
    @AlexLeggo Рік тому +4

    Great episode, I'd love to see more of these! I love the old school ingenuity in these films.

  • @kelsowins
    @kelsowins Рік тому +2

    I had never heard of "Sh! Octopus" -- amazing! The effect looks similar to how Fredric March changed in "Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde" (1931). Loved all your selections, we showed many of these films to middle schoolers about 20 years ago when our kids were growing up -- had Friday "movie nights," and they were truly a blast. Thanks for breaking down all these effects -- Keaton's is for sure my favorite, what a maniac!

    • @Shutterbun4
      @Shutterbun4 Рік тому +1

      The Frederick March "Mr. Hyde" transformation is included in this video.

  • @joelining
    @joelining Рік тому +6

    Awesome episode! It's amazing how well some of these effects hold up. Would love to see some more episodes about older/forgotten films!

  • @SportPlusDad
    @SportPlusDad Рік тому +12

    Wow. Not a filmmaker at all (although into photography) but find things like this super interesting. Thanks!

  • @robanderson473
    @robanderson473 Рік тому +12

    You know a lot of these effects are far more superior and realistic, compared to many CGI films of today. And 'Roger Thornhill' being chased by the crop duster is just magnificent, one of my favourite effects and indeed,one of my favourite films! Even though only a quick glimpse of it at the start of the video,was shown!!🙄😁

    • @randalllewis4485
      @randalllewis4485 Рік тому +1

      North by Northwest has some great Hitchcock moments including that crop duster scene and but it also has the very not realistic Mount Rushmore scene.

    • @robanderson473
      @robanderson473 Рік тому

      @@randalllewis4485 Mmmmm yeah, it's still great though!

  • @STEVEARABIA1
    @STEVEARABIA1 Рік тому +1

    I love watching stuff like this. It amazes me how people made due with what they had and pulled off such impressive things. Everything from chemistry and physics inventions with crude equipment to machinery, intricate devices like watches, and the arts like cinema.

  • @BatMite19
    @BatMite19 3 місяці тому +8

    What's sad about this is that with the advent of CGI, we have forgotten how to do anything without it. It's kind of like how they built the pyramids -- lost to time.

    • @HoneyTone-TheSearchContinues
      @HoneyTone-TheSearchContinues 27 днів тому

      What a strange comment to post on a video that tells you exactly how these effect were accomplished.

  • @IPlayOneOnT.V.
    @IPlayOneOnT.V. Рік тому

    Since I was a kid the visuals of "Wizard of Oz" have just fascinated and astounded me. And, as an adult Buster Keaton's stunts and timing have absolutely "laid me out" from how everybody pulled-off the sheer complexity of those breathtaking stunts with apparent ease. Complete and utter cinematic genius for the times. Thank you for putting together this video.

  • @georgemorley1029
    @georgemorley1029 3 місяці тому +4

    Practical effects are so effective because they are real things being filmed. They convince by being real. Real images, real objects, real people.

  • @2NDCBT
    @2NDCBT Рік тому

    You've literally covered and answered every question about how the effects on my favorite movies were done! Thirty seconds over Tokyo, The Wizard of Oz and 2001 Space Odessey! Drove me crazy thinking about 'how it's done" Thanks a bunch!

  • @Mr.2E
    @Mr.2E Рік тому +3

    I’m so glad you shared these. A reminder that you can get some really amazing shots without the use of cg. My personal favorite movie is King Kong (1933), because of the strong story line and I feel like the movie used every trick in the book for the time.

  • @Shutterbun4
    @Shutterbun4 Рік тому +1

    OK, the 2001 pen effect got me. I thought for sure it was just on monofilament, but the "stuck to glass" concept is absolute brilliant, and allows for a much more natural "floating" motion.

  • @gabrielhoy6790
    @gabrielhoy6790 Рік тому +14

    I remember a documentary with Steven Spielberg; on one of the first movies he ever made (as a young boy, with his friends, and his dad's hand camera) using lightly buried sticks in dirt, and setting them up like little seesaws so when his friends stepped on the other end of the stick they would puff up the dirt, giving the illusion of gunfire in the dirt around them.

    • @meketone
      @meketone Рік тому +2

      Or more likely you saw this portrayed recently in The Fablemans.

    • @willmfrank
      @willmfrank Рік тому

      @@meketone Or most likely the makers of The Fablemans had seen the same documentary.

    • @glennso47
      @glennso47 Рік тому +1

      The movie DUEL where Dennis Weaver is being chased by the semi and his car and the truck both go over the cliff. Neither he nor the driver of the truck were injured.

    • @davidkiser5250
      @davidkiser5250 Рік тому +1

      Ive seen that also. Pretty good effects for a kid to come up with, but it was Spielberg.

  • @b1oh1
    @b1oh1 Рік тому

    I'm not a filmmaker, but how filmmakers achieve practical effects is very interesting, so I clicked. I'm glad I did! Great video!!

  • @kurtb8474
    @kurtb8474 Рік тому +8

    Many of the visuals in 2001: A Space Odyssey just fascinate me. For years I would watch a scene and try to figure out how they did it.

    • @AerialTheShamen
      @AerialTheShamen Місяць тому

      The floating pen on a glass pane resembles the trick of the clock hands in a "pendule mysterieuse". These clocks usually rotate 2 glass discs with hidden cog teeth at the rim and each a clock hand in the center to create the illusion of a transparent clock without visible mechanism.

    • @mgconlan
      @mgconlan Місяць тому

      @@AerialTheShamen The most audacious scene in "2001" is the one in which the flight attendant walks on the catwalk in seeming weightlessness. That was actually invented by Buster Keaton in the 1920's and used by him in "The Navigator," in the scene in which he and Dorothy McGuire are rescued from the derelict ocean liner by a submarine which turns over under water. It involved bolting a stationary camera to a room set that revolved, so the actors appeared to defy gravity. Later Fred Astaire used it in "You're All the World to Me" from "Royal Wedding" (1951), but it was Keaton's invention.

  • @vonhalberstadt3590
    @vonhalberstadt3590 27 днів тому

    The ingenuity of these effects guys is absolutely amazing. Like a lot of magician's tricks, they are often simplicity in themselves.
    I, for one, am in awe of these guys.
    Orémus Y'all.

  • @deadpan80
    @deadpan80 Рік тому +5

    The even more impressive thing that gets forgotten about Lloyd is he's doing all that hanging off of clocks and ledges with just one full hand - his right hand was missing the thumb and forefinger due to a previous accident. PLUS between takes, he was forced to hanging in position sometimes before the cameras rolled again.

  • @ArtisticCeleste
    @ArtisticCeleste Рік тому

    My year 1 animation/storytelling professor LOVED the classics, he gave us a whole list to check out and would go over with us different shots and how they did them. Masking, mirrors, minatures and puppets, double exposure, all those old tricks. Really wish my school just gave him a whole class to dedicate to going over classic cinema, it was so cool first year. Now whenever my mother's watching a classic film and I sit to watch with her I'm constantly telling her how different shots might've been done during commercials. Lots of respect for these filmmakers back in the day

  • @LeviAmes
    @LeviAmes Рік тому +28

    I love this video. Very informative and entertaining. Can this be a new series you guys do?

    • @filmriot
      @filmriot  Рік тому +19

      Deal!

    • @dallasdandigitalproduction393
      @dallasdandigitalproduction393 Рік тому +4

      Yes pls ! Ryan we definitely need a part 2 this . Thx man

    • @WilliamRWarrenJr
      @WilliamRWarrenJr Рік тому +1

      Seriously: I don't know how I haven't caught wind of this channel before now! Cinematography Minor at U of Oklahoma and 19 years at Boeing graphic media (motion picture & television, computer animation and my share of vinyl signage) I'm a history buff and a cinema fanatic! Subbed and liked and belled!

    • @michaelhawkins7389
      @michaelhawkins7389 Рік тому

      @@filmriot You made a mistake .... The wizard Of Oz film (1939) wasn't a "bomb" as you wrongly suggested .. it had a budget of $2.8 million , and made it's money back at the Box office which was $29.7 million

    • @filmriot
      @filmriot  Рік тому +3

      Wizard of Oz made $3 million on a $2.7 million budget and once adverts, print, and distro was added, it lost MGM $1.1 million (a huge amount at the time) and was considered a flop. We have an episode in the works that goes more into that.

  • @peterjones4621
    @peterjones4621 Рік тому +1

    Thank you, this was really fun to watch, I see why you have 2.03 million subscribers and now I'm one more. I could have watched this for for two hours if it was that long. You convinced me to watch these old films I thought about doing years ago and forgot about it. I'm going to start buying these old movies on Amazon Prime and build up an old movie collection because I watched this video, again, thank you. Take care.

  • @leokimvideo
    @leokimvideo Рік тому +86

    A very sad fact is the tornado scene in Wizard Of Oz also used asbestos dust, in fact this was the common 'movie dust' of the time. White asbestos was used as snow and set dressing. It affected so many film technicians and stars. Moving on in time dust containing silica is just as dangerous. Makes you rethink how fantastic these films are!

    • @afjer
      @afjer Рік тому +16

      It would if they knew and did it anyway. They didn't figure it out until much later.

    • @randomlibra
      @randomlibra Рік тому +27

      It doesn't change the greatness of the films. They didn't know there was an issue. If some person knew, and used it anyway, well then, that person would be a serial killer, and this just got way more interesting :0

    • @RideAcrossTheRiver
      @RideAcrossTheRiver Рік тому +10

      " dust containing silica " Sand?

    • @screenname8267
      @screenname8267 Рік тому +1

      I believe asbestos was used for snow.
      The video here mentioned that fullers earth was used for the tornado.

    • @PictureHouseCinema
      @PictureHouseCinema Рік тому +7

      Correction, that was the snow scene.

  • @mkulla8267
    @mkulla8267 21 день тому

    This is so freaking cool. I love the ingenuity behind figuring out these shots. You can really see why they used to call it "movie magic", they are truly like magicians! Now any effect is just done with CGI, that element of mystery and wonder is totally lost.

  • @occularmalice
    @occularmalice Рік тому +4

    I can't believe when The Wizard of Oz came up, you didn't feature the change from black & white to colour when Dorothy first comes out into Oz. It's the best effect of the film and has an incredible secret to it. Maybe if you did a follow up feature you could include it.

  • @justanothermeltingchannel
    @justanothermeltingchannel 2 місяці тому

    I’ve wondered how all these effects were done since I was very little, never thought of looking it up. This video explained everything so thoroughly and just makes me appreciate the groundbreakers of cinema and visual FX even more. What we can accomplish today just on our phones with a basic editing and FX app would not be possible without those who came before us using practical effects and trickery to inspire the next generation.
    Thank you for this video, it’s answered questions I’ve had for close to 35 years.

  • @allanalogmusicat78rpm
    @allanalogmusicat78rpm Рік тому +12

    8:30 The Wizard of Oz was not a flop. It failed to turn a profit, in initial release, only because they spent a ridiculous amount of money making it. It eventually became profitable after a few re-releases into theaters, and then the eventual TV rights sale.

    • @jamesage24
      @jamesage24 Рік тому +5

      I think he meant a flop upon it's initial release. Movies like It's a Wonderful Life and Shawshank Redemption were also flops upon initial release but ultimately became legendary and greatly revered like The Wizard of Oz.

    • @Yetaxa
      @Yetaxa Рік тому +1

      we can discuss the reasons it flopped on release. The high cost and the subsequent war preventing widespread international release, but the fact remains that it didn't turn a profit until decades later

  • @TransistorBased
    @TransistorBased Рік тому +1

    That makeup and lighting trick is absolute genius

  • @clockingthet4827
    @clockingthet4827 Рік тому +11

    To say that the tornado in "Wizard Of Oz" "completely holds up to this day" is an incredible understatement. If you've ever seen the film projected it is an utterly realistic effect and a seamless blend of miniatures, rear projection, and foreground effects. The CGI in "Twister" couldn't hold a candle to this sequence. The entire movie is just one incredible effect gag after another--need we say 'flying monkeys?' Yes, we should. This movie really should be studied with the same reverence as "Citizen Kane" or "2001: A Space Odyssey."

  • @imaginationworkshopstudio
    @imaginationworkshopstudio 2 місяці тому

    Wow? I remember when this guy only showed and marvelled over new pictures and Special Effects. Now he's become a Classic Cinema Connoisseur and Expert like me.

  • @PungiFungi
    @PungiFungi Рік тому +5

    The Wizard of Oz tornado is still one of the most terrifying shots commit on film.

  • @Markus_Andrew
    @Markus_Andrew Рік тому +12

    Another excellent effect is in Gone With The Wind, during an external scene where guests are arriving for a ball at (I think) Ashley's house. You're looking along the front of an antebellum mansion from one end as guests disembark from carriages in the middle distance and walk up the steps to the mansion's entrance. Only - the mansion was not real, it was hand-painted, and the actors were actually walking up the stairs to the rear doors of the sound stage from out in the lot (backdrop was I think matted in). Even knowing that the mansion frontage is a painting, it's so well executed that you can't tell. Personally, I think it's a rather corny movie, but technically it's impressive.

    • @THRASHMETALFUNRIFFS
      @THRASHMETALFUNRIFFS Рік тому +1

      Wait till you see terminator 2!!

    • @gloriagaddy
      @gloriagaddy Рік тому +2

      GWTW is a perfect example of innovative practical effects that still hold up today. It's hard to believe that it's nearing its 85th anniversary.

    • @kerim.peardon5551
      @kerim.peardon5551 Рік тому +3

      Blowing up the boxcars (pretty sure those were miniatures) and setting fire to a stage to replicate the burning of Atlanta was also considered a huge special effect back in 1939. And think about what all of that fire would have looked like on the big screen when the year prior, all of your movies were B&W.

    • @gloriagaddy
      @gloriagaddy Рік тому +4

      @@kerim.peardon5551 My mom, at 14 years old, saw GWTW in the theater when it was released and she said she was awestruck by that scene and how vivid it was. The boxcars were not miniatures, though. For that scene, they gathered old sets and such from previous movies and burned them, clearing the way so they could build needed sets for the movie. Incidentally, it was during the filming of this scene that Vivien Leigh was introduced to David O. Selznick, who was still trying to find the perfect actress to play Scarlett.

    • @kerim.peardon5551
      @kerim.peardon5551 Рік тому +2

      @@gloriagaddy That's interesting. The way it zooms in on the cars, it sort of makes them look like miniatures.
      Although it's might be that the full-size cars were burned, but only miniatures were blown up. Burning a set down and blowing one up are different stunts entirely!
      It's very cool that your mother got to see it when it first came out. I've gotten to see it in a theater on the big screen, but I'm not going to have the same experience as 1, I've seen it many times before that, and 2, color movies are the norm.
      But on the big screen, it was the first time I had ever seen Scarlett's eyes look green. On the old VHS tape I had, they always looked blue.

  • @karlbroderickmusic
    @karlbroderickmusic Рік тому +1

    Wonderful stuff. Instead of it being spoilers, it gives you a new respect for those, already highly thought of, movies. So clever, it must've been so rewarding seeing your creativity work on the final film.

  • @Deadpool_64
    @Deadpool_64 Рік тому +6

    You should do an episode about the original Dark Shadows, (if you haven't already.) The shot of ghost Josette walking down from the painting was absolutely amazing, especially for a show in 1967 and with a shoestring budget.

  • @Akira625
    @Akira625 27 днів тому

    It’s really ingenious the way these effects were pulled off. In particular, the effects in The Wizard of Oz continues to impress me to this day.

  • @pylesofmedia
    @pylesofmedia Рік тому +8

    Watching how older movies were made is what made me want to make movies myself. I miss good ol' movie magic

  • @wirelesmike73
    @wirelesmike73 Рік тому +1

    Buster Keaton is officially the GOAT! Not just for his stunts, but his acting, and sense of comedic timing are unsurpassed.

    • @SmallSpoonBrigade
      @SmallSpoonBrigade Рік тому

      A lot of the guys of that era started out on stage where they got immediate feedback on whether what they were doing was funny or not. Acting for the camera can be pretty hard at times as you don't really know what the reaction is going to be, it's one of the reasons why so many TV shows were filmed in front of a live audience. It helped to figure out what was working and what wasn't.
      If you've got just the camera, you pretty much have to be the character and you have to trust that the director, camera operator and the rest know what they're doing to capture it on film in a way that the audience will appreciate. You don't get to adjust to the audience without a test screening in the mean time.

  • @jonathant.powell7281
    @jonathant.powell7281 Рік тому +7

    Cool old special effects. I wondered for years how that tornado was done in "The Wizard of Oz" and the floating pin in "2001 - A Space Odyssey." I'm surprised that your list didn't include the ocean parting scene from both versions of "The Ten Commandments."

    • @FRN2013
      @FRN2013 Рік тому

      Good point! Amazing feats for both eras!

    • @FRN2013
      @FRN2013 Рік тому

      Speaking of Chuck Heston films, the chariot race and the naval battle in Ben-Hur were spectacularly filmed!

    • @SadDetonator
      @SadDetonator 2 місяці тому

      The ocean parting scene was actually real. They just had to pray hard enough; then anything is possible 😅

  • @jakethepitador2558
    @jakethepitador2558 Місяць тому

    At 00:44 That was "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" - Highly recommended!
    I had the pleasure of seeing it, screened by our local independent theater society, with live musical accompaniment just like it would've been done in the 1920s! A very memorable experience!

  • @gooddog20002
    @gooddog20002 Рік тому +3

    In Silent Running 1972 to create the tactical nuke explosion they took a piece of black construction paper and punched a hole in it. Then they opened up the lens all the way and zoomed in on the hole. Then they unplugged the light to simulate the light from the nuke fading out. And they composited it onto a starfield. And they did the entire SFX for only $2 dollars, mind blowing.

  • @KirkHMiller
    @KirkHMiller Рік тому +1

    First time Film Riot has come up in my feed in years… thanks for this!

  • @DeaPeaJay
    @DeaPeaJay Рік тому +3

    Many of these tricks are brilliant. And I agree we need a return to more practical effects like these. Cgi is too easy. Think outside the box. Great video.

    • @Argoon1981
      @Argoon1981 Рік тому

      To me the problem with CGI is not that "is easy", is not really, is still a bunch of work, is that unless you spend a lot of time making it good, it will look extremely bad and fake, specially for characters and moving/animating objects, while practical effects look real by default, because they are real, but there are tons of series and movies with full CGI static backdrops, that no one even suspects is CGI, when is very well done is invisible. So IMO the problem with CGI, is not CGI itself, is lack of care and rushed effects.

  • @markanne54
    @markanne54 Рік тому +1

    I liked the "steady cam" shots from The Evil Dead whereby they just bolted the camera to a big plank of wood and ran with it, creating a similar stabilisation effect that a high-wire-walker gets with a long pole.

  • @gustavocamillo2018
    @gustavocamillo2018 Рік тому +4

    Insane!!!
    Nowadays it's all CGI, blender, Houdini, DaVinci Resolve, Adobe Premier...
    I think we gained quality but we lost creativity...

  • @Geritopia
    @Geritopia Рік тому

    The zoom out from Harold Lloyd and clock tower was excellent . And for that matter, all of this is excellent.

  • @karlmahlmann
    @karlmahlmann Рік тому +3

    Really nice video, I enjoyed. I always wondered about that tornado. Today, there's plenty of footage like that of real tornadoes - and they look just like the one in Wizard of Oz. Sounds like they put some thought and hard work into this. I wonder if there was any real tornado footage for them to work from.

    • @anthonyhebisen
      @anthonyhebisen Рік тому

      By chance , and with all the tornados outbreaks going on currently, I watched a video on UA-cam about the history of tornados and the earliest mentions and depictions of tornados. One of the earliest depictions was in a medieval tapestry that displayed weather phenomenon. The first video footage recorded wasn’t until the 50’s , so the technicians for OZ relied on photos

    • @karlmahlmann
      @karlmahlmann Рік тому

      @@anthonyhebisen Thanks, That's what I had assumed. They did a great job, for sure.

  • @mikestckl6939
    @mikestckl6939 Рік тому

    the pen on the glass trick was my favorite ! its so simple but to come to the idea of doing it this way is brilliant !

  • @ALFirebird
    @ALFirebird Рік тому +9

    This was awesome, I always wondered how older films were able to pull of sfx that rivaled todays vfx! Incredible! Like always just going to ask that you guys consider writing the movie titles of each clip you use in the bottom corner. Studio binder does it and it’s so helpful for those of us that want to go back and watch some of the films. Pleeeaaassee

  • @charlesking8943
    @charlesking8943 3 місяці тому

    Amazing!! Being as artistic person myself, it always amazed me how creative people can be!! If there maybe an issue, how people simply create a solution on their own. Thinking outside the box. So great!!

  • @creech54
    @creech54 Рік тому +7

    To me, the "Wizard of Oz" tornado still looks more real than the CGI tornados in "Twister".

    • @karllieck9064
      @karllieck9064 Рік тому +2

      I totally agree.

    • @SmallSpoonBrigade
      @SmallSpoonBrigade Рік тому

      The one in the Wizard of Oz was also much further in the back and not intended to be the main focal point of the scene though. Which is a massive advantage.

  • @LunalovaniaGaming
    @LunalovaniaGaming Рік тому +1

    Amazing!! Thank you for the upload!! I love special effects, especially in older film and media. My favorite special effects movie is The Thing(1982).
    That movie really scared the crap out of me as a kid, and it was all because of those special effects and prop work.
    I like cgi, but I'm more of a fan of practical special effects and prop work, makeup etc. Cgi is amazing and if done correctly, it can look very real.
    Thanks again!! 💜🤝

  • @Ishai1
    @Ishai1 Рік тому +4

    I know it's the most famous Buster Keaton shot, probably because it was done for real, but he had so many better examples of tricks that you could've used, like the Sherlock Jr motorcycle scene with the train barely missing him

  • @philrabe910
    @philrabe910 Рік тому

    How Fun! I personally designed and built the rooftop set to pull off a version of Safety Last for the B flick "Why Me?", and the 'how they made it' book from 2001 is what got me into special effects!

  • @falcychead8198
    @falcychead8198 Рік тому +4

    There's a shot in "Contact" that mystified me for a long time. It's when Ellie runs upstairs to get her father's medicine, and the camera is going with her up the stairs, _around a corner,_ down the hall to the bathroom, where it's revealed to be a reflection in the medicine cabinet mirror. It was obvious once it was explained to me; the tracking shot was one shot simply matted into a second shot of the cabinet.
    Another mirror trick, that wasn't even an effect really, was in "Airplane!" when Kramer is getting dressed in a full length mirror, says, "Let's go" and then steps through the mirror. The scene was simply set up to suggest that there was a mirror there when there wasn't. The gag is very subtle and is usually missed by viewers.

    • @BadWebDiver
      @BadWebDiver Рік тому

      My cousin pointed that one out to me; and I admit it took me two or three views to get the gag.

  • @barney6888
    @barney6888 Місяць тому

    "It's a twistuh', IT'S A TWISTUH!!!"
    I've watched the Wizard of Oz for 65 years and it remains stunning and beautiful.

  • @MrJasonwoodrow
    @MrJasonwoodrow Рік тому +1

    One I loved as a kid, and still do is the 1953 War of the Worlds alien craft scenes. The sparking ground when they pass, the shield dome, the wicked look of the crafts. It may all be basic, but it was thrilling to me.

  • @alastairbishop2450
    @alastairbishop2450 Рік тому +1

    Great video. There's an amazing tracking shot in a film called Soy Cuba from 1964: insanely complex, and it looks fabulous.

  • @michaelpohas2608
    @michaelpohas2608 Місяць тому +1

    What's the name of the film at 0:50?

  • @eponymous_graphics
    @eponymous_graphics Місяць тому

    ahhh, man !! That 2001 special effect is insane !!! so simple. Great video with a lot of cost effective and DIY ideas for home made films. I've been inspired by videos and artists online to do stop motion action using scale models, roughly 1:18 or G.I. Joe size ... still in production phase, however, this video gave me some tactics to work with. Excellent compilation. Thumbs up.

  • @BVP93
    @BVP93 Рік тому

    I could watch these examples endlessly. Phenomenal video

  • @SuperPanzon1
    @SuperPanzon1 Рік тому

    I love movies. This was one of the best documentaries I've watched. Nice work !

  • @charlesballard5251
    @charlesballard5251 Рік тому

    Never heard of you. I sit down to have a bite and need something to watch and there you are on UA-cam. LOVED IT!!!! Keep up the good work.