Early Days: Simple Tricks and Ingenious Illusions
Before computers and digital wizardry, filmmakers relied on sheer ingenuity and clever techniques to create special effects. Think of the classic “stop-motion” animation, where models were painstakingly moved frame by frame to create the illusion of movement. Early science fiction films often used miniature sets and forced perspective to create a sense of scale and grandeur, while clever camera angles and editing masked the limitations of the technology. These early effects, though primitive by today’s standards, often possessed a charming rawness and inventiveness that’s hard to replicate digitally.