David Fincher got his start working on special effects for Return of the Jedi. In some rare footage from Alien 3, we get to see and hear how he works with the FX team to bring the destroyed Bishop android to life. Usually, footage like this would be considered an effects test, but when David Fincher’s doing it, it’s a rehearsal. Read More >>

In an effort to capture never-before-seen footage of animals in their natural habitats, the BBC’s Spy in the Wild series created robotic versions of meerkats, monkeys, and other creatures designed to blend in with their real-life counterparts. The robots are remarkably lifelike, until you remove all of their fur and reveal their inner workings. Read More >>

When you can’t rely on a computer to improve (or fake) a movie scene, you have to improvise. And back in the days of silent films, filmmakers were really, really good at coming up with creative ways to cook up special effects. It was a master class of using specific camera angles, splicing together shots, using glass matte paintings, and twisting perspectives to make things look as realistic as possible. Read More >>

Even if there is too much CGI in movies these days (and there is), let’s be thankful that the CGI we’re bombarded with looks good. Or, at least, it looks so much better than the utter crap computers spat out back in the ‘90s. God, that era of CGI was awful. Read More >>

Jurassic Park still holds up. It’s an excellent film that’s still fun to watch, the dinosaurs are still scary as hell, and the visual effects still look spectacular. How is that possible? Even though Jurassic Park changed the way films use visual effects, the restraint it used with its own effects is what has made it stand the test of time. Read More >>

As Alfred pointed out in The Dark Knight, some men just like to watch the world burn. To them, a day at the beach spent lounging in the sun isn’t particularly enjoyable. But a day at the beach spent terrorising swimmers with this amazing animatronic shark suit? Now that’s an afternoon well spent. Read More >>

Though it may seem like you’re watching a time lapse that uses hundreds of photos of a scene to track the passing of time, you’re actually just looking at a single picture “moving” with the magic of software called Platograph Pro. It’s one still photograph that’s been moved digitally. How? Read More >>

When I close my eyes at night, I can still hear that beautifully creepy score from Game of Thrones’ season finale, I can see the Great Sept of Baelor and the characters inside, and I can feel that chilly sense of doom. It’s funny how real those emotions are still, especially since so much of what we watched on TV was faked through expert visual effects. Read More >>

Here’s an interesting portrait of Howard Berger, a special makeup effects artist who’s worked on films like The Chronicles of Narnia and Inglorious Basterds, and the work he does to transform actors into, well, monsters. Read More >>

The phrase “reader beware, you’re in for a scare” is ingrained on the memory of a certain generation. We’re the ones who grew up watching the Goosebumps TV show (and can legitimately say that we fancied Ryan Gosling before anyone else), and who read the R. L. Stine books at sleepovers where we were far too terrified to sleep. Read More >>

It’s always nice to know that not everything in movies is done with computers and CG and green screens. Almost all of it is, of course, but! There are still some directors using practical effects in some action movies and those scenes always look awesome. Here are ten of ‘em. Read More >>

With a fantasy series like Game of Thrones, the invisible visual effects that bring the fictional world and creatures to life are just as important to the story as the show’s cast. See more >> Read More >>

It’s no surprise that blockbuster films rely so heavily on special effects and CG all the time now. When the effects are good, it just makes more sense for the fictional world they are building and the shots they are making. But it will forever be hilarious to see the actors act out in ridiculous suits and fake action against a green screen. It’s all so damn silly. Read More >>

Movies heavy in visual effects don’t usually age well because they’re often trapped in their own time capsule. Special effects that were supposed to be impressive become cheesy, and intimidating effects that were supposed to add to the plot become laughable. Nothing kills the suspension of disbelief faster than bad visuals. Read More >>

I’ve always thought that the Visual Effects Academy Award was one of the more important awards out there: after all, it’s championing the technology and approaches to film that makes fantasy into visual reality. Read More >>