Effects and Stunts Articles

• Blood Effects
• Green Screen
• Horror
• Pyrotechnics

• Green Screen Backgrounds
  February, 2012
  by Peter Zunitch
  It's one of the oldest tricks in the video arsenal, yet it's still one of the most useful and effective. We're talking about the selective subtraction of a…
• Halloween Ghastly Effects
  October, 2011
  by Peter Zunitch
  How to Make a Ghost - You don't need any supernatural power to create a real video ghost, it's all in the production techniques and the storytelling art.
• Green Screen Directing
  March, 2011
  by Marshal M. Rosenthal
  Anyone who desires to direct a Hollywood-like movie on an independent budget can do so, now that green screen technology has become easier to produce.
• Dreaming Up Dream Sequences
  December, 2010
  by Mark Montgomery
  What makes your character the person he or she has become? Dreams and flashbacks are commonplace in dramatic movies and provide a convenient way for the…
• Ghostly Effect for your Halloween Videos
  October, 2010
  by Peter Zunitch
  There are all sorts of ways to make ghosts appear and disappear in your video, the "Pepper's Ghost" is just one of them, but is quite interesting in its…
• We're On Fire
  May, 1992
  by Bernard Wilkie
• It's Done With Mirrors
  March, 1993
  by Bernard Wilkie
• Lighting Greenscreens
  January, 2009
  by Robert G. Nulph, Ph.D.
  Many editing software programs now have easy-to-execute chromakey effects, but, to get your scene looking good, you need to plan first and light it right. You&h…
• Tutorial - The Sword and the Light
  October, 2008
  by Paul Del Vecchio
  With the immense popularity of the Star Wars franchise, the light sword seems to have become the most recognizable special effect in cinema history.
• Tutorial The ABCs of Chromakeys
  September, 2008
  by Tom Benford
  Without a doubt, you see chromakeys used countless times - probably every time you watch the news on TV - and perhaps you aren't even aware of it.
• 15 Quick Tips to Videotaping Fireworks
  July, 2008
  by Jennifer O'Rourke
  Shooting great firework footage is more than pointing the camera into the sky. The less light you have, the harder it is to focus or capture an image that isn't…
• Special Effects: 7 Sizzling Cool Camera FXs!
  February, 2007
  by Kyle Cassidy
  Low cost camera tricks to create amazing illusions for your viewers.
• Wipers au Naturel
  November, 2006
  by Tony Bruno
  Our media-soaked culture has made cinematic shorthand a second language.
• Video Editing : The Ghosts of Edits yet to Be
  October, 2006
  by Bill Davis
  Time to dim the lights and tell ghost stories. Our Editorial Department demonstrates some techniques on putting some spook into your videos.
• Feasible Fantasy: How To Create Convincing Sci-Fi on a Low Budget
  December, 1994
  by Bernard Wilkie
  You don't need a big budget or fancy equipment to make convincing science fiction effects. Join BBC effects wizard Bernard Wilkie as he explores the realm of…
• Special F/X: Smoke Screen
  August, 1994
  by Bernard Wilkie
• Burning, Bleeding, Floating, and Flying: Simple, Low-cost Special Effects
  September, 1995
  by Mark Bosko
  Ever wondered how to make your own low-budget special effects? Here's a sampling of video tricks that you can perform with common, everyday household items.
• Laws on Makeup Left Out of “The Art of Appearance”
  March, 1997
  by Karen Director
  In Box
• Video Time Travel: Tips for Time-lapse Video and Animation
  December, 1995
  by Timothy Liebe
  Ever watched a flower bloom in mere seconds? Or seen an inanimate object take on a life of its own? With the right tools and a little know-how, even beginning…
• Special Effects Are for Everybody
  August, 1997
  by Jim Stinson
  Want to create effects that are quick, simple, cheap and effective? This article lays out the basic ideas thaat make video illusion feasible and then describes…
• Special F/X: Two's A Crowd
  February, 1998
  by Chuck Peters
  Turn any room into a crowded restaurant.
• Back to School: A Video Project
  February, 1998
  by Loren Alldrin
  Shoot a fun, no-budget dream sequence about an all-too-familiar nightmare of being back in grade school.
• Profile: Look! Up in the Sky: It's Video Man!
  April, 1998
  by Alyssa Skye Rivera
  A hobbyist merges freefall and video into a thrilling career.
• More Mini Bios and More Articles like “Steal from the Best”
  July, 1998
  by Karen Director
  In Box
• Special F/X: In Your Face!
  July, 1998
  by Chuck Peters
  All you need to create this drippy, gooey lens effect is a pane of clear glass or plastic.
• Edit Suite: The Power of Suggestion
  September, 1998
  by Jim Stinson
  How can you achieve a big-budget look for your video with a no-budget budget?
• Special F/X: Rain Drops Keep Fallin …
  September, 1998
  by Chuck Peters
  You can turn any day into a rainy day with this easy effect.
• Special F/X: (Don't) Burn, Baby, Burn
  May, 1999
  by Chuck Peters
  Make your video sizzle without sending it up in smoke.
• Hollywood's Secrets Revealed: Special Effects in the Movies
  October, 1998
  by Scott Anderson
  Look inside the creation of some of special effects in the movies.
• Special F/X: Gravity Schmavity
  November, 1998
  by Chuck Peters
  A video illusion that will have you climbing the walls.