Special Effects

Special Effects – How they are done in Hollywood

By Robert G. Willard

“Special Effect How It Is Done In Hollywood” is a great book for anyone interested in learning about how special effects are made for Hollywood movies. It’s helpful for professionals, students, and hobbyists who want to learn about creating amazing real-time and mechanical effects for their projects.

It’s a useful resource for anyone wanting to learn more about the craft of movie magic.

The books includes many charts, diagrams and photos depicting the craft of special effects. Technical procedures are based on the author’s thirty-four years of experience on major motion pictures, as well as knowledge acquired from other masters.

Content subjects include discussions on rigging, atmospheric effects, break-a-way gags, pyrotechnics, fire, chemicals and motion picture terminology.

Create Your Own Stage Effects

By Gill Davies

This is a great book that explains all the different aspects of stage effects.

“Create Your Own Stage Effects” is part of a popular series of books that help you make your own special effects for the stage. It’s especially helpful for people who are just starting out or working on a small scale. The book covers a lot of different topics, like lighting, sound, costumes, set design, projection, makeup, properties, pyrotechnics, and more.

It also talks about how to create different settings, like historical or futuristic ones. The book gives you step-by-step instructions and safety tips for making the effects, and it also talks about how to save money without sacrificing quality.

The book also covers the history of stage effects from the beginning of theater.

It’s a good resource for students or people who are new to this field, and it’s also a helpful teaching aid.

Basics – A Beginner’s Guide to Special Effects

By Peter Coleman

This title introduces newcomers and beginners to the world of special effects for stage and theater. It describes all types of special effects including pyrotechnic, smoke and lighting effects, projections, noise machines, etc. It also places emphasis on the safe storage, handling and use of pyrotechnics.

Special Effects – The History and Technique

By Richard Rickitt

• Ever wondered how Harry Potter flew in that quidditch game?
• Ever puzzled over King Kong swatting down airplanes?
• Ever tried to figure out how Spider-Man swung from building to building?

It’s all done with special effects – a combination of optical and digital effects, miniature photography and animation, pyrotechnics, animatronics, and even sound effects. Special Effects: The History and Technique offers a comprehensive history of movie magic, along with detailed technical explanations and diagrams.

Packed with over 500 photographs and profiles of industry pioneers such as George Lucas, James Cameron, and Robert Zemeckis, this book is sure to appeal to movie fans of all ages.

From A Trip to the Moon to X-Men 3, from The Lost World to War of the Worlds, and from the 1933 King Kong to the 2005 King Kong, this stunning book reveals the magic behind the special effects in a variety of films.

The book covers:

• The History of Special Effects
• Optical Effects
• Models
• Animation
• Matte Techniques
• Make-Up
• Physical Effects
• Sound

This book is very thorough and covers a wide range of special effects used in movies. It has lots of technical detail and is full of illustrations.

Secrets of Hollywood Special Effects

By Robert E. McCartly

“Secrets of Hollywood Special Effects” is the definitive guide to special effects techniques, designed for professionals, students, and anyone interested in learning about the field.

The book covers a wide range of effects, including chemical reactions, pyrotechnics, weapon effects, levitation, and weather simulations, and is written by an experienced expert in the field.

The book focuses on safety and stresses the importance of practicing and preparing before attempting any special effects.

With over 200 illustrations and diagrams, the book provides a thorough understanding of all aspects of special effects, and also includes case studies and an inside look at the production of “The Fisher King.”

If you’re interested in learning about traditional special effects techniques or want to find out how specific effects were achieved, this book is a must-have. It should be a part of your collection.

The Technique of Special Effects of Cinematography

By Raymond Fielding

This excellent book offers a behind-the-scenes look at professional visual effects in the film industry. Special effects are used to create the illusion of larger-than-life situations and imaginary worlds, and were originally used to save money in film production. Today, special effects films are among the most popular in the industry.

A book that covers miniatures and models, matte paintings, optical printing, rear projection, and more.

The Technique of Special Effects of Cinematography is not only a valuable resource for learning about practical in-camera effects, but it also serves as a history book on the subject.

Contents:

• Camera Equipment
• Glass-Shots
• Mirror-Shots
• In-The-Camera matte shots
• Bi-pack contact matte printing
• Optical Printing
• Traveling Mattes
• Aerial-Image printing
• Rear Projection
• Front Projection
• Miniatures
• Electronic and Computer Systems

Creating Special Effects for TV and Video

By Bernard Wilkie

“Creating Special Effects for TV and Video” is a practical guide to the techniques used in TV production, including stop motion. This updated third edition covers a wide range of special effects in an easy-to-understand format, with clear illustrations and photographs to support the explanations.

Some subjects in the book are pyrotechnics, weather effects and atmosphere effects like smoke, mist, steam, fog, snow, wind, rain, dust, cobwebs and storms. The books also covers filming miniatures for action sequences and car crashes.

• Combine practical advice, technical know-how and professional skills
• Contain only the essential information you need to know
• Act as ‘on-the-job guides’ for everyday use

Bernard Wilkie is a freelance consultant, director, and writer who spent 25 years creating special effects for BBC TV, where he rose to become the manager of one of the largest and most specialized visual effects units in the world.

An excellent resource for anyone looking to learn about special effects in television and video.

Special Effects with Fire & Smoke; A Technical Manual (Theater)

By Theater Effects Inc. 

For professional use only.

This is one of the definitive manuals regarding the use of fire and smoke special effects live on stage. Special Effects with Fire & Smoke; A Technical Manual contains 10 years of research. Long out of print, this book provides 10 chapters, 127 pages, and dozens of illustrations. It includes the secret of the Ninja Exploding Smoke Bomb, proper use of flashpaper and other flash products, how to make flashpots, and so forth. The book assumes the reader possesses and will use standard safety protocols when using fire and related special effects. Get it while you can!

This comb bound baronial sized book should be on the bookshelf of every magician, prop artist, SFX technician and technical theatre director.

Effects for the Theatre

By Graham Walne and Joe Aveline

Effects for the Theatre includes topics such as scenic effects, special effects, sound effects and lighting effects. Scenic effects are covered by Joe Aveline, special effects by Esquire Jauchem, sound effects by John Leonard and lighting effects by Graham Walne. This description may be from another edition of this product. Out of print and can be difficult to find.

Special Effects: New Histories, Theories, Contexts

By Dan North, Bob Rehak and Michael S. Duffy

As blockbusters employ ever greater numbers of dazzling visual effects and digital illusions, this book explores the material roots and stylistic practices of special effects and their makers.

Gathering leading voices in cinema and new media studies, this comprehensive anthology moves beyond questions of spectacle
to examine special effects from the earliest years of cinema, via experimental film and the Golden Age of Hollywood, to our
contemporary transmedia landscape. In Special Effects: New Histories, Theories, Contexts you can read about prosthetic makeup effects, slime, blood effects, mirrors, stop motion and more!

Wide-ranging and accessible, the book illuminates and interrogates the vast array of techniques film has used throughout its history to conjure spectacular images, mediate bodies, map worlds and make meanings. With examples from Jurassic Park, Star Wars, Ghostbusters and Gremlins.

Magic and Illusion in the Movies

by George Higham

From top hats to top secrets, Magic and Illusion in the Movies is a celebration of illusion technology and mechanisms of trickery through a genre-crossing selection of films. Heroes, villains, spies, con-men, and madmen, magicians all, have utilized complex constructs and trickery in thrilling cinematic adventures from the earliest days of cinema to the present. Current blockbusters such as Spider-Man: Far from Home and the Mission: Impossible series feature amazing acts of deception, often appearing far-fetched, that are in fact surprisingly close to today’s technology. Along with the James Bond saga, classics such as The Wizard of Oz, Nightmare Alley, and The Sting are joined by a host of other movies superficially seeming to be very different, yet proving there is more than meets the eye.

Note – More a book about stories about different special effects makers and productions than a “how to make book”

Magic, Stage Illusions and Scientific Diversions, Including Trick Photography

By Albert A. Hopkins

Magic: Stage Illusions and Scientific Diversions by Albert A. Hopkins is a comprehensive guide to the world of magic, covering everything from stage illusions to trick photography. The book delves into the history of magic, exploring ancient temple tricks and the art of conjuring. It also discusses the use of scientific principles in creating illusions, such as optics, mechanics, sound, and electricity. With a focus on elaborate tricks and illusions performed by famous magicians like Robert-Houdin and Dr. Lynn, the book offers a unique insight into the world of magic. Additionally, it covers topics like ventriloquism, shadowgraphy, mental magic, and automata, providing a well-rounded view of the art form. The book also includes chapters on theatrical science, photographic diversions, and the projection of moving pictures, showcasing the diverse range of magical techniques and effects. With contributions from renowned authors like Henry Ridgely Evans and a bibliography of works on natural magic, Magic is a valuable resource for both aspiring magicians and enthusiasts of the art magique.

Note – Old book. But many techniques and technical solutions are still relevant.

Stage effects: How to make and work them

by A Rose

Stage effects: How to make and work them covers how to create different effects for theater and stage. Among other things, wind, different sound effects live backstage, snow, collapsible chairs, traps and trap doors, ships at sea and burning buildings.

Note – Old book. But many techniques and technical solutions are still relevant and it is exciting to read how they solved different effects in the past.

Shakespeare’s Theatres and the Effects of Performance (The Arden Shakespeare Library) Reprint Edition

By Farah Karim-Cooper (Editor) and Tiffany Stern (Editor)

How did Elizabethan and Jacobean acting companies create their visual and aural effects? What materials were available to them and how did they influence staging and writing? What impact did the sensations of theatre have on early modern audiences? How did the construction of the playhouses contribute to technological innovations in the theatre? What effect might these innovations have had on the writing of plays?

Shakespeare’s Theatres and The Effects of Performance is a landmark collection of essays by leading international scholars addressing these and other questions to create a unique and comprehensive overview of the practicalities and realities of the theatre in the early modern period.

The Science of Movie Special Effects: A Simple Guide to Big Ideas

By Nova Martian

Embark on a cinematic journey through “The Science of Movie Special Effects: A Simple Guide to Big Ideas,” a masterfully crafted exploration of how science, artistry, and ingenuity combine to create the awe-inspiring visuals that define the world’s greatest films. This book delves into the rich history of movie magic, revealing the birth of special effects in the earliest days of cinema, chronicling pivotal milestones from pioneering visionaries like Georges Méliès, and tracing the dramatic transformation from practical, analog wonders to the digital marvels of modern filmmaking.

With clarity and enthusiasm, each chapter unlocks the core principles behind movie illusions—spanning the secrets of camera trickery, the science of human perception, and the engineering feats that bring creatures, explosions, and environments to life. Readers will discover both timeless techniques such as miniatures, stop-motion animation, and on-set pyrotechnics, as well as cutting-edge advancements like computer-generated imagery, motion capture, and interactive virtual reality. The book further illuminates the psychological and technical strategies that filmmakers employ to blend the real with the imagined, sustaining the viewer’s suspension of disbelief and making the impossible feel tangible.

Comprehensive yet accessible, this guide is perfect for aspiring filmmakers, curious moviegoers, and anyone fascinated by the artistry behind the screen. Dive deep into the interplay of visual and audio effects, the vital roles of physics and materials science, and the ethical considerations shaping the industry’s future. “The Science of Movie Special Effects” is both a celebration of creativity and a roadmap to understanding the big scientific ideas that continue to push the boundaries of cinematic storytelling.

The Science of Movie Special Effects: A Simple Guide to Big Ideas

By Philip Butterworth 

This revised edition investigates first-hand evidence of the use of special effects in fire and flame in medieval and Tudor theatre.

Evidence concerning the use of special effects in fire and flame in medieval and tudor theatre points to some hazardous, exciting and spectacular theatrical activity. The effects range from the simple use of candles to impressive ‘set-pieces’ for dramatic firework events. Although the term ‘special effect’ is not a medieval one, it is a useful modern term to draw together activity through the production of flame and fire in addition to that produced by the actions of players.

Examining the production of pyrotechnic devices and approaches to their construction, provision and creative use, this book considers five major forms of evidence: guild, civic and ecclesiastical records, firework writers’ recipes, eye-witness accounts, recipes in Books of Secrets and explicit stage directions in plays. This edition reidentifies one of the five forms of evidence, the ‘explicit stage direction’ in use before 1560, as the ‘record of performance’, and reassesses it in this new light.

This revised edition makes use of related research that has been produced since 1998, when the first edition was published by The Society for Theatre Research, and includes further discussion of the extent to which interpretative weight may be put on to the evidence produced by financial accounts and other civic documents. It also includes wider reflection on the authority of some post-1560 stage directions, improved discussion on the evidence concerning performances of travelling players in taverns, and consideration of subsequent work on special effects.

The work concludes with an extensive set of appendices drawing together primary materials – some published here for the first time – including eye witness accounts and extracts from manuals and recipe books. A substantial expanded Glossary and numerous illustrations completes this uniquely illuminating resource.

Features a new foreword by Peter Meredith (Emeritus Professor of Medieval Drama, University of Leeds, UK)

Make It Bloody: Blood Recipes for Theater, Medical Simulation and Costume

By Deborah Christine Harmon BSN RN

Projecting a believable visual image when portraying an injury is critically important. A medical injury, theatrical performance, special effect or Halloween costume can progress from a “decent” portrayal to a startlingly “realistic” depiction by simply making blood that looks real! Anyone can make blood from simple ingredients and for multiple purposes. Thick, thin, mass quantities, edible… you name it, you can make it! Don’t waste your money on store-bought blood, make your own!