I’ve been revisiting some older movies as of late, in a so-far futile effort to convince Microkhan Jr. that cinema existed and flourished before, say, 2002. In doing so, I’ve become increasingly enamored with the wizardry of practical effects, which are often the product of a sort of technical genius I can scarcely comprehend. The infrequently updated Matte Shot has added to my appreciation of old-school effects, chiefly by illuminating the artistry that went into painting the realistic backgrounds of bygone masterpieces. I’ll confess that most of the movies covered are beyond my knowledge—there’s lots about sword-and-sandals epics from decades before I touched down on Spaceship Earth—but I still marvel at the skill on display. As someone who struggles to draw anything more elaborate than a stick figure, how can I not marvel at someone who can create the entire world of The Running Man with a few paintbrushes?
Slightly related, at least in terms of celebrating a vanishing technical art: My May 2021 Wired story on the man who invented the asymmetric bowling-ball core.
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