Editing Special effect (section)

===The science fiction boom===
During the 1950s and 1960s numerous new special effects were developed which would dramatically increase the level of realism achievable in [[science fiction film]]s. Sci-fi special effects milestones in the 1950s included the [[Godzilla (franchise)|''Godzilla'' films]], ''[[The Day the Earth Stood Still]]'' (featuring [[Klaatu (The Day the Earth Stood Still)|Klaatu]]), and [[3-D films]].<ref name="Tron">{{cite magazine |title=The Making of Tron |magazine=Video Games Player |date=September 1982 |volume=1 |issue=1 |publisher=Carnegie Publications |pages=50–5 |url=https://archive.org/details/Video_Games_Player_Vol_1_No_1_1982-09_Carnegie_Publications_US/page/n49/mode/2up}}</ref>
[[File:Eiji Tsuburaya - AP 1961.jpg|thumb|[[Godzilla]] co-creator [[Eiji Tsuburaya]] is one of the most influential individuals in the history of special effects.]]
The ''[[tokusatsu]]'' genre of [[Japanese science fiction]] film and television, which includes the ''[[kaiju]]'' sub-genre of [[Monster movie|monster films]], rose to prominence in the 1950s. The special-effects director [[Eiji Tsuburaya]] and the director [[Ishirō Honda]] became the driving forces behind the [[Godzilla (1954 film)|original ''Godzilla'']] (1954). Taking inspiration from ''[[King Kong (1933 film)|King Kong]]'' (1933), Tsuburaya formulated many of the techniques that would become staples of the ''tokusatsu'' genre, such as so-called [[suitmation]]—the use of a human actor in a costume to play a giant monster—combined with the use of miniatures and scaled-down city sets. ''Godzilla'' changed the landscape of [[Japanese cinema]], science fiction and fantasy,<ref>''Millennial Monsters: Japanese Toys and the Global Imagination'', pp. 47–8. {{ISBN|0-520-24565-2}}</ref> and kickstarted the ''kaiju'' genre in Japan called the "Monster Boom", which remained extremely popular for several decades, with characters such as the aforementioned [[Godzilla]], [[Gamera]] and [[King Ghidorah]] leading the market. Tokusatsu films, notably ''[[Warning from Space]]'' (1956), sparked [[Stanley Kubrick]]'s interest in science fiction films; according to his biographer [[John Baxter (author)|John Baxter]], despite their "clumsy model sequences, the films were often well-photographed in colour ... and their dismal dialogue was delivered in well-designed and well-lit sets."<ref>{{cite book|last=Baxter|first=John|date=1997|title=Stanley Kubrick: A Biography|page=[https://archive.org/details/stanleykubrickbi00baxt/page/200 200]|location=New York|publisher=Basic Books|isbn=0786704853|url=https://archive.org/details/stanleykubrickbi00baxt/page/200}}</ref>
 
In 1968, Stanley Kubrick assembled his own effects team ([[Douglas Trumbull]], [[Tom Howard (special effects)|Tom Howard]], Con Pederson and Wally Veevers) rather than use an in-house effects unit for ''[[2001: A Space Odyssey (film)|2001: A Space Odyssey]]''. In this film, the spaceship miniatures were highly detailed and carefully photographed for a realistic [[depth of field]]. The shots of spaceships were combined through hand-drawn [[rotoscoping]] and careful motion-control work, ensuring that the elements were precisely combined in the camera—a surprising throwback to the silent era, but with spectacular results. Backgrounds of the African vistas in the "Dawn of Man" sequence were combined with soundstage photography via the then-new [[front projection]] technique. Scenes set in zero-gravity environments were staged with hidden wires, mirror shots, and large-scale rotating sets. The finale, a voyage through hallucinogenic scenery, was created by Douglas Trumbull using a new technique termed [[slit-scan]].

The 1970s provided two profound changes in the special effects trade. The first was economic: during the industry's recession in the late 1960s and early 1970s, many studios closed down their in-house effects houses. Technicians became freelancers or founded their own effects companies, sometimes specialising on particular techniques (opticals, animation, etc.).

The second was precipitated by the blockbuster success of two science-fiction and fantasy films in 1977. [[George Lucas]]'s ''[[Star Wars (film)|Star Wars]]'' ushered in an era of science-fiction films with expensive and impressive special effects. Effects supervisor [[John Dykstra]], A.S.C. and crew developed many improvements in existing effects technology. They created a computer-controlled camera rig called the "Dykstraflex" that allowed precise repetition of camera motion, greatly facilitating travelling-matte compositing. Degradation of film images during compositing was minimised by other innovations: the Dykstraflex used [[VistaVision]] cameras that photographed [[widescreen]] images horizontally along stock, using far more of the film per frame, and thinner-emulsion filmstocks were used in the compositing process. The effects crew assembled by Lucas was dubbed [[Industrial Light & Magic]], and since 1977 has spearheaded many effects innovations.

That same year, [[Steven Spielberg]]'s film ''[[Close Encounters of the Third Kind]]'' boasted a finale with impressive special effects by ''[[2001: A Space Odyssey (film)|2001]]'' veteran Douglas Trumbull. In addition to developing his own motion-control system, Trumbull also developed techniques for creating intentional "[[lens flare]]" (the shapes created by light reflecting in camera lenses) to provide the film's undefinable shapes of flying saucers.

The success of these films, and others since, has prompted massive studio investment in effects-heavy science-fiction films. This has fuelled the establishment of many independent effects houses, a tremendous degree of refinement of existing techniques, and the development of new techniques such as [[computer-generated imagery]] (CGI). It has also encouraged within the industry a greater distinction between special effects and [[visual effects]]; the latter is used to characterise post-production and optical work, while "special effects" refers more often to on-set and mechanical effects.