Course Description
Introduction to illusions and visual tricks used in film and television to make the unreal seem real. Students will get hands-on experience with both practical on-set effects and digital effects created in post-production.
Additional Requirements for Graduate Students:
Graduate students will give a presentation on a topic of the instructor's choosing.
Athena Title
Special Effects
Undergraduate Pre or Corequisite
FILM 4680/6680 or permission of department
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Student Learning Outcomes
- By the end of the course, students should have a fundamental understanding of techniques used to create practical, optical and digital effects for film and video.
- By the end of the course, students should gain an awareness of how to plan camera angles, sound, and editing ahead of time in order to maximize the effectiveness of these techniques.
- By the end of the course, students should demonstrate a basic proficiency in After Effects.
- By the end of the course, students should work effectively with classmates to complete a reel of scenes that demonstrate a grasp of special effects principles, their application to satisfy the narrative demands of a particular scene, and the selection of camera angles, camera movement, and other aspects of cinematography to maximize their impact.
Topical Outline
- Week 1: Planning and selling effects
Week 2: Blood and gore
Week 3: Air pumps and air squib
Week 4: Rain, wind, and weather effects
Week 5: Miniatures and forced perspective
Week 6: Pepper's Ghost and the Texas Switch
Week 7: Fundamentals of compositing
Week 8: Green screens and light wraps
Week 9: Motion tracking and camera tracking
Week 10: Rotoscoping
Week 11: Mattes, masks, and object removal
Week 12: Ghosts, holograms, and screen replacement
Week 13: Faking vintage film and video looks
Week 14: Prop guns, muzzle flashes, bullet hits
Week 15: Stunts, pyrotechnics, and working firearms
Week 16: Virtual studio technology
