Special Effects: Anything Can Happen

Special Effects: Anything Can Happen is an American documentary film directed by Academy Award-winning sound designer Ben Burtt and narrated by John Lithgow. It was released to IMAX theaters in 1996.

Overview

This documentary film is an exploration of special effects techniques used in motion pictures, including traditional special effects up to modern computer generated effects. It is also notable for featuring the making of the new digital effects created for the special edition version of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, which was released to theaters one year later in 1997.

The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short, but lost to Breathing Lessons.

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Anything Can Happen

Anything Can Happen is a 1952 film directed by George Seaton.

José Ferrer stars as Giorgi Papashvily, who immigrates from Georgia in the Soviet Union and becomes Americanized. Based on a 1945 best-selling biographical novel by Helen and George Papashvily, the film also stars Kim Hunter, fresh from her Oscar-winning turn in A Streetcar Named Desire.

Plot

The film follows Papashvily from his arrival and initial interview on Ellis Island, through his early jobs on New York's bustling Lower East Side. His friend, Nuri (Kurt Kasznar), who had arrived in New York earlier and speaks English, leads the way, telling Giorgi that he'll help him get an outdoor job with plenty of fresh air. Instead, they find themselves carrying buckets and pouring hot tar on rooftops.

Giorgi, who didn't speak a word of English when he arrived, works diligently to learn the language, practicing troublesome consonants ("W" and "V") in the mirror. He also shares a house with fellow Georgians. Cited by the police with some of his fellow countrymen for picking flowers in Central Park, he refuses to pay the fine because he didn't pick the flowers (although he was present) and it would be wrong to admit to a crime he did not commit.

Special effect

The illusions or tricks of the eye used in the film, television, theatre, video game, and simulator industries to simulate the imagined events in a story or virtual world are traditionally called special effects (often abbreviated as SFX, SPFX, or simply FX).

Special effects are traditionally divided into the categories of optical effects and mechanical effects. With the emergence of digital filmmaking a distinction between special effects and visual effects has grown, with the latter referring to digital post-production while "special effects" referring to mechanical and optical effects.

Mechanical effects (also called practical or physical effects) are usually accomplished during the live-action shooting. This includes the use of mechanized props, scenery, scale models, animatronics, pyrotechnics and atmospheric effects: creating physical wind, rain, fog, snow, clouds, etc. Making a car appear to drive by itself and blowing up a building are examples of mechanical effects. Mechanical effects are often incorporated into set design and makeup. For example, a set may be built with break-away doors or walls to enhance a fight scene, or prosthetic makeup can be used to make an actor look like a non-human creature.

Special Effects (film)

Special Effects is a 1984 film directed by Larry Cohen. It stars Zoe Lund and Eric Bogosian.

Plot

A director makes a movie based on a murder he committed.

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Special Effects (album)

Special Effects is the fifteenth studio album by American rapper Tech N9ne. It was released on May 4, 2015, by Strange Music. The album is broken up into several portions representing days of the week, with collaborations with artists including Corey Taylor, B.o.B, Lil Wayne, 2 Chainz, T.I., Hopsin, E-40, Yo Gotti, Audio Push and Eminem, among others. The album also features fellow Strange Music artists Krizz Kaliko, Big Scoob and Ces Cru. Production on the album was handled by Seven, Strange Music's in-house producer, Excision along with Joseph Bishara who was the composer of Insidious and The Conjuring.

Critical reception

Special Effects was met with generally positive reviews from music critics. David Jeffries of AllMusic said, "Sticking to his guns with angry, soul-searching lyrics spewing out while the high-powered crossover collaborations fly about, Tech N9ne skillfully rides his career trajectory as it soars ever upwards with Special Effects, an album that's powerful more than purposeful, plus a therapy session where all the party people can sing along." Eric Diep of HipHopDX praised the production, and said, "Casual listeners — who are more familiar with his Hip Hop catalogue — will likely be turned off by the handful of straight-up rap records. His core audience, though, will revel in the album’s moments like the return of “Psycho Bitch” with a crazy storytelling verse from Hopsin over sinister production." Michael Blair of XXL said, "Steadily nearing the fine line between underground and mainstream for years now, Tech’s 15th studio album finds itself as the apex of where the two classifications meet and invite both the well-acquainted enthusiast and the curious onlooker."