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

►WATCH PART 2 - • Amazing Effects in Cla...
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►FILMS FROM THIS EPISODE
Safety Last - 1923
Metropolis - 1927
Wings - 1927
Steamboat Bill Jr - 1928
Modern Times - 1936
Sh! The Octopus - 1937
Wizard of Oz - 1939
Citizen Kane - 1941
Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo - 1944
2001: A Space Odyssey - 1968
▼ Timestamps ▼
» 0:00 - Intro
» 0:59 - Safety Last - 1923
» 1:53 - Metropolis - 1927
» 2:53 - Wings - 1927
» 4:18 - Steamboat Bill Jr - 1928
» 5:14 - Modern Times - 1936
» 5:53 - Sh! The Octopus - 1937
» 6:55 - Sponsor
» 8:14 - Wizard of Oz - 1939
» 9:38 - Citizen Kane - 1941
» 10:33 - Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo - 1944
» 11:22 - 2001: A Space Odyssey - 1968
» 12:23 - Outro
#FilmRiot #ClassicFilm #SpeciaEffects
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[@Shindai]

The witch transformation makeup trick is probably my favourite practical effect in cinema, so effective

[@cjc363636]

Yeah that witch transformation is still scary a.f. in 2023! I'm wondering if it's in any way possible to do that with color.

[@jakeEDITsyt]

@@cjc363636 maybe you could recolorise some black and white footage with some software

[@petergivenbless900]

The give-away with that shot is that the actresses eyes change colour; at the start the red make-up is transparent through a red filter, also making her blue eyes appear black, but when the filter is removed, exposing the red make-up, her eyes also lighten.

[@scottr3299]

The most famous example of this is probably Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde with Frederick March, maybe?

[@shonuff4323]

That was insanely good. Good by today's standards. In fact almost better.

[@johnball8758]

As a child, the tornado scene was terrifying in Oz. It's hard to believe that was just fabric and dirt.

[@unlimitedrabbit]

I'm pretty sure that it was responsible for my early paralyzing fear of extremely large things like (twisters,) tidal waves and mushroom clouds - all of which appear in my nightmares to this day. I also see enormous UFOs in my nightmares.

[@scouseofhorror104]

​@@unlimitedrabbit This 1000%. I've never had to experience anything so apocalyptic in my life, but my dreams can sure invent it 🥶😫

[@Carlito150]

Me too! I remember I was 5 when I saw the wizard of Oz and that scene wowed me and terrified me at the same time

[@chereecargill355]

When I was a kid, I would hide in the bathroom until the tornado scene in Oz was over. It scared me to death because it was so real. It still is although I don't hide anymore. But I always wondered how it was done.

[@charlie-obrien]

It scared the crap out me when I was a little kid and still makes me nervous for Dorothy today.

[@kennethyule2834]

As far as the tornado in The Wizard of Oz goes, I am proud to say that my Grandfather was one of the Special Effects technicians pushing that cart around. He worked on a lot of special effects in those days for different studios. By the time I knew him, he was working for Universal and then he retired to spend more time with his hobby of astrophotography.

[@Palidor19]

That's awesome, literally part of cinema history

[@tedlarson2078]

That’s cool man

[@ZeroDstruct]

Mine was one of the producers that raped Judy. Good times!

[@stephencroft1612]

wrdgaf

[@TheSaltydog07]

All I can say is wow! I remember how the oncoming twister scared me more than the flying monkeys. 🌪🌪🌪

[@new.asteroid.tracker]

That Wizard of OZ tornado scene terrified my younger sister so bad that when we had a tornado warning she would go into a panic.

[@mauller]

So did I. I would shut my eyes everytime that scene came on. I was also terrified of the scene when Dorothys in the Witches castle and Aunty Em turns into her in the hourglass

[@shopsshire9282]

I always considered the funnel cloud in The wizard of Oz to be more realistic looking on screen than any of those twisters that were CGI created in the 1996 movie twister or any other films since then.

[@joshcrates]

Had literal nightmares about it.

[@MrSeb81]

Pretty much the only time i watched the movie was Probably a couple months ago on VHS

[@leebeeskee]

Isn’t panicking at a tornado warning quite a normal response?

[@02ujtb00626]

To this day I have yet to see a tornado done in CGI (in movies or otherwise) that holds up the the 1939 Wizard of Oz. That was absolute genius.

[@robertforster8984]

I can’t even find a tornado done in CGI before that movie Twister.

[@02ujtb00626]

@@robertforster8984 night of the twisters was one around that time. It was a TV movie with Devon Sawa.

[@LarryMyster]

Sharkbado perhaps used cgi

[@filanfyretracker]

I would say Twister does hold up. its science is fast and lose but the effects are top notch.

[@recoswell]

an object that has actual physicality will always look better

[@waynegoin5534]

The Tornado in Wizard of Oz has always been the scariest most realistic to me, even over movies like Twister.

[@montyrayza7220]

Exactly - horrifying !!!

[@jerichobeach2967]

Partly cuz twister had a cow flying thru the nado and mooing 😅 and partly cuz i was 16 and smoked weed right before i saw it in the theatre which made the cow scene even funnier

[@classicgunstoday1972]

Twister was a CGi joke

[@johnbee7729]

Buster Keaton was a mad genius. Absolutely positively the G.O.A.T. His work is so underappreciated by today's film viewer.

[@Lily-wp8ol]

Buster Keaton has always been my favorite. The man was a genius. I have DVDs of every short, movie, appearance he made. Called "The Great Stoneface" his eyes, and physicality did the acting.

[@robertdragoff6909]

Another gag Buster would do would be grabbing the handle on the side of a train as it was stopping at station, as if he was stopping it himself.

[@Lily-wp8ol]

@@robertdragoff6909 The General was meticulously planned, beautifully executed. I have read the railroad car is still decaying where it landed. Wish i could see that.

[@Kermit_T_Frog]

I cannot understand how he is not rated higher than Charlie Chaplain. His stuff holds up SO much better.

[@jeovanneramos5066]

Even now people copy some of his bits !

[@STLS]

As an astronomer, visual effects business owner, and colleague, I worked with Douglas Trumbull for a number of years and was honored to learn from him how the Effects for Blade Runner, Close Encounters, and 2001 A Space Odyssey were done among other of his massive list of works .. He had these wonderful presentations he did for me on many occasions to show his ingenuity. I counted him as a good friend until his passing just over a year ago. Interestingly you showed Wizard of Oz. It was his father that did the effects for Oz. Wonderful family. Doug is missed terribly.

[@susieusmaximus5330]

I'm so sorry for your loss. I first became aware of Trumbull from the movie "Silent Running", which is brilliant, and deserved a much wider audience than it got. He was a genius, and I hope it's a consolation to you to know, as I'm sure you do, how his work has continued to influence and inspire filmmakers for generations, and will continue to do so.

[@chilecayenne]

Very cool! Another interesting effect from Wizard of Oz, when they transition from Sepia to Color. As I understand it, the set itself where the camera starts was fully painted in B&W/Sepia, and they used a stand in for Judy Garland, dressed as her BUT the outfit was also B&W/Sepia. The opened the door, which reveals the color set outside. B&W "Dorothey" steps out and goes off camera for a second, and then Judy Garland dressed in color outfit comes back into the scene. At least, that's how I heard it was done...?

[@paulvansommeren]

Yeah that's what I read too. I thought they were gonna show that when Oz started.

[@jeff__w]

Yes. It's crazily simple _and_ complex and ingenious all at the same time.

[@georgemckenna462]

Although uncredited, director King Vidor shot the awakening scene on B&W/ Sepia tone film. Note the editing transition when Judy Garland's double facing away from the camera opens the door... The cut to the three-step technicolor film takes place right here! Remember it's 1939; the cinema and the world changed forever and you see it.

[@SeanMcGuire92]

Yes! Judy Garland's double (who was always on set because she stood in for Judy when lights and cameras were being set up for each shot, and it's also her feet in most of the close-ups of the Ruby Slippers when they're worn by Dorothy) wore the Kansas sepia tone dress, and backs up from the opening of the door to the left of the camera. She then passes Toto off to Judy behind the cameraman's back, and Judy enters Munchkinland in the Technicolor version of the dress from the right of the camera!

[@r0bw00d]

You're unsure if that's how you heard it was done? Wow.

[@brianschiff35]

The effects shots in "Forbidden Planet" are still some of my favorites, Spaceship approach and landing sequence still holds up today.

[@trevorbrown6654]

The scenes of the Krell monster caught up in the force field were actually done by Walt Disney animation for MGM.

[@bygsyxx4271]

War Of The Worlds(1954)...the alien attack of Los Angeles...the special effects and miniature work is astounding.

[@ajm7210]

This was an absolutely fantastic episode! I especially enjoyed the 3D breakdowns of some of the effects. Please make this a recurring series!!

[@D71219ONE]

6:14 WHAT?!? This looks better than the effects of probably any film that comes out today. That is freaking insane. There is no uncanny valley at all.

[@juliusnepos6013]

Absolutely

[@lastguyminn2324]

My favorite Wizard of Oz shot is the transition from sepia to Technicolor as Dorothy steps out of the house into Munchkinland. The whole sequence is shot in color, but the interior set of the house and Judy Garland's double are painted, made up, and dressed in the sepia browns. The model ducks out of the frame and Garland ducks in wearing her iconic blue dress and steps into the gloriously colored Munchkinland set in one seamless shot. Simple but amazing.

[@anna_in_aotearoa3166]

Seeing tech breakdowns of how pre-CGI effects were achieved is one of my fave parts of the Corridor Crew reaction episodes with SFX artists, stunties etc too. The amount of sheer CREATIVITY and crazy engineering that the old-time filmmakers applied to problem-solving is just so mindblowing and inspirational. It's 100% one of those instances where having greater constraints really did seem to lead to greater creativity....? And honestly, a lot of it looks more real than today's CGI blockbusters! 😳

[@hapyvenom9067]

One of my favourite practical effects from classic movies is the transition from sepia to colour in the wizard of Oz. They had actually painted the set, the clothes and had the actors wear sepia colour make up. And it was actually the stunt double that we see for Dorothy in the first half of the screen and when she goes through the door the real dorphy was waiting on the otherside

[@wheedler]

lol, dorphy

[@nektu5435]

It's so easy to overlook these type of things when you're not having them pointed out to you. I guess that's beauty or magic of cinema. If you're just accepting what you see on screen at face value then they've done their job. It's pretty much like finding out how a magic trick is done and that's pretty cool to me. ❤

[@erikgreenip3191]

The pan shot that travels over and through the town into Trillby's room in the 1931 film Svengali has always been one of my favorites.

[@creech54]

To me, the "Wizard of Oz" tornado still looks more real than the CGI tornados in "Twister".

[@karllieck9064]

I totally agree.

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

The one in the Wizard of Oz was also much further in the back and not intended to be the main focal point of the scene though. Which is a massive advantage.

[@garykuovideos]

I love how timeless and effective basic techniques are when applied in film, magic, or my field of music.

[@gabrielhoy6790]

I remember a documentary with Steven Spielberg; on one of the first movies he ever made (as a young boy, with his friends, and his dad's hand camera) using lightly buried sticks in dirt, and setting them up like little seesaws so when his friends stepped on the other end of the stick they would puff up the dirt, giving the illusion of gunfire in the dirt around them.

[@meketone]

Or more likely you saw this portrayed recently in The Fablemans.

[@willmfrank]

@@meketone Or most likely the makers of The Fablemans had seen the same documentary.

[@glennso47]

The movie DUEL where Dennis Weaver is being chased by the semi and his car and the truck both go over the cliff. Neither he nor the driver of the truck were injured.

[@davidkiser5250]

Ive seen that also. Pretty good effects for a kid to come up with, but it was Spielberg.

[@hardwire666too]

The give away for the pen in 2001 being on a piece of glass for me was that the pen only rotates on one axis. It was cool to have this confirmed as I grew older. Fantastic shot though. then again the whole movie is just a series of fantastic shots.

[@josephemmons8496]

Every time I tune in I'm blown away with how this team has just been delivering this kind of gold for 10+ years. Such a cool episode. Thanks for all you've brought to this community through the years.

[@robanderson473]

You know a lot of these effects are far more superior and realistic, compared to many CGI films of today. And 'Roger Thornhill' being chased by the crop duster is just magnificent, one of my favourite effects and indeed,one of my favourite films! Even though only a quick glimpse of it at the start of the video,was shown!!🙄😁

[@randalllewis4485]

North by Northwest has some great Hitchcock moments including that crop duster scene and but it also has the very not realistic Mount Rushmore scene.

[@robanderson473]

@@randalllewis4485 Mmmmm yeah, it's still great though!

[@kurtb8474]

Many of the visuals in 2001: A Space Odyssey just fascinate me. For years I would watch a scene and try to figure out how they did it.

[@clockingthet4827]

To say that the tornado in "Wizard Of Oz" "completely holds up to this day" is an incredible understatement. If you've ever seen the film projected it is an utterly realistic effect and a seamless blend of miniatures, rear projection, and foreground effects. The CGI in "Twister" couldn't hold a candle to this sequence. The entire movie is just one incredible effect gag after another--need we say 'flying monkeys?' Yes, we should. This movie really should be studied with the same reverence as "Citizen Kane" or "2001: A Space Odyssey."

[@straydawg2035]

It really is something that needs to come back to movies. The practical effects in these movies look so good and real. Nowadays, everything is over the top CGI with characters/creatures moving in such unrealistic ways, it really pulls me out of the movie.

[@pylesofmedia]

Watching how older movies were made is what made me want to make movies myself. I miss good ol' movie magic

[@babayaga1767]

i used to be a boom operator. once did a film with a dining room scene and we had trouble getting around me in the shot. i had the director hang me from the ceiling and i was able to get the audio from above. it worked great

[@bryanhernandez2045]

The Wizard of Oz tornado still might be the best on screen tornado ever.

[@WTDoorley]

I wore out my copy of "Techniques of Special Effects Cinematography" by Raymond Fielding. I bought it in the early 1980s, and I still browse through it for ideas. If you want to know how classic effects are done, everything from foreground miniatures to Disney's sodium matte process, this is the "bible." I'm so glad more of today's filmmakers are using these techniques in addition to CGI. Thanks for bringing this great work to everyone's attention, Ryan!

[@truthandreality8465]

That's a very good book to have. Keep hold of your copy as it's not always possible to find a copy today, even the newer editions. They should use and consult that book on this show as verbatim, because they sadly don't.

[@Ddrhl]

@@truthandreality8465 "as verbatim"? Do you mean "ad verbatim"? Or maybe just "canon"?

[@truthandreality8465]

@@Ddrhl Yes, troll, "as verbatim". So people who aren't Roman time travellers can understand what it says, just like YOU! "Canon" is "verbatim" that counts.

[@Ddrhl]

@@truthandreality8465 Not a troll. Genuinely asked. Had never heard "as verbatim." Calm down.

[@truthandreality8465]

​@@Ddrhl And, I'm Dr. Heywood Floyd!!

[@occularmalice]

I can't believe when The Wizard of Oz came up, you didn't feature the change from black & white to colour when Dorothy first comes out into Oz. It's the best effect of the film and has an incredible secret to it. Maybe if you did a follow up feature you could include it.

[@MrAmielM]

Loved this episode. One of my scene transitions is in Terry Gilliam's Baron Munchausen, and it's as simple as great set design. The 'theatre Sultan' walks from the back of the stage to the front. But as the camera pans its revealed that where the front of the stage should be, is the actual palace. Such a great way to transition from the telling of the story and go into the story.

[@wirelesmike73]

That movie had some great scenes, as did many of his movies. Gilliam was truly an artist, and he took such joy in showcasing other artists' amazing talents.

[@charlie-obrien]

@@wirelesmike73 Others can knock Baron Munchhausen, but it is one of my favorite films. What an amazing imagination on that guy, Gilliam!

[@PungiFungi]

The Wizard of Oz tornado is still one of the most terrifying shots commit on film.

[@deadpan80]

The even more impressive thing that gets forgotten about Lloyd is he's doing all that hanging off of clocks and ledges with just one full hand - his right hand was missing the thumb and forefinger due to a previous accident. PLUS between takes, he was forced to hanging in position sometimes before the cameras rolled again.

[@markanne54]

I liked the "steady cam" shots from The Evil Dead whereby they just bolted the camera to a big plank of wood and ran with it, creating a similar stabilisation effect that a high-wire-walker gets with a long pole.

[@Markus_Andrew]

Another excellent effect is in Gone With The Wind, during an external scene where guests are arriving for a ball at (I think) Ashley's house. You're looking along the front of an antebellum mansion from one end as guests disembark from carriages in the middle distance and walk up the steps to the mansion's entrance. Only - the mansion was not real, it was hand-painted, and the actors were actually walking up the stairs to the rear doors of the sound stage from out in the lot (backdrop was I think matted in). Even knowing that the mansion frontage is a painting, it's so well executed that you can't tell. Personally, I think it's a rather corny movie, but technically it's impressive.

[@THRASHMETALFUNRIFFS]

Wait till you see terminator 2!!

[@gloriagaddy]

GWTW is a perfect example of innovative practical effects that still hold up today. It's hard to believe that it's nearing its 85th anniversary.

[@kerim.peardon5551]

Blowing up the boxcars (pretty sure those were miniatures) and setting fire to a stage to replicate the burning of Atlanta was also considered a huge special effect back in 1939. And think about what all of that fire would have looked like on the big screen when the year prior, all of your movies were B&W.

[@gloriagaddy]

@@kerim.peardon5551 My mom, at 14 years old, saw GWTW in the theater when it was released and she said she was awestruck by that scene and how vivid it was. The boxcars were not miniatures, though. For that scene, they gathered old sets and such from previous movies and burned them, clearing the way so they could build needed sets for the movie. Incidentally, it was during the filming of this scene that Vivien Leigh was introduced to David O. Selznick, who was still trying to find the perfect actress to play Scarlett.

[@kerim.peardon5551]

@@gloriagaddy That's interesting. The way it zooms in on the cars, it sort of makes them look like miniatures. Although it's might be that the full-size cars were burned, but only miniatures were blown up. Burning a set down and blowing one up are different stunts entirely! It's very cool that your mother got to see it when it first came out. I've gotten to see it in a theater on the big screen, but I'm not going to have the same experience as 1, I've seen it many times before that, and 2, color movies are the norm. But on the big screen, it was the first time I had ever seen Scarlett's eyes look green. On the old VHS tape I had, they always looked blue.

[@joelining]

Awesome episode! It's amazing how well some of these effects hold up. Would love to see some more episodes about older/forgotten films!

[@andreasrensen6465]

This is the first time I’ve ever watched your channel, but it won’t be the last! I’ve always loved old films, and it’s nice to be among people who still appreciate them!

[@2NDCBT]

You've literally covered and answered every question about how the effects on my favorite movies were done! Thirty seconds over Tokyo, The Wizard of Oz and 2001 Space Odessey! Drove me crazy thinking about 'how it's done" Thanks a bunch!

[@Yora21]

The Citizen Kane shot is also done in The Empire Strike Back, when you have a pilot's perspective as he flies between the legs of the huge walker. Since the whole shot was done as stop motion, taking away the model once the legs were out of frame was really easy, as you can take as long as you want while the camera is paused.

[@allanalogmusicat78rpm]

8:30 The Wizard of Oz was not a flop. It failed to turn a profit, in initial release, only because they spent a ridiculous amount of money making it. It eventually became profitable after a few re-releases into theaters, and then the eventual TV rights sale.

[@jamesage24]

I think he meant a flop upon it's initial release. Movies like It's a Wonderful Life and Shawshank Redemption were also flops upon initial release but ultimately became legendary and greatly revered like The Wizard of Oz.

[@Yetaxa]

we can discuss the reasons it flopped on release. The high cost and the subsequent war preventing widespread international release, but the fact remains that it didn't turn a profit until decades later

[@lilbuggers3]

There was a stunt show in Universal Hollywood in the 90's where they good guy sits on the plunger for the dynamite and the building falls over him but a window placed just right doesn't touch him.

[@GuitarLessonsBobbyCrispy]

When I was ten years old, my friend and I made a cartoon version of 'The Empire Strikes Back' using an 8mm camera. We created the laser gun shots by using a box with a diagonal piece of glass right in front of the camera. We then had a light with a sheet of red plastic shine down through a hole at the top of the box ( in the shape of laser shot ), and lined it up with whatever gun was shooting in the background. We learned how to do this in some camera magazine back in the early 1980's.

[@AlexLeggo]

Great episode, I'd love to see more of these! I love the old school ingenuity in these films.

[@SportPlusDad]

Wow. Not a filmmaker at all (although into photography) but find things like this super interesting. Thanks!

[@DaleBaker-nz9fh]

This old stuff is unbelievably brilliantly made considering the age of the films. Awesome video.

[@rustygazes256]

So far I've watched 1 -4 on how they pulled it off. I love it. Please continue to make more . Thanks.👍

[@jonathant.powell7281]

Cool old special effects. I wondered for years how that tornado was done in "The Wizard of Oz" and the floating pin in "2001 - A Space Odyssey." I'm surprised that your list didn't include the ocean parting scene from both versions of "The Ten Commandments."

[@FRN2013]

Good point! Amazing feats for both eras!

[@FRN2013]

Speaking of Chuck Heston films, the chariot race and the naval battle in Ben-Hur were spectacularly filmed!

[@zunaidparker]

Fantastic video! Really enjoyed this one.

[@DoingHawaii]

These are absolutely perfect examples of how to think outside the box.

[@Geritopia]

The zoom out from Harold Lloyd and clock tower was excellent . And for that matter, all of this is excellent.

[@leokimvideo]

A very sad fact is the tornado scene in Wizard Of Oz also used asbestos dust, in fact this was the common 'movie dust' of the time. White asbestos was used as snow and set dressing. It affected so many film technicians and stars. Moving on in time dust containing silica is just as dangerous. Makes you rethink how fantastic these films are!

[@afjer]

It would if they knew and did it anyway. They didn't figure it out until much later.

[@randomlibra]

It doesn't change the greatness of the films. They didn't know there was an issue. If some person knew, and used it anyway, well then, that person would be a serial killer, and this just got way more interesting :0

[@RideAcrossTheRiver]

" dust containing silica " Sand?

[@screenname8267]

I believe asbestos was used for snow. The video here mentioned that fullers earth was used for the tornado.

[@PictureHouseCinema]

Correction, that was the snow scene.

[@Deadpool_64]

You should do an episode about the original Dark Shadows, (if you haven't already.) The shot of ghost Josette walking down from the painting was absolutely amazing, especially for a show in 1967 and with a shoestring budget.

[@MiniLemmy]

Fascinating how simplicity was key back then - to film an object floating these days would probably be done in a ‘vomit comet’ low gravity simulation plane at enormous cost per take, but back then they just stuck the object on glass and moved it around on bearings…

[@BVP93]

I could watch these examples endlessly. Phenomenal video

[@DeaPeaJay]

Many of these tricks are brilliant. And I agree we need a return to more practical effects like these. Cgi is too easy. Think outside the box. Great video.

[@Argoon1981]

To me the problem with CGI is not that "is easy", is not really, is still a bunch of work, is that unless you spend a lot of time making it good, it will look extremely bad and fake, specially for characters and moving/animating objects, while practical effects look real by default, because they are real, but there are tons of series and movies with full CGI static backdrops, that no one even suspects is CGI, when is very well done is invisible. So IMO the problem with CGI, is not CGI itself, is lack of care and rushed effects.

[@Mr.2E]

I’m so glad you shared these. A reminder that you can get some really amazing shots without the use of cg. My personal favorite movie is King Kong (1933), because of the strong story line and I feel like the movie used every trick in the book for the time.

[@ArtisticCeleste]

My year 1 animation/storytelling professor LOVED the classics, he gave us a whole list to check out and would go over with us different shots and how they did them. Masking, mirrors, minatures and puppets, double exposure, all those old tricks. Really wish my school just gave him a whole class to dedicate to going over classic cinema, it was so cool first year. Now whenever my mother's watching a classic film and I sit to watch with her I'm constantly telling her how different shots might've been done during commercials. Lots of respect for these filmmakers back in the day

[@cpth0wdy13]

The explosions in Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo were amazing.

[@marinrealestatephotography]

Great episode. Love the practicals. You mentioned Jackie Chan and was sorry to see no footage from his movies (although I guess his effects were similar to Buster Keaton's in that they were just done live with little to no regard for safety).

[@gooddog20002]

In Silent Running 1972 to create the tactical nuke explosion they took a piece of black construction paper and punched a hole in it. Then they opened up the lens all the way and zoomed in on the hole. Then they unplugged the light to simulate the light from the nuke fading out. And they composited it onto a starfield. And they did the entire SFX for only $2 dollars, mind blowing.

[@IPlayOneOnT.V.]

Since I was a kid the visuals of "Wizard of Oz" have just fascinated and astounded me. And, as an adult Buster Keaton's stunts and timing have absolutely "laid me out" from how everybody pulled-off the sheer complexity of those breathtaking stunts with apparent ease. Complete and utter cinematic genius for the times. Thank you for putting together this video.

[@Shutterbun4]

OK, the 2001 pen effect got me. I thought for sure it was just on monofilament, but the "stuck to glass" concept is absolute brilliant, and allows for a much more natural "floating" motion.

[@MoCo_Filmmaker]

Love this episode...is there going to be a part 2 where you do a recreation of these practical shots?!?!

[@LeviAmes]

I love this video. Very informative and entertaining. Can this be a new series you guys do?

[@filmriot]

Deal!

[@dallasdandigitalproduction393]

Yes pls ! Ryan we definitely need a part 2 this . Thx man

[@WilliamRWarrenJr]

Seriously: I don't know how I haven't caught wind of this channel before now! Cinematography Minor at U of Oklahoma and 19 years at Boeing graphic media (motion picture & television, computer animation and my share of vinyl signage) I'm a history buff and a cinema fanatic! Subbed and liked and belled!

[@michaelhawkins7389]

@@filmriot You made a mistake .... The wizard Of Oz film (1939) wasn't a "bomb" as you wrongly suggested .. it had a budget of $2.8 million , and made it's money back at the Box office which was $29.7 million

[@filmriot]

Wizard of Oz made $3 million on a $2.7 million budget and once adverts, print, and distro was added, it lost MGM $1.1 million (a huge amount at the time) and was considered a flop. We have an episode in the works that goes more into that.

[@sophiafullerton]

I'm still impressed by the time-consuming commitment of the Red Sea effects in The Ten Commandments (1956).

[@mikestckl6939]

the pen on the glass trick was my favorite ! its so simple but to come to the idea of doing it this way is brilliant !

[@gustavocamillo2018]

Insane!!! Nowadays it's all CGI, blender, Houdini, DaVinci Resolve, Adobe Premier... I think we gained quality but we lost creativity...

[@mariuscraft1848]

I love your videos ❤

[@TransistorBased]

That makeup and lighting trick is absolute genius

[@kaspergaram]

These are all so great. I can't believe how genius and creative people are

[@ALFirebird]

This was awesome, I always wondered how older films were able to pull of sfx that rivaled todays vfx! Incredible! Like always just going to ask that you guys consider writing the movie titles of each clip you use in the bottom corner. Studio binder does it and it’s so helpful for those of us that want to go back and watch some of the films. Pleeeaaassee

[@karlmahlmann]

Really nice video, I enjoyed. I always wondered about that tornado. Today, there's plenty of footage like that of real tornadoes - and they look just like the one in Wizard of Oz. Sounds like they put some thought and hard work into this. I wonder if there was any real tornado footage for them to work from.

[@anthonyhebisen]

By chance , and with all the tornados outbreaks going on currently, I watched a video on KZbin about the history of tornados and the earliest mentions and depictions of tornados. One of the earliest depictions was in a medieval tapestry that displayed weather phenomenon. The first video footage recorded wasn’t until the 50’s , so the technicians for OZ relied on photos

[@karlmahlmann]

@@anthonyhebisen Thanks, That's what I had assumed. They did a great job, for sure.

[@johnortiz1964]

That scene in "2001:A Space Odyssey" with the floating pen was used in the sequel "2010: The Year we Make Contact" It's great scene with Roy Schieder. The effect keeps failing until one time that it actually does works and Schieder laughs...he's so amazed at this effect.

[@christopherscottcarpenter]

What a fascinating topic! Superb video. Jumped on it immediately while enjoying my coffee.

[@Ishai1]

I know it's the most famous Buster Keaton shot, probably because it was done for real, but he had so many better examples of tricks that you could've used, like the Sherlock Jr motorcycle scene with the train barely missing him

[@falcychead8198]

There's a shot in "Contact" that mystified me for a long time. It's when Ellie runs upstairs to get her father's medicine, and the camera is going with her up the stairs, _around a corner,_ down the hall to the bathroom, where it's revealed to be a reflection in the medicine cabinet mirror. It was obvious once it was explained to me; the tracking shot was one shot simply matted into a second shot of the cabinet. Another mirror trick, that wasn't even an effect really, was in "Airplane!" when Kramer is getting dressed in a full length mirror, says, "Let's go" and then steps through the mirror. The scene was simply set up to suggest that there was a mirror there when there wasn't. The gag is very subtle and is usually missed by viewers.

[@BadWebDiver]

My cousin pointed that one out to me; and I admit it took me two or three views to get the gag.

[@iMakeThat]

I absolutely loved this episode 🎉 thanks for sharing more magical film history 🍿

[@caittails]

I’m not trying to take anything away from digital artists or modern set designers, but the genius that went into this time period is so much cooler and more enjoyable to watch than the stuff shot on blue screens today.

[@BenjamintheTortoise]

Fascinating, thought-provoking, and entertaining!!! I'm floored. Great video! 👍💕😊

[@carlraetzsch]

Loved this episode!! More please.

[@TheTMax]

I must say I am really enjoying these new videos analyzing and learning about cinema classics. The Spielberg video was actually pretty cool too. Keep em coming!

[@bluefox75]

So many awesome, practical shots in Viy that you could use in a follow-up episode. Great work, BTW!

[@jkapp374]

Definitely an awesome segment..you should absolutely do more of these-- this should be a regular series on your Channel... definitely think it's great giving some props to how these classic films did it without CGI

[@lexieagua]

This is great! We need a part 2!

[@Korvar]

My favourite shot from Wizard of Oz is Dorothy first seeing the Technicolor Oz for the first time. The way they did the transition from black and white to Technicolor was just crazy.

[@halfsourlizard9319]

Except that it was all Technicolor ... Which, of course, used b+w film. EDIT: So, that's fakenews: It *was* all b+w stock, but not all Technicolor!

[@georgemckenna462]

@@halfsourlizard9319 As I understand it director King Vidor shot the beginning on B&W sepia tone film. When Dorothy enters OZ that's when the film was shot using the three-strip technicolor process. The combined master print was then transferred on to an all technicolor copy print for distribution.

[@halfsourlizard9319]

@@georgemckenna462 Hrmmm, you appear to be correct: It's just the transition from sepia -> full colour that was done by physically colouring everything being shot in sepia tones! TIL!

[@charlie-obrien]

@@halfsourlizard9319 Yes, even after Dorothy and Toto are walking around you can still see their house has remained sepia (on purpose of course) while the rest of the shot is like a peacock.

[@halfsourlizard9319]

@@charlie-obrien I'll have to watch it again, it's been to long ... And, immediately afterwards, the Sean Connery masterpiece 'Zardoz'!

[@starguard4122]

This was Awesome. Thanks for posting this. I really enjoyed it

[@perry92964]

that makeup effect was fantastic, i could imagine the audience losing their minds and just freaking out. i remember going to see jurassic park and being amazed with the cgi but that makeup trick is on another level. the things those people thought of when moving pictures were a new tech is genius....pure genius

[@sapphirejade5029]

This is absolutely impressive! We should look back to these moments of cinema history and use them more often. This is amazing!!😍😍😍

[@karlbroderickmusic]

Wonderful stuff. Instead of it being spoilers, it gives you a new respect for those, already highly thought of, movies. So clever, it must've been so rewarding seeing your creativity work on the final film.

[@charlesballard5251]

Never heard of you. I sit down to have a bite and need something to watch and there you are on KZbin. LOVED IT!!!! Keep up the good work.

[@worldwideinterests1]

This was fantastic - I'd love to see more!

[@STEVEARABIA1]

I love watching stuff like this. It amazes me how people made due with what they had and pulled off such impressive things. Everything from chemistry and physics inventions with crude equipment to machinery, intricate devices like watches, and the arts like cinema.

[@AthosJosue]

The Pen effect at the end it's brilliant, so simple yet surprising.

[@b1oh1]

I'm not a filmmaker, but how filmmakers achieve practical effects is very interesting, so I clicked. I'm glad I did! Great video!!

[@Coryo61827]

What a fun video I randomly came across here on KZbin. I would have never thought to search for this, but I’m glad I found it and watched it. :)

[@marinadela1361]

2:58 thank you so so much I had been searching for this particular scene and movie for so long.

[@crimetimeproductions6340]

I love this format, very entertaining. Would love to see more videos like this!

[@ablettman5]

Absolutely loved watching this… thanks heaps