Amazing Effects in Classic Films - How Did They Pull It Off? | Part 3

[@treystokes00]

I was on the Abyss crew and for some of the wide shots of Ed Harris doing the deep dive he was a marionette, about a foot tall, that my team and I operated. For reference I was given a video of all the raw takes of Harris underwater in the deepsuit and I can tell you, between taking a final breath, closing the visor, ACTING, then opening the visor and signaling for the regulator again, he was often holding his breath for a stunning length of time. I was also on set for the rat scene (there were a LOT of us just off camera - we all wanted to witness it) and yep, it was exactly what you see on screen. They did several takes, with a new rat each time, and they all came out just fine.

[@filmriot]

That's incredible! I didn't know that about the marionette. I can't even tell where that would be. You all did an incredible job!

[@treystokes00]

​@@filmriot The shot where he passes the crane wreckage is the marionette, another is near the end of the descent as he falls toward the glow below. And most of the traveling shots with the NTI as well. Although, just to make things harder, they were shot separately and optically combined. Puppet Bud was shot bluescreen, but the NTI, being translucent, had to be shot against black. That was my actual job: lead NTI puppeteer. The Bud puppet stuff was just added onto that.

[@wirelesmike73]

I wish more movies today did the things you guys pulled off in that movie. Astounding work for the vast majority of it. The only thing that was clear to me when I first watched it was when the mothership rose out of the water. Those shots were literally the only ones that looked like miniatures, and it was only because of the way the water looked and moved. The models of those spires rising out of the water would've literally had to have been more than twice the size to minimize that effect, and as I've learned, they were already pretty damn huge for "miniatures". I knew about the puppets, but could never tell for sure exactly where they were used in the edit. Such amazing work. I love that movie, to this day. And, thank you for sharing this.✌🖖

[@AlexReynard]

Although I imagine those rats were very confused. And the stories they later told their rat friends were wild.

[@KRAFTWERK2K6]

Dude, you worked on one of the GREATEST movies ever made!!! Still eagerly waiting for this to drop on UHD & Blu-ray as i still only have my Laserdiscs (slightly open matte Theatrical cut and fully matted Special Edition cut) to enjoy. The DVD was sadly letterbox and had terrible picture quality. Everyone who worked on this movie deserves my upmost respect, Sir. This is imho Cameron's best movie and all the hard work, pain and suffering was well worth it. it is one of my absolute all time favorites and my best buddy and i constantly quote this movie.

[@ResoluteGryphon]

Those candles from the Dracula look like they're being sparked by pyrotechnics, not being blown out. Unless the shot has been composited, the woman's dress is flowing too naturally down the stairs to be being shot backwards.

[@cbnewham5633]

I agree. The train of the dress would have been very hard to get right flowing upwards. The candles are easy compared to the dress.

[@vicentezegers1181]

Also the smoke from the candles moves as it should instead of backwards.

[@quinncanepa5461]

The weirdest part is how did FilmRiot come to this determination? Did they find that reversed footage when researching this or did they reverse it themselves and just completely lie?

[@modophone]

@@quinncanepa5461 I've seen some other BTS footage that shows them experimenting with backwards photography throughout the scene to find what looks "otherworldly", and maybe THIS footage is them testing the idea, but they finally settled on the practical trick candles. There's a close-up later of Lucy going back into the coffin, with Van Helsing using the crucifix, and that shot is DEFINITELY reversed. So it seems like just a goof on FilmRiots part, having seen the other tests.

[@iccarus1975]

and the smoke, don't forget the smoke

[@Caseytify]

The LICKED tunes were so loud they just about knocked me off my chair. Thanks for that.

[@HotBurnCut]

I love that we see how they did stuff when it is now something that we could be done on a micro budget. Also to see all the details of what they worked out, that goes over the audience's head, but is important for the film.

[@entredeuxbouchees]

Film Riot is such a great channel that it's one of those special channels that I must grab a coffee to not only listen doing other stuff, but to fully enjoy visually too. I looove this FX serie so much, too!

[@rickpontificates3406]

With Ed Harris, they should have just used a double visor with water in the middle, like the magic cup that looks like it's filled with water, so he could be breathing O2 from a tank

[@ejem472]

Not backwards! 2:12 The scene with the candles must be a reshoot, you can see the smoke going up! Even Coppola talks about this effect (and the making of shows it) as a reversed shot but apparently didn't work because in the final movie is obviously a pyrotechnic effect. Boy I love this movie. (The coffin scene later is backwards, and the one when Jonathan enters the castle, this way his first step into Dracula's "world" looks eerie)

[@FortheLoveofMonsters]

I was wondering this because her train is also falling forward. So unless someone is behind her moving her train perfectly it doesn’t make sense. It’s a pyrotechnic sfx.

[@NiMayne]

Nothing takes me out of a 'fun facts' video more than getting something like this blatantly wrong, within only a couple minutes 😭

[@tenderloinstew1359]

Like getting the name of a very famous author wrong?

[@EricLefebvrePhotography]

About LICKD ... it would be important to mention that they do NOT license for films or broadcast. It's only for social media as far as I can tell. Since your vierwership is composed of a LOT of aspiring filmmakers ... that might be an important clarification. Still pretty amazing.

[@EXTREME_PATATOR]

The roar part gave me chills.... I heard of similar story on a french movie from some years ago. Film featuring Melanie Vincent, a little girl and lion. Yup the lion attacked the girl, but hey the parents and production dicided to continue the film..... That's freakin crazy ! Movie name is "Mia et le Lion Blanc" (Mia and the White Lion).

[@Sleezy.Design]

I'm not even making films or VFX, I only make "static" art, images that don't move :D but I've been subscribed to Film Riot for over 10 years at this point! It's amazing how far you guys have come, really inspirational! Keep it up, love your channel!

[@kevinbillington9773]

These are pure gold. That Roar was bloody mental.

[@LeCharles07]

I love how "Roar" is just know as "that movie where they got bit like 87 times". Truly nuts.

[@kaspergaram]

This is hands down the most interesting series on all of KZbin. Please, please, please keep it coming

[@RoccoSoto-c9q]

I can't get enough, I just love these episodes. Keep them coming!. I can't get enough, I just love these episodes. Keep them coming!.

[@wadefromthawell942]

Right when you showed 50 I was like I used to watch Movie Magic all the time and then you used clips from it. Great stuff. Abyss has some great miniature work in it too.

[@wirelesmike73]

*Little Shop Of Horrors - 1986* The scene immediately following the song "Grow For Me" when tiny Audrey II forces itself (?) to grow and doubles in size after drinking blood for the first time, bursting out the sides of the coffee can. What techniques did they use to get that one-shot effect? It's literally the only scene in any movie that I still can't be certain exactly how it was achieved. And, every time I think I've figured it out, I see another little detail that proves that it couldn't have been done that way. It's short and deceptively simple, but it's fascinating, and a true example of real movie magic.

[@KRAFTWERK2K6]

I still look back when Independence Day came out and the first teaser shots were shown of the GIGANTIC Ships breaking through the atmosphere and hovering above the Skyline of New York. This impressed the living heck out of me as a kid back then because i NEVER saw anything like that before or after. These shots still hold up SOOOO well just as they did in 1996. They really pushed the limits of possibilities back then and went beyond that.

[@DavidicusGear]

It’s amazing to watch Film Riot and witness the Connolly family’s growth over time. Yet, neither Ryan nor the rest of us have reached the level of directing a Hollywood movie. I admire Film Riot for being so transparent. 🙂

[@キラキラくりくり頭]

Yeah, I was watching them 10 years ago, I remember that film they made where Josh ran through some building fighting loads of people. I felt like "surely these guys will actually make Hollywood movies"

[@キラキラくりくり頭]

Losses. That's the one I was thinking of. 11 years ago.

[@pylesofmedia]

I've wanted to make movies all my life, and it's because of this kind of movie magic. Keep up the great work Film Riot! I love you guys

[@zackh2020]

I love it when you do these episodes keep them coming don’t stop you guys are wonderful.

[@IrisEmerson]

S Tier editing from Film Riot like always 😂 Loving this series! I'd love an episode where they guess how many takes it took to film iconic scenes

[@lscales6131]

2:16 fun fact. The little girl was so afraid the actress playing Lucy she didn’t want to do any more than one take. In her vampire make up and outfit she Sadie Frost had to sweet talk the girl to letting her hold her again.

[@RTMedia24]

Its pretty cool that you went to FullSail to and i had an instructor that mentioned you. I love the school and they are so good at teaching us what we need to know. Anyways i graduate in December and I'm excited to hopefully start my film career

[@JetSetDiva]

Harris publicly disowned The Abyss, saying "I'm never talking about it and never will." Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio also disowned the film, saying, "The Abyss was a lot of things. Fun to make is not one of them."

[@trevorbrown6654]

And yet ironically it's also one of his most memorable movies. Same with Mastrantonio too.

[@kjamison5951]

Saw this and loved it! Liked and subscribed. I’m looking forward to more reveals!

[@DarinMcGrew]

I love the "making of" bonus features. The one for Darby O'Gill and the Little People includes behind-the-scenes footage that shows how they created the forced perspective, and how they combined forced perspective with mattes. It isn't really an effect, but a couple films took the approach of hiring people who had the skills the characters needed, and then teaching those people to act (as opposed to hiring actors and teaching them the skills). Miracle (2004) hired hockey players to portray the 1980 US Olympic hockey team; before they could read lines, they had to demonstrate their skills on the ice. And The Cowboys (1972) used a hybrid approach. Half of the boys were portrayed by actors who had to learn rodeo skills, and half were junior rodeo champions who had to learn acting.

[@mpmyprojects6687]

"Roar" was shown in a movie theater here in the mid-80s in a special showing just for school kids. We were about 8-10 years old. I remember it very well and we never worried about the dangers of filming, but we liked the big cats. The 80s were different :D.

[@jerrypeacock930]

An effect that I'm curious to know more about is the incredibly distinct blood spray achieved in the club scene of the first Blade movie. If you watch, you can actually see individual droplets of blood coming out of the sprinkler heads and spatter suspended in mid-air. Since it was a time long before CG particle effects of this level were commonplace, I'd love to know how they pulled that off in-camera!

[@LuManUK]

Yes, do more in this series. I love it!!!

[@macIain]

Love this! Keep them coming!

[@nicklaytonUK]

Superb. Thanks

[@fueledbylofi7078]

Love these segments, thanks guy for being one of the true OG video production youtube channels that sticks to their roots

[@yairfunnygaming9476]

Can wait to see more effects!❤ And I would love to see more Stuff using the electric pack! ⚡️

[@luclenders]

on the forest gump shot I think you can already see the feather in place in the first shot. 9:56 something. Like this series btw. Cool stuff.

[@roodick85]

Already going great! Love Bram Stroker's Dracula super stacked!

[@BrooksdigitalMedia]

I can't get enough, I just love these episodes. Keep them coming!

[@EricLefebvrePhotography]

I LOVE this series. Been with you since Teleportation Tourettes and owe at least 80% of my film knowloedge to you guys.

[@JayDiazFilms]

Wow, I never knew about Roar 🤯 crazy they filmed something like that.

[@KevyNova]

This is a great series. I just binged them all and hope some more come out soon!

[@elujinpk]

...😮‍💨 thank you! Thank you film riot. For showcasing this. Cinecons turn to AI has made me feel anger.... It's so nice to see the appreciation and study of human effort. It has to come back. I'm going full practical for my next indie. Thank you for sharing and taking the time.

[@ElectroPopSelection]

2:13 If she's walking backwards... How is the dress climbing the stairs??? 🤔🤔🤔🤔

[@mattydominic4219]

2:20 Nope. Don't know where you heard that but her dress falls down each step as she walks so she's definitely not walking backwards & there's no wind/smoke before the candles light. Easy enough to ignite candles practically w/out going through the "reverse blowing out" method suggested.

[@Winter1x]

I love these type of VFX breakdowns, How about one on Mighty Joe Young?

[@SupremeGreatGrandmaster]

Which one?

[@Winter1x]

1998. The 1949 is pretty much the same stop motion fx as the OG King Kong

[@SupremeGreatGrandmaster]

@@Winter1x That would be a good choice.

[@mauricenash]

Another fantastic episode! 👏Thank you, guys! Looking forward to the next one!🎬📽

[@spreiselbeerleprv]

This is the type of content, where one (me) wants to stalk all of the other videos at 4 a.m. 🙈Very well done. 👍

[@DamianTHallan]

I was a Huge Fan of the PBS Show and made it part of my after school block of shows to watch along with Chip N Dale Rescue Rangers

[@jakebossin]

Love these videos guys!

[@levimagic3542]

FILM RIOT IS BAAACK

[@sulev111]

9:45 He was right. CG doesn't mean everything is computer generated. It's computer edited, a part added that wasn't there. Same thing.

[@Bibliothekaresse]

This series is amaaaazing

[@Boyso5407]

“I feel stress” is such a perfect description of that scene.

[@humankinetic]

You guys should look at the shot in Pitch Black where Riddick dislocates his shoulders to lift his arms up completely behind his back and over his head

[@cloud9comedy128]

THANK YOU!!!, I love these episodes so much!

[@elijahcaver2152]

I would love for yall to show how they made the house crumble into the light at the end of Poltergeist (1982)!

[@jeditsuyoshi]

So, one thing about the candles and whatshername walking down the steps. They tried it backwards, but it didn't work because her dress wouldn't fall down the steps right. So instead they used an old pyrotechnic gimmick to light the candles. You can tell with the sparks as they light. There is smoke there because the fuses are lit and they had already tried it numerous times.

[@TobiMorrisonStudios]

You have taught me so much in film, thank you!

[@TruthSurge]

13:35 BS. A guitar string? nope. Pluck a guitar string on an electric guitar with no amp. Pluck one on an acoustic guitar. He MUST mean at least a BASS GUITAR string because you'd need a lot of energy to vibrate a cup of water that much THROUGH a vehicle. I would have thought just put a speaker hidden under the compartment on which the cups sat and just play a low note on a synth or bass and you got it. Note lasts for say .2 seconds and you have a nice bump that happens. A simple string did not create enough force to do that.

[@PerryKivolowitz-t1x]

I believe there was a morph between the feather in motion landing on the sneaker and that feather that was there. The morph was used to eliminate any possibility of a visible dissolve. The software was Elastic Reality which was also used in the hand shake and lip movement scenes.

[@roverdrammen3977]

Love this video. Please make more!

[@morucek]

thanks for this video!!!! :D :D

[@LyingTube]

This is a great alternative to watching the More Infamous VFX BTS video series

[@apathtrampledbydeer8446]

Keep it up!

[@jmalmsten]

I never get tired of cloud tanks. Modern movies need more cloud tanks.

[@SamLovesMovies25]

With the rat shot in The Abyss: The film was FINALLY released on 4K (after being stuck on only DVD for decades). But even these days they STILL cancelled the 4K release in the UK because of that shot!

[@johnyserna5570]

This one of my favorite FR series.

[@FreshMootz]

Amazing how twenty five years or more later the two movies T2 and Jurassic Park still hold up as far as effects go.

[@lexmax08]

A lot of fun.

[@ErisedMediaCo]

I love these!!!

[@NYPlasticDoc]

Always awesome videos! T2 was released 1991 though

[@3DSage]

So fascinating! :)

[@stebolavirus]

Leaf? That sir, is a feather

[@bquick94]

The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, and the Neverending Story!

[@troyleegilbert790]

John Boorman's Excalibur would be a good movie to examine.

[@MartinBeerbom]

May favorite behind-the-scenes quotes is this: Some Hollwood-VFX guy was watching footage the German technicians shot for Independence Day. "What software did you use for that lens-flare? It looks incredible!" -- "Ummm... we just shone a flashlight into the lens while we shot the model..."

[@jj-if6it]

That rat thing is WILD. I'm glad they weren't harmed

[@digitalzealot7026]

I love these videos so much 🤗

[@MrGuion77]

Please, the moving silk in "singing in the rain"

[@AntLiv3YT]

I know this is very very late... but if possible cause you're a amazing editor and inspire me to do edits... think you can do the Ted Lasso intro? Maybe in your own way as possible?

[@mistertamura6190]

I actually prefer this format over the giggling and chaos from the Corridor Crew guys. Now do the funeral shot in Soy Cuba.

[@kthx1138]

Ed Harris said he REALLY TRIED breathing that liquid fluorocarbon emulsion "Because it's a challenge, man!".

[@DirectedbyLeo.]

I love this series

[@logandrayson4175]

Love this! I’m a sucker for BTS videos. Just recently watched one for “Hook”.

[@xxsdsxx5218]

I think I first saw the cloud tank effect as a kid for the exploding undersea volcano shot in 1969's Latitude Zero by Toho. When I saw Independence Day in the cinema this FX shot reminded me of LZ but I just assumed it was a CGI effect instead. There's differences, but it's essentially the same effect. There's a cool breakdown of the LZ shot towards the end the documentary Bringing Godzilla Down To Size, where they recreate how it was done, and how insanely simple it was to do.

[@nassosa]

Citizen Kane. Window on the top of the building while raining and the camera goes in the room through the glass while raining. If I remember correctly the shot.

[@nebulous6660]

damn I was hoping this video was going to be exclusively focused on the Abyss effect but it was still a fun 90 seconds.

[@matthewreynolds8025]

5:12 I still have an old VHS recording of this film with that scene, recorded from HTV in the mid 90's. You sure thats correct?

[@jjonestowne]

Where's the link to the Kim Aubry thing for Dracula? I don't see it, and not coming up when I search.

[@mbyrd67]

These are fun episodes!

[@chrisjpndala7576]

Incredible please more

[@filmriot]

We are going to try and do these monthly.

[@chrisjpndala7576]

@@filmriot much appreciated 👌

[@peter_mcguire1]

I’d love to see how they did the really long crane/drone shot in gangs of New York after the priest died in the beginning

[@the_kid_01]

Ik this is gonna be great

[@mattiasantorsola144]

An unforgettable scene is that of: 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). Floating pen scene

[@MLawrence-z9k]

I appreciate u doing movies from the golden & silver ages of film but since we are talking about original ways to do authentic & practical effects shots , the facehugger scene of it running towards Sigorney Weaver in the movie Aliens & jumping over the counter & latching on to her face & wrapping its tail around her neck is definitely worth putting in one of these episodes & explaining to ppl how they managed to accomplish it without CGI or blue screen or stop motion or rear projection because its so damn simple but nobody will guess how they actually did it !!!!

[@LuizBarrosPoa]

There's a insane effect on a smoke monster in a movie called The Keep (1983)

[@JarkkoHietaniemi]

Walking backwards in the stairs would mean the train of the dress (what a strange term) moves up the stairs? Something does not add up here or not quite everything is told. Pulling the train with strings? These days simulating the cloth would be no big deal, but back then, and even then if they wanted to use "old tricks"?

[@Rufusthered186]

Do you know how they did the Werewolf in American Werewolf in London? Cause that still amazes me to this day, considering it was back in the 80's.

[@philip167]

yes take a look at the first star wars film where the battle starts with the craw in the rabble ship and the storm troopers look at the one where the storm trooper slowly goes round the corner and shoot his lazier gun. you'll see the lazier blasts don't line up with the gun did somebody sneeze while he was putting the line on the film. it only last a couple of second so you need to watch it closely

[@c0ldc0ne]

3:26 "which we have shown that"

[@igorschmidlapp6987]

The lights inside of space helmets make absolutely NO sense for the astronaut's sight (projecting light into their vision), but are needed to see the actor's face...

[@GiftFromGod]

wait! how'd they had the vampire chick's dress fall naturally down each step if she walked up the stairs backwards? looking at the final shot its not clear to me how the heck they would've pulled it off as my logic says they overlapped her going down with the dress vs without the dragging part of the dress but that seems like a extremely complicated headache to get flawless in editing =O